Spirit of the Animals Oracle Cards – August 16, 2018

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!

They are lovely. Very nice saying

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.

Beautifully designed and illustrated

Absolutely gorgeous deck with accurate, insightful messages!

Yup it's a larger than normal size decks. Let's get that out of the way right up front. The measurements tell you that so if you don't read the reviews, sizes and descriptions when you buy stuff on here then that's on you. The artwork is absolutely exquisite and I love how big the cards are so you can really enjoy the artwork. I saw this deck posted in a FB group i'm in and I was instantly attracted to it and HAD TO HAVE. In person it did not disappoint one bit. I've never had such instant connection with a deck.

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.

I do a lot of readings with animal and spirit animal themed decks. I have quite a few already, but I guess I'm obsessed because I'm always looking to add to my collection. I had my eye on this deck for several months and was very excited when I finally decided to order it.First, the good:The artwork is STUNNING. Absolutely breathtaking. These are some of the most beautiful animal-themed cards I've ever owned. The descriptions are on-point and easily resonate. The card stock is excellent as well. These cards are an excellent value for the price.And now, the not-so-good:These cards are quite literally the largest cards I have ever owned or even seen in any oracle deck. My god. Wow. They are ENORMOUS. I have over 100 oracle decks and this was the one deck that would not fit inside the card cubby I keep them in. Can't store them easily, hard to handle, impossible to shuffle. Grrrr. I took them to a local print shop and for $25 the printer cut the edges off the cards and rounded the corners. And yet, they are still the largest deck of oracle cards I've ever owned and are still rather clunky to shuffle! But at least they fit in my card cubby now. I loved these cards so much that I really wanted to make them "work." And $25 for the professional cutting service was a bargain. But if you have small hands, even trimmed down these cards will be a challenge to shuffle. Something to keep in mind.When I can't physically handle a deck, I can usually tell right away and will immediately either return it or gift it to someone. I'm going to be keeping these. I think I'll be forever fighting with their size, but it may be worthwhile. Time will tell. They ARE really beautiful.The only reason I rated this deck four stars instead of five is because of their monstrous size. Everything else about the deck is positively superb.