Wild Woman Oracle
The creation of the Wild Woman Oracle was a deeply personal process for Cheyenne Zarate. Like happens with many of us, she had “lost touch with her authenticity which in turn resulted in low self esteem, poor boundaries and people-pleasing tendencies.” Some recent experiences in my own life brought up some resentment about this exact same thing. Fortunately, like any good “Tower” moment, some good, actually a lot of good, came out of it for me, as it did for Cheyenne.
I have owned this deck for a little while but until now I hadn’t overly felt called to work with it. This surprised me because a previous experience had drawn me towards the more powerful aspects of the feminine that this deck embraces. Obviously I wasn’t ready to step into that energy. This time when I reached for it, the timing was right.
About the Wild Woman Oracle deck
Cheyenne Zarate was inspired by Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ Women Who Run With Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. She created the Wild Woman Oracle with the intention to help, encourage and support the journey of self-discovery that leads women back to the Wild Woman. Therefore, this is obviously a feminine deck. But it isn’t passive. It’s focus is on connecting with the strength and power that is just as much a part of the feminine archetype. For me, the two cards pictured above sum up the energy of this deck.
1 Rewilding With Grandmother Moon is about examining which opinions and values are yours and which have been unconsciously adopted. It urges you to decide what is actually important to you and to adhere to that rather than any external conditioning that runs counter to what you truly believe.
Then there’s the energy of 22 Bastet and Sekhmet. Recently I watched Inside the Mind of a Cat on Netflix and this card brought it to mind. Every domesticated cat contains 95% of the same DNA as lions and tigers. They might be cute and cuddly and playful, just like the cats on the bed, but underneath that gentle kitten is a lioness. That is a powerful energy and a powerful reminder of what we contain within. Cheyenne Zarate wants us to remember that.
General Information about the Wild Woman Oracle cards
The cards are ink drawings. The line shading can make some cards seem busier than they are. Nevertheless, as your eye moves around the card the details emerge. I love this art style. As someone who loves to draw I would love to be able to draw with this precision one day. The cards remind me of copper etchings. When you move them around and they catch the light they really come to life. They measure 9cm x 13cm (approx 3 1/2in x 5in) which is fairly standard for oracle cards.
There are only 36 cards in the Wild Woman Oracle though. This isn’t many in comparison to most oracle decks but I believe they are priced accordingly. Plus, I believe they get their message across. Sometimes less is more. Less fluff, more truth.
Inspiration for the deck
In keeping with the book that inspired its creation, Wild Woman Oracle employs empowering female figures from myths, folklore, popular culture and history to embody the Wild Woman. Cheyenne Zarate believes this is the best way to awaken these aspects within. The stories she shares are taken from around the world.
As can be seen earlier, Branwen, Celtic Goddess of love and beauty, sits comfortably alongside Vasilisa the Wise from Slavic folklore. Interestingly, Branwen also appears on 9 of Wands in Tarot of the Divine. I like seeing the different ways mythologies are used to represent ideas. It shows how much can be drawn from a story and how people can interpret them in their own way. To me this is the power of stories and in turn the power of oracle and tarot cards.
You’ll also find Lilith, Adam’s first wife in Jewish mythology; Yemaya a powerful Orisha originating in the West African Yoruba culture, (I was first introduced to her on XVII The Star in the Secrets of Paradise Tarot); Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, wild animals, the moon, virginity and childbirth along with Persephone and Hekate from Greek mythology; Freyja and Skadi from Norse mythology; and the Morrigan and Aine from Celtic tales. Obviously there are other mythologies she could have drawn on. But these are the figures that helped her on her personal journey. That gives them a genuine feel. In sharing the path she took to heal she opens it up to others.
Personal reflections on some individual cards
30 I Am Whole & 32 Aine, The Faery Queen
Both of these cards appeared in my deck interview. 32 Aine the Faery Queen appeared in the position of our connection. The message that came through was, “You wanted to connect with the Divine Feminine but not in a passive way. I can show you there is beauty and grace in strength. You just need to see it.” I had forgotten that. I’d allowed my anger and frustration in certain situations to overshadow what I have always believed to be true. In so doing I had forgotten my own advice, “Don’t let other people change who you are.” It’s easy to mirror other’s energy even when that is not who we are or who we choose to be.
