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Title: Rising Rani Oracle
Written by: Her Khaani
Art by: Vik Kainth
Publisher: Rockpool Publishing
Price: $26.95
Number of cards: 36
Card size: in
Box size: 2 in approx
Guidebook pages: 88
Purchased or gifted?: review copy gifted by Rockpool Publishing
Absolute favorite card: Changemaker
Other favorites: (in order from most beloved): Flow, Forgiveness, Unity, Sensuality, Transformation, Tranquility, Community, Prosperity, Wildness
Notable detail: Violet edges
Season: Summer
Sabbat: Summer Solstice
Sign: Cancer
Element: Water
Deck compliment: Light Seer’s Tarot
Collective Pull: Expression

Add to Your Altar

First Impressions

Being a Rockpool author, I often get to see a lot of Rockpool’s decks long before they come out. I got to see this one quite some time ago and I was immediately intrigued without knowing much about it. I loved that it felt unique. I love the cultural nature of it too. I like to see people making decks that are unlike anything else out there. As a deck creator myself, I try really hard not to make something unless I can contribute something new. I find myself wishing many decks had something more unique to say and this one feels like it holds the promise of something I haven’t seen before. So let’s take a deeper look and as always, I’d love to know if you end up adding this one to your altar and what about it felt like it resonated with you.

The Packaging

I will never stop talking about how amazing Rockpool’s packaging is. They’ve made consistently great packaging for years and to my knowledge, were the first to take a chance on really interesting gilded edges. I don’t think I’ve gotten a single deck from them in years that didn’t have a gilded edge. And rarely do they gild in gold or silver. This deck features an ultraviolet finish and it’s gorgeous. Be sure to take a look at the photo.

Another feature that has been mostly unique to them is printing on the band that holds the cards together. Most people use a white strip that you break and throw away. But Rockpool has been intentional about this piece of paper, using it as a chance to print a pattern. I’ve started keeping them because of how well they match. I’ve worked in product design for a long time. First in fashion, then a mega spiritual company, then for myself. I am also a shopper and let me tell you, nothing says luxury more than intentional packaging. And Rockpool’s packaging always feels luxurious.

The box is a rigid 2 piece box in full color. There’s a pattern printed both inside the box and on the outside edges of the box’s bottom. Lately, I’ve noticed them incorporating a design right where your thumb goes to lift the top of the box. Again, another subtle detail that makes a difference. You might not care about that but I think design forward people really appreciate seeing things like that.

The cardstock feels like their standard card. It’s just the right thickness. The print is what I call semi-matte. There might be a more specific term for it but I’m not sure. It’s matte but has just a touch of a sheen to it. I don’t like shiny cards but some vibrant cards like this benefit from just a touch of gloss. But I’ll get to that in the artwork.

If I had to complain about one thing, it would be the card backs. I’m often disappointed by the card backs, even with my own decks. They take such care with the rest of the deck and that’s not to say the backs aren’t intentional. But I think they can be more creative with the card backs for sure. Also, I need to note that the edges are beautiful but there’s some bleeding, at least on my deck. The violet has left marks on my hands and the sheets that I use to write these reviews so something to keep an eye out for.

The Guidebook

The guidebook is full color as always and has thoughtful touches throughout like borders, consistent motifs and full image pages. Inside the guidebook, you will find:

An introduction
How to use the cards
Three spreads
The card meanings

For each card you get keywords, a short phrase, a section called Rani’s Guidance, and then a line about the card’s symbolism. That last part is my favorite. Each card comes with an explanation of a specific element. For example, authenticity makes note of a heart necklace that represents loyalty to oneself. I often struggle with adding a description or skipping it. Sometimes I feel like it's wasted space but other times, it truly needs to be there. But I love the description done this way. It’s a perfect way to point out something meaningful to the image without taking away from the meaning itself.

Theme

The author explains the word Rani in the introduction. She says it’s an Indian term that means “royal queen” or “princess.” However, the author has claimed it as a term to represent feminine energy. The book doesn’t explicitly mention it but refers to each card as a Rani, almost like one would refer to a goddess or human. And each Rani offers guidance as though they are speaking to you directly.

The Artwork

The cards are beautiful and bright but done in mostly warm tones of pinks, oranges, warm purples and reds. There are also pops of blues and greens but that’s kept pretty minimal. I actually really love the color palette here. It’s feminine and it's definitely pink but not the obnoxious pink people love to associate with being female. These cards are definitely moody and sophisticated.

I don’t always talk about other parts of my life but I have a whole different part of my world in interior design. I genuinely believe in the power of a well designed space and how much it impacts your mood and quality of life. That’s why I talk about design so much in these reviews, because design really matters to me, more than you could possibly imagine.

I say this because, this deck reminds me a lot of the interiors that are taking over social media right now. Really rich but moody tones. Looking through the cards, I kept thinking I could easily see this space or something like it in Architectural Digest India (to which I do actually subscribe along with several other AD country magazines). I’ll pop some really cool spaces down below so you can see what I mean.

“A rani’s guiding voice will reach out from each card, steering you towards a better understanding of what you seek within yourself and your circumstances and relationships. ”

What I’m trying to say is that this is pink but elegant. I could easily see a dining room done in the colors found throughout this deck. And that to me represents a beautiful level of sophistication.

