Astrological Oracle is one of those decks that immediately caught my attention because it combines two things I already love: astrology and beautiful, symbolic artwork.

Created by Lunaea Weatherstone with artwork by Antonella Castelli, this is a 22-card oracle deck based around the zodiac signs and planets. It isn’t trying to turn astrology into another tarot system. Instead, it gives you a small collection of astrological energies that you can work with through card readings.

The deck was originally released by Lo Scarabeo in 2012, with the U.S. edition published by Llewellyn. It comes in a hard box with 22 cards and a 192-page multilingual guidebook.

For a deck with only 22 cards, there is surprisingly much you can do with the system once you start combining the planets, zodiac signs, and houses.

Unboxing & Flipthrough

My First Impressions

My first impression was basically, this is very pretty.

The Art Nouveau influence is immediately noticeable, and there is something very old-school about the presentation. It feels like the kind of astrology deck that could have been sitting on an occult shop shelf decades ago.

I also wasn’t expecting the deck to be quite as detailed as it is. With only 22 cards, I initially assumed this would be a fairly simple oracle, but once I started looking through the guidebook and seeing how the cards can be combined, I realized there is much more to work with.

It feels less like a deck where you’re memorizing 22 meanings and more like you’re building an astrological language with the cards.

The Artwork

The artwork by Antonella Castelli is probably my favorite part of the deck visually.

It’s very much Art Nouveau, with elaborate borders, decorative elements, celestial imagery, figures, and symbolism. There is definitely an influence from the style associated with artists like Alphonse Mucha, but the cards have their own astrological identity.

The artwork is detailed without feeling overly busy. There are quite a few things happening in the illustrations, so I find myself looking at the cards for a while instead of just glancing at them and moving on.

I especially like the use of gold-toned details and the overall color palette. There is something very elegant and slightly mystical about the deck without it becoming too dark or dramatic.

The imagery also gives you something to work with intuitively. Even if you don’t immediately know the astrological meaning of a card, there are enough visual clues to start forming an impression before you reach for the guidebook.

Box, Card & Finish

The deck comes in a hard box measuring approximately 4 × 5¼ inches, and the cards are around 3½ × 5 inches. The set includes 22 full-color cards and a 192-page guidebook.

The cards are a little smaller than some of the larger oracle decks I’ve used, but I don’t mind the size. It makes the deck easy to handle, and the illustrations still have enough space for all the details.

The box itself has that classic Lo Scarabeo look. It’s sturdy and has a nice collector feel to it without being overly elaborate.

The cards have a smooth, silky feel, which makes shuffling pleasant. They also have shiny silver gilded edges, which add a nice extra touch to the overall presentation.

I also really like the card backs. They’re symmetrical, so if you read reversals, you don’t have to worry about accidentally seeing the orientation of a card while shuffling or fanning.

The physical production isn’t the main reason I’d pick this deck up, but it does its job well and feels appropriate for the style of the deck.

Guidebook

The guidebook is listed as 192 pages, but don’t let that number fool you into thinking you’re getting a massive, in-depth astrology book. It’s a multilingual guidebook, with the English section running only through page 54. The remaining pages are translations into the other languages included in the edition.

The English section introduces the zodiac signs, planets, and astrological houses before getting into how to actually use the cards. The Zodiac cards include information such as the sign’s name, title, element, planetary ruler, motto, and a short interpretation. The planetary cards have their own meanings, and there is also an explanation of the twelve astrological houses.

The houses are particularly important because one of the deck’s reading methods uses the Zodiac cards in the positions of the twelve houses. You choose the house that best relates to your question, place the corresponding Zodiac card there, and then continue around the circle with the other signs. You can then bring in planetary cards to explore a particular area in more detail.

I like that the guidebook gives you more than just a list of card meanings. It explains the astrological information behind the cards and gives you a structured way to put the signs, planets, and houses together in a reading.

Just keep in mind that if you’re looking at the 192-page figure and expecting a really meaty guidebook, you’re going to be disappointed. The actual English content is fairly concise. The page count is mostly coming from having the same guidebook translated into multiple languages.

For what it is, though, it gives you enough information to understand the system and start working with the cards without making you dig through a huge book first.

