#future illustrations

Welcome to the first post of the year. I devoted my January to goal setting, planning and lots of work. Now that February is here, I am back to blogging! I have lots of things to share (though I don't know how often I will be able to share them). I want to start the blogging year with the Cosmic Cards by Julie Catona at Future Illustrations, a wonderful oracle deck with two magical expansions for the seekers out there.

This is a 50 card deck with two holographic expansions (10+11 cards), so a total of 71 galactic art pieces. In Julie's words, this is "a unique deck that is inspired by the wonder & magic of the cosmos [that] contains original artworks [which] are paired with a powerful & loving mantra, inspirational quote, angel or guide". Though there's the possibility of having the non-holo version of the expansions, I wanted the mix in the deck to add even more variety and mystery – and since the backs are the same in both versions, there’s no problem when laying them down!

It has a great modern vibe with a mix of illustration styles (from solid colours to magical gradients to photo manipulation) where stars and space environments abound, but which feel very familiar and close at the same time. There’s diversity in the characters that are present, including famous people as pop culture references are common. I like the contrasts that can be found: worldly and cosmic elements, natural and human-made elements and structures, and vintage images with futuristic elements feel like they were made to exist together. This entire harmonious clash is like a bridge between our conscious selves, or higher selves and the wisdom of the world (and beyond). It features a broad palette with rich saturated colours that catch your eye, which is more accentuated in the foiled cards.

The artwork is framed by a white border, which is wider at the bottom to hold the titles of the cards and the accompanying messages - and some cards actually include text within their artwork. I appreciate how the main titles are bolder and the messages are subtler, because that way I can choose to first approach the cards at a more intuitive level, and then expand if I wish to. And obviously, no guidebook is needed. The decks come in plain white sleeves and tuckbox, kimono wrapped in pink-purple paper, with palo santo and a few ephemera in a sturdy black box. My favourite addition is the Seed of Life Crystal Grid (with an illustration in the other side).The cardstock is nice and flexible, and though the edges of the holo version are slightly greyer, that is the only difference you can find - which is not noticeable once all the cards are shuffled.