King Solomon Oracle Cards [With Instruction Booklet] [Paperback]

Years ago I used to visit the now closed Magickal Childe occult shop in New York. I would spend lots of time browsing the herbs, oils, candles and books - and fantasizing about what things I would conjure up. One day, I came to the store after a friend of a friend stole money from me and one of the people who worked there recommended that I get a "seal" for protection. That was my first introduction to the Seals of Solomon.

Since that time, I have on occasion come across them and always found them fascinating. The story goes that King Solomon received a magical signet ring that gave him power over the demons. This ring inspired talismans also called "seals". Each seal has a different vibration and can give magickal powers to the user: the gift of sight, protection, prosperity and more.

The King Solomon Oracle Deck (US Games; ISBN 978-1-57281-666-4) is inspired by these ancient seals. Created by author Itzhak Mizrahi and artist Orna Ben-Shoshan, this little deck provides powerful spiritual insights and wisdom to help the reader in any situation. Although I usually do not play around with Oracle cards, I was pleasantly surprised by the profoundness and beauty of this deck.

The King Solomon Oracle consists of 40 cards - 36 Oracle cards and 4 Amulet cards. The Amulet cards are not to be used in readings but instead carried with you for protection and blessings. Each of these cards have blank space on the back for you to write your name and your mother's name, which connects the card to you. After about 21 days the effects of the amulet cards should be felt by the user. The deck creators recommend carrying at least two of these cards with you at all time. Each Amulet card focuses on a different area of your life: Livelihood, Relationships, Health and Security/Protection.

The other 36 cards are used for readings. The little white book not only provides spreads you can use for readings but also different interpretations depending on what you are asking: situation, person, or advice. A meaning for inverted cards is also included. Recently I consulted the cards for advice about a situation and pulled Card #28 - the advice portion said: "Your battle has already been lost/ wait for the situation to be rid of negative influences/ don't proceed until you can see the situation clearly/ seek outside help in order to be freed from the problem." (This advice did indeed serve me well.)

The cards are standard sized and fit nicely in your hands. The finish is smooth but with a light texture that makes this deck easy to shuffle and not too slippery. And the art work is simply gorgeous. Vibrant colors, whimsical yet magickal images and clear images of the Seals make this deck a wonder to behold. Some of the cards have a Goatic symbol while others have the "72 Names of God", the Kabbalistic names. (These are not written in Hebrew letters but in angel writing.) The backs of the cards are a pale greyish blue with a Seal in the middle.

The authors state that the King Solomon Oracle Cards "were created as a personal deck for your daily use." While that may be the intention, I find them to be uncanny when I need simple advice. They have been accurate and wise in that use.

I would highly recommend this deck to anyone who is looking for a simple oracle deck or who is drawn to the Seals. This deck is great for beginners and would be a lovely addition to any deck collection.

King Solomon Oracle Cards is a 36-card oracle deck created by Itzhak Mizrahi, featuring the artwork of Orna Ben-Shoshan. The deck also comes with four additional "amulet" cards.

The cards measure 2 7/8" x 4 5/8" and have a matte finish. The backs of the cards aren't reversible, but are difficult enough to tell top from bottom so as not to interfere with readings with reversals, as this deck is meant to be used. The backs are a light blue with white glyphic writing and a black seal in the center. The backs of the four amulet cards are blue with stars, and a blank white space for you to write your name in. (More on that later.)

The cards are numbered in the top and bottom diagonal corners of each card, the numbers centered in a star. There are also various symbols on each card, including Solomon Seals containing angel names, Goatic symbols and ancient text witten in angel writing. Unfortunately, the LWB does not offer explanations on the meanings of any of these symbols. This makes the symbols and writings meaningless for those who are unfamiliar with what they mean. Perhaps they are meant to serve as subliminal messages to your intuition?

(See my blog at tarotdame.blogspot.com under "Reviews" to see images of the cards I refer to in this review.)

The four Amulet cards included are not designed to be a part of the reading deck.

The amulets are supposed to be kept or carried around with you. According to the creator of the deck, these cards will influence your life with blessings as long as they are in your possession, and you should feel their effect after 21 days. "After 40 days, their sacred power can be sensed quite noticeably."

In order to harness the power of the amulets, you are supposed to write your name and your mother's name in the space given on the back of the card. Each amulet card covers a different area of life: Livelihood, Relationships, Health, Security/Protection. I myself have not written on any of the cards, nor have I carried any of them on me, so I cannot attest to their effectiveness.

As in the 72 Names Cards, Orna Ben-Shoshan has given us another surreal deck to work with. In fact, there are a couple of crossover cards that I noticed, which appear in both decks. Offhand, without comparing the two side by side, I recognized two from her previous deck.

How it Reads: Orna's fantastic artistry never fails to delight and inspire intuition. The imagery she provides is fantastic fodder for intuitive reading. I'm always able to receive clear readings with her decks, as bizarre and fantastical as the scenes are. There's just something magical that happens when reading with one of Orna's decks. You see things in them that make perfect sense, and they have an uncanny ability to mirror what's going on in your life so miraculously. It's really quite something to experience!

Little White Book: The LWB is 46 pages and begins with a brief introduction into the deck, followed by information on the amulet cards. Next is a section on working with the oracle cards, giving general information on conducting readings. The bulk of the LWB is dedicated to the meanings of each card, and ends with a couple pages on spreads. There is a single card spread, a 3-card spread, a 4-card spread, and a suggestion for pulling a clarification card. Lastly, there are brief bios on the creator and illustrator of the cards.

The meanings in the LWB given for the cards include keywords and key phrases for the Situation, Advice, and Inverted (reversed) meanings. The cards are designed to be used with reversals, although I don't use them.

I definitely recommed this little gem of a deck for anyone interested in an oracle deck that will fuel your intuition and bring a bit of magical synchronicity into your readings.

(See my blog for images of the cards and readings I've done with this deck.)

~Kiki (TarotDame.com)

An interesting and cohesive oracle. This is good for personal work. It has a jewish religious perspective that works for everyone, based on right action