Spirit of the Animals Oracle

Let me get the shuffle issue out of the way first because I don’t want people to miss out on this breathtakingly beautiful deck due to shuffling concerns. So I am a petite woman with small hands; I wear a wedding ring of size 4.5. I can shuffle these cards very well & very easily. They’re so big so you don’t miss out in the beautiful artwork of each card plus the messages are directly on the cards, which I really love. I do have an affinity for large cards for this reason. This is my biggest oracle cards in my large collection. But I can still shuffle them with ease.Now, I rarely riffle shuffle any of my cards but when I do, I do it vertically as that helps decrease any chances of bending. So if you just hold these cards vertically (so they’re upright), then gently riffle them, they actually shuffle very well & they don’t bend in the process. I can also easily vertical overhand shuffle these cards very well. The quality of the cards makes them shuffle smooth as butter for me!Ok now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the absolute stunning art of each card. Even the backs of them are just so beautiful but the paintings of each animal are so gorgeous. I absolutely connected with these cards straight away & it’s in large part due to the peace-evoking nature of the art. Before I even get to the messages of the cards, I am immediately in a feeling of peace, relief & safety. I enjoyed reading about Jody Bergsma’s inspiration & creation of this deck. I’ll absolutely be getting her other cards & look forward to any new oracles she writes! I can feel the deck speaking to me. I don’t like to play favorites with my decks but this one is just spectacular.I also really enjoy the inclusion of the Personal Choice card for any animal that may not be in the deck but that we are allied with or is our familiar. This is helpful & can be changed, depending on which ally or familiar we’re working with.I love that the message is directly on the card but we also have the option of reading further in the guidebook. It’s great for quick readings or if you want to go more in depth with the guidebook; it’s really great to have that choice. The guidebook is good too. It’s a nice size with some extra information on each animal’s spirit for when you’re seeking deep connection. They’re also useful for medication & spellwork for this reason. They’re also great items to place on your altar if you have one. My altar is a living altar, it’s all plants with my ritual tools & I like to place different oracle cards there during certain times or just to have up to pay my respects to our allies. While the cards aren’t numbered, the guidebook is alphabetical so it’s very easy to find what you’re looking for; it’s exactly the same as if they were numbered.Also included is a spreadsheet for the nine-card Power Animals Spread that’s in the description of this deck. It’s very nice to have for reference, instead of having to bookmark the spread in the book whilst looking up which card means what.All around this deck has an amazing vibe. It was an instant connection, which I knew it would be; I felt very drawn to the deck before I even purchased it & knowing that they’re bigger than the typical oracle card actually made me want to get them even more. I absolutely recommend this deck to any animal lover, anyone working with animal allies/familiars, or anyone interested in oracle cards at all! This is an absolutely beautiful deck in every way— very meaningful as well as powerful artwork & messages!

I love this deck. Larger than most decks. Beautiful artwork. Clear messages on the cards and the guide book explains further. I've been working with this deck every day since receiving it. I plan to incorporate it in my business.

They are lovely. Very nice saying

Such a stunning deck. I hesitated buying this one because of the card size. They are fairly large and difficult to shuffle. But they are widely popular so I’ve seen them used over and over again. I often become turned off to decks that are as “trendy” as these seem to be, but something about the energy that these cards bring to every reading I’ve seen them used in, kept speaking to me. I have zero regrets giving into the trend. They are by far, the most clarifying animal deck I’ve used. My first spread was the 9 card power/totem animal which is on the included sheet, and it was extremely accurate and validating. Now is the perfect time in my life and journey to claim these totems and work with them, too. The final card I pulled asking for a summary of the energy I need to embrace as I move forward, was the dragonfly. Succinct. I am so grateful for this beautiful deck.

Absolutely gorgeous deck with accurate, insightful messages!

I purchased this deck after contemplating for several weeks on choosing this Deck or the spirit animal deck by collete baron Reid. It was the penguin card in this deck that had me sold (as well as the 9 card spread insert sheet/poster). I am in love with this deck! The artwork is beautiful and I truly believe that the descriptions to the animals is spot on.The first week, I drew a 3 card animal spread: Fox, Grizzly Bear and Lion. That same week, I saw messages all three animals was trying to send me. It was amazing to see it in action. This week, I did a one card spread to see who would be the spirit animal that would help guide me. The card I drew was the puffin. It was neat to see the message of the puffin tie into my two card spread (using the earth magic cards by S. Farmer) on relying on others for the chaotic week ahead so it ends on a peaceful note.I cannot wait to use the cards on a weekly basis going forward as I discover who will be the spirit animal that I benefit the most from for the week ahead. I believe I can learn a lot from this deck and gain insight in my day to day activities.

Beautifully designed and illustrated