Tarot of the Animal Lords

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 09 Feb 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Ruby Red Slippers	09 Feb 2004
Does anyone have this deck????? It was an “impulse buy” today while I was in Borders. Couldn’t resist the Fox as the Magician and the Cow Elephant as the High Priestess, which were the only ones I could see on the cellophane box! These cards are great! I loved the animals, colors and interpretation of the cards! The Wheel of Fortune as a caterpillar to butterfly cycle was cool, as was the Bat as the Hanged Man! Very interesting deck for animal lovers and those who believe in our special connection to the animal realm! :D See images - http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/animal-lords/

Astraea	09 Feb 2004
Ruby Red Slippers, I just love this deck! I got it several days ago and think it is utterly enchanting -- yet it manages to be a deep deck at the same time, not avoiding the darker recesses of nature. I think it's very special.

lunakasha	09 Feb 2004
ME TOO!!! This is definitely my favorite animal deck, it is absolutely enchanting and unique, in the way the artist combines the animal faces with human bodies...it just works! The artwork alone is incredible, there is so much detail in each card...very intuitive and easy to read with. The best thing about this deck, IMO, is that it is truly an animal deck for "grown-ups", meaning that it is a serious deck that manages to be charming and "pretty" without being too cute or "fluffy". I think this one will end up being one of the true classics as more people discover its charm and beauty...definitely one-of-a-kind! :) Luna

Cocobird55	09 Feb 2004
This is my favorite animal deck, too. The images are great, and it isn't cute, like a lot of animal decks. Sue

Melissa`	10 Feb 2004
Oh no! I have looked away from this thread since I saw the title. hehe I also went shopping today. (no suprise, I know) I saw this deck, carried it around, put it back. Instead, bought three other new LS decks. (Shame on me!) Now reading this thread, I wish I would have never but it back. Depressed Shopper, Amaya

lark	10 Feb 2004
Amaya I did the same thing carried it around and then put it back. Oh dear, I guess if it's ment to be mine it'll come my way again. What 3 decks did you buy?

Melissa`	10 Feb 2004
lark, I don't feel so bad now ;) I bought two of the new mini decks, I couldn't resist - Universal and the Fairy Tarot. Also the Kalachakra Oracle Cards. Amaya :)

galadrial	10 Feb 2004
Tarot Passages ran a preview of upcoming Lo Scarabeo decks over a year ago and this deck was among them. I saved the preview to my favorites and have been waiting for this deck ever since. I asked for it for Christmas and didn't receive it , but it was among the decks Joan Bunning had on sale so I recently bought it for myself. It is even nicer to use than I had (long) imagined; I love the painting style and the images give me a lot to ponder.

firemaiden	10 Feb 2004
Here is the thread I began when I bought this deck last November: Lo Scarabeo - Tarot of the Animal Lords - there was some interesting discussion and contributions from Lee who was writing the review for Tarot Passages. (Perhaps these two threads ought to be merged.) And here is a sort of collaborative reading I did with the deck.

SongDeva	10 Feb 2004
I'm at least the third person in the thread who bought this recently on impulse. eBay. And because it was an impulse I haven't opened it, wondering if I should resell it, and if I was really attracted to it. I was attracted to the elephant as well. And I just saw some more images that the first poster put a link to, and I'm really impressed. Guess I'll break the plastic wrap and check it out. Lara

Chronata	10 Feb 2004
I love the Animal Lords deck as well! There's just something so charming and fun...and at the same time really symbolically perfect about these cards. And...anthropomorphic animals are just too cool! I can't say that I was one of the impulse shoppers but...I have a sneaking suspicion that Dark angel, who gifted me this deck may have fallen prey to the impulse herself! :D I just wanted to add that these give amazing readings!( and I really should spend more time using them!) Of all the new decks that I have gotten recently , this is the one that my mother absolutely adored...more than any other tarot deck she has ever seen!

Astraea	11 Feb 2004
Probably the thing I most admire about this deck is that each illustration, while enchanting, genuinely serve the meaning of the card; the cards aren't simply occasions for cute drawings. There is much, much thought and feeling incorporated in this deck.

lunakasha	11 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Astraea Probably the thing I most admire about this deck is that each illustration, while enchanting, genuinely serve the meaning of the card; the cards aren't simply occasions for cute drawings. There is much, much thought and feeling incorporated in this deck. Absolutely true...this is definitely a deck with substance, which also happens to be gorgeous! Well said, Astraea! :) Luna

mooncat2	11 Feb 2004
Agreed!! Its a stunning deck. I bought on impulse , too , because I like animals but have discovered real depth in each card . I've had some excellent readings in the short time its been mine, both for myself and others. I love it!

Ruby Red Slippers	11 Feb 2004
Thanks Firemaiden for the thread - Great Reading for us newbie's to this deck! :D Here's a site that is informative about the animals that may give some additional insight into this deck - http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4076/index1.html RRS

Myrrha	26 Sep 2004
People posted a lot on this deck when it first came out but I haven't seen it mentioned since then. Are people still enjoying it? Some decks seem great at first but get old really fast, is this one or are people still finding it a useful and substantial deck? --Myrrha

WolfSpirit	27 Sep 2004
I never got this deck because there seemed to be something so weird about animals all dressed up. Although I do like the Baroque Bohemian Cats - so I can't really explain it why I don't like this one. I just don't connect with it, and I love most animal decks.

HudsonGray	27 Sep 2004
Is it maybe because of the body shapes? They're people bodies, feet & hands, with animal heads. Not true anthropomorphic art, for that it'd be the entire animal in a people pose, with slightly modified bodies. The BBC deck uses all cats, and only a few cards have the people body shapes (mostly in the sitting positions) so it's not as noticeable. I just haven't pulled my Animal Lords deck out much, I should be using it more.

WolfSpirit	27 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by HudsonGray Is it maybe because of the body shapes? They're people bodies, feet & hands, with animal heads. Yes good point, I had not really noticed. I also like the pictures in Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and all the animals are dressed too - but somehow still very much animals.

Myrrha	27 Sep 2004
I don't know if I will like the deck. The pictures make me think more of people who have taken on animal powers, animal existences, than of animals that are dressed up like people for the camera. Hopefully I will get this one in trade... --Myrrha

baba-prague	28 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by HudsonGray Is it maybe because of the body shapes? They're people bodies, feet & hands, with animal heads. Not true anthropomorphic art, for that it'd be the entire animal in a people pose, with slightly modified bodies. The BBC deck uses all cats, and only a few cards have the people body shapes (mostly in the sitting positions) so it's not as noticeable. Yes, I found the animal heads on people bodies a bit off-putting on Animal Lords, although in many ways I like the deck - and agree that it's been carefully done. The proportion of bodies is a big issue when you "dress" animals. We deliberately compromised between a "human" look and something more anatomically correct. Funnily enough, we've just had a studio meeting about exactly this (yes, we do have odd meetings! :-) ) When you go totally anatomically correct the figures tend to look a bit inelegant - cat's have very long bodies in fact. But personally, I find a totally human proportion just looks a bit odd - even if it has its own charms (reminds me of the "Rupert Bear" books we had when I was a child - http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~afm/followers/annuals.html and they were lovely things) it just seems to lose the animal quality - though more so in some animals than others. Still - I do like the deck and am glad I have it.

The Tarot of the Animal Lords thread was originally posted on 09 Feb 2004 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.