Author: Judy Mastrangelo
Artist: Judy Mastrangelo
Red Feather
2020
“Inspirational Visions” is a 50 card, full-color oracle deck that comes with a 120-page companion book. Deck and book come in a sturdy keepsake box beautifully shaped like a book, with a magnet closure. The presentation is so beautiful that you want to just sit and look at it – meditate on the colors and images if you will.
The cards are 3 ½” by 5”, with no borders. The card edges are done in a lovely blue foil. The card backs are a light blue/green, with light white snowflake type imagery on them. They are reversible. The card imagery is done in rich, intense pastels that are an absolute delight. The cards are not numbered but show the card name in a little colored cloud at the bottom of the card, with a short message about the card’s energy in black lettering across a white strip under the card name. The imagery within the cards includes bunnies, cherubs, faeries, unicorns, wizards, and more! There is a whimsical world of fantasy and wonder that can be accessed through these cards. The cards are presented in alphabetical order.
The guidebook devotes two pages to each card – the left-hand page is a full-color representation of the card, while the right-hand page gives the card name, the energy of the card, and a bit of advice about how to work with the card.
In her introduction, Mastrangelo notes the “Imagination is the stuff that Dreams are made of.” Her intent with this deck is that it works to enhance the skill of imagination. In other words, we can use the cards to open-up our imagination, and our world. She talks about a specific technique called “Mind Painting”, where we create an image in our mind of what we would like our ideal self to be. Through the use of this deck, we can develop our own intuitive abilities, and overcome our fear of trying something new.
There are some solid suggestions on how to use the cards, including working with the special message on each card. Mastrangelo encourages relaxing before beginning to work with the cards, and she provides a meditative process that anyone can use to do so.
In her section on “Mind Painting” Mastrangelo makes that point that everyone is born with talents that they can develop using their own intuition. One way in which this deck enhances working with intuition is that it has no borders, which makes it so much easier to “enter” (in my humble opinion). By “entering” a card, I mean that you go into a meditative state and consciously enter into the scene, see the colors, feel the energy, and talk to the characters. Listen, and they will respond. I cannot wait to work with “Alice and the White Rabbit”. I want to talk to the Rabbit!
There is a wonderful process presented for creating a “Mind Painting”. Basically, you find a quiet, safe place to do the work in. Create a vision in your mind of what you want to do. Hold the image in your mind. There is more, but these are the basics. And the reader is encouraged to develop their own way of doing this.
I found within these 50 cards both a system and a whole new world. Anyone, from any background, of any age can work safely with this deck. It can be used with children to help them express themselves, with adults to help them understand themselves and their issues, and with aging adults, or developmentally challenged individuals to help express themselves, and find their “safe-place”.
You can pull a card each morning to see how your day is going to go, you can choose to carry a card with you each day to bring that energy into your day, you can ask specific questions about people or issues in your life, or you can create unique spreads to give you guidance. The colors and imagery in this deck are gentle, yet profound. A deep thanks to the artist for sharing her vision!
© February 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.
Bonnie Cehovet 