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Anamchara Oracle review by author and artist Saorsa Sionnach
Review written by Simonida Kozelj
I was visiting my dear friend Wendy Stokes and her husband one Sunday afternoon when Wendy asked me if I’d like to review the Anamchara Oracle. Knowing that Wendy reviews such cards professionally, I was initially taken aback.
As I am curious about divination (but having no experience), I declined at first. However, as I looked at the illustrations on the ornately decorated box, I thought it might be an interesting challenge! Perhaps it would be intriguing for those more involved in spirituality than I am to see a review by an amateur. So, I accepted the challenge. Who knows, I might discover wonderful things!
Note: This review is based on my personal experience with the Anamchara Oracle. As this is my first contact with these cards. I embarked upon this exploration without prior research to ensure a fresh perspective.
About the Author and Artist: Saorsa Sionnach is of Scottish descent and was born into a family of artists. As a child, she was contemplative and had an intuitive connection with the natural world. She recognizes herself as an elemental witch, currently living in the Canary Islands. Her card illustrations represent her optimism and sense of wonder, as well as the spiritual messages.
Unpacking the box: The smallish box is cream-colored with ornate Celtic decorations on the edges and a lovely illustration of a girl, sitting on the floor cross-legged, with butterflies flying around her and a kitten in her lap. The girl is drinking from a cup while the kitten looks intently into her face.
Tiny illustrations of three more cards on the back and a text prompting me to let the Anamchara Oracle guide me on a 'quirky path of life' as my spirit guardian piqued my curiosity. I would certainly like to find peace and happiness, as it says on the box, especially since I’m not in a terribly good place right now!
What’s in the box: The box is lined on the inside with lavender-coloured paper. I’ve heard somewhere that purple is the best colour for divinations. Whether that’s true or not, I am not sure, but I can well imagine a beautiful velvet surface in purple with a card layout on them. Inside the box, I found:
- A booklet with instructions on how to use the cards and the full meaning of each card
- A pack of 44 cards, each with a number, title, illustration and a mantra written under the illustration
- A leaflet with advertising for the Rockpool Oracle Reading Cards app—very useful for the digital era audience, but personally, I’d still prefer the purple velvet, a candle, and a little bit of mystery with a live person reading the cards.
The Booklet: In the Introduction, I learned that in Celtic culture, Anamchara is a soul friend and spirit adviser. These invisible friends live amongst us, and we only need to listen to our hearts to hear their whispering. Anamchara is never judgmental and is a definition of hope.
I loved the explanation as I love learning things I never knew. Although I’m not involved in spirituality on an everyday basis, I do recognize the need for it, and that I need it myself. The mention of hope was something that I instantly felt when reading this and was quite eager to see what the cards had to say to me. But first, I had to read the next chapter, which is about how to use the cards. I learned that the illustrations are all hand-made and channelled from an Anamchara, and the text at the bottom of the card is actually an incantation or a mantra. Further on, the author explains the five spreads—Anamchara, Triptych, Elements, Seasons, and Angel wings—and how to conduct the readings and advises writing a journal to review how our readings are progressing.
The Cards: I find the cards beautiful. They are not overly large and fit nicely into the hand. The illustrations cover most of the surface and the text is legible. The back of the card is decorated with a Celtic decoration with edges in copper or rose-gold. The material is sturdy, matte, and easy to shuffle. However, I noticed that at my first shuffling attempt, the cards were still sticking together, so to ‘air’ them out, I shuffled them a few times, spread them out, then shuffled again. I think the pack is now ready to be used!
Readings: Anamchara Spread: This is a one-card pull and can be used daily, for well defined questions. My question was about my Reflexology work, and I pulled out the card 2 - Unity. At first, I thought it had nothing to do with my question, but I soon realised it goes quite deep and is actually quite to the point.
Recently, I felt a lack of motivation and was feeling low, mostly isolating myself and overthinking all sorts of situations and obstacles. The Unity card tells me we are never alone and that I should let go of the fear which is holding me back. I should take a different view of my situation, without judgement, and confidently grab the opportunities that the Universe puts on my path.
As the author suggests, I went on to interpret the card in my own way, related to the question asked. The illustration shows a frog, with a fox on its shoulders, the owl on the fox, and a dragonfly on top. There is a plant with roots on the ground, wrapped around the ‘tower’ of creatures. The dragonfly is facing the plant’s end. A large circle of floating plants, leaves, flowers, and herbs is framing this image.
