Portals of Presence: Faces Drawn from the Subtle Realms

Portals of Presence - faces drawn with the fingers

Oracle cards without text are rare. Cards that show only faces are rarer still. This deck by Deborah Koff-Chapin consists of 72 cards, each showing a single face. No symbols, no landscapes, no keywords. Only faces.

The cards are made through Touch Drawing, a technique Koff-Chapin developed in the 1980s. She works with her fingers directly on paper placed over an ink-covered surface. The result is raw and immediate. No sketch, no correction. What emerges stays.

What you see on the cards

The faces are human, but not realistic. Some are soft and almost transparent, others intense and dark. The colours are subtle: many earth tones, grey, soft pink, sometimes a striking blue or green.

Many faces look straight at you. Others are in profile or three-quarter view. Some seem to smile, others to mourn or gaze in silence. Because there is no text on the cards, you must find your own words for what you see.

The cards are large (114 x 152 mm) and have a glossy finish. This brings out the colour gradations and the texture of the fingerprints.

How you work with them

This deck does not ask you to learn meanings. You draw a card, look at the face and notice what arises. It might be a feeling, a memory, an association. Sometimes a face seems friendly, sometimes confronting.

The guidebook does not describe fixed interpretations. Instead you get background information about how the cards came into being and suggestions for developing your own relationship with the images. The audio meditation helps you come into a quiet state before drawing a card.

Draw a card and place it in front of you for a while without doing anything. Look at the face from time to time and notice what changes in how you see it.

About Deborah Koff-Chapin

Deborah Koff-Chapin is a visual artist, vocalist and writer. In 1974 she developed Touch Drawing, a way of drawing in which you work with your fingers directly on paper placed over an inked surface.

She made the faces in this deck in the presence of old trees, mountains and other places in nature she experiences as sacred. Much of her work revolves around making visible what she calls 'the subtle realms': energies and presences that are not directly visible.

Specifications

• Number of cards: 72
• Card size: 114 x 152 mm
• Finish: Glossy card stock
• Language: English
• Extras: Guidebook and audio meditation with original music
• Publisher: Center for Touch Drawing
• Creator: Deborah Koff-Chapin

Questions we often get

Can I use this deck if I have no experience with oracle cards?
Yes. Because there is no text or symbols on the cards, you do not need to know or learn anything. You look, you feel, you notice what happens. That makes it accessible, but also open. Some people find that pleasant, others prefer more guidance.

How does this deck differ from SoulCards, also by Koff-Chapin?
SoulCards contains abstract images and symbolic representations. Portals of Presence shows only faces. Both decks have no text, but the focus on faces makes this deck more direct and personal in how it feels.