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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seeking the Divine Through Animal Guides, August 12, 2005
This review is from: Animals Divine Tarot (Paperback)
I am a big fan of Lisa Hunt's artwork, so it seemed natural to review her new deck. I received the box set which contains the deck, a companion book, a bag to store the cards in and comes in a nice, attractive box featuring her artwork.
The deck itself is a breath of fresh air. First, the reverse color of the deck is a pale yellow with a gold stamped design of three flying birds and a triple spiral, reminiscent of Celtic designs. Very attractive and a much needed relief from the dark or black reverses on many decks. It sets the theme for the rest of the deck. Bright, colorful and airy is the description to give to the overall look of the deck.
The deck size is 2 ¾" by a little over 4 ½". Nice hand size, the deck shuffles agreeably and fits well. There are 78 cards in the deck, plus two cards which illustrate "spreads" suggested for use with the deck.
There are 22 "Major Arcana" cards, numbered 0 to 21. Each illustration is bordered by a gold and white border, with the name of the card and number at the bottom, and the subject of the card at the top, to make correspondence easier for folks used to using the traditional tarot deck. The similarities stop here. This deck now progresses off on the path that Ms. Hunt wants to proceed on, which is the influences of animals and various Deities. The Coyote is depicted as the Fool, Cerridwen as the Magician, Bast as the High Priestess. Except for the Wheel, which is labeled "All Animals" the Major Arcana's focus is upon Deity and it's animal association.
The artwork itself is stunning; very detailed and lifelike. If you take the focus the artist has for the deck, you can see the stories, as outlined in the book, and reflection upon these does give you insight into the meanings of the cards.
The "Court Cards" consist of 4 cards, starting with the Queen, King, Knight and Page. They are themed, with Cups representing Water, and using water Deities and animals. The Swords represents Air and uses birds and Deities with bird symbols. Wands is Fire, and uses reptiles and insects and Deities with these symbols and Pentacles is Earth, with mammals and Deities with mammals.
Every spiritual path is represented here: Celtic, Hindu, Phoenician, Green, Native American and more. Everyone will find something to identify with in this deck, and there will be plenty of fresh, new material for you to learn.
The Minor Arcana is split up the same way the Court Cards are, and each card has an animal representation, in addition to the usual suit assignment.
Working with the cards themselves was easier than I expected, though I needed to work with the book a bit. The meanings are not really all that far off from the traditional meanings; you are just looking at the meanings in a different way.
This would be a great deck for those who are working closely with animal guides or with the animal aspects of Deity. It is an excellent deck for anyone who enjoys variations on the Tarot. And it is a wonderful deck for someone who is very shamanistic in their spiritual path.
This is a lovely deck, from it's concept to the artwork. Presentation is everything, and this deck presents us with some new ways of seeing the Tarot. The artwork is outstanding, a perfect effort from Ms. Hunt, and a deck that I will be working with again and again. boudica
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Beautiful Deck that Speaks to the Soul, September 29, 2005
This review is from: Animals Divine Tarot (Paperback)
I am a professional tarot reader with over 20 years of experience and I collect tarot decks as a hobby. The Animals Divine Tarot by Lisa Hunt is one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring decks I have ever run across in my 10+ years of collecting tarot decks. The watercolors come to life with bright, vibrant colors that stir the soul. The animals depicted look incredibly life-like and the Artist also paid a great deal of attention to the background. Her efforts have resulted in the creation of a deck that is both useful and beautiful - a rare combination these days with myriad of decks published each year.
The accompanying book is very thorough, written by the Artist herself, as opposed to the common practice of the publisher matching the artist up with a professional writer who writes the interpretation of the cards. Ms. Hunt goes through a blow-by-blow interpretation of the main symbols depicted on each card, the significance of that particular animal being depicted, and each card description then ends with its tarot interpretation.
If you love tarot and if you love animals and art, this deck is a definite MUST-HAVE!
Blessings!
Dr. Mary E. Gutierrez
Magickal-Musings
Where Magick is a Way of Life!
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Animals Divine - A Fresh New Perspective, September 5, 2005
This review is from: Animals Divine Tarot (Paperback)
Animals Divine Tarot is a gorgeous deck that follows Rider-Waite structure and incorporates original symbolism. Artist Lisa Hunt uses well-chosen myths, and gods and goddesses from many cultures to breathe new life into the major arcana and court cards. Animals, birds, insects and a variety of sea life prowl, swim, prance, meander, climb, slither, flutter and fly through the minor arcana. Truly this is a deck in motion, mirroring the constant changes and cycles of the earth and all of her life forms.
The art is exceptional and the imagery powerful and evocative. When first looking through the deck, I could not put the cards down. Each one beckons you to enter and once drawn in you are transported to a magical place where the spoken or written word is extraneous and meaningless. Each time there is something new to experience.
I found myself smiling and nodding in recognition of some of the visual interpretations, whilst others were a bit more difficult to grasp at first. Further pondering upon those more difficult to grasp has proven to be very rewarding. The animals are wonderful teachers. I am delighted by the new understandings that Lisa Hunt's fresh use of symbols has facilitated.
The accompanying book is well done and fairly detailed and includes some writing about each card, two spreads especially designed for the deck, and thoughts on meditation and connecting with the images. I haven't used either of the spreads, but have used the deck in a few readings for others and the insights shared through the imagery have proven to be relevant and helpful.
The cards themselves come alive beyond the book to lend new insights and imagery to old themes. The Empress represented by Hera, languishes comfortably upon a rock, bare feet grazing the grass. A cow stands behind her. A peacock is to her left (the right side of the card). Only the body and head of the peacock are visible; the tail is hidden. In the forefront and all around the peacock colorful flowers bloom. This seems to suggest that the Empress is highly creative, but uses her creativity to nurture and beautify the earth. Instead of parading it around for show and solely personal gain (peacock's tail) the colorful flowers embody instead the fruit of her creative endeavors.
I especially love Lisa's choices for the court cards; White Buffalo Calf Woman, Poseidon, NaNa Buluku, Ahau Kin and Quetzalcoatl to name a few. These mythic figures capture an archetypal energy that offers another layer of interpretation and meaning; perhaps a more pure one.
Another choice I find particularly meaningful for humanity today is her use of Sedna for the Death key. Other favorite majors include Tara as Strength, Thunderbirds as The Tower, and Xochiquetzal as Temperance. Favorite minor arcana animals include Tiger as the Three of Pentacles, Firefly as the Ace of Wands, Whale as the Ten of Cups, Crow as the Nine of Swords and Alligator as the Five of Cups. Altogether the animals, myths, and legends weave a magical tapestry of wisdom that speaks to the Soul.
Animals Divine may not be the best choice for beginners interested in learning the traditional symbols. It is an excellent deck for anyone wishing to read intuitively, for those desiring a fresh new perspective, for animal and nature lovers, and for those just wanting a feast for the eyes.
After watching the progress of and eagerly anticipating this deck's release, I was delighted to find it was even lovelier than I had imagined it would be. Animals Divine has already become a favorite and I'm certain it will withstand the test of time.
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