Mushroom Spirit Oracle, by Nicola McIntosh
Rockpool Publishing, 1922785040, 112 pages, 36 cards, May 2023

Initially, I was attracted to this beautiful oracle deck, Mushroom Spirit Oracle by Nicola McIntosh, due to its incredible visual appeal. It contains wonderful, life-like, but mysterious, hand drawn illustrations.

When I opened the box to have a real good look inside, I was not disappointed. As a psychic medium and card reader, I was excited at the potential this mushroom deck could bring for myself and my clients. My first impressions after opening were joyful. I loved the box, covered with illustrations inside and out.

The inside illustrations are mono and very earthy in look. The card’s back illustrations are gorgeous too – Beautiful Fly Agaric mushrooms in a mirror effect. There is a feeling of balance within the box; it really is a box for the keeping, so special. It is very apparent that much thought has been put into every aspect of the packaging, which allows the cards and little book to be fully appreciated.

The set is made up of 36 color illustrated cards and has a small color printed illustrated book to accompany them. The card quality is great. They are quite thick, not at all flimsy-with a tactile finish. When shuffling, they flow nicely; they aren’t too big and feel like they will wear well. And although the cards work as a stand-alone deck, due to them having a keyword meaning on them, the book is a helpful addition. It’s like a little gem, filled with so much of the wisdom from the secret world of fungi.

McIntosh opens the book with an introduction to the life and times of mushrooms. In this introduction, she moves toward detailing their place in nature, how they fit into nature’s perfect plan, and the secret life of mushrooms and fungi. She touches on their healing qualities and introduces the notion of how much we can learn from them.

“Once you delve into the world of mushrooms, you will gain the utmost respect for their teachings. Powerful, Ancient and wise they carry the secrets of the earth we are still yet to discover.”1

After the introduction she writes a small chapter on how to use the oracle deck. I found this very helpful, particularly for beginners. She explains how the mushrooms give visual clues in their shape, color, and positions, toward their messages. She stresses the importance of always trusting your gut with how you interpret each card and how there is no set way to read them. McIntosh makes it very clear that the mushrooms are our teachers, and we should listen.

In the guidebook, she provides examples of card spreads to use. Again, these are really handy for beginners, but also contain quite unique position representations. The spreads are simple and great for someone starting out with oracle cards. I enjoyed playing with a few and my own reading was very insightful.

After this, the book moves onto the majority of the book’s content: the card interpretations. These really are the meat of the guidebook and are very thorough, containing practical as well as spiritual information about the mushrooms, such as the mushroom’s common name, Latin name, and whether it is edible/medicinal or non-edible/poisonous.

I found this information really helpful in itself, as you not only gain insight into the spiritual aspect through the card’s meaning, but you also learn about the mushrooms’ more ordinary life. This helps gain a deeper understanding of the subject in hand and in turn then strengthens their meaning. For instance, the Morel mushroom reads:

“It is completely hollow from the base to the tip inside. Which distinguishes it from poisonous look-alikes. In Chinese medicine it is highly prized for its tonic qualities and is often made into nourishing soups”2

Even though this quote states the earthly aspect of the mushroom, it becomes quite clear from this that the mushroom is one of Restoration. “Restore” being its key meaning spiritually.

The guidebook is a really handy pocket reference for mushroom wisdom, even as a stand-alone, I feel.

As a reader, I was very excited to try the cards out. I had an added interest in how clients would react to them with them being a bit “unusual”. Not everyone will consider there even is spiritual guidance that mushrooms can convey! Luckily, they have been so well received. People love their quirkiness and also value the messages that come through from them.

I found the cards easy to read. The illustrations really assist the psychic senses, bringing me a real sense of connection with nature, in which there lies a magical realm full of nature spirits.

I have also drawn on the book’s wisdom for people, as I feel her information is also valuable for the client. So I do a blend of my psychic senses and the guidebook. I would not wish for the client to miss out on the pearls of wisdom there-in and the author’s interpretations either.

Although McIntosh is based in Australia and many of the mushrooms are unfamiliar to me in the UK, I have not found this a problem. It also gives the deck a more exotic feel as well. To see the powerful mushrooms within.

I feel the Mushroom Spirit Oracle is a “must have” for all readers and healers–for those starting out and those experienced. It’s a great alternative to many of the more common themes within oracle decks. Many oracle decks are covering the same theme in a different way. These cards are very unique and so beautiful to the eye. They bring a light, helpful energy into any reading, and I am so happy to have this oracle now in my collection.

References

  1. page 4
  2. page 43-44