Welcome everyone to my first deck review! Today, I will be reviewing Oriens Animal Tarot by Ambi Sun, published by Rockpool Publishing in 2021. I first came across this deck on VERO through another tarot reader who used it in their personal reading. I loved the imagery and loved the message she got from the cards. So I decided to purchase it a month later.
This deck comes in a sturdy box. It's a little bit difficult to open, but maybe that's just how mine was packaged. It comes with 78 cards and a full-colored 144-page guidebook. The box is a bit big, so I keep the cards in a cloth bag along with the guidebook.
The guidebook is awesome. It comes in full color and is 144 pages. There is a table of contents, an introduction, how to use the deck, and suggested spreads for one, three, and ten card readings.
The guidebook also contains sections for Major and Minor Arcana cards. Each section also has a listing of animals for each of the cards, along with random facts about the anima featured on the cards, which gives the reading more depth. The Major and Minor card sections contain upright and reversal meanings for each of the cards. There are full-colored pictures of the cards as well in the guidebook. I think the guidebook is nicely done.
Now let's get to the juicy part -- the cards!
The deck is your standard Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, just with animals. The animals are beautifully designed. Some are recognizable and some you do have to look in the guidebook to see what kind of animal is represented on the cards. And if you aren't familiar with the species or breed, it's best to read about the animal in the guidebook or do your own research online. The animals come from the northern and southern hemispheres.
The deck isn't too big or too small. The cards are roughly 5x3 inches. It fits in the palm of your hand and shuffles nicely. I like the cardstock it is printed on. It's not glossy, thick, or super thin. I'd say it has a matte finish? They are like playing cards. The edge of the deck is lined with a silver color, which is beautifully done and doesn't make it harder to shuffle. The cards, however, when you first get them, tend to stick together, so make sure to go through each card and unstick them.
What I love about the deck is some of the animals she has chosen to represent each card. For instance, she chose Penguins for the Two of Cups, which I absolutely adore! Penguins are known for having one mate for the rest of their lives, their soulmate or twin flame. The Two of Cups can be known as the soulmate and twin flame card for some readers. I think it's absolutely perfect that the Penguins are the Two of Cups.
Another card I like is the Nine of Pentacles, which Ambi Sun chose to have a domesticated cat on the card. Cats are fiercely independent creatures. They also love luxury and comfort. So I can see how a Cat can be chosen for the Nine of Pentacles, as the Nine of Pentacles represents independence and comfort.
Some other noteworthy cards include a Sloth for the Four of Swords, a Red Panda for the Page of Wands, and a Wolf for The High Priestess cards. One thing I didn't like about the deck was the Emperor card and the Hierophant card. Ambi Sun chose an African Elephant for The Emperor card and a Ram as the Hierophant card. I can kind of see the reasoning behind this, but the astrology geek in me doesn't like it. Rams represent the sign of Aries and usually represent The Emperor's tarot card. Aries also rules The Emperor tarot card. But that is my only complaint really.
For types of readings, I can see this deck being used for animal totems/spirit animal work or general readings. The meanings behind the animals definitely give your reading a more in-depth feel to them. They add to traditional RWS meanings, as well as your own intuition.
So in conclusion, this is a neat deck. It's worth having in your collection. I like it better than The Wild Unknown Tarot. The artwork is beautiful, the cards are easy to handle and shuffle, the guidebook is beautifully done and well-written, and the box is sturdy if you want to store the guidebook and cards in it. The only thing I didn't like was the box it came in because it's big, and I didn't like the Emperor and Hierophant animal representation. I'd rate this deck 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐.
If you'd like to purchase your own copy, you can click here. This is an Amazon affiliate link and I may receive a small commission on your sale but it won't cost you extra. Thank you for reading and thank you for being here! Let me know what you think of the cards!