Animal Totem Tarot Deck
Charles Darwin believed that all humans are descended from monkeys. He saw clear similarities between humans and animals. Similar ideas can be found in Eastern culture. The masters of antiquity said that the energy of each person is wild and unbridled by nature, it lives by instincts. But the presence of reason still puts people on a step higher. The Animal Totem Tarot deck invites you to immerse yourself in the wild world with its own laws. The querent on this journey can find himself and finally let go of far-fetched problems.
History of creation of the Animal Totem Tarot Deck
The Animal Totem Tarot deck was created in 2016. The author of the cards was the already well-known Leeza Robertson, who also released the Mermaid deck. The main idea behind the creation of Arcana was the concept of matching the world of people with the world of fauna. Shamans believe that every person has a patron animal. To understand who exactly is a defender, you need to analyze your own behavior. The brightest character traits will indicate the true totem. It can also be birds or even insects. At the same time, there are no negative or positive characters here – only life itself with all its diversity.
Reflecting a new facet of reality in the Animal Totem Tarot has become a great idea. In the world of predictions, it seemed that all hypostases were affected – different times, cultures, fantastic stories. But all this habitually revolved around human society. Leeza Robertson managed to connect two worlds and at the same time maintain a classic presentation. The Totem deck turned out to be very traditional. But the artist Eugene Smith helped in the implementation of the idea. He perfectly conveyed the character of the characters, although the task was not an easy one.
Key features of the Animal Totem Tarot by Leeza Robertson
The Animal Totem Tarot deck belongs to the English school. It continues the tradition of Waite. The Fool – no number, Strength – 8th. The court Arcana remained the same: Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings. There are no astrological or kabbalistic correspondences. Plot illustrations are shown on the minor group of cards. In the totem deck, they repeat Waite’s concept. The only difference is the characters – instead of people, the artist depicted wild animals, birds, insects and marine animals. The cards do not have frames, at the bottom there is a small insert with a signature.
The Major Arcana of the Animal Totem Tarot are the same archetypes as in the classics. The author surprisingly managed to convey traditional ideas through metaphorical images. So, on the High Priestess a spider is drawn, weaving webs under the moonlight. The card still denotes the riddle, the unconscious and the hidden. On the Empress, on the contrary, a wild cow is depicted resting on a mountain slope. She symbolizes motherhood, care and feminine energy. The Lovers show two swans floating on the surface of a lake. Fruit trees grow behind them. The scene refers to the biblical parable of the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve. It again personifies a love relationship.
The Minor Arcana of the Animal Totem Tarot are also very interesting, well-developed. On the Eight of Swords, instead of a girl who fell into a trap, a blind mole is shown. It climbs out of the hole in which the blades are stuck. The card shows fears, both justified and invented. The Six of Pentacles has a chicken coop. One of the birds rolls a gold coin towards the other. The Arcana indicates financial assistance or the transfer of knowledge and experience, as in Arthur Waite. But on Aces everywhere there are main characters, which is a difference from the classics – a scarab (Pentacles), a moth (Wands), a panda (Swords) and a bird (Cups).
If we consider in more detail the suits of the Animal Totem Tarot deck, then there is no clear structure. In different places, species of mammals and insects can be found on the same group. The energies seem to intertwine and immerse the questioner in a special world, so similar to the human one. The suit of Cups will often be represented by underwater inhabitants. The emphasis here is on feelings and emotions. Wands are characterized by scarlet ribbons, active scenes. All this hints at speed, the development of the situation, passion. Swords – dark tones, tense atmosphere. Together, they emphasize intelligence, information, as well as life’s troubles. And the Pentacles in the deck usually show gold coins that are scattered here and there – on the mountains, in the field, or buried in the ground.
Style and symbolism of the deck
In Animal Totem Tarot, each card is a mini-sketch from the world of fauna. One gets the feeling that you are flipping through an album with pictures of an animal photographer. Eugene Smith deliberately did not draw frames for the Arcana, so that the fortuneteller perceives the picture as a whole. The color of the sky, the surrounding landscape, the season – all this matters in the interpretation. At the same time, there is no image of a person on any card. Here there are objects from the world of people, but not themselves: a cart on Strength, a sleigh with gifts at the Last Judgment.
Separately, it is worth noting the pairs of Queens and Kings in each group. Eugene Smith did not show characters of the same kind here. So, on the Queen of Swords a white she-wolf is depicted, and on the King – an eagle. It is possible that this approach is due to the difference between the sexes. After all, the she-wolf will symbolize female strength, inaccessibility, the inner core, and the eagle will symbolize a sharp mind, the ability to calculate all the moves in advance. The element of Air will affect the characters of men and women differently. All living creatures that appear in the Animal Totem Tarot deck have found their place on the back of the cards. Here are their miniatures, which are located in a certain circle. It is possible that it symbolizes life cycles.
Interpretation of the Animal Totem Tarot cards
Leeza Robertson wrote a complete book where she gave her own explanations for the interpretation of each card in the deck. The Animal Totem Tarot as a whole continues the ideas of Waite, so you can compare all the Arcana with the classic ones. Also, the fortuneteller can rely on the colors used in the illustrations. So, gray will denote melancholy, despondency, and bright yellow – joy and enjoyment of life. It is worth taking into account the number of characters involved, their habits. All this can be transferred to reality and specific people.
The interpretation of the Animal Totem Tarot deck can be done intuitively. The fortuneteller will only need to connect fantasy to the process of reading cards, try to create an associative array. Indeed, in the octopus from the Four of Cups you can see a melancholy colleague, and in the lioness from the Queen of Wands – a bright girlfriend. At the same time, the querent also has the right to use the reversed meanings of the Tarot deck. Everything will depend on the ability to feel the energies of the cards and build on the main idea.
What questions is the deck suitable for?
The spreads on the Animal Totem Tarot deck will help in matters of love, work, health. Cards are universal, as they contain many plots. The prediction is easy to adapt and transfer to everyday reality. The questioner can look at questions relating to personal and spiritual growth, behavior and ulterior motives of others. Also, the Tarot of Totem Animals perfectly shows the character of the querent himself. According to them, you can determine your temperament, learn how to work on yourself in order to achieve breakthroughs in all areas of life.
The Animal Totem Tarot deck also touches on the theme of magic. Priestess, Death, Three of Swords, Eight of Cups – these Arcana seem to be shrouded in mystery. The author did not bypass mysticism and everything unknown. Therefore, the Animal Totem Tarot deck will perfectly cope with the task of seeing the magical effect, getting advice on how to clear the energy. However, the Arcana is still very “light”. They will point the way to a happier life. But the author seems to have bypassed the topic of casting curses and love spells.
Who are the Animal Totem Tarot cards for?
Fortune-telling on the Animal Totem Tarot deck will appeal to those who are fond of shamanism. These are the people who know how to notice details, they love nature and draw resources from it. In the behavior of animals it is possible to discern some human character traits. In addition, knowing your totem will help you understand yourself, find the key to transformation. Also, the Tarot deck is suitable for beginners who have just mastered Waite. These same Arcana can also become educational if desired by the querent. There is no overload of information, symbols.
Of course, the Animal Totem Tarot deck will appeal to fans of the work of Leeza Robertson and Eugene Smith. These are light motifs, bright colors, a special language of cards that gives hope. The mantic tool will replenish the collection of those practitioners who are already fed up with ordinary predictive systems showing the familiar world of people. If desired, the Arcana of the Animal Totem deck can be used as metaphorical. This approach will help psychologists characterize clients.