The Druid Plant Oracle | 
| Authors: Philip Carr-gomm, Stephanie Carr-gomm
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $14.67
You Save: $10.28 (41%)
New (26) Used (6) from $12.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 60450
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 6.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 0312369778
Dewey Decimal Number: 133
EAN: 9780312369774
ASIN: 0312369778
Publication Date: August 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In the Druid tradition, many plants, herbs, flowers, and mushrooms are considered sacred and to have special meanings, and are prominent features of mythology and legend. The Druid Plant Oracle presents these stories and the virtues and qualities that have been traditionally ascribed to these plants, through an oracle that is able to offer unique guidance and inspiration. The thirty-six cards each show a plant within its natural habitat and offers details within this 'miniature landscape' that are also described in the text. The book gives detailed descriptions of the meaning of each card, with keywords for upright and reversed positions, and information on the mythology and lore associated with each plant. Six ways of conducting a reading are offered, ranging from The Pentagram, a simple spread useful when exploring blockages to personal and spiritual development, to Ceridwen's Cauldron, recommended for issues concerning creative projects, and for those times when life seems to be in a state of flux.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Informative & educational October 5, 2008
I really enjoyed this book and cards to help in my understanding of the Durids that lived in a time when the they were one with nature. It is a good read and well designed.
 Exceptionally disappointed... October 1, 2008
I was so excited when I heard that this deck was coming out. I was so anxious to get it, that I nearly couldn't wait for the US release and was going to order from Amazon.uk. Now I'm glad that I waited for the US release and saved at least a little money (now if I could just *unbuy* it altogether).
This deck and book set is by the same authors and artist as Druid Animal Oracle and The Druidcraft Tarot. The accompanying book is softcover and printed in an attractive green font. The cards are the same size as those from The DAO and have the same pattern of a mirror image Awen on the back, the only difference being that the backs are green in this deck. On the front, they feature the same border as The DAO. The following plants are featured:
Agrimony, Betony, Borage, Bramble, Burdock, Celtic Bean, Chamomile, Clover, Comfrey, Cuckoo Pint, Fern, Fir Club Moss, Flax, Garlic, Heather, Ivy, Juniper, Lady's Mantle, Madder, Mandrake, Meadowsweet, Mint, Mistletoe, Mugwort, Nettle, Plantain, Poppy, Primrose, Puffball, Vervain, Wheat, Woad, Yarrow, The Banes (Wolfsbane, Hemlock, and Henbane), The Guardians (Birch, Elder, Hawthorn surrounding a pool in which Water Pimpernel grows), and The Restorers (Roseroot, Valerian, and St. John's Wort).
The authors chose the herbs they did, "...by drawing on information from five sources: the relatively new science of archaeobotany, the information given in the old herbals that were written at the time of the Ancient Druids, accounts of the practices of later herbalists; the clues left to us in the old Irish and Welsh legends and in folklore; and the findings of botanical pharmacology. To create The Druid Plant Oracle, we have taken the approach that if many or all of these sources support the suggestion that a particular plant was used in Ireland, Britain, or Brittany at the time of the Ancient Druids..." (pg. 7)
The Druid Animal Oracle is the first deck I ever purchased and used. I have had it now for 12 years and I love it as much as I did when I first got it. Many other decks have come and gone in my life, but it is the only one I have kept after all these years. True, I don't much care for the original hardback book that came with it, but I really love the cards themselves. (Imo, the little booklet that comes with the deck only set is an improvement over the original hardback. See: Druid Animal Oracle Deck.) The artistry is nothing short of inspired in The Druid Animal Oracle.
So, naturally, I had very high expectations for this new set. Arghh! The art in the new deck only marginally resembles that in the DAO deck. At first, I thought this was a shocking example of poor printing. However, upon further examination of this deck, I realized that Will Worthington's style has definitely changed. The art in this deck much more closely resembles his work from The Druidcraft Tarot, which I personally did not care for at all.
Much of what I find objectionable about this deck, however, can be directly traced to the poor quality printing. It appears to me that the colors have been rendered poorly. Many colors are just too saturated, giving them a garishness that detracts from the overall presentation. One of the biggest issues I have is with image clarity. In The DAO there was such wonderful sharpness and detail in the imagery. Not so with The DPO. Everything looks a little too diffuse. This deck has the same border as The DAO so it is easy to compare the printing and color quality on these. The DPO borders are duller and blurrier. Also, the back of the cards have been printed such that they have an odd grainy texture, as opposed to the smooth texture of The DAO cards... When looking at these cards, I have the overwhelming impression of seeing the world the same way I do when I have been extremely sick. Not appealing.
The book:
I actually think that the authors did a better job in this book than in The DAO book. First, each herb has a very informative natural history discussion. Then, where the DAO book featured very small oracular discussions, this book has greatly expanded on this section. Finally, each herb has an expanded section featuring mythological references, often including medicinal and cultural uses, and more natural history. The authors did a good job of research and their methodology for choosing which herbs to include appears sound. Although, I think that there are some glaring omissions, for example: oats, barley, apples, kale, bilberry, leek, willow, and seaweed! Surely such essential and important plants could have been included in lieu of some of the others. I understand they had to limit the entries, but all of the above would have featured very prominently in even the most ordinary person's life in ancient "Druid" lands.
Another thing that really bothers me about this deck is that I can not find anywhere inside the book a mention of its having been printed on any percentage of recycled paper or with soy/environmentally friendly ink. Surely both of these are relevant factors in the creation of a book by and for Nature loving neo-Druids? Disconcerting...
Overall, I am very disappointed with this deck. Whereas I was able to pick up and use The DAO immediately with no prior experience with these kinds of systems, I have found the DPO to be energetically unresponsive and inaccurate. I am displeased with the art and underwhelmed by the plant choices. There are many pictures in this deck that could have been quite beautiful, if only they had been rendered more expertly by the printing process.
I don't really feel like I gained anything from this deck. For anyone who might come to this deck out of regard for The Druid Animal Oracle, I strongly suggest getting a look at the cards before you buy it. Anyone wanting it for the information on "Celtic Plants", or similar, could do much better by purchasing The Healing Power of Celtic Plants: Their History, Their Use, and the Scientific Evidence That They Work, or Healing Threads: Traditional Medicines of the Highlands And Islands, or The Scots Herbal. Both Healing Threads and Celtic Plants are listed in the bibliography for The Druid Plant Oracle.
In summation I wanted to LOVE this work, but I don't. At best I feel indifferent towards it, at worst, I feel let down and a bit duped. Perhaps I am being overly critical-I am a bit of a perfectionist. But, at the very least, check this set out thoroughly before you purchase it.
Best wishes.
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