*This page may contain affiliate links which may allow us to collect a commission when you click and make a purchase through the links on our site. There is no additional cost to you for doing so.*

Title: Animal Spirit Oracle
Art by: Lea Androic
Author: Lea Androic
Publisher: Rockpool Publishing
Number of cards: 36
Card size: 5 x 3.5 in
Box size: 6.5 x 5 x 2 in approx
Guidebook pages: 86
Purchased or gifted?: Review copy provided by Rockpool Publishing
Absolute favorite card: Tiger
Other favorites: (in order from most beloved) Panda, Camel, Robin Cheetah, Dinosaur, Whale, Flamingo, Jellyfish
Notable detail: Brown sides and big box
Season: Early Spring
Sabbat: Ostara
Sign: Libra
Element: Air
Tarot Deck compliment: Inner Light Tarot or Harmony Tarot
Collective Pull: Deer

First Impressions

I feel like I’m saying this with every deck but I love the soft, muted tones. I’m definitely noticing a trend of more gentle, perhaps even demure decks. More feminine designs, toned down colors and an overall elegance to the approach. Right away, you can tell this is a very feminine deck with pastel blues and pinks and creams.

It's a gorgeous project and you can see a lot went into it. And I’m not too proud to admit I’m jealous of the box. This is a step up from Rockpool’s traditional packaging and as a fellow Rockpool author, I’m feeling a way about it. But I’ll save the packaging for the next section. For first impressions, know that this deck is an experience and one I’m all too happy to enjoy. So let’s dive in.

The Packaging

The box is large, much larger than most Rockpool oracle decks. It has a book fold top rather than a two piece which is something you usually see with tarot decks. The same goes for the little platform in the bottom of the box to hold the cards which features a monochromatic floral design. There’s a light blue ribbon inside to match the color of the box which lifts out the cards. What really makes this box so nice apart from its size is the feel. It feels like velvet which is even more pronounced because of the size. Plus, there’s bronze—really more like brown—foil detail spread throughout. The only place that doesn’t have the foil is the back.

The cards are a matte finish. I don’t know if Rockpool will make everything matte from now on but I sure hope they do. I have a deck coming out this fall and I’ve just realized I have no idea if it's matte or gloss…sigh. Anyway, matte is just a better choice in my opinion. It really makes a deck feel luxe and it just lasts longer. I have so many decks where the gloss film is peeling off and that destroys the experience.

The cardstock is a bit thin though. Not flimsy by any means but thinner than some of my other Rockpool decks for sure. Having said that, it shuffles really well. My favorite detail is the brown siding. I think it's supposed to be bronze but it feels a touch dull which I actually prefer. I love the color. It's unique and I think it really fits the overall tones of the deck. Something like a pink would’ve been too on the nose. This brown makes it interesting and even more earthy.

The Guidebook

The guidebook is gorgeous!! The card images in the book are nearly as large as the cards themselves so you can see them really clearly. The whole thing is full color with a background that’s something like a slightly brownish pink on one page and a buttery cream on the other.

You get a really nice introduction. I like when the intro is more than just a paragraph which kind of seems like what’s the point? Especially if all you’re telling me is that this is divine your deepest secrets which I feel goes without saying. Anyway, you get a section on how to use the cards, a three card spread and how to use this oracle along with a tarot deck. My favorite part of the book is the section on how to recognize your animal guide. I really appreciate these instructions and I’m sure a lot of other people do too, especially if you aren’t familiar with animal energies. Each card gets a couple of keywords, a short phrase, the card meaning and then a list of affirmations.

The Artwork

I’ve been a fan of Lea’s art for a long time. I always see it popping up on Pinterest and have used it for years as inspiration for many of my own projects. I’ve seen the image for Cheetah (see image at bottom of the page) more times than I can count and you’ll find it gracing many of the mood boards I’ve curated over the years.

Part of why I love her art so much is because of how feminine it is. For a long time, I felt like I had a lot of masculine energy but somewhere in the past maybe five years or so, it's become really important to me to lean into my feminine energy. And with that decision came a deeper connection to artwork like this. The energy, the colors, the overall aesthetic just clicks with where I am right now in how I like to express myself.

I know this is a deck about animals and I love all of them but it just feels more like a deck about ease, grace, softness, kindness and connection. You can see that with how connected the women are to the animals in the art. Even cards like Dinosaur feel gentle, even sweet. And I’m glad it feels more like a feminine deck than an animal one. There’s certainly no shortage of animal decks these days so leaning more into feminine energy makes it feel a little more unique.

“This deck is not merely a collection of cards, it is a celebration of the beautiful relationship between human and animal.”

My favorite card is Tiger but it took me a while to settle on just one. Ultimately I chose this one because it's so peaceful and yet mysterious. It's bright but also soft. And it's just pretty. I want this hanging in my office. Actually, I stopped in the middle of writing this to go to her website to buy it. She didn’t have it sadly but here’s hoping it will be up soon.