The climbing plant intertwined with the animals is tying them together, offering security and stability while they are standing on top of each other. Each animal is supporting the one on top of it. The plant could also be a spinal cord, grounding element with the roots at the bottom, passing the message which is then received on the top by the dragonfly, who can quickly pass it on while flying around. The frog is the amphibian, at home in water and on the ground, usually at the bottom but looking up to the fox. The smiling fox is known for being cunning Relating to my Reflexology work, I believe the card is telling me that I should be more confident in supporting others with my work while not shying from asking for help. If I do, I will find that there are many who are willing to support me. But I need to be grounded as well and not get lost in dreams.
Tryptych Spread: This spread represents mind, body, and soul. I reshuffled the cards and one popped out. I picked it then reshuffled twice again. Both times there was a card sticking out of the pack, so I picked them and then turned them around. I decided to first try and find my own meaning of the card and then read the meaning in the booklet, then compare the two.
The cards were:
8 – Trust – “Mind”: the illustration shows a circus artiste hanging on a trapeze with one leg while the other leg and her arms are stretched out. There are stars around her and a circus tent in the background. She is flying high and should be certain of a safe landing. We don’t see it, but we hope that here is a net that will intercept her if she falls. She needs to overcome her fear and trust that everything is in place to keep her safe.
The card meaning from the booklet – Letting go, believing. Extraordinary things require a leap of faith and letting the Universe work for us. We don’t have to do it all ourselves, we can trust in what will come. I think this relates nicely with the Unity card earlier.
I think the card is telling me that it is time to work on my mindset to bring about the changes I want.
44 – Mabon – “Body”: a little mouse sitting on top of a pumpkin on a meadow covered with yellowing leaves. There are trees in the background mostly turned from green to gold, red and orange. It’s a feeling of autumn. The mouse holds a physalis plant in its hands. Could this card be about abundance? Autumn is the season when we gather the ripe fruits, prepare food for winter, also celebrate Halloween. Perhaps it is telling me that there is a cycle, when something doesn’t serve us anymore, we let go and let it turn to ‘compost’ on which we grow new things.
The card meaning in the book is about awakening, mustering energy and magical powers. It invites us to know ourselves fully and explore our inner magic. It is the season of the witch.
I understand this message as needing to kick myself in action to move towards my goals.
Number 27 – Thief – “Soul”: the illustration shows a thief with a big belly and thin legs, standing on black ground against a sky covered with rainbow-colored clouds. Three smug little goblins are around him, the one on the far right is shown sidewise, with only his eyes turned upwards, the one on the far left looking up and the one between the thief and the right-side goblin looking up sidewise. The thief is wearing a striped shirt and a ‘Zorro’ mask. He’s holding a large cauldron full of gold coins on his head. The cauldron looks like it’s falling backward, and the thief must mind the balance. Some coins are on the floor and perhaps the goblins are expecting the cauldron to fall.
This image was not that easy to interpret. Obviously, the cauldron is a heavy burden for the thief. Would he free himself if he dropped it? Would he make a deal with the goblins? Or are the goblins making him carry the cauldron? Just because the thief is wearing a prison shirt, are we certain that we know what is going on?
Let’s see the meaning of the card in the booklet – hidden truth, manipulation, irresponsibility. This card is an uncomfortable one. It tells us to remove the mask we are wearing and face the truth, let go of illusions and take responsibility for ourselves and our actions. It’s about realigning, cleaning the slate and making true with us and others.
We all feel the financial strain at some point, but perhaps this is my excuse to not do what I’m wanting to do. I must face the reality and find the best possible way out, do my research to limit the possibility of being manipulated.
Conclusion
After trying a few spreads with the Anamchara Oracle cards, I was hooked. The lovely illustrations go very deep when we pay them a proper attention. They offer us a mirror of our own mind and tell us how to go about it. I found them very pleasant and a little cheeky and was surprised at what came out with the reading. The Thief card was quite uncomfortable, despite the humorous illustration, but I take it that I touched upon something within myself that I need to find courage to explore.
I am certain I will use the cards and hopefully find my own Anamchara. The mere thought of having a loving soul guardian is very comforting to me. As Saorse Sionnach says in the introduction, you don’t have to be a witch, or versed in divination to read these cards. If you just take time to look at them, thoroughly, and find your own meaning, you might discover things about yourself that you never knew or have long forgotten.
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