The Animal Wisdom Tarot
The Animal Wisdom Tarot is a symbolically-rich deck that seamlessly merges animal wisdom with traditional tarot. It provides new perspectives that encourages you to reclaim your power by stripping away anything that isn’t authentic. This deck is beautiful and gentle and affirming – yes, but it doesn’t let you off lightly. Its focus is very much on accountability. The message repeated throughout is to be aware of your thoughts and actions and the world around and inside you.
The Animal Wisdom Tarot Cards
Ola Liola’s stunning watercolour artwork is a delight to behold. The background scenes draw me into the cards effortlessly and they have so much to share. The suggestion of fireworks and thus celebration on the Six of Branches (Wands) pictured above shines through even without the presence of the hummingbird. The hummingbird is part of the image, not the image for me. This is one way that the cards encourage you to focus on the details and consider what’s going on around you so as to deepen your understanding.
The hummingbird itself is remarkable. It can do things no other bird can do yet it works incredibly hard to achieve the incredible feats it’s capable of. This card serves as a reminder to honour and celebrate everyone’s successes and unique abilities. In doing so, it’s possible we can become more aware of our own. Rather than compare and compete, we could acknowledge and admire. The crow and the hummingbird are very different in their capabilities and their message. Nevertheless, like many people, I’m drawn to, and appreciate, both. This seems so natural and obvious when looking at birds.
Only two cards in the entire deck feature people – Lion Ruler of the Open Heart, what a beautiful card title, and Dog Ten of Fossils (Pentacles). Both are fitting. Lion, (pictured above), isn’t about strength and show and dominance, although he does capture your attention. I see the sun and I see the flowers in his mane and it says balance to me. The woman is calm, as is the lion. Her hair blends into his mane. They are one and the same. We have the strength and power of the lion within but we don’t need to constantly express that side of ourselves.
Any nature documentary with lions reminds us that lions don’t do that either. A lot of the time they’re lying down. In fact, they spend between 16 and 20 hours a day resting or sleeping. I read that they do this because they have few sweat glands so they need to conserve their energy. As soon as I read that I had, “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” come through loud and clear. Sometimes it’s better to sit back and let things slide.
Dog Ten of Fossils, also pictured above, presents a beautiful vision of prosperity and wealth – love, loyalty and connection as a legacy to be shared and passed down through generations. The scene suggests overall abundance as well.
To encourage consideration between suits and to act as an anchor for the overall energy of the individual cards Ace through Ten and the Court, there’s a common element to be found on each. All Seers aka Pages have some form of bridge. The Seekers (Knights) have clouds. The Nurturers (Queens) have the moon and the Guardians (Kings) have a sun featured somewhere on the card. Awareness of these elements helps further ground the card meaning.
The Aces feature the Suit symbol and Twos the Yin/Yang symbol. Each Three card has three animals, the Fours have a four leaf clover and the Fives have a pentagram. The Sixes have six-like swirls incorporated into the picture and the Sevens all have rainbows. Lemniscates appear on all the Eights and swirl-like nines are features of the Nines. Finally, in keeping with the Roman numeral and the concept of X marks the spot, the Tens are represented by an X. I’ve included a representation of each throughout this review so you can see what I mean.
With the exception of the Two of Feathers (Swords) they are all clear. On the Two of Feathers I found it strange that the Yin/Yang symbol isn’t as clear as the others – I’ve convinced myself it’s in the reflection of the Heron’s head but I’m not entirely sure. When I thought about why it might be harder to see, I started to make sense of it. During times of indecision it can be hard to find balance. Things don’t necessarily present as light with a little dark and vice versa. If they did, there would be less cause for confusion. Whether that was the intention I can’t say but as you can see below, the Two of Branches (Wands) is much clearer.
Every nomination has been changed in The Animal Wisdom Tarot. In many cases I believe they make interpreting the cards easier. I’m often not a fan of name changes but, in this case, they align well with the deck. The Suits are Branches (Wands), Fossils (Pentacles), Feathers (Swords) and Shells (Cups). These choices make sense elementally. I wasn’t initially taken with the use of Seer for the Pages but when I though of Seer in terms of observer it clicked more.
