The Alphabet Oracle Deck
I’m excited to announce The Alphabet Oracle Deck is available for purchase.
What Is The Alphabet Oracle Deck
Best way to start explaining the deck is to tell you how it came about.
For a couple of years, I worked on calligraphing a pen and ink alphabet—capital letters only. I added watercolor to some of the last letters I penned.
When wanting to do divination, I look to whatever is at hand, whether it’s a tarot deck, pack of playing cards, bunch of safety pins that happen to be next to me for a sewing project, a gum wrapper fallen on the road, or the license plate of a passing car. The Goddess speaks through everything.
So it was inevitable I’d realize I could turn my pen and ink letters into alphabet oracle cards for myself.
No, there is no such thing as alphabet oracle cards or alphabet divination, that I know of. Until now. I made them up.
I actually researched for similar things online and found nothing. That’s kind of exciting for me.
It’s doubly exciting for me because I love using the Ogham alphabet for divination, so much so that I made two Ogham alphabet card sets. And now I’m getting to use another alphabet to receive Divine guidance.
The years of making the alphabet bit by bit were followed by the goodly amount of effort it took to scan the letters and digitally arrange the scans together just so, so I could print the whole deck on my home printer on only three 8&1/2” X 11” sheets of card stock. Quality card stock is pricey so I wanted to use only a few sheets. Then came a lot more work because it took a ridiculously long time to create a digital file that’d print with sharp detail instead of blurring. But I finally made a PDF of the scanned letters that prints beautifully. Whew! All the work was worth it because when I divine with the cards, they make me smile.
How to Make Your Alphabet Oracle Deck
Like many artists who find pleasure in a project they did, I want to share that pleasure. I decided to sell a PDF of my Alphabet Oracle Deck so someone could print and hand cut it, for a deck for themself.
You need only three 8&1/2” X 11” sheets of paper or, ideally, card stock. I used a pricey matte finish card stock. Printing on regular paper won’t result in the best reproduction, but if plain paper is all you have for now, go for it! Maybe make another deck with card stock later.
Don’t have access to a color printer? Heck, print black-and-white. This is a very go-with-the-flow deck.
Instead of making a PDF with the letters in precise rows, I had the idea to arrange them organically. Therefore, cards aren’t made by cutting in straight lines to make rectangles. The cutting has to be organic. I wanted that natural look, and took care to arrange the letters so there is enough white space between every letter for curved cutting. Hearth art is heart art!
The cards are intentionally different shapes and sizes.
To make my deck, I hand cut lines around each letter, and it was satisfying to try to curve the lines in whatever ways most suited my eyes.
You get to go with the flow by hand cutting as suits you, and by not worrying about cutting perfectly. It’s all good.
I sized the PDF’s letters to make a mini-deck, so it’s easily at
hand. A while back, I made two different mini-decks for
Ogham divination, which students of my Ogham divination
course receive. My friend and student, Jenelle Campion, told
me she keeps one of the Ogham decks “in my wallet in case I
need a reading on-the-go.” That made me feel so good, and
affirmed my belief in the practicality of mini decks.
How to Use the Alphabet Oracle Deck
This is a good set of cards for someone who reads cards intuitively instead of by following a book. Your deck comes with instructions that don’t include a meaning for each card. Instead, there are simple brief explanations of how to use the deck for:
* intuitive readings to gain guidance you need
* contemplations to center and empower you
* writing prompts
* creative prompts for other art projects
Purchase Information
List price: $20
Price: $13.99
You receive an email with the links to download the deck and its companion guide, usually within 24 hours of purchase. Download links remain good for two weeks.
Links are for two PDFs that have gorgeous detail and clarity in their art, far superior to the examples on this site, which blurs graphics.
1) One PFD is the three pages you print to make your deck.
2) The other PDF is the deck’s six-page companion guide. It contains a lot of the information that’s in this post, as well as two pages of simple instructions for using your deck. The pages are beautifully ornamented by some of the deck’s letters.
Please note before purchase, if you live outside the U. S: I sized the PDF images to make printing on 8&1/2” x 11” sheets provide nice visual results. I don’t know how to print the PDFs prettily on other paper sizes. If you live where 8&1/2” x 11” sheets or the printers for them are uncommon, I leave it to you to know whether you can print the PDFs in a way that pleases you, and will not refund you if you aren’t pleased with your decision.
Pay securely with PayPal. I request your phone number in case there’s a problem emailing you the download links:
The deck and its guide are Copyright 2020 Francesca De Grandis. Author/artist retains copyright of the deck and accompanying literature, all rights reserved.
Purchase grants buyer permission to make a few decks they themselves will use for readings.
Resale, altering for resale, or giving someone the deck—whole or in part, in any form, including digitally or without monetary gain—without prior written permission of the author/artist is illegal and bad mojo.
Hi Francesca, thank you so much for your quick email with the deck. I had just been back on your website to admire your letters that I will soon be able to use for an oracle, when I discovered your email much sooner than expected. Of course, I tried to print the deck out right away—on normal paper for now, until I get some card stock on Monday. Everything is wonderful!
