|
| |
A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine. May's Theme: "Humour"
Volume 3 Issue 4 ISSN# 1708-3265
|
Index
Meet Our Staff
Free Subscription
Donations
Come Shopping
Advertising
Archived Issues
|
   |
Animals Divine TarotBy Lisa Hunt ISBN #: 07387-0321-4 There is a time in the evening that I love, right between the day and the evening. I call it 'the golden hour'. The setting sun turns everything golden: the sky, the glowing edges of the tree leaves, the grass and the stones. This is the time the animals come out; birds come out for one last meal, and deer graze at the edge of the meadows. Senses are heightened, as the rest of the world becomes quiet. The Animals Divine must have been conceived during the magical time of 'the golden hour'. Lisa Hunt, who was also the illustrator of the Shapeshifter Tarot and the Celtic Dragon Tarot, has given us a gorgeous deck. The cards were created with watercolours, and have an atmospheric effect much like that of a golden-hazed patina on a treasured old landscape. Animals Divine not only contains creatures from all over the world, but also includes deities from many cultures. Many of the deities are those which are already anthropomorphized, or which are closely associated with an animal. For example, we find the Egyptian Bast as the High Priestess, and Athena, with her owl, as the Queen of Swords. I've found myself using this deck more as an oracle deck. It works wonderfully when seeking guidance or for self-growth questions. As a tarot, I preferred using more traditional tarot meanings. While each God or Goddess fits an aspect of the Major Arcana card they represent, it was usually just one aspect, so in that respect I felt it narrowed the tarot meaning. Used like an oracle deck, however, each God or Goddess brings meanings specific to that God or Goddess, which would not be found in a more traditional Major Arcana interpretation. It was the same with the Minor Arcana, although I felt those correspondences were generally closer fits. Some of the choices to represent the Major Arcana cards seem natural, such as Maat for Justice, Coyote as The Fool, and Zeus as The Emperor. Others seem less obvious; Spider Woman represents The Hanged Man, here called The Hanged Woman. Some were a little difficult for me to connect, such as Rhiannon, as The Devil card, which here is renamed Challenge. Each suit of the Minor Arcana represents one of the four elements. The Cups, water, are represented by sea creatures. The Swords, air, contain creatures of the air, such as birds and bats. Creatures of the earth, such as Mouse, Tiger, Bear and Giraffe, are on the Pentacles. The Wands, fire, have insects like, Firefly and Ant, and also contain a few reptiles and amphibians, Snake, Tortoise and Chameleon. The court cards contain the traditional, King, Queen, Knight and Page. But there tradition parts. Some of the knights and pages are male, and some female. The Knight of Pentacles is the Mistress of Animals; The Page of Pentacles is Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god. Beautiful artwork captures the mood of each card, aiding to make this a deck that works well intuitively. I love the moodiness of the cool grays and gnarled trees in the Three of Swords. My favorite card in this deck, The Moon, depicts Odin. It is stunningly beautiful, still, and mysterious. Light illuminates the forest of Cerunnos, who represents 'The Hermit'. The borders are simple, with the artwork taking center stage. The traditional names (for the most part) are printed on the bottom, and the name of the God, Goddess or animal represented, is printed on the top. The back of the cards is a simple cream colour, with a gold medallion in the center. While the backs are not completely reversible, the design is such one doesn't notice. This boxed Kit contains a 78-card deck, (additionally, two spread cards are included), a black organdy bag, and a 216-page, paperback book titled, Animals Divine Tarot Companion. The book begins by discussing the divine nature of animals and how to communicate with animals. It then gives up to two pages of information about the creatures and/or deities depicted on each card. The book does not include reversed interpretations. Several tarot spreads are given. The use of the deck for meditations is discussed and a meditation is included. It concludes with a bibliography. This is a beautiful deck by a very skilled artist. I recommend it for those who value the wisdom of our animal brothers and sisters. Reviewed by
|
Copyright (c) 2006 by Timeless Spirit Magazine. All articles are the copyright of the particular writers and cannot be reprinted without their expressed permission. All rights reserved. International copyright laws prohibit reproduction of or distribution of this page by any means whatsoever, electronic or otherwise, without first obtaining the written permission of the copyright holder. We retain legal counsel to protect our copyrights.
Any advice given is for informational purposes only.
