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Title: Messages of the Saints
Created by: Teresa Carano
Art by: Jessica Huber
Publisher: Blue Angel
Price: $28.95
Number of cards:
Card size: 4.75 x 2.75 in
Box size: 5 x 3.5 x 1.5 in approx
Guidebook pages: 152
Purchased or gifted?: review copy gifted by Llewellyn
Absolute favorite card: Saint Anne
Other favorites: (in order from most beloved): Our Lady Star of the Sea, Saint Yvette of Huy, Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Rosalia, Saint Gabriel, Saint Philomena, Saint Joseph
Notable detail: Guidebook cover
Season: Spring
Sabbat: Samhain
Sign: Pisces
Element: Spirit
Deck compliment: Da Vinci Enigma Tarot
Collective Pull: Saints Perpetua & Felicity

Add to Your Altar

First Impressions

I’ll start with this: I am not a religious person in the sense that I do not support the institution of churches. Personally, I believe the Catholic Church is the world's biggest cult and marketing scheme. Having said that, I do enjoy religion. In fact, among my close friends, I’ve often expressed a desire to be a nun or to go back to school for religious studies. I won’t ever become a nun because I have too many questions about Christianity and also, although I admire the rigidity of the practice, which is what I’m attracted to, I am honestly not meant to follow rules. It goes against my very nature. But I love learning about religions and weirdly, I’m incredibly inspired by religious art, particularly church architecture. So I saw this deck and felt an instant connection to it. But things went downhill from there. So let’s dive into this one and you tell me, will you add this to your altar?

The Packaging

First up is the box. It’s a new size for Blue Angel and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. This is the second deck I’ve gotten from them in this size which is much smaller than the decks they’ve done in the past. The cards are also much smaller which I actually don’t mind. I think Blue Angel’s cards have always been a bit oversized to be honest with you.

Having said that, the box is pretty. It has nice gold foil detail on all of the wording which is nice and unexpected. I do think that the cross on the front should’ve had gold foil too. Say what you like, this is a Christian coded deck. It may be an oracle but at the end of the day, this is Christian in nature which means the cross is a prominent feature.

The standout is the cardstock which is really nice and heavy but still flexible enough to shuffle. I’m actually pretty surprised. The printing is done in matte which is perfect. We can’t talk about saints and make the deck too flashy I suppose. Sadly though, no gilded edges. I will absolutely die on this hill. Decks need gilded edges especially because this deck is nearly $30 so I definitely feel like we could’ve got a little bit more.

The Guidebook

The guidebook is quite nice. It’s very earthy and minimal which I feel is perfect for a deck of this nature. I think Christianity in general tends to feel more subdued than bright and flashy. Inside the guidebook you will find:

An intro
How to prepare the deck
Doing a reading
Three spreads
Card meanings

Each card entry contains an image of the card, the card name, a short key phrase, a short description of the card meaning, and then a longer description of the card meaning. A few cards have additional prayers at the end of the card meaning but not many. Within the card description, you get some background information on the saint or saints and then it goes straight into what the card means. However, I do think you need to read all the way through the entry as it isn’t always clearly delineated.

The guidebook is full color which is nice. And my favorite feature is actually the cover. I like that it's just one image and a beautiful one at that. I also really like that the box cover and guidebook cover are different. My publisher doesn’t even do that. But I think it just adds a little something extra. I guess it feels less lazy in a sense or maybe that’s too harsh. I’ll say more intentional.

Theme

So this is a Christian oracle deck, pure and simple. The author talks about saints as helpers who can step in for guidance, support and healing not unlike a deity. And that they make a natural fit for an oracle which is ultimately used for seeking advice. However, the author mentions how “history has too often not been kind to spiritual people.” I do believe that is true. Do I believe it's to the same degree Christians have persecuted others? Not at all. But suffering is suffering, regardless of who’s holding the sword.

The Artwork

I really like the art. I really like religious art in general. I find it peaceful and comforting. Recently I saw someone post about religion as a witch. She isn’t religious but that’s the language her ancestors use so she takes comfort in that. I couldn’t agree more. I think there is value in religious words and art at times. I really like the humble nature of these images. I love that they aren’t flashy or super bright. I absolutely love Saint Claire of Montefalco. The colors, the tone, the somberness is just everything I enjoy in an image. Many of the cards have the same aesthetic like Saint Yvette of Huy and Saint Mary Magdalene.

I felt so much comfort right up until I was taking a photo of Saint Anne, my favorite card. I often sprinkle plant material over my photos. I have a jar of dried baby’s breath flowers that I collect because they’re quite delicate when dried so I use them as decoration. I sprinkled a little bit of that over the photo layout and things really went downhill from there. Look closely towards the bottom of the image and you might notice that there’s an upside down cross on the dress. That’s from the baby’s breath I sprinkled which just happened to land in an upside down cross. It took me a while to notice it and I was basically done with this particular photo by the time I did so I just left it. But things got even more weird from there. Stuff I’d had on a shelf for months just fell all over the floor. I almost fell off of the stepstool that I use ALL OF THE TIME for photos. Then the deck of cards scattered all over the place. Later one when I created the blog post, the default url, I kid you not, had 666 in it! I could not believe it. It’s like the universe tried its hardest to freak me the hell out.And then I noticed the deck might be AI. Which brings me to the AI thing.

So here’s the thing, I think this deck is done using AI, at least in part. I didn’t really notice at first but when I started taking photos, I noticed the card I pulled for the collective pull looks pretty spot on to an AI generated image. And as I started looking more closely, I realized many of the images look that way too. I usually write the reviews before I take photos but I’d gotten inspired one day and went ahead and did the shoot. So the more I went through the deck, the more I came to believe this deck is done with AI. So I investigated.