Thanks again for your idea of such great letters. I like working with runes, sometimes I work with Ogham, but it struck me like a lightning bolt that even the familiar letters can become sacred symbols. Letters can open up the space behind the symbols, regardless of whether they are runes, Ogham, or the ABC. I’m curious to see what insights will emerge.
Oh my goodness, Michaela, thank you!
Your comment means so much to me. A lot of people don’t understand what I was trying to do with this deck by painting the letters of the alphabet for divination. To me, everything is sacred, everything is magical, and everything is divination. I want to help people find that. You understand!
I think every bit of your comment might be valuable to my site visitors!
Thank you!
Hi Francesca, thank you for your reply, I’m delighted. Your letters flew straight into my heart :–}
More associations are coming to mind. A few years ago, I read about how language changed from oral to written use and letters became abstract signs: Aleph –> A, Beith –>B. Practical, yes, but also associated with a loss of sound and image (the world behind them). I’m really curious to see what else I’ll “bring up” with your Alphabet.
Michaela,
Thank you again, your comments are really helpful because the deck is so different! I don’t have some sort of big marketing machine behind me. So the promotion has to be grassroots, like yr comments.
Yes, the transition from oral to written communication is one of my soapboxes. If only both styles were respected in this culture, but we rely on written communication to the exclusion of oral traditions.
Most people nowadays believe the written word is the basis of oral communication. I think it’s the other way around. For example, discussion groups now are more often based on a book the group has read as opposed to discussing their actual lives. Oral traditions are based in our lives and experiences.
Books can be doorways into experiences. I read sooooo many books! But society as a whole does not recognize the other doorway. So we live too much in ideas instead of our bodies and lives and communities.
I’m a brilliant person, I love my mind, I love my ideas, but ideas without action cause inactivity, hopelessness, and isolation. Oral traditions foster action, body health, and community.
Societies invested in oral tradition tend to be egalitarian. Societies that ignore oral communication and rely on the written word tend to foster oppression. The Bible insists, “The word was made flesh.” I hate that! We came from the flesh of our mothers, we came from the beauty of sex!
I have dedicated my life to teaching Shamanism in an oral tradition because it helps people live free, joyfully, productively, and connected to their own hearts and to community.
My goodness, my response is an essay. I will copy and paste it so that I can polish it as the basis for a blog or newsletter.
I love the written word when it is used well. I hope this wee deck celebrate writing. I hope the deck’s artfully rendered letters evoke personal experiences. I hope the letters prompt ideas AND actions so that someone is not living solely in their head. And I hope people recognize the cards are a portal into fairy realms. So mote it be!
Thanks again! Bless you!
Hi Francesca, I love your Alphabet Oracle deck! The colors are very vibrant and I really enjoy your fae inspired artwork. When I’m looking at the cards, I find myself immersed in fae energy & support.
I’ve only printed them so far on regular paper & they are working out well. (I do plan on printing them again on some thicker stock paper at some point) I really enjoyed the act of cutting out each unique shaped piece as well.
Thank you very much for producing this oracle deck, I’m thoroughly enjoying it!
Oh my gosh, Jason, you made my day. Especially your remark “When I’m looking at the cards, I find myself immersed in fae energy & support.” I dearly want to both give support and provide tools for my friends to access Fey power, so your comment thrills me beyond words. Thank you bunches for sharing your experience.
Francesca, Yay! I printed my new Alphabet Oracle Deck!! I hope to get some more worthy paper for them and print a better set. But for now, Yay!! The way it looks on the current paper: Oh my yes! Beautiful! Thank you!
Sandy, I feel honored you find the deck beautiful on the current paper, and I’m happy to know about it because not everyone is going to have fancy paper to print on. Thanks for letting me know how it went.
Better paper makes for better reproduction e.g. finer detail. But better to print on what you have so you have a deck to use right away. And the fairies bless the deck on any paper!
It looks wonderful. I think A4 is near enough in size to work. It does not look deformed or if anything is missing left or right.
Michaela, thank you so much for posting that. Now people who live outside the United States will know the PDF printed well on A4, yay!
Dear Francesca, I very much love your artwork. Just looking at your picture of the alphabet you drew, I got several intuitive messages from the letters. So thank you for going through the trouble of making the cards for sale. I will certainly enjoy them very much ❤??
Nicole, thank you so much for that support! And you gave the very first review of the deck, I’m so excited!
I printed them out today, waited until I had the paper I wanted to use, which is cream/white marbled parchment that they use to print certificates on. I wish I could paste a photo I took here in the comments but it seems to be text only. Anyway, I really love them. They remind me a bit of the little victorian era post script papers that were decorated like this and given as gifts. I just adore them ? I will laminate them next to keep them nice. Thank you ❤??
Sounds gorgeous! Thank you for sharing that. I love the deck so much printed on plain white that it wouldn’t occur to me to print it on anything else. Nevertheless, I find it wonderful that you decided to add your own touch. Cool! Thanks again for telling me!