Tarot/Oracle Decks

The Earth Deck

The Earth Deck
by Gaiamore
2003

 

Nature divination, according to The Earth Deck creator Gail Morrison (also known as Gaiamore), is “the art of listening, seeing, feeling, sensing, understanding, and opening to the wisdom of the Earth.”

To create this deck, Gaiamore took thousands of digital photographs of the natural world on cross-country trips, and carefully selected fifty-two images that represented a balance between the four elements and their different aspects. She reproduced these images on sturdy, laminated cards.

The back of each card bears a luminous image of the moon superimposed on tree boughs and vegetation. Gaiamore’s creative vision has resulted in one of the most astonishing and effective divination decks I’ve ever used.

She urges listening to what each image has to say — progressively going more deeply into each card. I found this very easy to do, because the images contained in this deck speak to us in a universal language, indeed, the oldest and most primal language of all — the language of the Earth. Earthscapes such as the ones depicted here are the same sort of elemental images humans have been living with for millennia: earth, water, fire, air.

The primal nature of these images helped shape our awareness and consciousness as we evolved as a species, and continues to speak to us on a profoundly intimate and instinctive level.

A particularly versatile divination tool, The Earth Deck is suitable for group ritual and to inspire bodywork, in a non-verbal, physical exploration of the meaning of these cards. Gaiamore has used it at Pagan gatherings, where she has led activities such as the Pentacle of Self, in which participants select a card to define each point. She has also used it to work with troubled non-Pagan teens and adults within a counseling environment.

The Earth Deck comes packaged in a beautiful suede bag, accompanied by a brief guide. Among this deck’s strengths is its mini-malist approach to divination. Free of captions and interpretations, but bearing images we can all relate to, contemplation of these cards stimulates free-association and self-discovery, acting as a springboard into the unconscious.

In a reading I had with Gaiamore, she encouraged me to really sink into the story behind each card, within the context of my personal questions. As I worked with her, I particularly liked this deck’s energy, how it invoked honor — for the Earth and ourselves — and deep gratitude.

I found it nice that you can also purchase The Earth Deck’s images as blank cards, creating your own selection of six boxed cards. You can also purchase them as signed and framed prints, helpful if you develop a strong attachment to an image.

A marvelous tool for self-exploration and working with others, The Earth Deck will also foster reverence for our planet and can help us develop a more intimate relationship with the Earth.

Christina Eisenberg.


» Originally appeared in PanGaia #42

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