Plant Spirits Oracle, by Laura Aversano and illustrated by Nadine Gordon-Taylor Bear & Company, 9781591435303, 40 cards, 128 pages, November 2025
Plant Spirits Oracle by Laura Aversano with illustrations by Nadine Gorgon-Taylor is a captivating and spiritually rich oracle deck that invites users to connect deeply with the wisdom and healing energies of the plant kingdom. Combining beautifully illustrated cards with insightful guidebook messages, Aversano’s creation is a great companion to her book The Divine Nature of Plants.
Laura Aversano is a medium and medical intuitive who has studied plant medicine and worked with the spirit realm for more than thirty years. She has written three books and lives in New York City with her cats. You can learn more about her on her website.
Nadine Gordon-Taylor is an intuitive artist who holds both MFA and doctorate degrees in art. She has taught for more than 30 years through lectures and workshops. Her artwork has been shown in galleries and collections around the world. She owns a gallery called Third Eye Arts in Peekskill, NY. She has created three oracle decks and contributed to several other decks. Learn more about Gordon-Taylor through her website.
This deck includes 40 full-color cards, including 30 plant spirit cards and 10 shamanic healing cards. Each card is a miniature art piece, depicting a plant or scene within a unique frame. The borders are also decorated with birds, moonscapes, wildflowers or angels. The back of the cards features a bright, yellow calendula flower. At the bottom of the flower is the face and arms of a tiny green creature. (On the calendula card, you can see four plant spirits, including this one, which is being held aloft by one of his spirit friends!)
A visually striking deck, each card features mystical and ethereal illustrations that capture the essence of the plant spirit it represents. The artwork is both vibrant and subtle, balancing the physical characteristics of each plant with elements that suggest their spiritual qualities. The cards are of good quality, with a smooth finish that makes shuffling easy. The box and accompanying guidebook are sturdy and thoughtfully designed.
Aversano includes an introduction, how to work with the cards and a brief discussion of plant spirits and elementals:
“In healing with plants, we are working with the vibration as well as with the spirit. The spirit gives the plant its healing qualities and will also share with you, both verbally and nonverbally how to heal with it. Plant spirit medicine works vibrationally, both in your body and within the many layers of your auric field.”1
She also shares communication tips for working with plants and with these cards. To further assist the reader, Aversano has included a prayer channeled from each plant’s spirit to help you discover your personal connection to the divine plant kingdom.
The ten shamanic healing cards are included to guide you even deeper on your journey into sacred connection with Nature’s plant world. She includes topics such as Relationships, The Past and Gratitude within these special cards.
The card called Creation really spoke to me, as I pulled it one morning during the holiday season. The card features two people facing each other, holding hands. Two parrots are shown at the bottom of the art piece. A beautiful pink flower adorns the top of the card, looking almost like a round, stained glass window.
Aversano invites me to look deeply at all of my relationships, including those with my own “inner dialogue.”2 What strikes me as I look at the card now is the idea that the two beings could be mirror images. I welcome this invitation to meet myself and see another layer to this card.
Laura Aversano’s guidebook is more than a simple set of card interpretations. Each plant spirit is accompanied by spiritual guidance and practical suggestions for integrating the card’s teachings into daily life. Aversano’s background as a medical intuitive and medium shines through in the depth and compassion of her writing.
What truly sets Plant Spirits Oracle apart is its emphasis on the direct relationship between the user and the plant spirits. The interior of the guidebook reads “a journey through the magic, medicine and wisdom of the natural world.”3 Rather than focusing solely on traditional meanings or folklore, Aversano encourages personal reflection, meditation, and even ritual work with the cards. This makes the deck especially appealing to those interested in shamanic practices, herbalism, or plant-based spirituality.
This oracle deck is ideal for anyone seeking a deeper connection to nature, whether you are a seasoned intuitive, a beginner oracle reader, or a lover of plants. It can be used for daily draws, meditation, or as a companion to other divination practices. Its messages are gentle yet profound, offering guidance for personal growth, healing, and spiritual exploration.
