Les Vampires

Wow je l'adore très bon pour le travail sur soi

Les dessins de Jasmine Becket sont très beaux et j'aime beaucoup l'esprit que Lucy Cavendish a mis dans ce jeu : on va y chercher les zones d'ombre. Je l'associe à l'Oracle des Métamorphes pour mettre en face de l'ombre un changement possible.A nouveau, collaboration intéressante de Lucy Cavendish et Jasmine Becket.

何かイラストに惹かれて2セット買いましたが、二つとも、最後のカードの裏側に分かりやすい傷や凹みがあるんですよね…。

I have over a dozen oracle decks and was initially drawn to this one because I can't help collecting things, *sigh*Anyway, let's get my biggest grievance out of the way, and the reason why I am only rating it four stars. It seems a while since I have purchased a deck that felt right in two respects. Firstly, these cards are way bigger than your average deck of playing cards and so are awkward for a lot of people to shuffle. I am a bloke, and have medium sized hands. I still find these cards somewhat unwieldy and sometimes resort to grasping the deck along the short side whilst shuffling. Secondly, straight out of the box, the cards are pretty sticky, so making the task of shuffling even more annoying. I can't help but think that people are only going to be inclined to use something that doesn't make the process they are trying to complete more difficult than it needs to be. I resorted to taking the cards out of the box, two at a time, and rubbing them together vigorously for a couple of minutes per side whilst bingeing on Netflix. This helped loosen things up, but it could take years and hundreds of shuffles for them to loosen up much moreOn the other hand, I really liked the text and meanings assigned to each card here. I'm not super bothered by the anguished teen-aged girl artwork - most people who would be, could probably work that out from the box cover (although someone will probably still manage to find fault with it).The text is refreshingly un-new-age and things are much less sweetness and light than something from Doreen Virtue (not that there is anything wrong with an unashamedly positive outlook). This change in viewpoint gives this deck a more grounded feel than most, and makes for a more real-world and gritty assessment of "what is going on" or "what needs to be done". In the same way that any decent chef has a proper 7" knife or a nice weighty cleaver which they pull out when needed, so I like this deck for the change of pace it provides from the others I have, and which I can offer to people I read for. Whilst the artwork may not be my thing, it may be just what a particular subject resonates with.The two readings I have so far done with this deck have both resonated and felt properly 'on point'. As such, it is still a welcome addition to my collection... I mean repertoire!