“As you read about a good number of these saints, you will be reminded that history has too often not been kind to spiritual people. ”

Neither guidebook or the artist bio doesn’t explicitly say the art is used with AI generation but I did find the artist’s Etsy page and that does say she uses AI. Apparently she uses it in conjunction with other media but that isn’t expressed in the guidebook at all. Interestingly enough, the copyright language in the guidebook specifically asks not to use this deck to train AI models.

Now, I want to make it clear that I am not advocating for or against the use of AI. My genuine opinion is that it isn’t a black and white subject so I’m not going to treat it like one. Recently, I had a conversation with someone who said if you start using ai as the base and then add a whole lot of work on top of that, is it still considered ai art? We didn’t come to a conclusion but it's a good question to ask.

I also think that we as mystics are supposed to be the enlightened ones and the people who preach tolerance and freedom of beliefs. And if that’s the case, I don’t feel as though it's right to persecute someone who chooses to purchase things made with AI. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs, even if we disagree with them.

However, I do think there needs to be tighter controls on ai so that you can make a personal choice about whether or not this is something you’re comfortable with. Some people could care less about whether or not this deck uses AI art. And those people should be left to do as they please. But some people have a fundamental problem with AI and likewise, those people should know if they’re supporting something they have a deep issue with.

My feeling is that Blue Angel knows this is a sensitive topic and tried to hide the use of AI in plain sight. They didn’t mention it but didn’t exactly hide it either. They’re kind of letting you come to your own conclusions.

Now I could be flat out wrong and if that is the case then I apologize. I’m only describing my experience of the deck and you decide what you think. But if this is something that you feel strongly about, I would consider reaching out to either the publisher or the creators to verify before purchasing.

Reading With this Deck

I’ve not been all that comfortable reading with this deck. I genuinely thought I would like this deck more than I did but there are just too many things that feel off. The weird occurrences while taking photos with it, questioning whether or not Ai was used, and then just feeling a general sense of discomfort. I found myself wondering if occultism is reclaiming Christianity with this deck or if Christianity is shoving itself into a space it doesn’t belong in which is what Christinaity does isn’t it? It twists the stories of indigenous and pagan cultures, folding their beliefs into religion until there’s only just religion.

I’m not saying that’s what’s happening here. I’m just posing the question. What I am saying however, is that spirituality for me, this deck just doesn’t align. I do think it’s gorgeous but every time I work with it, I just feel off. This is a Christian deck, no doubt about it and I think there is just too much Christian energy in this for me. Too much martyrdom, too much self-sacrifice, too much being in service of.

Ready to get this deck?

Season, Sign, Element and Sabbat

I went with Winter for the season mostly because the stories of Saints tend to be about hardship, limitation, survival and things of that nature. All themes associated with the harshness of winter. Visually, I wouldn’t choose winter at all but energetically, I’ve felt almost suppressed when I pick up this deck. Humbled I guess I would say. I don’t feel encouraged or uplifted, I feel muted and restrained. And while the saints triumph in one way or another, they all experience great challenges which I fully associate with winter.

I chose Pisces for the sign because that is the zodiac sign that is most connected to the spiritual realm. Pisces is said to hold the energy of all 11 of the zodiac signs which come before it and of course, Pisces represents the transcendent. Saints very easily fall into this category as people who have been sanctified and are now “God’s” helpers in heaven as they were on earth. Just the whole connection to God and a higher power is a very Piscean quality.

I chose Samhain for the sabbat for the thinning of the veil and making it easier to communicate with spirit which to me includes all spiritual beings from saints to deities to angels to ancestors. We group Samhain with Halloween and all of the theatrics that come with that but ultimately, Samhain is a holy day of connection not fear. Finally, I chose Spirit for the element. Working with God or any higher power is a spiritual elemental thing. There really isn’t another element that captures what lies beyond earth.

Collective Pull

I pulled Saints Perpetua & Felicity for you. These saints remind you that what is right and what is easy are so often not the same thing. This card urges you to stand in your convictions even when it causes you great distress or causes someone you love great distress. Listen to what is true for you and act accordingly. Ask for courage or guidance when a clear answer does not present itself. And if nothing else, consider your love in this situation. What do you love most? What does that love inspire in you? You will find that sometimes, choosing love means making hard choices, some of which those you love will not agree with. And sometimes heartbreak can’t be avoided. This card reminds you trust yourself, especially in times when no good outcome is available.

Who is this deck for?

I have often wondered if a Christian Witch is a real thing and if you feel like that describes you then this deck is probably a good one for you. It kind of reminds me of those old school Doreen Virtue decks that were basically Christian decks and she went on to become a born again Christian who then called oracles the devil’s work so what does that tell you? Anyway, I do actually believe there are people who identify with both Christianity and the occult so this feels like a good intersection of the two.

But I also think it’s a great deck for people who are occult but have Christian roots, which is a lot of people. You may not practice religion now but I’m sure you have remnants from those days that still bring you comfort. This is a great way to have that bit of nostalgia without feeling like you’re giving up your current values.

Deck Companion

I chose a deck I haven’t used in years, The DaVinci Enigma Tarot. To be honest, this deck always freaked me out a little. I don’t know why, it just gave me the ick right from the start so I rarely use it. But it’s the first deck that I thought of when I first started using the Messages of the Saints. And I was right because the energy of both feels the same. I put them together and it's almost like I could feel them hug each other. Maybe it's because I was already weired out about the cross thing but I feel they share a “feeling” of humility. Especially aesthetically. The DaVinci deck isn’t nearly as colorful but it has that same muted, humble feeling to it. Very minimal and easygoing. They look beautiful together and while I’m not sure I’m going to be working with either any time soon, I do think they’ll make a solid pairing if you choose to use either one.

Davinci Enigma Tarot