While this deck is pretty and a decent introduction to working with plants as totems, I just didn't connect with it. Having been a devout student of modern Druidry for some time, as well as neoshaman and plant spiritualist, my approach to such has been largely guided by personal relationships to the plants, themselves. Trusting the Carr-Gomms' reliable track record on druidic research and modern application, I felt comfortable making this investment. As with all of their work piecing together a reasonably cohesive path through Druidry, the sources for their information on plants is from varied sources, some of which are indeed lore and legend. I appreciate their ability to state that the sources are a bit fuzzy as they relate directly to Druidry, instead of stating presumption as fact. That said, having spent a fair amount of time with horticulturists and botanists, the presentation of the scientific data on the plants presented is fairly thorough and sound, if not informative. It is imperative to distinguish that while medicinal use of the presented herbs is covered, that is not the intent of the material.

One thing that is evident in the feel of this deck is the inclusion of the Divine Feminine and that nurturing comfort of the plant world. However, in the writing, itself, Her voice doesn't come through. From a divinatory tool observation, the deck includes the usual features of plant name and meaning, along with reversed meaning and lore--not limited to druidic sources. Despite the inclusion of thirty-six plants, all valiant efforts, the insatiable plant enthusiast in me wanted more. Three blank cards are included for use as an "Unknown" response to inquiries or to create personal plant symbols. I would have rather seen more effort put into the perfection of the existing cards. Imperfections in the production of the deck, itself, yields uneven coloring of the card backs--some are a vibrant green and some are a forest green-- and some blurry artwork. Generally speaking, the artwork is nice, with each card including the focus plant and symbolic backdrop. Suggestions for spreads are for the most part stock, though The Airmid's Cloak Spread resonated with me, given its chakra correspondences and their connections to plants.

While some of the information included in this book and deck doesn't have the "official Druid" stamp, regarding authenticity and bonafide use, the scholarly method of culling the available information and honoring it on the mundane and spiritual levels to some helpful end is decidedly Druidic. It is a good starting place for beginners working with plants as spirit teachers, though I think seasoned animists will crave more depth. I hope the level of detail given to the research of this deck will yield future additions to it. ( )

The cards are beautiful, and the companion book gives a wealth of folklore, myth and interpretations for each plant and gives both oracular spreads and ways of working with plants that can act as guides, allies and healers. The cards can be combined with The Druid Animal Oracle cards to give readings from the animal and plant realms. The cards are the same size and, similarly, they possess borders of leaves and berries. There are 36 illustrated cards and 3 that are blank. If you have an affinity for a particular wild plant not featured in the oracle, you can take a photograph and paste it onto one of the blank cards. ( )