Sexcraft Oracle
The Sexcraft Oracle is a deck of oracle cards created by occultist Travis McHenry in 2023.
La Sorcière
La Sorcière is a book on the history of witchcraft by French author Jules Michelet. The book was first published in 1862 and translated into English the following year. Michelet was one of the first few people to attempt to show the sociological explanation of the Witch Trials, although he viewed witchcraft as an act of rebellion against the power of the Catholic Church in Europe.
Today the book is regarded as being largely inaccurate, but still notable for being one of the first sympathetic histories of witchcraft, and as such it may have had an indirect influence on Wicca.
Illustrations
In 1911, a new edition of La Sorcière was published containing illustrations by French artist Martin van Maële. Some of these were complex, detailed works of art, while others were simple line drawings.
Development
McHenry began developing the deck in 2022 after receiving a copy of the 1911 edition of La Sorcière with van Maële's illustrations. He worked on turning the drawings into an oracle for six months, then spent an additional month coloring the drawings from their original black and white.
While creating the oracle deck, McHenry also wrote a companion book, SEXCRAFT, which explores the relationship between society, religion, and sex. The second half of the book is a grimoire containing numerous sex magic rituals, including three versions of the Black Mass.
Content
The Sexcraft Oracle is arranged like a deck of 52 playing cards and uses the classic French playing card suits. McHenry added astrological and alchemical correspondences to the cards, giving them deeper meaning.
One minor difference from traditional playing cards is that the court cards use the "princess" instead of the "jack" due to the prevalence of females in the illustrations and the overall feminine quality of the deck. The court cards and aces are oriented vertically while the numbered cards are horizontal.
A 70-page guidebook included with the deck explains the meaning behind each of the cards and also provides strategies for reading with the deck.
Elements used
Astronomical bodies used
Publication
The Sexcraft Oracle was initially launched in a Kickstarter project by Bloodstone Studios during the month of October 2023. It successfully raised $26,686 from 320 backers against a goal of $7,000.