Last summer I found out that Doreen Virtue would be releasing a new angel oracle Deck in early december: The Archangel Gabriel Cards. I istantly knew that I need these cards in my life! So I pre-ordered on amazon... and received my beautiful deck yesterday, a few days before the official release! So I thought it would be fun to share my impressions and first experiences with you!
The deck description says that Gabriel is "supporting human messengers such as writers, artists, craftspeople, musicians, teachers, journalists, and more." and that "Gabriel also brings happy announcements and support to parents and those who care for children.". As a creative person and parent, this totally speaks to me!
The deck indeed is focused on giving advice with creative work, but can totally be used for other areas as well.
The deck indeed is focused on giving advice with creative work, but can totally be used for other areas as well.
Design and Artwork
The deck comes in an awesome box (like all Hay House decks) with beautiful golden lettering and a classic painting of Archangel Gabriel on it. The cards have a gorgeous gold gilding on the sides and the card back shows a close up of the Gabriel portrait. The artwork on the cards is quite different, going from religious paintings to vintagey pictures (like those on vintage postcards) and classic paintings. But the overall design of the deck still feels consistent.
The link between the pictures and the theme of the specific cards isn't always obvious, but I think this also leaves more room for personal interpretation. There also is a short sentence about the meaning/advice at the bottom of each card.
The deck comes in an awesome box (like all Hay House decks) with beautiful golden lettering and a classic painting of Archangel Gabriel on it. The cards have a gorgeous gold gilding on the sides and the card back shows a close up of the Gabriel portrait. The artwork on the cards is quite different, going from religious paintings to vintagey pictures (like those on vintage postcards) and classic paintings. But the overall design of the deck still feels consistent.
The link between the pictures and the theme of the specific cards isn't always obvious, but I think this also leaves more room for personal interpretation. There also is a short sentence about the meaning/advice at the bottom of each card.
Cards
There actually are some very unique cards in there which aren't likely to be found in other decks. There for example is a "Media" and "Vision Board" card, as well as cards like "Journaling" or "Writers' Group", which clearly aim to help with creative work.
There actually are some very unique cards in there which aren't likely to be found in other decks. There for example is a "Media" and "Vision Board" card, as well as cards like "Journaling" or "Writers' Group", which clearly aim to help with creative work.
On the other hand there also are some classic cards like "Let Go", "Gratitude", or "Divine Guidance". Those are definitely more common in oracle decks, but are always helpful in my opinion.
The Archangel Gabriel Cards also include some very supportive and positive cards like "Happy News!", "Blocks Lifted" or "Success!" which I really like. The deck indeed has a very gentle energy and the readings I've done with it so far have always been very accurate and uplifting!
Interestingly, there also is a "Mother Mary" card, which is the only card about a specific personage. But Mother Mary is a great addition to any deck, isn't she? ;)
Booklet
The booklet includes some general instructions about how to use the oracle deck and of course all card meanings. However, I've found that I get enough out of the cards without reading the text in the booklet, especially since there already is a brief description on the cards themselves!
The booklet includes some general instructions about how to use the oracle deck and of course all card meanings. However, I've found that I get enough out of the cards without reading the text in the booklet, especially since there already is a brief description on the cards themselves!
As mentioned previously, the deck is really gentle and there's such a beautiful energy to it! It really gives uplifting and accurate advice on creative work as well as on any other area. I also love that the cards leave room for personal interpratation and can be read in different ways. I'm really glad I came across this amazing deck and am so looking forward to working with it in the future!
