Review by Terri Clement
Ancient Animal Wisdom Deck and Book Set by Stacy James and Jada Fire, artwork by Jada Fire
Published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc., www.usgamesinc.com
ISBN: 978-1-57281-772-2
Retail: U.S. $21.95
Ancient Animal Wisdom is a beautifully illustrated 38-card oracle deck and companion book set featuring remarkable African animals. From the itty bitty ant to the gigantic elephant, they are all sharing their ancient wisdom.
The deck and book is housed in a nice lift top cardboard box. The box is sealed in plastic as is the deck, upon opening there is a faint chemical scent but not inky.
The cards measure 3 1/2“ wide x 4 7/8” tall. The images are printed on a very flexible card stock and have a very slick, shiny lamination. The deck fans beautifully, but is so slick it can be a bit hard to hold on to.
The card faces all have a narrow ¼” border in one of a variety of colors from red, yellow, brown, blue, purple and so on. There is a card number within the border and the title just above the card number. The back of the card features a heart that seems to morph into a flower. The Fibonacci sequence is very prevalent in this deck as it is in nature and can be seen on the back of the deck as well as on many of the card faces.
The Hippopotamus (Healing Waters) is a stunning image that is painted in purples with a sun rising behind it with a yellow and blue back ground.
The companion book says “…wash away all that is unserving, heighten your personal awareness. …and swim, play, relax, bathe…the life waters are calling you.”
The graceful Flamingo (Heroe (sic)) is done in pinks and reds with a hint of purple, green, and orange.
Here the guide states “It’s time to celebrate! Put on your vibrant costume and shake your tail feathers!”
The interested Wild Dog (Listening) lays in the grass closely watching and intently listening to what is going on around him. Those eyes… Those ears!
The guide tells us that it is important to listen and to be fully present with those that you come in contact with. He reminds us to let go of inner chatter and preparing to respond and reinforces the message to just listen without judgment.
The companion guide is a very small 48-page paperback book, though small contains some good information. It contains 8 spreads, from a 1-card Intention Spread to an 8-card Chakra Spread. Along with the spreads the guide talks a little about care and use of the cards. It also provides a taste of numerology. Each card is listed in numerical order with the English name as well as the African translation of the name, a keyword and a brief paragraph providing interpretation.
This deck can easily be used by beginners all the way through advanced readers. It could also make a very nice starter deck for someone who is younger, or someone that wants to try something a bit different than Tarot.
A portion of the proceeds for each Ancient Animal Wisdom set goes to Dazzle Africa, which supports conservation efforts in Zambia.