The Initiates Oracle — Review

The Initiates Oracle by Marcella Kroll and Adam Smith has been one of my surprise favourites of 2026 so far. Why surprise? To be entirely candid, it is not a deck that I would usually go for, but it proved my first impression wrong.

The Basics

The Initiates Oracle consists of 40 cards of what I would call a pretty standard oracle size in full colour, with matte finish and bronze or old-gold edges (which I love) that do not leave an obnoxious trail of glitter after use (which I love even more). It comes accompanied by a 128 page guidebook also in colour, and both things come in a two piece sturdy box. The deck has been published by Weiser Books in Spring 2026.

First Impressions

The reason why I wasn't initially inclined towards this deck is that Egyptian Occultism is not an area that I am very familiarized with so I didn't think it would do much for me. But, upon opening the deck, I found that most of the cards were relatable without going through a whole initiation, and that is one of the things I love most about this deck: Though it looks specialized (and probably someone who is actually into Hermetism and Egyptian Occultism the deck will have much more to offer than what meets the eye) it is relatable and perfectly usable if you're not. The artwork is beautiful, though I love that kind of bold line art (forgive me for the lack of a better name) that's kind of tattoo like (Though if I'm correct, Adam Smith is also a tattoo artist). It reminds me of Robert Place's work in a way, so if that kind of aesthetic pleases you, you will find this deck gorgeous. Let's speak card quality. I know that all readers have opinions on the matter and we all think ours is best than everyone else's, so take this with a grain of salt. I am quite pleased with the quality of the cards for a mass market deck, considering that there's a lot of deck that is black, that it is matte and that it has gilded edges, I have to say they have made a fantastic job, because black decks tend to show wear and tear in about thirty seconds, gilded edges tend to leave a trail of glitter and fall apart rather soon, and the matte finish usually doesn't age well. And even though, I have found the deck quite resistant to my riffle shuffling and it doesn't show wear so far. It eventually will, I presume, but it is not something that falls apart on the second shuffle. I am not a lover of thick cardstock as the better and superior option. I know there are many lovers of the thicker the better out there, but I find that thick cards are usually not quite flexible which leads to more damage, at least for my shuffling style. In the case of The Initiates Oracle, I would say that the cards are thick enough to please most readers, and flexible enough that they will not crease easily (though they won't bounce back to shape on their own either).

The Guidebook

The guidebook begins with a welcome and a section on "how to use this deck". I always like to know how the author intended for the deck to be used or what was their vision, even if I end up doing something else. After that, it jumps right into the card meanings. Each card section is split in three: Keywords, symbolism and description. What I really liked about the guidebook, is that the descriptions are not a word salad and give you a meaning (even though, of course, you will have to extrapolate it to whatever it is you are dealing with to make an interpretation). It is easy to relate to the descriptions both for spiritual and abstract concerns as well as for concrete, daily ones.

Reading with The Initiates Oracle

What a better way to illustrate how this oracle works than to do a sample reading with it so that you can see it in action? I will ask two questions, one for guidance into the spiritual and one for everyday prediction so that you can see those two aspects at work. First question: "How can I work on deepening my connection with my dearly departed?"

For this question I got "Service" with the keywords "altruistic, supportive, nurturing, selfless" and the description in the picture. If I had to translate it to a concrete action, I would say that I could find causes that those ancestors cared about and offer to help, or perhaps I could check on those they loved who are still here, show up for others the way they showed up for me and strengthen the connection through acting as they would have in their name. Second question: "How will the month of August go for me business-wise?"

For this question, I got "Release" with keywords "let go, set free, lose, purge detach." I have to say that while this card can be rather powerful as guidance, if I stick to the question as it has been asked, it's not foretelling a great month in this aspect. It seems like a month in which the sales aspects might not be to write home about, and in which perhaps certain practices, services or connections need to be left behind.

Conclusions

I'm overall very satisfied with this deck in terms of quality, beauty, relatability and usability and I believe it to be a valuable tool to use if you are inclined towards oracles that make it easy to apply its messages to different life areas. I imagine that for someone who is invested in this specific branch of occultism, it will be an even richer tool. This one has been on the desk for a few weeks and has already accompanied me on a few client readings, so I can see myself continuing to enjoy this deck and making it a regular in the future. You can purchase The Initiates Oracle here.* *This is an affiliate link. If you purchase through it, it won't cost you extra, and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase. Despite the affiliate link, I do not promote products that I don't personally endorse.