Oracle of Initiation

These are magnificient! Are/will they be available? How, I wonder, is the numbering system derived? Does it have a relationship to the tarot deck? (If you answered that before, just point me to that answer).
magnificient!

Jeanne, thanks for the fabulous support!!! And yes, almost birthday girl, I can give glorious readings over the phone.
Below are some pieces form the publishing proposal I wrote last fall. I see the work as being images taken between the veils/ between the Spirit and corporeal worlds, like the cave painting reemerging form the walls into 3-D. In late spring/early summer 2010 I am going to do workshops with the sacred painting and adornment here on the land, you could make a pilgrimage for that and do the process yourself!! xoxx M

Concept Statement
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The Oracle of Initiation is an archetypal journey of spiritual awakening. Contemporary seekers are lead through the stages of initiatory transformation, exploring both the shadow and the light within this enduring pattern of human development. The deck acts as a guide for reclaiming authentic empowerment, healing and wisdom through the timeless methods of unearthing hidden potential through self-discovery. The Oracle of Initiation is completely unique in its structure and design, emerging directly from artist Melissa Weiss Steele’s own transformation after the death of her husband. All of the dissolving and restoration she experienced lead her to create The Painted Body photography series for the deck. The Oracle of Initiation is like a captivating dream, opening the reader to the world of myth, magic, and allegory. The images reawaken ancient senses, enchanting us with a poetic and archetypal power. The Oracle of Initiation is a vital twenty-first century ally for awakening your true potential.

About The Deck

The Oracle of Initiation is composed of eight interwoven sections; together, they encompass an archetypal journey of spiritual awakening. Each of the deck's segments contains eight cards, with Zero and Infinity cards at the start and end making 66 cards in all. The final card of each section becomes the gateway to the one following, the doorway to a new level of development.

The compelling intensity of The Oracle of Initiation’s images speak directly to the intuitive and instinctive, no longer requiring an understanding of an array of symbols and pre-determined definitions, the reader is able to quickly gain confidence and perspective in accessing divinatory guidance.

Each of the images within The Oracle of Initiation is taken from artist Melissa Weiss Steele’s Painted Body series. The photographs are deeply informed by her immersion in indigenous spirituality and ritual, incorporating elements of Norse, African, and Native American customs.

Melissa’s photographic work continues the tradition of women artists who have used their own bodies as the primary vessels for their artistic expression. Ana Mendieta, Cindy Sherman, Anne Brigman, and Francesca Woodman are all examples of photographers who have also explored identity, relationship and personal empowerment through the camera lens.

All photographs in the Painted Body series are taken alone on the land-in the arroyos, caves, canyons, and tunnels surrounding Melissa’s Santa Fe home. The camera is held at arms length, allowing it to become a literal extension of her body: at the moment of creation it is both a part the art and of the artist as well. The spontaneity and directness of this method allows an unparalleled intimacy, and the images that result are always surprising and unanticipated.

None of the images in the Painted Body series have been altered, retouched, or Photoshopped in any way. This makes the atmospheric lighting and evocative mood they capture even more remarkable.

And the numbering system is unique to the channeled structure thats came through. it is what i saw as the archetypal process of resurrection i went through after my husbands death from cancer when i was 33. Interestingly enough, some things are in the collective conscious and birthed by many messengers-Bill Plotkin who is an amazing earth ... See Morephilosopher/ vision quest leader/ teacher/ writer has written in his recent book, Nature and the Human Soul, a medicine wheel/ process of human maturation wheel/ 8 staged structure that is extremely similar to my channeled stages. Way cool.

It's always fascinating to hear the backstory...