The Major Arcana changes are as follows:
- 0 Coyote – The Trickster (Fool)
- I Raven – Messenger of Magic (The Magician)
- II Cat – Knower of Secrets (The High Priestess)
- III Cow – Earth Mother (The Empress)
- IV Ram – Earth Father (The Emperor)
- V Bull – Keeper of Sacred Traditions (The Hierophant)
- VI Honeybee – Heart Awakener (The Lovers)
- VII Horse – Spirit of Freedom (The Chariot)
- VIII Lion – Ruler of the Open Heart (Strength)
- IX Owl – Keeper of the Light (The Hermit)
- X Spider – Sacred Spinner (The Wheel of Fortune)
- XI Elephant – Bearer of Justice (Justice)
- XII Bat – Master of Suspension (The Hanged Man)
- XIII Moth – Omen of Death (Death)
- XIV Swan – Angel of Alchemy (Temperance)
- XV Goat – Shadow God of Liberation (The Devil)
- XVI Serpent – The Quickener (The Tower)
- XVII Peacock – The Illuminator (The Star)
- XVIII Rabbit – Moon Dreamer (The Moon)
- XIX Rooster – Call to Awakening (The Sun)
- XX Crocodile and Butterfly – Master of Discernment (Judgement)
- XXI Whale – The All-encompassing (The World)
Fortunately for beginners, the book provides traditional names as well. To be honest I find myself “translating” the Minor Arcana back to their more common Suit and Court titles. Though if this was the only deck I used, I doubt that would be the case.
The cards themselves are quite nice to handle although at 8 x 13cm they are slightly larger than average. The card stock is thin without feeling flimsy and whilst the gloss finish makes them a bit slippery they’re okay to shuffle. Albeit they do try to get away from me sometimes. The backs feature the Coyote’s head positioned in such a way as to ensure they’re reversible. Reversed meanings aren’t included in the book though.
The Animal Wisdom Tarot Book
If it wasn’t for the book, I wouldn’t suggest this deck for those starting out. But, this is one of the best guidebooks for beginner’s I’ve read. It’s opening offers a basic how-to, provides a clear breakdown of tarot structure, and encourages you to see the cards as a cohesive whole. It does this in such a simple manner that it makes The Animal Wisdom Tarot accessible to a complete beginner and relatable even for those not drawn to Tarot.
This guidebook is beautifully presented and beautifully written. It’s in full colour and has large reproductions of every card included alongside their corresponding information. Here you’ll find the Title, the Traditional Name, the Element, and the Theme (Keywords), followed by the meaning and a message. Plus, each section has colour-coded borders which makes the relevant page both easy to locate and visually attractive.
To write these reviews I’ve started re-reading the guidebooks cover-to-cover and this one provided a pleasurable way to spend a cold Sunday afternoon. It’s well worded and impactful on its own. “With Cat we find purpose and learn to use arcane knowledge and psychic abilities in practical ways,” is a great way to discuss The High Priestess of the deck. As is,
Cat helps us to realise that the supernatural is simply natural – an expanded part of our true self.
As alluded to earlier, her approach makes this deck open to everyone. In addition, there’s constant encouragement to learn and seek understanding through direct experience. Being an Earth-based deck, there’s nothing “out there”.
In Whale she writes,
Whale circles the world reminding us that we can feel at home, everywhere and always, when we embrace ourselves.
Proof that many of these messages are clear and familiar and therefore tailored to everyone – not just those that consider themselves “spiritually-inclined”. This is confirmed in the book’s opening pages where she writes, “Each reading [is] an adventure into learning more about ourselves.”
Spreads
Four spreads are included:
- Past / Present / Future (3 cards)
- Bear Pause (6 cards)
- Honeybee Lovers Spread (8 cards)
- Celtic Cross (10 cards)
- For the Celtic Cross she provides a sample spread and short interpretation.
I’m often not a fan of relationship spreads but I like the Honeybee Lovers Spread. It’s simple, easy to use and remember, and it delivers a wealth of information. Overall this is a wonderful deck for those who like working with animals decks and is one I would say is definitely beginner friendly. Plus, if given the opportunity, I believe The Animal Wisdom Tarot can bridge the divide between tarot enthusiasts and tarot cynics.
Publishing Details
Deck Creators:
Created by Dawn Brunke and illustrated by Ola Liola
Pictured Version:
Published by Cico Books in 2013.
In 2020, Ryland Peters and Small republished it as Spirit Animal Tarot.
