Green Oracles
is another beautiful, historically significant deck by
Ernesto Fazioli.
This time we forge the healing realms of herbs and plants, as compiled by
a Greek physician from 2000 years ago,
who traveled throughout the Roman Empire with Emperor Nero's army, collecting and researching local medicinal herbs everywhere they roamed. Between 50-70 C.E., the good doctor Dioscorides wrote his fundamental work, "De
Materia Medica" (On Medicinal Substances) - considered to be the most important, ancient research on the healing properties of plants,
that informed the work in this field for centuries to come, while also being expanded
upon and translated into numerous languages. This was the predecessor of all modern pharmacopeias. But beyond its historical importance, it also shared knowledge on the herbs and remedies used by the ancient Greeks, Romans and other
cultures of antiquity; remedies that, in many cases are still in use today.
To create this unusual oracle, Ernesto Fazioli carefully chose 54 images from the six hundred that were included in Dioscorides's life work. The explanations and suggestions of each plant’s essence and meaning work well with a clearer comprehension of their qualities, for a more profound, personal study and analysis.
Ernesto introduces his source in the accompanying 2-sided leaflet, and includes brief descriptions of the researched plant properties, which are numbered and in alphabetical order by their 'root' word (no pun intended), and how they can best be understood in readings or by other means. Here are three examples from his leaflet with the corresponding cards displayed below:
33 Melograno - Pomegranate
Meanings:
Renewal, union, pledge, inventory, cohesion, charity, love, mercy. Emotionally it represents union, marriage. Tip: Bring the many elements together in unity, while maintaining your individuality. Evolution: Deep connection with one's sacred world. Reversed: Envy, hatred, sexuality as an end to itself, feeling like hell, lost in a quagmire.
43 Papavero - Poppy
Meanings:
People, city, chief, sleep, calm, rest, consolation. In feelings it represents a tranquil or hypnotic kind of love. Tip: Ability to persist in your intentions, while facing obstacles. Evolution: Eliminate pain and hurtful memories. Reversed: Tyranny, forgetfulness, oblivion, pain, addiction, laziness, misanthropy, inconstancy, ignorance, indifference.
49 Sambuco - Elder
Meanings:
Nourishment, regeneration, renewal, healing, home care, music, shyness. In feelings it represents transitioning from the olden ways towards the new. Tip: Learn how to trim old branches of your existence, to encourage the growth of new shoots. Evolution: Relieve fears of the unknown and transcend towards the light. Reversed: Weakness, disappearance, inability to sever old ties, anger, resentment.
The backs of the cards in Green Oracle display a lovely sketch of a leaf and are therefore not reversible (shared on this page). The slightly textured, matte art stock is well suited for this deck and enhances the lush colors beautifully. The set comes in an elegant cardboard gift box with a title card attached on top, and a signature card found inside, numbered and signed by Ernesto Fazioli. The set also includes a cloth tote bag which has a charm dangling from the drawstring, which makes for a nice presentation. The titles on the 54 cards are written in Italian but the leaflet includes the English translation. It may inspire more research to discover details on each plant's holistic properties and be a meaningful deck for Tarot collectors and historians, especially those interested in the healing properties of plants and herbs.
Pedanius Dioscorides was born in 30 A.D. in Anazarbius, Asia Minor, (present day Turkey). Around two thousand years ago, Dioscorides, a physician traveling the Roman Empire with Emperor Nero's army, would collect
local medicinal herbs everywhere he went. Between 50-70 C.E., he wrote his fundamental work, "De materia medica" (On Medicinal Substances). Translated into several languages both ancient and contemporary, and
supplemented with research by European, Middle Eastern, and Indian authors, it has been the prime authority and source work on herbs and other medicinal substances in the history of Western Civilization.
Unlike other medical works by classical authors, De Materia Medica wasn't rediscovered in the Renaissance because it had never left circulation.
