I think the Hedgewitch Botanical Oracle by Siolo Thompson may have been my first oracle deck, but like all of my non-tarot decks, it’s taken months or, in this case, years to interview. I fell in love with Thompson’s Linestrider Tarot as soon as I did my first interview with it (back when I used someone else’s spread instead of my own deck interview spread). I loved the idea of the hedgewitch, the unschooled but well-trained practitioner of green magic who makes do (and then some) with what’s naturally available to her.

That does and doesn’t fit with my own practices and esoteric outlook. Yes, I’m “self-taught,” but that just means that I’ve read a lot and thought for myself about what it should mean. It also means I’m more pragmatic and, quite frankly, lazy than literal in my approach to understanding the unknown. Is that the best approach? Probably not. The hedgewitch is much more disciplined than I am because she literally lives and dies by her knowledge, wisdom, and intuition. To more disciplined (single-minded?) people, I’m considered a dabbler and dilettante, and the deck seems to be fine with that, at least as far as this interview goes. I know my current limitations, and when I’m ready for something more, I know how to put my nose to the grindstone.

Deck interview spread with Hedgewitch Botanical Oracle — Interviewing the *Hedgewitch Botanical Oracle*

**What major lesson are you here to help me learn?** *Clover | Nurture*
**Through which divine energy can we best communicate?** *Wild Rose | Clarity*
**In what area can you aid me to help others?** *Borage | Courage*
**In what area could your guidance be easily misunderstood?** *Elder | Ritual*
**What can I do to keep our communication clear?** *Strawberry | Enjoy*
**How can I use your guidance for the highest good?** *Sage | Purify*
**How will I know when we’re ready for a new lesson?** *Morel | Regenerate*

The simple black ink lines and accents of vivid watercolors help reinforce the message of these cards: keep it simple and enjoy the journey. In the first position is the clover with its fur- and feather-like tufts. These delicate little wildflowers offer nectar to those who pluck the individual blooms from their base and suck on the ends. It’s something I learned as a kid growing up near fields of them. And the oracle property of Nurture reminds me of that childhood pleasure, recalling something comforting that is also quite simple. In addition to being a useful reminder about enjoy this deck for its keywords and lovely imagery, it’s also a call to rely on my own intuitive powers. Often with this deck, I refer to the not-so-little white book, the Hedgewitch’s Field Guide. There is useful information about each of the plants and how to enjoy them (or avoid them) in real life as well as in their function as cards in an oracle deck. But I don’t need to look up Nurture. Yes, there are other things that you can do with clover than tear it apart to get at some nectar. But I don’t need to know all of that for this interview.

Wild Rose offers insight for connecting with divine energy through a metaphor, the wild rose. Tapping into the beautiful but unruly (and sometimes painful) nature of the wild rose, I’m reminded of fickle nature spirits, such as fey and nymphs. Yes, they’re lovely, but they play by their own rules, only some of which we can understand. Do I need to make a pact with them to use this deck? Obviously not. But being open to a little wild energy may not be bad if it brings clarity by cutting through all the extra padding. I’m encouraged to help people be brave with Borage. I would have to look up the plant to know why it’s associated with courage, but I can see in the lower bloom that there is a message about medals, of being willing to dive into the fray on behalf of someone or something else. Yes, there may be some pride in there, but it’s pride on oneself and what one can do on behalf of someone else. You usually don’t get a medal for vainglory.

Elder counsels me against using this deck for overly ritualistic functions and instead to focus, per Strawberry, on just enjoying the deck for what it is, a hedgewitch’s oracle, not an esotericist’s grimoire. That’s not to say that you (or I) couldn’t use the deck for ritual purposes, but the deck’s own qualities should be kept in mind. They shouldn’t be bent to some other design. That seems to feed into the wildness of the Wild Rose and the simple nurturing of the Clover. There are other decks for occult purposes, and I can use those if I want that kind of experience. As with the hedge witch’s resourcefulness, it’s about focusing on what serves its purpose well and without having to pretend it’s something that it’s not.

Ultimately this helps me focus on Sage’s big-picture ability to cleanse and perhaps also simplify. Sage might be a controversial choice for some since it’s an indigenous herb often used by descendants of colonizers in a way that more or less appropriates another culture’s tradition. And over harvesting and price gouging are things that have disproportionate effects on minority population. But it doesn’t have to get so complicated. There are plenty of plants in your surrounding area that can serve the same function to smudge or otherwise clear the air. I think the point of this card appearing in this big-picture position for the highest good is to remind myself and those reading this that you can and should adapt these messages to your own localized experience. If you don’t have sage nearby, you don’t have to buy it from a store that’s had it shipped in from hundreds of miles away. Use what you have, plants, crystals, salt water, or whatever else can purify and keep you true to yourself and your lived experience. You don’t have to follow anyone’s specific recipe with this deck.

Lastly, this deck is ready for me to regenerate, the property associated with the Morel mushroom. Some of that has been happening in the weeks (months?) since I first interviewed this deck. I let the interview sit as that regeneration started to take place and my focus shifted. It continues to shift and reconfigure, taking what has worked and what has died (or is in the process) and reimagining it. Looking back at these cards now, it feels like such a different interview than what it first would have been. Already I’m more excited to work with the deck more than I was when I first completed the interview.

The cards shown are from—you guessed it!—the Hedgewitch Botanical Oracle by Siolo Thompson © 2018 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125. All rights reserved, used by permission.

Deck Interview: Hedgewitch Botanical Oracle