Author: Stacey Williams-Ng
Artist: Stacey Williams-Ng
La Panthere Studio LLC
2023
This deck and companion book are available on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1435701804/roses-dust-ashes-oracle-deck.
The “Roses, Dust & Ashes Oracle” is a 36-card oracle deck and 88-page guidebook. This is the first edition of this deck. The illustrations are hand painted, with the meanings of the symbols derived from Victorian cemeteries located in the southern part of the United States. (I emphasize this because cemeteries tend to take on the ambiance of the part of the country they are located in, and the southern U.S. states have customs and traditions that are very much their own.)
The deck and book come in a coffin-shaped box with a black velvet-like lining. The inside of the cover carries the following quote superimposed over two clasping hands:
“Though My Soul May Set In Darkness,
It Will Rise In Perfect Light –
I Have Loved The Stars Too Fondly
To Be Fearful Of The Night.”
from “the Old Astronomer to his Pupil”,
by Sarah Williams
The cards are 3 1/8″ by 5 1/8″. The backs are a muted red, with a gold skull and crossbones in the center and gold borders. The card edges are also gold. The card faces feature an image in the center, with the card number at the top and the card name at the bottom, in black letters against a gold background. The images are shades of dark and light, with no color. There is a very slender black border about 1/4″ in from the edge of the cards.
The guidebook begins with an introduction that talks about storytelling with pictures. Williams-Ng also talks about how Victorians viewed death and grieving. It continues on into an explanation of the cards. One page is devoted to each card, The card number and name appear at the top of the page, with a small image of the card below it. The symbols within the card are discussed, as well as the card’s general meaning.
Card number 14 is entitled Purity. There is a notation that this is the same number as Temperance in the Tarot. Purity is represented using the Victorian language of flowers by the Lily.
Card number 26 is entitled Rebirth. The image is termed a “cradle grave”, graves which can serve as flower garden planters and are kept up by volunteers.
Card number 29 is entitled Happiness. The image is that of a Lily of the Valley surrounded by a frame. It is a symbol of hope, renewal, and happiness.
The section on spreads presents three- and five-card spreads, with suggestions on how to define the positions.
There is a glossary of cemetery symbols that defines the symbols found within the cards. There is a short photo gallery at the end of the book.
This is an amazing deck that is very easy to work with. This work gives the reader another way to view and understand cemeteries and the symbols associated with them.
August 2023 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction is not permitted without written permission from the author.