The Faeries Oracle – Honesty

Honesty (Photocredit: Brian Froud)

Over the weekend I visited with my best friend. We’ve known each other for years and share a lot in common, especially in spirituality. In light of my experiences with S. Connolly’s books on demonolatry, my friend decided on gifting me with his own book recommendation. I’ve been pouring over this book since Sunday and I thought it would be a nice treat if I shared it with all of you.

The book my friend gave to me is Brian Froud’s the Faeries Oracle. I’ve been on the fence about this book for a long while as I know Froud from Labyrinth and the Dark Crystal, thinking that his other works were just a part of his great imagination and ability to craft a good story. When my friend heard my experience with a Trickster Fae, however, he showed me the description Froud gives to a certain gnome that is often attributed to tricks and deceit.

I decided, as I did with S. Connolly’s books, to give this one an honest try. It’s not a book of summoning or anything, but rather, the Faeries Oracle is a unique tarot deck and book companion. I’m much more familiar with both tarot and the Fae, so it seems like a match meant for me to go through this book. In total, the deck contains 66 cards, each representing a specific Faery or an embodiment of the Fae. I like to get to know my decks before I ever use them and this book encourages the same thing.

Following the advice of the book, I pulled two cards from the deck: One that I have found to be the most appealing and one that makes me uncomfortable.

After a long while, I settled on Honesty. Not only does the title of the card appeal to me, but so does the art and the kind eyes of the Faery. Honesty is something I strive for in all aspects of my life, whether I’m being honest with others or being honest with myself. It takes a lot of discipline to speak honestly without being brutally honest. It takes even more self-discipline to be honest with yourself without lying.

Speaking on the art, I absolutely love the expressionist style that Froud is capable of producing. Honesty looks like a person that exists within a leaf or a plant. Like you would almost miss him if you were on a hike. The shape of his body paired with his head reminds me of a dandelion, which makes me think that Honesty is everywhere we go in life. Not only that, but as kids (or adults who behave like kids) we make our wishes on Honesty. The card is comforting and heart-warming.

Tomorrow I will cover the card in Froud’s deck that made me uncomfortable when I discovered it.