Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards: A 44-Card Deck and Guidebook! [Cards]

Messages From Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards are a powerful way to get in touch with Spirit. Not every person is drawn to learn shamanic practice, in terms of journeying in consciousness to alternate realities where power animals and spirit teachers reside. This is actually a good thing, as it takes more dedication and regular practice than just taking a weekend workshop, to form spiritual alliances with the compassionate loving spirits who want to help us with guidance and healing.

Dr. Farmer is a grounded individual who has been dedicated to the shamanic path for many years, who recognizes the power and wisdom of the power animals and other helping spirits in shamanism, but who realizes that these beings will gladly help people in terms of guidance and healing, who are not led to study shamanism. He is a bridger of worlds, and has been guided to help bring these powerful beings into the consciousness of people unfamiliar with shamanism.

The messages in this deck are grounded and empowering, as well as requiring self-reflection. Although I love the energy of other oracle card systems such as angel oracle cards, these cards are different. I can feel the animals' energy behind the cards, and the messages on the cards and the guidebook are only a beginning as far as accessing guidance goes. These cards aren't for the new ager who needs to consult an oracle to decide what to eat for lunch. The emphasis is on finding the answers within. Over and over, the messages in the guidebook talk about figuring out what one wants, about seeking balance, about figuring out where one has judgments. This is a deck of growth and self-reflection. There is nothing glib about these messages.

For those who are new to using oracle cards, this is a great deck to start with. The messages are clear and the images and texture of the cards marry well with the earth-tones of the cards. Additionally, for those who give readings to others, this is a fantastic deck for using with male clients, who sometimes are resistant to decks with fairies, goddesses and mermaids.

For those who are practiced in shamanism, please don't pass this deck by. There are some who wonder "who needs a deck of cards when I can journey and retrieve power animals myself?" My answer is that these two things are not mutually exclusive. It's wonderful to confirm one's own intuitive nudges by pulling a card that matches one's own guidance--basically, creating a synchronicity at will rather than seeking omens and signs in the external world. Additionally, one can become acquainted with animal spirits one has not previously worked with, and get new allies.

Others might think that a person's power animal might not be in a 44 card deck. I agree, actually. And for those of us who can journey with someone and retrieve a power animal for a person, that is a powerful experience for the recipient. But not every animal one works with, has to be one's power animal. Most of us have really close friends, and then less intimate friends we can socialize with as well. Likewise, we can explore working with new animal spirits and a deck like this is a great way to meet new allies. I also believe that one's own intuitive guidance can tell whether the animal cards drawn are of a power animal or of a less intimate guide.

The first card I drew really resonated with me, and it was not one of the power animals I have previous experience working with. So I started listening to a drumming track and journeyed with my main power animal, to the animal who was on the card. I asked for clarification on the message and received it, and also received an assignment from the animal about further journeywork.

I recommend this deck, as well as Dr. Farmer's prior deck, the Power Animal Oracle Cards, without reservation. The difference between the decks is interesting. The Power Animals deck is a more extroverted deck. The energy is more expansive, outgoing, with a more youthful exuberance. The colors are brighter, more vivid. In contrast, the Messages from your Animal Spirit Guides deck is more introverted, with muted colors. These cards seem to have been authored during a time of introspection and growth, and have a different feel to them. So I think there will be some people who loved the Power Animal Oracle Cards who will not find this deck to their liking, and people who were not drawn to the previous deck, who will love this deck. There is a maturity in this newer deck which I find appealing. The deck is looking for a person who is seeking a context into which one can place life's tougher experiences. This is an alchemist's deck--how can I transform some pretty leaden experiences into the gold of lessons learned and some valuable growth?

I thank Dr. Farmer, and the animal spirits who guided him in this deck, as well as the artist, for an exquisite and powerful new deck.

"The Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards are designed to help you clearly communicate with animal spirit guides in order to decipher questions you have about life, and access intuitive guidance to assist you along your journey. Each of these cards carries within it the essence of a particular spirit animal that most appropriately responds to your query or concern will show up." - From the companion booklet

With his second animal deck, Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards, shamanic practitioner Steven Farmer once again offers an accessible portal to the realm of animal totems and their valuable guidance.

With thick, textured cards reminiscent of engraved leather and woodburned art, this unusual 44-card deck presents an earthy, almost masculine energy that is both grounding and comforting.

From meerkat to cardinal, honeybee to platypus, the Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards provides wisdom from all manner of mammals, as well as fowl, insects, reptiles and water dwellers.

Measuring approximately 5 x 3  inches, these cards depict a unique rendering of a particular animal, as well as a brief message at the bottom. At first, I thought the imagery somewhat crude (loose water coloring or airbrush strokes are combined with occasional bold lines), but as I began to work with this deck, I discovered that the artwork evoked a vague dreaminess--perfect for shamanic journeying and obtaining insight from the animal spirit realm.

A few of the animals found in the Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards include:

* Tortoise - You're too fragmented, so do whatever it takes to get grounded.

* Gorilla - Take the time to listen compassionately to those you love, especially your family members.

* Ladybug - This is a time of good fortune and abundance, so be willing to receive all good things in your life.

* Manatee - Accept the situation as it is rather than fighting to change it.

* Camel - Trust that you have the resources to get through the challenges before you.

* Mouse - You're overlooking some important details, so pay closer attention to what's going on.

* Seagull - Now is the time for deep emotional healing?

* Humpback Whale - Music is essential to your healing and well-being, whether singing, playing an instrument, or listening.

The 139-page companion book to this deck supplies the usual information found in Hay House oracle decks: care and consecration of the cards, invoking Great Spirit, performing readings and following intuition, as well as additional information and associations for each animal card.

I've found the Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards startling accurate. In fact, out of five one-card readings (preceded by extensive shuffling), I drew the SAME card four times. The persistent Wolverine continues to bestow amazing insight to me; in fact, I drew it AGAIN today, and knew it was a confirmation to begin a daily exercise regimen and to eat more healthfully.

As I was on the treadmill earlier, after I had drew the Wolverine card, I was in a relaxed, meditative state--thankful for my family, thinking of the upcoming holiday, looking around the basement...and then, twenty minutes into my workout, I realized something extraordinary.

To my left, well within my sight, was a red box that held my husband's boots when he bought them. Emblazoned in bold black print on the side of this bright red box was the word WOLVERINE. I had to do a double take! How in the world had I missed this wonderful verification of Wolverine's presence in my life?

If you're looking for an animal oracle that doesn't look (or feel) like the rest of the hundreds of decks on the market, do give the Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards a try. At 44-cards, it's by no means exhaustive, but still an excellent adjunct to Dr. Farmer's Animal Spirit Guides book or a solid introduction to animal oracles.

(To see 16 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at [...])

-- Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book

I use Oracle cards quite a bit and I have many different decks from various authors, and I purchased this one based on some good reviews. However, I was greatly disappointed in this deck. There should be more common animal totems in these cards, i.e., wolf, dove, (more birds) etc. The messages on these cards are very nice and so they're good for choosing a "card for the day" or "card for the moment" but if you want reference to a common animal that you suddenly see more of and receiving a message of some kind, chances are you won't find that message here. That is, unless your common sighting is a Chimpanzee, a Weasel, a Meerkat, Zebra, Manatee, Panda, Gorilla, Kiwi or Platypus, to name a few. I also found the cards themselves clunky and hard to use. I cannot recommend this deck.