That being said, 30 I am Whole reminded me that it is essential to combine all elements – the wild, the strong, the powerful, the fiery, the sun and the moon, the light and the shadow, the active and the passive. It isn’t a matter of either/or. Rather it is about embracing and accepting all aspects of ourselves and not suppressing who we are because we’ve been conditioned to believe we should.
35 Home at Last & 26 Witching Hour Tea
I relate to 35 Home at Last intimately. Yet I used to feel guilty for not being as social as other people. I like going to sporting events and concerts but in general if I can avoid busy and crowded areas I will. Some people thrive off the energy. I’m just not one of them. This card reminds me that it is okay to be like that. Since I am already comfortable spending time on my own, the feel I get from the card is slightly different to how the book interprets it.
It heralds that “a season of greater aloneness and independence is exactly what your soul needs at this time.” As I look at it again I feel the urge to go and do something on my own that I would normally do with my partner. I realise that I used to go off adventuring on my own a lot more than I do now. Why that is I couldn’t tell you. Looks like my tomorrow could be a bit different than how I initially pictured it. These cards really can encourage you to rethink the things that you have accepted as normal.
The Wild Woman Oracle Guide Book
The Wild Woman Oracle comes with a 122-paged guide book. In the opening Introduction, Cheyenne Zarate shares the details of her life that ultimately led to the creation of this oracle. A brief How to Use the Cards section that includes three basic spreads follows. Then it’s straight into the card meanings.
Sample card meaning
For each card one page has the title and keyword, and a small image with a focus question beneath it. For 3. November’s Sanctuary, the question is “What can I do right now to nourish and rejuvenate my mind, heart and soul?” I love that it isn’t prescriptive but I am also aware that at certain times that can be a hard question to answer. The book offers a starting point.
Even nature slows down and rests during the dark half of the year – the autumn and the winter months – yet everything is still accomplished at its appropriate time. Whether it be for a few days, a few hours of just a few minutes, take some time to retreat into your own sacred sanctuary for a break. If you have been in a state of busyness, filling everyone else’s cup but your own, give yourself permission right now to replenish your own cup.
This isn’t a ground breaking message. But it is easy to ignore. It is easy to believe we don’t have time for such luxuries but as she argues, that even though we need to work hard to achieve what we desire, “there are times when the most productive thing we can do is to slow down, take time to rest and just ‘be’. I would add without feeling the need to justify doing so.
The card meaning wraps up with a section titled “Symbolism”. Here she tells the story of the card. I find that this section adds something when the card features a mythological figure but otherwise it feels a tad redundant. For this card she tells us that, feeling overwhelmed she listened to her intuition and retreated to her sanctuary accompanied by her animals, candlelight, a tarot pack and a hot drink. Apart from getting me to look for the tarot deck, I didn’t gain much from this section.
Wrapping it all up
The Wild Woman Oracle is a deck that comes to life in your hands. Photos don’t do it justice. As I write this conclusion the cards are sitting on my desk underneath the window and they are shimmering in the light. When you hold them, all it takes is a slight change of direction for them to shine. That perfectly encapsulates the message of the deck itself. It encourages you to find and follow what lights you up.
NOTE: I have seen claims that this is a 44 card oracle but mine is definitely only 36 cards. The ISBN is the same.
Summaries
The Wild Woman Oracle Cards
| Artist | Cheyenne Zarate |
| Card Size | Just under 9 cm x 13 cm |
| Card Stock | Low sheen card stock |
| Shuffle | Can be shuffled in any manner but size and limited number of cards makes it a little more difficult |
| Fan & Flip Through | Easy to flip through and fan |
| Miscellaneous | Two part box |
The Wild Woman Oracle Guidebook
| Written by | Cheyenne Zarate |
| Pages | 122 pages |
| Appearance | Perfect bound, card sized |
| Contents | Introduction How to use the cards Card messages – each card listed individually About the Author and Artist |
| Spreads | One-card divination – four options Three-card divination – two options |
Publishing Details
Deck Creator:
Cheyenne Zarate
Pictured Version:
Published by Rockpool Publishing in September 2022
Website/Socials:
Instagram (@che.zarate)
Facebook (@cheyennezarate)