How the Deck Works

Astrological Oracle has 22 cards: 12 Zodiac cards and 10 planetary cards, including the Sun and Moon. The two groups are designed to work together, giving you the zodiac energy on one side and planetary influences on the other.

The guidebook includes two specific reading methods.

The first is the Divine Dialogue Reading, which uses two planetary cards together to answer a question. The guidebook provides meanings for the different planetary combinations, so you’re looking at how those two energies interact rather than reading each card completely on its own.

The second is the Circle of Houses Reading, which is the more involved of the two. You use the 12 Zodiac cards in the positions of the 12 astrological houses, beginning with the house that best relates to your question. The remaining signs are then placed around the circle in order. Once you’ve looked at the overall spread, you can bring in up to three planetary cards to explore a particular area in more detail.

You can obviously keep things much simpler and pull a card for everyday guidance, but I think these structured methods are where the deck starts to make more sense.

Reading Style and Themes

The reading style is very much astrological, so your familiarity with the signs, planets, and houses will affect how much you get out of it.

The Zodiac cards are fairly straightforward. Each one gives you the basic sign information, including its element, planetary ruler, motto, and a short interpretation. The planetary cards work in a similar way, giving you the core energy of each planet.

What makes the readings more interesting is putting those pieces together.

You’re not just asking, “What does Gemini mean?” or “What does Venus mean?” You’re looking at how those energies interact and where they fall within the reading.

The deck can be used for everyday guidance, but the system also lends itself to questions about personality, motivations, relationships, work, personal strengths, challenges, and different areas of life represented by the astrological houses.

I wouldn’t approach this as an oracle where every card has one fixed message that applies to every situation. The cards give you an astrological framework, and your interpretation comes from putting those pieces together.

Who It’s For

I’d recommend this one primarily to people who already have some interest in astrology or who want to learn more about the basic meanings of the signs and planets.

You don’t need to be an astrologer to use it, but knowing what the planets and signs represent will definitely make the deck easier to work with.

It could actually make a nice learning tool for someone studying the basics. The cards give you something visual to associate with each sign and planet, and the guidebook gives you the basic information to work from. One of the more interesting things about this deck is that you can use the cards almost like flashcards while you’re learning.

If you’re looking for an oracle deck that you can completely ignore the guidebook with and immediately start reading intuitively, though, this probably wouldn’t be my first choice.

My Honest Thoughts

I like that Astrological Oracle keeps things simple.

There are only 22 cards, and at first that can make the deck seem a little limited. Once you understand how the Zodiac and planetary cards are meant to work together, though, you realize you don’t necessarily need dozens of cards to create an interesting reading.

What I like most is that the astrology isn’t just there for decoration. The signs and planets are actually the system you’re working with.

That’s a big difference from some astrology-themed decks where you get pretty celestial artwork and a few keywords, but not much astrology underneath it.

I also really like the Art Nouveau artwork. It’s pretty without being overly polished or modern, and I think the style suits the subject really well. There are enough details in the cards that I can sit with the artwork and form my own impressions before going straight to the guidebook.

The small number of cards is probably going to be either a positive or a negative depending on what you’re looking for. Personally, I don’t mind it. I actually like that I can get familiar with the cards fairly quickly and then spend more time learning how the different astrological energies interact.

The part I’m less enthusiastic about is the guidebook itself. Don’t be fooled by the 192-page count. It’s a multilingual guidebook, and the English section only runs to page 54. The rest of the book is translations.

The English section is useful and gives you what you need to understand the deck, but it isn’t a massive astrology reference book. If you’re expecting 192 pages of English material to dive into, that’s definitely not what you’re getting.

For me, this works best as a small astrology-focused oracle that can also double as a learning tool. It’s not trying to replace a full astrology system, and it doesn’t need to.

It’s a pretty little deck with a straightforward concept, and once you understand how the signs, planets, and houses fit together, there’s enough here to keep it interesting.

Where to Find the Deck & Creator Info

✦ Deck Creator: Lunaea Weatherstone
✦ Illustrator: Antonella Castelli
✦ Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
✦ Publication Date: September 8, 2012
✦ Where to Get the Deck: Amazon