Wednesday 19 May 2010

Review: Moon Hare Oracle

I've just got a new addition to my collection of divination sets. It is the Moon Hare Oracle by Hannah Willow, and it is absolutely lovely.

Not only is the artwork delightful, with beautiful pictures of hares through the phases of the moon, the Moon Hare Oracle is also unusual in the way it is used. It consists of a deck of 12 cards as well as a set of 12 rune stones with hand-painted symbols that correspond to the cards.

To do a reading, you lay out the cards in a circle then cast the runes in the centre. You interpret them depending on where the stones have fallen. It is a simple system and easy to learn, but powerful because of the layers of meaning.

The booklet that comes with the set clearly explains the definition of each card and rune, but you need to use a little intuition to decide what they mean to you and how they relate to each other in the casting. However, if you fancy an even simpler method, the booklet shows how to find the answers to questions with three cards or runes, or single card and rune.

Hannah chose Hare as the subject of the oracle because it is one of her totem animals. She said:
"Hares have always been an inspiration for me since I read Masquerade as a child and tried to solve the clues. I read up on hare mythology and found a worldwide fascination with hares, the moon and the link to the Goddess. As one of my totem animals, Hare inspired and guided me with the oracle: it was kept as simple as possible, but with infinite possibilities to go deeper within."
Hares appear in folk tales from around the world. Pretty much every culture holds hares in high esteem and gives them mystical significance. There is also an astonishing amount of similarity in the tales about them, linking them to the moon, fertility, long life, craziness and sometimes trickery. They also symbolise the cycles of life and to see one is often considered good luck.

Hannah is a talented artist and designer, who is also part of the team that produces the Earth Pathways Diary series. The Earth Pathways Diary 2011 is due out in June. You can see some of her other artwork and find out how to order the Moon Hare Oracle via her website at http://www.hannahwillow.com/


Links
http://www.hannahwillow.com/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/full-moon-and-march-hares.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/goddess-of-week-ostara.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/03/magical-mad-march-hares.html
Masquerade
Earth Pathways Diary 2011

5 comments:

Jenn said...

Thanks for the review - it's a lovely and unique set. I was even "oohing" over the jewelry on her site as well! Jenn

Maisie said...

It looks beautiful!

City Wiccan said...

What a neat set. Interesting to see something other than tarot.

Unknown said...

Hello I have been given a second hand box with Runes and I was so excited..but I have no booklet to show how to interpret the runes..can anyone shed any light? Perhaps if I give you my e mail address you could photo your booklet instructions and sent it to me :):)
Regards
Anna

Badwitch said...

To the person who bought a secondhand set of runes - I would suggest you buy a book on reading the runes rather than just go with a leaflet that came in a box. Or get a book out of the library on how to read runes.