Overall, Plant Spirits Oracle by Laura Aversano is a beautifully crafted tool for those wishing to engage with the plant spirits. Its combination of soft, ethereal art, heartfelt writing, and spiritual insight makes it a valuable addition to any oracle deck collection. Whether you are seeking inspiration, healing, or a new way to commune with nature, this deck offers a pathway to deeper understanding and connection. She shares this with the reader:
“The plant does not have to be in your actual physical space to give you its medicine. It might take a while for you to feel connected, but once you do, you will begin to notice a shift in your body. . . . Allow the plant spirit to take you on journeys into other worlds as well as deeply into yourself.”4
PJ Spur is an author, intuitive, spiritual mentor, astrologer, and hypnotist. She does tarot & oracle card readings, natal chart readings, grief coaching, and relationship healing. She also has hosted a weekly “Coffee & Cards” event with her Soul Compass Community for the past four years. Her book Navigating Grief with Grace is available on Amazon. Learn more at www.dearpj.com
We all need to be reminded that we don’t walk through this life alone; that there is spiritual guidance afforded to us if we listen to our intuition. There are also people among us, spiritwalkers, who also offer us such guidance and reminders. Laura Aversano is such a spiritwalker. In her book, Affirmations of the Light in Times of Darkness: Healing Messages from a Spiritwalker, Aversano provides the reader with “activated” prayers and affirmations on eight major topics: light calling from the abyss, forgiveness, courage and grace, the pause, balance, reconciliation, changes of worlds, and healing voices from the pandemic.
Aversano comes from a line of seers or spiritwalkers. In her encouragement for the reader to remain in the present, Aversano states that “holding space has become a discipline for me and for my writing. And that is what I hope to achieve when you read my words – the ability to hold space in both the darkness and the light for us to heal individually and collectively.”5
At first glance one might be tempted to quickly read through the book as it has some affirmations that are very short. Other guidance is offered through a synopsis of what was experienced by her work with clients. Still other writings offer her observations on the world at hand. But these writing are anything but simple. They are multi-layered, giving one pause for thought. They are to be savored before being digested and absorbed into one’s psyche and daily practice.
In reading my reading, I sometimes found myself reading just a one-line affirmation and then closing the book to ponder what I read. Other times I enjoyed immersing myself in the topic at hand. She writes a lot on communicating with the “darkness” for as the darkness says, “you are as much afraid of me as you are of your light.”6
She walks with the reader through fear, anger, and one’s seeming powerlessness, offering a way to experience things in a more empowering manner. Her writings guide the reader to feel empowered by the beings of light that we all are. She encourages us to remember how powerful we are as these beings of light, if only we believe it. One beautiful line reads:
“The sun never realized the light of its own being until it paused one day to see all that blossomed in its path.”7
I found myself saying “yes” as I read her words, her suggestions, and her soulful prayers.
“When the mountain seems too difficult to climb, some choose to change their path. I choose to change my shoes.”8
A strong line, certainly, but how can I change my shoes in my own life? The writings are prompts, bits of encouragement, and constant reminding of how supported we are, but that we need to take this support to make changes.
“One of the greatest challenges you will ever face is the struggle against your own unworthiness.”9
When we truly believe ourselves to be worthy of love and peace in our lives, then we can move through challenges such as forgiveness and anger.
Aversano engages the reader throughout the entire book. She’s like a true best friend who helps to see you through the hard times, is your greatest cheerleader, calls you on your delusions, and refuses to come to your pity party. But like any best friend she does so without judgment. She engages the reader with every line, with every story. You can put the book down and pick it up where you left off – but hopefully as a bit more radiant being to the world. She reminds us that “You don’t chase dreams. You live them. You chase illusion.”10
She asks us to trust our hearts, to notice our perceptions of things, to not be afraid of how powerful we are. As you use her words to change your life, to change your perceptions, you might notice people leaving your circle. “When people leave your life, it’s not because they can’t be in your personal space. It’s because they can’t be in their own space while they are with you.”11
Through her writing, I’ve come to view Aversano as an elder, even though she is too young in her chronological age to be considered such, for as she writes, “An elder doesn’t show you the path. He shows you your strength, so you can walk the path.”12
I highly recommend Affirmations of the Light in Times of Darkness. Aversano’s words are a balm to a weary soul, a lighthouse in times of darkness, a reminder of the light within that we all possess. Her writings empower the reader to remove the dust and dirt that have clouded the light of our being. Sit with the book and then do the words justice by making them part of your life.
Anne Greco is a non-fiction writer who writes about her life experiences and travels with humor, keen observations, and the hope that her words will remind us that “we’re all just walking each other home.” Her book, Serendipity: Chance Pilgrimages, tells the story of Anne encountering her places of power. As she reconnects with herself at each site, Anne also develops a deeper understanding and appreciation of her connection to both the seen and unseen worlds. Learn more about her work here: http://annegrecowriter.com.