Some cards feature women but not all. I’m especially fond of the dark cards with the flower borders and animals in the center. You can see what I mean down in the photos. They all have that dark background as if these are animals at night. I do have to say that the raven is pretty hard to see. There isn’t a lot of contrast between the bird and the background and maybe that’s intentional but I wish it had been a bit lighter.

I’m also so, so sad that there isn’t a chicken card. There’s a chicken in the guidebook which is what sent me on the hunt for a chicken card in the first place. I know it seems silly to point out but I love chickens and it wouldn’t have mattered if there wasn’t an image in the guidebook. Same thing for the mouse (which is so adorable), ladybug and bee. There are images of them all in the guidebook but they aren’t featured in the cards. Not a huge deal but four extra cards wouldn’t have been that much to add especially with this deck only having thirty six. And clearly the artwork was done so it feels like a missed opportunity if you ask me. I would’ve preferred the images from the guidebook had been drawn from the deck itself. That would’ve felt a little more cohesive or self-contained.

Purchase Animal Spirit Oracle

Reading With this Deck

Reading with this deck is exactly what I expected it to be: soft and encouraging. It's a good daily pull deck, especially for times when you want an easygoing, carefree message. This is not the kind of deck that I believe will offer deep, emotionally taxing work. That’s not to say it won’t be profound in some ways but I don’t expect this to be the kind of deck that moves me to tears.

But it is a deck I’d grab when I’m in a neutral state: nothing feels off or wrong but I’m not overly excited about anything either. It's just a perfect, everyday deck and I did enjoy my reading. It felt in alignment with where I am personally in the sense that it confirms a lot of what I was already feeling. I’ve been toying with this idea of seeing yourself as royalty or luxurious. In fact, I had just done a meditation for exactly that before sitting down to do this review. And the very first card I picked was White Peacock which means royalty. Can’t really ask for more of a sign than that.

Collective Pull

I drew Deer for you. Deer encourages you to live more from the heart. To find more compassion and kindness for those around you. Deer also teaches you to pay attention to the little nudges your heart whispers to you. The little voice inside that says “Don’t say that mean thing. Don’t judge them before getting to know them. Don’t put yourself down. Don’t put others down. Be good. Be Kind. Be gentle.” Learning to soften is not to be weak or even to be vulnerable. It's to allow the space to connect to yourself and others without judgement or fear. Learning to be soft makes you a sacred space, where people can count on you to express care and support. In return, you teach others to nourish you in return. They say an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. What if a kind heart meeting a kind heart makes the whole world at peace?

Season, Sign, Element and Sabbat

I always associate pink with Libra and the element of air. I don’t know why exactly, other than I guess it makes me think of clouds at sunset or sunrise. And Libra is the most feminine sign in my opinion. It's also associated with beauty and I tend to associate pink with beauty as well (you’ll see more of this in my third book…coming soon). Libra is also happens to be an air sign so there you have it.

But aside from that, I chose air because there’s a light, airy, floating quality about the artwork. You’ll see a lot of clouds, stardust, and things that seem suspended in air. It also just feels light to work with despite it being about animals. This deck is easygoing and I even found myself taking several deep breaths while working with it.

The colors made me think of early spring. The time of year when it's not quite winter but not quite spring either but somewhere in between. It’s like the convergence of blue (winter) and pink (spring) which you see are the main colors throughout. I always assign a color to every month. I look at the sky and the plants and my general surroundings and I choose a color I feel I can see dusting everything. March is almost always peach or peach pink, similar to what you see here throughout this deck. So my mind went to Ostara for the sabbat and spring for the season almost immediately. I also feel like Ostara is the most feminine of all the sabbats so it seems a natural fit to hold this empress, gentle quality.

Who is this deck for?

If you’re a girly kind of mystic then this deck is for you. If you like sweet, soft, gentle things then this deck is for you. I feel like it would be a great gift for a group of girlfriends or like a bridal party gift. I could totally see this coming out on a girls night in.

And of course if you like animals and you collect every animal deck there is to have, then you’ll no doubt love this one too. Finally, if you’re already a fan of Lea’s art like her first deck Feminine Wisdom Oracle then you won’t want to miss this one. It's a similar style and experience so you won’t be disappointed. Random side note, my favorite of her artwork are the more beige, earthy natural prints and I hope she does a deck with that art style soon.

Tarot Deck Companion

I was planning on pairing this with Inner Light Tarot but after ripping my house apart looking for it, I finally remembered I had gifted it to a friend. Which of course means I didn’t have it to physically pair them but I still think they will go together well. I’ve included an old photo of Inner Light Tarot above this section for reference.

I also feel Harmony Tarot is a good match though perhaps not as much as Inner Light Tarot. Nevertheless, I have included photos as always. I think they’re both sweet enough to pair well and have while the imagery isn’t quite the same, it still feels harmonious.

Thanks for reading all the way through. If you found this review to be helpful, informative or entertaining in any way, please be sure to leave a comment down below. It really helps me know what you’re enjoying so that I can provide more content based on what you love. In the meantime, please enjoy a variety of photos from this deck.

And of course, if there is something you’d like me to consider reviewing, please comment below or email me at hello@spiritelement.co