My favorite card is Changemaker. I love this card because this is exactly how I see activism work. In the image, there’s a hand holding earth. The top of earth is burning while the bottom of the earth is sprouting with flowers. I have always felt like there are those who burn things down and those who rebuild from the ashes and I think this card represents that beautifully. I am firmly in the rebuild category but the truth is that the world needs both. It needs people who are happy to burn something to the ground and people who pick up the pieces.

I also really love sensuality. When I think of the word sensual, I’m not thinking of sexy. I’m thinking of scent and sound and texture. I’m thinking of the senses and I think that’s what the artist was thinking of too when they did this card. It features a woman sitting on a rock in a body of water. Behind her are waterfalls and there’s a plethora of textures all around from the water she’s dipping her toes into, to the rock she’s touching to the wind on her face. There are flowers all around which I imagine to be rich with fragrance and it's a sight to behold. All of the sense are engaged here and although the keywords say romance and intimacy, it’s clear just from the image that this card isn’t just speaking of sexual encounters.

Reading With this Deck

I can honestly say that the cards haven’t told me anything I didn’t know but I think I was expecting something else while working with them. The cards weren’t wrong at all. I pulled Balance for my first ever draw but just found myself wanting more. I do honestly need balance, especially at the time of writing this. My life has shifted in immense ways this past year and there are definitely parts taking up way more space than others. But I already knew that with absolute clarity so I was surprised to pull it. And I have found all of my readings to be like that.

Perhaps this card just responds to whatever is top of mind for me which isn’t necessarily bad. I’m just learning that this deck really brings up whatever is happening right now, today. I have found it less useful for guidance on a specific topic and more useful for getting to know myself or perhaps more apt, for listening to myself.

The whole deck has felt intimate but in a specific way of being self-intimate and I do see that in my readings. It’s almost like I can’t escape myself when I work with this deck even though I’ve asked about all kinds of things from career to content ideas to other relationships I’ve had. It’s like this deck only wants me to focus on me when I work with it.

When I did my interview of this deck, I asked how it wants me to work with it and I pulled Forgiveness. I assumed it meant forgiving other people but now having used it a bit, I really think it means forgiving myself. I take things really hard. Every upset customer email feels devastating. Everytime I think I made someone mad feels like the end of the world. I often hold onto things far longer than necessary. Sometimes for years. But lately, I’ve been learning how to be more forgiving of myself and more efficient when it comes to emotional recovery. And now, I feel like this deck is helping me with that.

Ready to get this deck?

Season, Sign, Element and Sabbat

I chose summer for the deck because of the warmth. I know the sun is often thought of a masculine and that could make you believe the summer feels masculine too but I’ve never felt that way. The summer is associated with fire but also water. Not to mention, the summer solstice is also the day we move into Cancer. The very gate to summer is by nature female. There’s also a lot of water flowing through these cards. It’s like the warmth meeting water and that to me is summer all day long.

I chose Cancer for the zodiac sign because of the flowy, soothing nature of this deck. It feels comforting and even though I’m not Indian, the deck oddly feels like home. I spent half of the artwork section talking about interiors because it gives me that feeling of being in a space that just feels really good. In fact, many of the colors used here are ones I have in my bedroom right now and I love my bedroom so much. It’s my favorite place in the world right now. This deck just has that quality of being in a sacred space and sense Cancer rules the home, I felt it was the right choice.

I went with the summer solstice for the sabbat because of that constant connection between the sun and water that I see here. Obviously the summer solstice is when the sun is strongest but again, that’s also when we move into Cancer which is a water sign and ruled by the moon. I guess what I’m saying is that this deck feels balanced and I think the summer solstice is the perfect meeting of the sun and the moon, the masculine and the feminine.

Finally, I chose water for the element. There are a lot of flowy elements throughout the deck from the river in Sensuality to the dripping in Changemaker and the waterfalls in Tranquility. But in addition to that, you see a lot of flowing elements that aren’t water. Everything has a natural grace to it, even images that have intricate details like community.

Collective Pull

I pulled Expression for you. The Rani of expression invites you to spend time journaling, and not just for shadow work. Writing can be a wonderful way to process your feelings. Sometimes we can’t really know what we’re trying to say just by thinking about it. Writing allows you the chance to get out of your head and get your thoughts down on paper where perhaps, things will flow with more ease. But writing is also just a really great way to record parts of your life. It becomes a verbal snapshot into your most intimate thoughts. One day, you might look back on your words and see how far you’ve come. You might be reminded of something you once loved or an old perspective that now makes you laugh. There is nothing more intimate than the words you say to yourself. Let the paper hold them for you until you’re ready to revisit them.

Who is this deck for?

First of all, can we talk about representation? So if you’re South Asian and you feel as though you don’t see a lot of your culture then please check this deck out. We truly do not get enough decks outside of the pagan/Greek/Irish traditions and it's nice to see something different.

But also, if you have an appreciation for cultures that aren’t your own and like to learn from people who are different from you, then say yes too. I loved learning about the concept of “rani” , something I hadn’t heard before. I also loved finding resonance in another culture. I was able to see a lot of myself in this deck, despite not being Indian. And I think we need more of that: finding similarities instead of differences.

Deck Companion

I chose the Light Seer’s Tarot. I was a little skeptical at first because both decks are quite colorful but I think Light Seer’s match the flowy nature of this deck. You also see similar colors used throughout both of them and I think Light Seer’s also does a really good job at balancing masculine and feminine energies.

Light Seer's Tarot