HoroscopoDiario
by Cilla Conway
cc3 Publications
ISBN 9781527294011
I was excited last month to receive two review decks from Cilla Conway, an internationally known fine artist who has created six other Tarot and oracle decks. This one is a personal response to the pandemic, an experiment that grew from her interest in others’ near-death experiences, speculation on the nature of the afterlife, and personal encounters with more-than-human entities.
The Book of the Dead Oracle consists of 48 borderless cards, each a detailed oil painting, with holographic edges and holographic detail on the back. It is a beautiful and well-crafted object that is physically satisfying to work with.
Conway takes the, as she points out in the accompanying guidebook, unusual thematic choice to start the deck with an image of death; the rest of the cards represent experiences that a Soul may have after death, or between death and rebirth. Each Soul follows one of four paths, depending on where it is in its journey and what it had done and experienced in its most recent life. This gives her scope to represent a variety of experiences and states of being, both positive and (in some cases extremely disturbingly) negative, in the cards.
Although Conway’s work is mostly abstract, the comparison to Blake is obvious, in both the colour and movement in the images and because Conway creates her own detailed and sophisticated mythology for each deck. The guidebook introduces us to this mythology in a descriptive introduction, a two-page spread for each card (one describing the event or state of being depicted in the image and the other suggesting ways to interpret it, with room for your own notes), and suggestions for working with the deck. Conway suggests that it can be used to send messages to or ask respectfully for messages from a Soul who has already crossed over, though warns that a demand or call to a Soul in the afterlife could at best distract it from its experience there and at worst bring something to you that is ‘best left well alone’. The deck can also be used for ancestor work, clearing energies or exploring past lives. Conway describes several readings she has done for friends and clients, which are helpful in understanding how the cards can be used and what they can tell us; layouts generally consisted of one or two rows of between two and six cards. She concludes with a grounding meditation and sources of more information on the afterlife.
I approached my first working with this deck with some trepidation, as having gone through the book and cards I had seen some of the grim and frightening places it could take me. I decided to ask the cards what they could share with me about my past lives, and what it might benefit me to know about them. I pulled three cards:
Choices. The story Conway tells about this card is that at some point in their journey each Soul will choose whether to continue on exploring the realm of the afterlife or turn back to complete any unfinished lessons in life. It brings to mind endings and beginnings, and the reminder that making a choice precludes alternatives. It also reminds us of that whatever choice we make is the right choice, as it would have been the best we could do at that time with the information and resources we had…and that all of us will eventually finish our lessons.
Reincarnation. In Conway’s mythology every reincarnated Soul chooses to return, knows the reason for its return, and preselects its gifts and life path. This card suggests seeking ‘clues’ about our previous lives, and our purpose and lessons for this life.
Charon. In Conway’s mythology the ferry journey across the Styx is the first part of the ‘fourth path’ of the ‘obdurate spirit’, the longest and most challenging path a Soul takes through the afterlife. It takes the Soul to the Isle of the Dead, a cold and desolate place. This card suggests that we confront our fear that life might ‘present you with something ‘unmanageable’ and reminds us that all Souls will reach their destination in the end.
All three of the cards I drew were from the ‘fourth path’, though I was relieved not to get anything too upsetting. The story of these cards does have some personal meaning to me, and I found the reading thought-provoking, though I think from now on I will use this deck only when I’m ready for the most profound conversations with the unseen world.
I personally am happier working with a traditional 78-card Tarot deck but could not resist engaging with the art of this deck. It is definitely an experience for you if you appreciate Conway’s work and want to immerse yourself in her storytelling. The images and related stories can be extremely disturbing, even frightening, and Conway herself suggests that it may not be wise to work with this deck if you are in the acute stage of grieving. But, as she says in the guidebook, if this deck is for you, you’ll know it.
