Goddess Oracle Reviews

The Goddess Oracle has received copious critical acclaim --
here are a few samples (Reviews of the First Edition, 1997).

The Bodhi Tree Book Review, Summer/Fall 1998
"Divination has never been as sensual!"

"This is an absolutely gorgeous collection of Goddess deities ... carefully researched... stunning... uplifting... The illustrations are truly remarkable."
"It is important to note that these cards are designed to nurture the feminine in all of us, regardless of gender - the Goddess bolsters those aspects of everyone's totality that have been historically disregarded, for example, intuitive abilities, creativity, sensuality, and nurturing skills."

SageWoman , Winter, 1997:
" ...beautiful and seamless... wise, sophisticated... "
"[Amy] sweated blood to get this baby into the world, and the Goddess meditations and rituals she has written for each card show it."
"Hrana's paintings are nothing short of miraculous... expresses the divine in such realistic and yet transformative detail... Element Books is to be commended for publishing such an excellent work"

The Magical Blend, #60, June 1998
"The beautiful images go beyond depictions of superficial external conditions into actual emotions and spiritual causes. They are to be used for accessing and changing deep inner states via the Goddess, not for frivolous divination."

AMAZON.COM Staff review:
"...outstanding... acts as a guide in the crucial quest for wholeness."

NAPRA, Winter, 1997 :
"...absolutely enchanting... This is a wonderful introduction to the pantheon of world goddesses, and a loving and powerful tool for honoring and healing oneself."

GREEN EGG, Nov/Dec '97:

"The Goddess Oracle consists of an excellent instruction book (no tiny wrinkled paper booklet, this!) for using the Oracle and the Oracle itself -- a beautiful deck of 52 images of the Goddess."

"... it's the art that captured me... I passed out a number of cards at random to 30 ritual participants... we noted enough synchronistic readings to give the deck not only an ocular approval for its esthetic qualities, but also an oracular approval for its divinatory qualities." -- Maerian Morris

Chronogram, December 1997:

"... power... soul... wisdom... a wonderful feat."
"It is the beauty of cards depicting Goddesses from around the world ... that are what make the Goddess Oracle experience a worthwhile one. With many cards, Janto used women friends and other real life Goddesses as models of inspiration. The shapes and curves of every Goddess are uniquely real. They are a myriad of colors, young and old."

Goddessing, Summer/Autumn 1998:
"... clear, ...relevant, ...accurate ...
the Goddess Oracle passed the test with flying colors."

"The first experience I have is the beauty of the cards themselves. You have to SEE these! I shuffle through them quickly and then go back to really look at each one: Here is Sheila-Na-Gig offereing an unobstructed view of Her vulva with Creation spinning out of it and a wild smile on her wizened face; Durga rides over the Mountains of the World, armed (and She has many of these) with every weapon imaginable; the wild Baba Yaga rides Her morter and pestle smiling like the Auntie who taught you how to order martinis and smoke your first cigar; Yemaya swims through the blue waters of your unconsciousness as She creates a stream of life in the wake of her tail. I turn the box over and read that the artist, Hrana Janto, painted for Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyer's PBS special, "The Power of Myth."

"You can look at the images and tell that Janto has intimate knowledge of her Goddesses. You can see it in the lush curves she paints for the body of Oshun and the alexandrite colors in her waterfall throne. You can feel the deception in Blodeuwedd's eyes, the play of the hearth light on old Hestia's gown. The Child-Goddess Maya IS illusion. You know that Her innocent veils hid the power of Kali and Demeter. Hrana Janto's Goddesses are archetypical and relevant. This woman makes love to the Goddesses with a sable brush! I found myself forgetting that I had deadlines and became lost in the imagery of each Goddess card."

"I find myself reflecting on them throughout my day…"

"[Amy] wrote from a platform of personal epiphany… and experience it she did! Her background of writing, directing, film making and conducting therapeutic workshops enriched her writing in The Goddess Oracle."

-- review by Dina Kerik, publisher of The Deepwater Journal