The Dessuart Oracle is a divination deck that was jointly created by Magus Dessuart, a Parisian clairvoyant, and by designer Patrice Serres.  It was published by France Cartes, and shows a date of 1986.
 
The deck is made up of 52 cards designed to be read widthwise, Italian style, a form that resembles a cinema screen.  The background picture on each side of the cards is exactly the same:  an empty desert showing no sign of life.  Scenes appear within this desert, as in a film, illustrating all the themes and human archetypes.  The cards making up the Oracle fit perfectly in next to one another.
 
The deck comprises 4 series of 13 cards each, bearing 4 suits:  Spades, Hearts, Clubs and Diamonds.  These symbols are subtly blended into the pictures on the cards.  In each of the series, the cards go from the Ace to the King.  The deck comes with a little white instruction booklet, and in it the cards are described as “a back-up to clairvoyance – they never determine destiny, but merely point out causes of research”.  I agree with this assessment, as it can apply to other divination decks, including the Tarot.  This is a deck that definitely needs a back-up book, as I consider the booklet inadequate.  I have no knowledge if such a book was ever written, and as of this date, I have yet to find anyone else that has even heard of this deck, much less seen one.
 
This is a very colorful and intriguing deck, and I regret that I don't have a scanner at this time to show just how unusual these cards are.  The scenes and people featured are from the 1980’s, and I find it to be an accurate mirror of the times and foibles of that decade.  I don't find this an easy deck to work with, and am cautious using it.  I strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with these cards before attempting a reading.  Because of the eccentric nature and appearance of the deck, I highly recommend the Dessuart Oracle to the collector who likes unusual looking Tarot and/or divination decks.

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Guest Review Copyright 2000 by Damarys Mercado
used with permission