Oriens Animal Tarot
This animal themed deck is completely different to any of the others I own – and I own a few. Without including oracle decks seven come to mind, (Animals Divine Tarot, Animal Totem Tarot, Animal Wisdom Tarot, Ark Animal Tarot, Black Cats Tarot, Crow Tarot and Spiritsong Tarot). Largely because the animals are presented in celestial settings, the Oriens Animal Tarot is much darker in colouring for one. I’ve heard some people say the combination makes the animals hard to see. I don’t find that to be the case. Rather, unless inappropriate for the card’s message, I find the animals pop clearly and with good lighting they really come to life.
The Oriens Animal Tarot Deck
Initially, when I flicked through the Oriens Animal Tarot my issue was actually with some of the animals chosen. However, with the exception of the chinchilla for the Queen of Wands, her selections grew on me when I read the book. Understanding her vision helped me to connect cards more. I like that the choices feel original. For me, they bring additional layers to the card’s meanings. The choice of the baby sea turtle is perfect for The Fool and I love her choices for the Devil. The combination of the praying mantis, which eats its mate after sex, and the carnivorous plant that appears to offer safety from the flames and yet is just as dangerous, is so clever and insightful.
The Oriens Animal Tarot is a deck you need to take your time with. I know this should be something we do with every deck but there is so much you can unpack with these cards. Taking the time to delve into this deck will bring some powerful messages to the fore.
Take the 10 of Pentacles as an example. Firstly, let me say I love everything about the 10 of Pentacles – the choice of the whale, the colouring, and the positioning of the pentacles works. However, these pentacles are not just there to indicate which card you’re looking at. In the book she explains the relevance of their placement. The eight pentacles at the bottom of the card signify what has already been acquired with the upper two suggesting there is more on the way. This may well be true but once my attention was drawn to their placement, I broke it down further.
For me, taking into consideration her explanation drew me to consider the significance of the 7 of Pentacles first and how lasting success requires patience, diligence and constant evaluation. This combined with the gifts and opportunities the single pentacle suggests won’t amount to much without the hard work suggested by the 8 of Pentacles. A lasting legacy needs a solid foundation plus, as indicated by the 2 of Pentacles, a lot of juggling and a willingness to be flexible in order to get through what needs to be done. Yes the 10 of Pentacles is the culmination of the pentacles that preceded it, but the way this card is presented focused my attention and serves as a potent reminder of what is required to achieve success. Gifts, talents, and opportunities on their own are not enough.
With the 2 of Swords I thought about how male Siamese fighting fish aka bettas will fight against themselves if they see their own reflection in a mirror. Hence these choices make sense to me. Plus I like that it encourages me to learn more about the animals I share the planet with. Then I connect what I discover about them with my tarot knowledge to uncover insights about myself, my actions, my way of thinking and the possible ramifications. This, for me, is the greatest strength of animal / nature inspired decks.
I wrote earlier about not liking the choice for the Queen of Wands but I’m starting to see it in a slightly different light. I see it in a more cautionary manner now so I’ll be curious to see what surfaces when it appears in readings. The choice of the jellyfish for The Star is interesting to me too. In the Animal Wisdom Tarot the Jellyfish is used to represent 5 of Shells (Cups). Yet, if used more “negatively” I would have thought 5 of Swords more so than the 5 of Cups but anyhow, back to the Oriens Animal Tarot. When I considered the use of the jellyfish on The Star card two things came to mind.
Firstly I thought of the joy I felt each time I found myself suddenly surrounded by jellyfish when kayaking. They feel otherworldly somehow and I’m always drawn to their ease and grace. Although, I need to point out I’m not paddling with box jellyfish that could potentially kill me. Then other thoughts would probably surface. Secondly, the movie 7 Pounds starring Will Smith comes to mind. In that instance the jellyfish is deadly but its presence in the movie leads to the healing of many others.
Through these recollections, this card speaks to me so clearly. As I write this other associations and experiences with jellyfish are flooding in. There’s definitely a message here for me in answer to something I was wondering about earlier. I truly love, and am amazed by, the clarity tarot can bring. All the “remember when …” moments helped me to refocus and to see what I needed to see.
Talking about becoming aware of things, I’m wondering what I need to learn from narwhals. Yes Narwhals. They feature in this deck and I noticed one in The Intuitive Night Goddess Tarot I just reviewed too. Now maybe it’s just me but I don’t think narwhals are that common. So, to notice their presence in two consecutive decks seems like something I should take notice of. I’m not aware of them in any of my other decks although that’s not to say they aren’t there. I get the feeling they’re going to start showing up a lot.
As you can see, most cards have dark backgrounds that range from black though deep purple, green, teal, blue and red shades and yet suddenly, bang, two cards have bright orange/yellow backgrounds. Only two in the entire deck. XIX The Sun and the Page of Wands. I understand The Sun but not so much the Page of Wands. If the Page appears it’s going to dominate the spread but I don’t understand why she felt that necessary and to be honest that bothers me more than the chinchilla on the Queen of Wands – much more. Even with the oranges on the surrounding cards, the Page dominates the spread pictured below. If it was the Queen or the Knight I could maybe convince myself of the logic. But in all honesty, probably not. It’s just way too dominant.
But that aside the Oriens Animal Tarot is a sound deck that I look forward to working with. Its card stock feels nice in the hand and it’s good to shuffle. As with most matt cards it doesn’t fan easily but it’s better than many. The cards are your typical 7 x 12cm, suits are Pentacles, Cups, Swords and Wands with the standard King, Queen, Knight and Page Court. Justice is VIII and Strength is XI.
The Oriens Animal Tarot Book
In the Kickstarter version the book wasn’t included. I may have viewed this deck differently if I’d bought that version. I feel the book really helped to connect me with the cards because it explains why the creator chose the animals she did. Seeing the choices through her eyes changed how I went on to see them. Plus it’s a beautiful full colour book. That is always a nice addition.
The book opens with a brief introduction that focuses on tarot in general before moving on to explain the meaning behind the deck’s name. A short “how to use the cards” section follows. Prior to the Major Arcana explanations she provides a brief overview of the animals depicted on each card. Here she shares each animal’s habitat, some additional basic info, and information on each animal’s numbers in the wild. She does the same at the beginning of each suit as well.
In fact, the same information is provided for both the Major and Minor Arcana. Firstly, there’s a full colour picture and keywords for the both the upright and reversed orientations. This is followed by a description of the image and a more detailed explanation of the possible card meanings. I really appreciate the attention given to the Minors. Understanding them is just as important as understanding the Majors. The book concludes with a page about the creator. I always enjoy reading these. For me, learning about the creator personalises the deck more.
Spreads
You’ll find four spreads in the book:
- Single card
- Three card
- Sirius Star Spread (5 cards)
- Celtic Cross (10 cards)
I liked the Sirius Star Spread. It’s a simple, clear and accessible spread that yielded some great insights. So much so that I ended up using it to compare three different possibilities. If you like the idea of working with an animal deck and you want cards that will push you in the direction that deep down you know you want to go, my deck interview suggests this is the deck for you. Even though I’m one of those people that suggests getting to know the RWS system before you branch out into other decks, if it really doesn’t appeal and this does, then this is the deck for you.
Publishing Details
Deck Creator:
Ambi Sun
Pictured Version:
Published by Rockpool Publishing 2021
Website:
