This is an oracle deck for sipping tea and contemplation. This is an oracle deck for cloudy autumn days and cold nights. This is an oracle deck to go inward. This is a deck for people who love art.
Stylized and elegant, this 41-card deck is stunning. Artist and creator Boris Indrikov is a self-described surrealist artist. I would describe the art on these cards as a combination of Max Ernst and Alphonse Mucha; a natural and beautiful blend of surrealism and art nouveau.
Unlike many oracle decks, these cards don’t have keywords or phrases on them. While this allows you to hone your intuition and pull personal meaning from the cards, it does make the 56-page guidebook essential for those who want to peer into Indrikov’s mind to see the thoughts behind the meanings of the cards.
And what a mind it is. As a bit of background, Indrikov was born in Leningrad in 1967. He was introduced to art at an early age by his mother who taught drawing at school. Later Indrikov abandoned his college studies in engineering to pursue life as an artist. He credits the Renaissance masters (14th through 17th centuries) as being the biggest influence on his early studies. Currently he lives in Moscow and works as a book designer and artist.
The design of this deck does have a touch of the engineer. The cards are divided into four groups that follow the elements of the suits in tarot. These elements are designated by the color on the card’s border: a blue border is Air or external events; a red border is Fire or action; a green border is Water or feelings and emotions; and a yellow border is Earth, which is the material world.
At first glance these color differences can be difficult to distinguish because of the overall autumnal tones in the deck. But the palette becomes more obvious as you work with it.
Indrikov also divided the deck into what I call “categories” of roughly four cards each, with each card in the category assigned one of the elemental suits (Air, Fire, Water, and Earth). For example, cards 1 through 4 are in category “Play.” Play Air is “A message will change your life,” Play Fire is “Let go of your biases,” Play Water is “Welcome new feelings and emotions. Try something new,” and Play Earth is “A new beneficial offer brings unexpected gain.”
The other categories the cards fall into are: Look For Harmony And Balance; Renew; Stop And Get To Know Yourself; Love To Interact; Grow And Learn; Conceive, Create, Implement; Perceive, Learn, Be Aware; Make A Change, Transform; and Dream. The outliers are another Grow And Learn card (this might be a typo in the guidebook) and a Joker card, about which the guidebook states: “On a day that Joker comes into your life it is advised that you and the world just observe each other.” Lol — noted.
This aspect of layering in the elements gives the reader more flexibility because it allows the oracle to easily be read as a tarot deck.
Each card has a quote with it as well. For example, card number 6, under category Look For Harmony And Balance (Fire - action) has this quote: “Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them more.” - Oscar Wilde.
The cards measure 3.5” x 5.2” and are printed on medium-thick card stock with a waxy matte finish. The cards aren’t too large for small hands and they’re easy to shuffle. They come in a sturdy two-piece box.
I love this deck. I love the way it seems complicated but it’s not. I love the way I can use it like a tarot deck but it’s not. And I love that the artist says, “On one hand, fate is predetermined, which means nothing is an accident. On the other hand, life is full of surprises, which means it is completely unpredictable.”
Appropriately, In Dreams falls somewhere between randomness and certainty.