The Fairy Ring
by Anna Franklin, Paul Mason (Illustrator)
Published By Llewellyn
THE FAIRY RING consists of a gorgeous book and deck of divination cards that are similar to Tarot cards, and are divided into four seasonal suits of Spring, Summer, Autumn, & Winter. The beautifully designed cards give one an immediate sense of the wonder of entering the fairy realm, and are truly stunning to behold. THE FAIRY RING book provides enchanting stories of each character that explain the divinatory message imparted in every card reading. I particularly enjoyed reading the story about Queen Oonaugh, where she cleverly helps Fin MacCool avoid a fight with a giant called Cucullin by recommending that Fin pretend to be his own baby when the giant shows up at his home.
In addition to a court of thirteen fairies representing each season (with a Lady, Knave, King, Queen, and Ace), there are eight fairy festival cards (Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer, Lughnasa, Herfest, Samhain, and Yule). It's easy to sense at a glance which fairies are good to work with and which are not, since each card conveys through use of color, expression, and lighting the feelings being described. THE FAIRY RING book further clarifies which fairies are helpful and provides advice regarding how best to obtain help from them (such as Habetrot, Asrai, the Sea Mither, Brownies and Leprechauns), and which fairies are best avoided because they are known for being treacherous, illusory, or inaccessible (such as the Changeling, Will o' the Wisp, or Jenny Greenteeth). For those who need a little help asking the fairies for guidance, nine different divinatory spreads are provided, along with a sample reading for the Fairy Market spread.
If you already feel an affinity for fairies and are willing to read through
the stories and divinatory meanings for each card, this deck will quickly become
an invaluable aid. I received meaningful guidance and advice from THE FAIRY RING
deck after using it twice!