Woe is me, another brilliant Lucy Cavendish deck to spend my precious and limited amount of money on. I've bought several oracle decks this year (Flower Therapy, Energy Oracle Cards, Art Through the Eyes of the Soul, Indigo Angel, Mary Queen of Angels, and Isis Oracle) and I would have to conclude Les Vampires belongs as one of this year's favorites along with Isis Oracle, and Flower Therapy. Les Vampires is the 3rd oracle collaboration between Lucy Cavendish and Jasmine Becket-Griffith with Oracle of Shadows & Light giving birth to this longstanding partnership within the Blue Angel family of products."Les Vampires have had a noble quest assigned to them- and that is to serve Innocents. Innocents are human beings who are struggling with their own vulnerabilities, people who have been drained, in many ways, of their life force." This deck is intended to help those who seem to constantly come across individuals who are considered emotionally vampiric in nature. I've had a wonderful year fending off such people in my life and this deck could not have come at any particular better timing. These lovely characters of the dark can also "...help you to overcome habits and traits that have held you back, or created illness, division and discord in your life." And indeed this deck does so brilliantly.ILLUSTRATION:For those who are fans of Jasmine Becket-Griffith artwork the first thing you will take notice about Les Vampires is that the artwork has matured. We go from rougher outlines to more smoothed out airbrushed quality of what we come to know of these well loved angel/misfit/doll faced characters. Many of the Les Vampires cards have headshots of the characters in the cards and less scene or action oriented figures. Also, there is not the use of double borders on the cards, so the illustrations come across bigger than in previous Lucy Cavendish and Jasmine Becket-Griffith (LCJBG) decks. Therefore the cards have a more intimate feeling.CARDS:The cards themselves are nicely oversized (about 5.50" (tall) and 3.75" (wide)). Cardstock is of excellent quality with a nice semi-glossy finish to the cards. I have no issues with the cards warping or bending or coming undone at the edges. The backs of the cards is almost like an old sepia photograph of a Victorian looking young vampire bride with an oval border.INSTRUCTION BOOK:About 129 pages to help explain the significance of the cards. The cards can be read in a positive vibration or a negative vibration but it is not indicated when one would read the card as a "blessing" or a "curse". Maybe if you choose to read with reversals you would utilize the blessing and the curse. There are a few spreads. The Trinity (which is basically past, present, future), A Light in the Darkness (which is a one card pull), The Path through the Night (a 13 card spread for short and long range forecasts), The Byzantine Cross (a 5 card simplified celtic cross). Each card takes up about 1-2 pages of description subdivided into "Les Vampires Speak", "Blessing", and "Curse".MY TAKE ON THE CARDS:One of the reasons why I enjoy LC's decks are that they constantly evolve. The way the guidebook is written is different. The messages on these cards speak more about the intent of a situation or a person that is not always overtly projected. I had pulled a card asking about myself and I consistently pulled "Natural- Authentic, Real, Organic" which echoes the promise of being centered and simply being who you are. This card reminds me a lot of the Oracle of Shadows & Light "Grumpy Red Fairy- Be Your True Self" as they both have streaks of red in their hair. Actually its like the pre-teen Oracle of Shadows & Light cast have grown into beautiful young adult vampires. You will also find the same for "Violet Duchess- Stifled, bored and stuck" and "Death and the Maiden- Invasion, boundaries, violated dominance" of Oracle of Shadows and Light becoming "Rebellion- Upstart, Tumult, Revolution" and "Prey- Stalked, Invaded, Watched in Les Vampires."I've attempted one of her new spreads (Byzantine Cross) in regards to situation at work. It read differently than I expected it as it seems to have laid out the shadows or projections of myself into understanding what may have created the situation. So what of my actions and past history brought this event on or drew this situation into place. I was expecting for it to point out the obvious and underlying actions of the other persons involved, but somehow it chose to present the cards to me in a different light.I prefer the easy past, present, future layout (The Trinity) and have used this many of times in understanding current relationships with people and seeing in what direction it may head. I actually used the 3 card spread to anticipate the mood of meeting up with a friend. It was amazingly spot on as I was meeting a friend at a bar/club that night. The cards pulled were Discipline, Primal, Jealousy. The Discipline card I had pulled earlier that day to remind me to practice for a concert (which I never did). The Primal card was the sacred dance card asking me to connect to myself again through dancing as the band playing that night was tremendously good (their talents reminded me of the Discipline card). Jealousy reared its ugly head that night with competition between two guy friends when the beer became more than just a sudden truth serum. This was so amazingly accurate. I also used a 3 card pull on a coworker... and it again, was uncannily accurate.. as I pulled "Maenad- Madness, ecstatic ritual, energy release" This person has been stirring up the pot at work in a frenetic way, it is almost like they want to get fired.I plan to use Les Vampires in conjunction with either Oracle of Shadows & Light or Oracle of the Shapeshifters (all are LCJBG creations). Because many of the images in Les Vampires seem to be a fluid transition from Oracle of Sahdows & Light, it might be best to try combining those two first.PROS:All very beautiful laid out cards with unbelievable accuracy.CONS:I'm still requesting for more ethnic representation in LC's decks. However, I think there might be one card "That Death Will Come" which might represent the beauty of African American ethnicity (which would be LC's first!). Other than that, I could find little flaws with this deck or guidebook.OVERALL IMPRESSION:This is a must have deck especially for those who like vampires and may want a softer edge. Those who have always been in love with JBG's artwork will become even more deeply in love with her portrayal of our favorite girls in a more mature light (oh have they grown since the Oracle of Shadows & Light). The guidebook is easy to understand (especially if you are comparing it to LC's Oracle of the Mermaids deck- however that's a very accurate deck too, the guidebook is just a little bit messy at times) and offers new spreads to work with. Still, great accuracy as always from LC's decks. What is unusual is that she offers more religious, instead of spiritual, cards than in the past- which I actually enjoy.Card Titles:That Death Will Come- Mortal, Finite, FragileTransmission- Spreading of conditions, influence, impactMaenad- Madness, Ecstatic ritual, Energy releaseLover Conquers All- Enduring loyalty, Eternal love, Lasting commitmentAncient- Ancestry, Egypt, Magickal inheritanceReason- Listen to advice, Think clearly, IntellectCall for Help- Reach out, Need for back-up, admit your needsImmortal- The consuming family, Pressure of peersThe Monster Within- Internal struggle, Personal challenges, Wanting to ImproveNatural- Authentic, Real, OrganicNightmare- Psychic protection, Shield, Bad dreamsSeduction- Allure, Desire, ManipulationDeath Rites- Saying goodbye, Formal occasion, Honouring livesBurnt by the Sun- Ambition, Extension, ReachResurrection- Reprise, Recovery, ComebackNobility- Honour, high standards, IdealisticSacrifice- Renunciation, Offering, Letting goCreator- Catalyst, Maker, Mother, FatherJealousy- Envy, Punishment, Changing courseRedemption- Absolution, Forgiveness, PenanceHer Last Day in the Light- Unexpected endings, Surprise changes, Sudden shiftsTransgression- Flaws, Contradictions, MistakeEcstasy- Yielding, Rapture, BlissThe Call of the Night- Daring, Adventure, ExcitementEternal Youth- Energy, Newness, Vitality