I’ve been using the Wild Unknown Tarot for almost 2 years now, and it’s quickly become my favorite deck. It’s my personal deck- the one I don’t use to read for anyone else. In fact, it just doesn’t read for anyone else. It gives really confusing, difficult readings when I try to read for others. But when I read for myself, it’s the deck that doesn’t pull any punches, but still takes care of me. It’s like a conversation with an old friend who loves you, but sees through all your bullshit.

So it was natural that I eventually bought the companion deck- The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Oracle. It’s a perfect companion for those who like to mix tarot and oracle decks in readings. The art is even of similar style and tone. The cards are the same size, shape, and cardstock, so they could even be shuffled easily together.

I should note that I really love the feel of these cards. The size of the cards is really perfect for shuffling with arthritic hands, and the cardstock stands up to heavy use quite well. The only thing I don’t love about this deck is the mostly white backs of these cards. Though they provide a nice contrast to the black backs of the tarot, I’m just not a huge fan of white. It’s just a personal preference.

I also love the packaging! It comes in the same box-in-a-box packaging that the tarot came in, which is fabulous. I have a nice large box for my shelf, but will keep the smaller boxes out where I can use them.

The animals are categorized into the 5 elements, and that gives you a handy way to look for trends in the reading. You can see if you have a lot of earth cards, water, etc. That’s one of the things I really look for in tarot readings.

Now let’s get to the deck interview, shall we?

1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic? Phoenix- Readings from this deck will help to burn away dead weight and start fresh. It brings the fire of transformation that brings an end to suffering. (This is a tall order of business for a deck of cards! I’m excited to see if it’s up to the challenge.)

2. What are your strengths as a deck? Lion (reversed)- It will teach me self-mastery, and bring spiritual and personal growth, especially if I’m too withdrawn or serious. It will help keep me from taking myself too seriously.

3. What are your limits as a deck? Cobra- This deck is a wise teacher, but not a friend. It’s here to guide if I’m willing to be a student, but it’s not going to be warm and fuzzy. It will set me on a path, but I must be humble. This isn’t a deck of fluffy bunnies and little ducklings.

4. What are you here to teach me? Frog (reversed)- Frog was my first spirit animal, so this deck is here to teach me about myself. Frog is also a combination of the water element and earth, (so am I), so it will help me really get in touch with my essential nature. It will teach me about self-care, rejuvenation, and cleansing my energy.

5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you? Moth (reversed)- Don’t look for easy solutions or ‘the new shiny thing’. Embrace the idea of hard work and tenacity. This deck will only help me if I”m willing to put the work in. Also, don’t look for an ideal future or a pie-in-the-sky ideal, but accept reality as it is.

6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship? Nightingale- Working with this deck will help me find my voice, and connect it to my heart. It will help me create magick.

This reading really rang true for me, even having just met the deck. I especially agree with the cobra in position 3. There’s something about this deck that definitely isn’t fluffy or whimsical. The cards explore the wild ‘otherness’ of animal magick, the more powerful, scary side of working with animal guides. As much as we all love watching kitten videos, we need to remember that there’s a darker side to the animal kingdom, the eat to survive coldness of the food chain. In that respect, I think this will be a great oracle for doing shadow work as well!

So let me know what you think! Do you have this deck? Do you work with animal energies in your practice? As always, blessed be! <3