Dec 10, 2016

Oracle Deck Review: Angel Reading Cards


Angel Reading Cards is a gorgeous oracle deck by Australian psychic Debbie Malone. The beautiful photo-realism illustrations are done by Amalia I. Chitulescu.

The Cards
The deck contains 36 large cards, measuring approximately 3.75" x 5.5". They are housed in a nice sturdy box which has a magnetic closure. There is a plastic insert with an indentation for the cards to sit in. Since the cards are so big, they are difficult to riffle shuffle normally. But they are pliable enough to riffle shuffle vertically. They have a nice gloss to them. The backs (shown above) are not reversible, and feature a peaceful bokeh covered background with a floating set of white angel wings.

The majority of angels in the deck are female, but thirteen are male (most of them shirtless). The angels aren't listed with their actual names, but rather their area of expertise. The details and colors in the imagery are exquisite. It is without a doubt the prettiest modern angel deck I have seen.


There are some very specific cards that I feel are a strange fit for an oracle deck. For example, there is a card called Parking Angel. What if you don't drive or own a car? What if you aren't planning to drive in the near future? What if you really don't care if you get a front row parking spot? It's a strangely specific card, and offers no metaphorical meaning. It doesn't cover, for example, where your soul is "parked" or where you may be anchored/stationed right now. It is literally a parking spot angel. I find this very limiting in an oracle deck.

That being said, after getting this deck, I decided that the next time I went out, I would call on the Parking Angel. You're supposed to ask ahead of time, so she has time to arrange the spot before you get there. I only remembered to call on her as I was already pulling in somewhere, so I asked her for a parking spot at all the other places we would be stopping at later that day. Seconds later, I pulled into a front spot at the library. That worked quicker than I had expected. And I kid you not, every other place we stopped at that day, and there were probably at least five other stops, we got front row parking. Even at a place that we ALWAYS have to walk a fair bit from the car. It was amazing. So even if this card may not have relevance in a day to day reading, just being introduced to the idea of this angel was helpful. Most of the time I still don't remember to call on her, because I'm not too concerned about the extra steps from wherever I have to park, but it was still a cool experience.

Another one of the limiting cards is the Angel of Fertility. It is literally about female fertility. No "birthing" new projects or anything like that. Baby-making. Period. So I'm not sure if we are supposed to take these cards extremely literally, as there are no alternatives given in the book, or if we can feel free to expand our meanings as we see fit. I guess maybe the Angel of Fertility has that one strict area of expertise, and there is another Angel of New Projects or something. Again, I found this a very limiting card.

I actually drew the Angel of Fertility as my daily card one day. I am well done with baby making. And very, very single. Nobody I know is pregnant or even remotely considering conceiving (not counting random people I follow on Instagram). This card had me baffled if I was to take it literally and not use it as a metaphor. Until I talked about it with my kids. My 16 year old son breeds insects. He said maybe the card was for him, because he was very worried that this one species he has been anxiously waiting to reproduce had yet to be fruitful. So I read him the information from the book, and told him it suggested that conception would happen in due time, and not to worry or be anxious about it. So it did have relevance after all, even if just for pet cockroaches!

There is a Bullying Prevention Angel, another very specific circumstance which I just don't find relevant in my everyday life as an adult. There are a handful of these very specific cards but most of the cards are universal and can be relevant to anyone at any given time.


There are a lot of Angels in the deck that can be very helpful to your physical and spiritual growth. Rather than just pick a few, I will provide a list of all the angels in the deck, so you can see how varied the list is:
  • Angel of White Light
  • Bullying Prevention Angel
  • Angel of Stress
  • Angel of Strength
  • Angel of Knowledge
  • Parking Angel
  • Angel of Travel
  • Angel of Friendship
  • Angel of Clairvoyance
  • Angel of Clairaudience
  • Angel of Clairsentience
  • Angel of Claircognizance
  • Angel of Nature
  • Angel of Good News
  • Chakra Balancing Angel
  • Angel of Romance
  • Angel of Abundance
  • Career Angel
  • Angel of Families
  • Guardian Angel
  • Angel of Patience
  • Angel of Detoxification
  • Angel of Creativity
  • Angel of Harmony
  • Angel of Healing
  • Angel of Channeling
  • Angel of Inner Peace
  • Angel of Fertility
  • Angel of Relationships
  • Angel of Truth
  • Angel of Release
  • Angel of Divine Timing
  • Angel of Enlightenment
  • Angel of Manifestation
  • Angel of Meditation
  • Angel of the Animal Realm
I love that there are Angel cards for four of the clairs: clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience and claircognizance (clairolfaction and clairgustation are not covered). I thought this was a wonderful touch, rather than just lumping them all together under "psychic".

A couple days after I began my studies on mediumship, I drew as my daily card the Angel of Channeling, which was an amazing confirmation.

The image on the Angel of Relationships card (below) is so realistic it makes me laugh. An angel hovers above a couple. The woman looks so irritated and fed up with the guy. I can't recall another image on any card, in any deck, that portrays such an accurate depiction of real life.


How it Reads
Working with this deck for my daily draws for a week, I'd say they were pretty evenly hit or miss. The hits were really spot on, and the misses weren't really misses, but were just general guidance that could be relevant for anyone on any day, rather than relevant to my day in particular.

The nature of the cards and specific angels led me to realize that, for me, this would not serve as a normal oracle deck. It's not one that I will be using to call on for advice for the day. It just doesn't seem conducive to that. Rather, it seems much more of a resource to turn to when you want specific help. For example, if I want help with being patient, I will turn to the Angel of Patience, ask for her help, and leave the card up where I can see it, to remind me of her message. If I want to amp up my clairaudience, I will pull her card, request her help, and leave the card out as a reminder for myself.

These cards are going to be a more proactive tool for me, rather than a divinatory oracle. This is not by any means a negative comment on the cards, but just a different way of using them that I feel will work better for me. They still hold a magic that I will utilize. In fact, this deck came at the perfect time, as I have been receiving signs to work with the angels, and I feel these cards will suit that purpose better than any other angel deck out there.

I also really like the idea of being able to approach the angels without having to know their names. You can just call on the Angel of "Whatever", and help will appear in that area. That was a revelation for me.


The Book
The 96-page book is larger than the cards and features full color images of the cards, which is so lovely! There is a Table of Contents so you can easily find the cards you are looking for. Next is an Introduction, explaining the concept of the deck, followed by a section on how to use the cards.

There are six layouts in the book:
  • One Card: Daily Angel Inspiration Layout
  • Three Cards: Angel Guidance Layout
  • Seven Cards: An Angel for Every Day Layout
  • Three Cards: Angel Encouragement Layout
  • Four Cards: Angels of Purpose Layout
  • Six Cards: Resolution Layout
The bulk of the book is dedicated to the card meanings. On the left page is the card number, title, key phrase, and full color image of the card. On the right page is a detailed description of the card's meaning, steps you can take, and how the angel can help you. This is followed at the bottom of the page by an affirmation specific to each angel.

The book ends with pages on the author and illustrator, then three lined pages for notes.


Final Thoughts
This is a seriously gorgeous deck, featuring a variety of angels I hadn't considered before. I didn't find it conducive to normal oracular readings, but do find it immensely helpful for requesting angelic help and utilizing it as a point of focus.

Deck: Angel Reading Cards by Debbie Malone, published by US Games Systems, Inc. (originally published by Rockpool Publishing).