Happy New Year! How exciting is it to be in 2019? A common theme I noticed from a lot of friends, family, and strangers on the internet was that 2018 was full of lessons and challenges — and LOTS of change. No big surprise there. I have some personal predictions for how 2019 is going to affect all of us, but that’s for another post.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I’m finally at the tail end of recovering from over five weeks of illness. Right after Thanksgiving, I came down with what I can only assume was a mutant cousin of the flu that wouldn’t quite go away. Then, shortly after my birthday, I was diagnosed with the triple whammy: bronchitis, an ear infection, and a sinus infection. Needless to say, I am grateful to be feeling much better (though I will need to rest and do a ton of physical self care work for quite a while to get my immune system back up).
Right in between those two illnesses (when I thought I was relatively healthy), I picked up a brand new tarot deck to harken me into the new year. My intention was to purchase a replacement for my beloved Osho Zen Tarot deck, which has been missing a single card for the last several months, but another box kept calling to me from the shelf. As I’ve learned, if I pick up a tarot deck four or five times off a shelf, I need to just take it home with me. This deck is the Animal Totem Tarot deck by Leeza Robertson.
There are quite a few things about this deck that make it very, very special; most obviously, the use of animals to embody the core message of each card. WOW! Not only does this add an extra layer of context to understanding the cards, but it also has been hugely helpful in making me a more intuitive reader of tarot. I’ve been studying and using tarot as a means of personal meditation for a full year now, and I would truly recommend this deck to someone just starting out. Here’s why:
It’s easy to connect with. I think decks have personalities. Some of my decks are kind and gentle. Some are direct and brash. This deck reminds me of my 2nd-grade teacher. The imagery and symbolism aren’t scary (or at least not as scary as many other decks I’ve encountered), and the animals shown in each card offer a more concrete language to understanding the meanings of each card. Let’s be honest: the 78 cards of tarot can be super intimating. But I think this deck really takes away the intimidation factor. If you like animals, or at least appreciate that different animals have their own unique qualities, then you’ll really get a lot out of this deck.
The book makes it. Don’t get me wrong, I have learned a ton about tarot from reading blogs, listening to podcasts (I strongly recommend the Strange Magic podcast), and just scrolling through Pinterest. However, I do find that a deck’s accompanying book can really make or break a deck for me. If a deck’s book doesn’t hold much information, it can be hard to understand what the author/creator was intending. All the decks I own have thick books. But Leeza Robertson really put her heart and soul into this. Each card has a full page illustration, a message from the animal depicted, a description of the animal and how their behaviors relate to the meaning of the card, information of the card’s meaning for various aspects of your life (business and career, family and relationships, and health/well-being), finished with card of the day journal prompts. She has also included information on Animal Totems and recommendations on various spreads and uses of this deck.
The cards are a great size. The cards are a perfect size for shuffling and feel great in your hand.
Of course, no review would be complete without some note of what I don’t like. This deck comes in a box, and the shop I purchased it from did not have an open box. A few of my cards were cut/printed oddly, so they have a strip of white edging. That means the printer didn’t do a good job of setting the bleed. This doesn’t impact the quality of the readings I have, nor does it greatly bother me for personal use. If I were using this card as a professional reader (I don’t because I’m not), I would want to ensure I got a deck without these print errors.
I cannot wait to use this deck as a regular part of my meditation and journaling practice. I hope this review was helpful, and encourage you to check it out.
What decks are you excited to be using in 2019? Leave a comment below!
Love,
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