Arcanis Animal Tarot

 Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Arcanis Animal Tarot by David Depasquale. Boxed set of 78 cards and Guidebook. Published by Hay House. RRP US $24.99 : Can $33.99 : UK £22.00

“Animals are referred by many cultures as moral guides, sacred guardians, and door to the spirit world.”

XXI The World - Upright: Completion, New Beginnings, Fulfilment. The World card is a sign that the end of something big is in sight. You’ve achieved what you’ve been working towards, and you feel accomplished. Though you’ve faced adversity, you have come out as the victor, and your hard work and dedication will be recognised. You feel a deep sense of purpose and have found your place in the world. If you haven’t quite reached the end yet, know it is within reach once you tie up those loose ends. Enjoy the fruits of your labour, be at promotion, a marriage, the birth of a child, or graduation. Your contentment is well deserved. Reversed: Lack of Achievement, Loss of Focus, Inability to Complete. The reversed World card signifies that you have some unfinished business to attend to. You may have been on the cusp of finishing something, but then became hesitant, or distracted. You didn’t follow through, which resulted in disappointment and a lack of closure. You need to jump back into the game and complete your goal. You will likely feel frustrated at having to start up again, and will need to make some changes to your approach, but know that in the end, the task will be worth finishing. Proud of his accomplishments, the World sits balancing the Earth, symbolising the fulfilment of his quest to find his place in the world. 

Peacefully set in inside an Ouroboros, he realises that this means not only the end of his journey, but also the beginning of a new one. The monkey, intelligent, and wise is surrounded by his own spiritual voyage – starting out as a bright eyed Fool, honing the capabilities in his mind, and body through Strength and the Chariot, and overcoming the sometimes very difficult changes Death may bring.  The wands on either side represent opportunities and challenges, a reminder to the World that he took advantage of both to succeed in his endeavours. 

General information is provided in the Guidebook on the background of the Tarot and how to read these cards. There is also some information about the artwork which is useful. We are also given a page of text for each card that adequately covers upright keywords and meanings and also reversed keywords and meanings that are suitable for beginners. Dragons are the Guardians of Wands and Fire orange), Birds are the Guardians of Swords and Air (yellow), Cats are Guardians of Cups and Water (red), and Dogs are Guardians of Pentacles and Earth (blue). Spreads are a 3-Card Simple Question, a 4-Card Cross, a 4-Card Blind-Spot, and a 7-Card Horseshoe. 

I like these fully animal themed cards and the simply drawn and coloured artwork is both inspired and amusing. The Californian author and artist is an art director and character designer, and has worked in animation. The word ‘arcanis’ means obscure, but I liked this artwork, though simple, I found my readings flowed well and included had a hint of humour. Enjoyable!

Review by Wendy Stokes https://wendystokes.co.uk