Llewellyn Books debuted a new deck this year, the archeo personal archetype cards. On their website they tell us “Create your own personal mythology with this groundbreaking oracle deck by New York Times bestselling author and artist Nick Bantock. Imagine your inner life as a hero’s quest and this deck as your band of faithful companions. The Archeo features 40 archetype cards, a full-color guidebook detailing their skills and personalities, and two blank cards to create your own archetypal characters. From the alchemist to the trickster, these marvelous cards help you understand your full potential as a person of many parts.” Here at Voodoo Universe we decided to check it out ourselves, what follows is a guest post from Rebeca Spirit, psychic reader and lecturer.
The Archeo: Personal Archetype Cards is an indie looking oracle deck that is published by Nick
Bantock and Llwellyn Books. Bantock is also the creator of Griffin and Sabine. The deck is based on 12 common archetypes, characters built on a set of traits that are specific and identifiable, that people relate to
easily. Currently there is only the standard version, 40 cards and two blanks.
Likes:
● Soft feeling card finish
● Strong cardstock
● Delightful artwork
● Insightful to read and work with
Dislikes:
● Size is a little big (you are definitely not shuffling these Vegas style)
● Some of the descriptions are vague, difficult to decipher
First impressions…
“Uh-oh” this deck is going to call me out” …. The archetypes are what I use to delve into shadow work
and heal parts of myself or others. They are the stories we all know and understand and often are the
reason we react the way we do in situations.
I knew this deck would make me look deeply into myself and using some of the exercises in the book
made it easy. What caught my eye was the wolf card. I have that archetype in my life and so when I
read the card I was really impressed with how it resonated with my wolf.
The Basics:
I have the standard version, the quality is good, and I’m not sure there would be a need to make
other versions, except to make it a bit smaller.
Box – the deck comes in a sturdy, cardboard box with a magnetic close. It’s a nice, sturdy box that is
perfect for storing your cards in. The picture of the observer card on the front of the box let’s you
know you’re being observed, not the other way around.
Card Stock – Good quality, matte finish. Print quality is well done, giving it the illusion of age
(without being old).
Card backs – They are a lovely haint blue color with a flower design in the middle with company
stamps and a hidden message in the flower itself. Much like the cards themselves there is a lot going
on in the simple pictures.
Size – Cards in the standard version are 12 x 7.4cm . I’m interested to see
what the large version is like as I love big decks for their view-ability, but like smaller cards for their
shuffle-ability.
LWB – The little white book is neither little or white. The book is as important as the cards. There is
over 180 pages of information, exercises, stories and pictures of each card for reference.
What I love…
I love the style of the art. Nick Bantock’s vision is like a colorized version of early 20th century film
noir or an art deco experience. The soft feel of the finish is lovely too.
Each card tells a whole story, and asks you to look into your own world to see where it fits.
How does this deck read?
Oracle cards are often tricky. There is a balance between “your thoughts” and “spirit message” , these
cards are no exception. If anything, because they are looking at you as a character, how you see yourself
is more prevalent.
Who is this deck for?
This deck is most useful for people who like therapy, delving deep into a backstory, and figuring out who you are as a person.
This is not a deck for magical things or spiritually religious things, but rather to understand what
makes a person tick.
Overall I think this is a wonderful deck. I enjoy the twists and turns of the psyche and as a student of
Jung the archetypes are obviously something that makes me excited. The deck is versatile enough
though that anyone with an interest in persona, and psychology could use it well.
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