Jan. 2015 Oracles Monthly Study: Animals/Native American

DragonFae

Let's introduce our decks....

Name of Deck and creator/publisher

Link to any site with pictures of cards if you have it.

A brief description of animal guide beliefs/culture/folklore etc that the deck is based on. Or Native American beliefs if the deck is slanted more that way.

What made you pick the deck?

Do you have a specific animal guide present in this deck, if so, which one?

You can go off in any other direction too in talking about your deck...these are just ideas to get us started. The idea is for those of us without your deck to get the "feel" of it.
 

DragonFae

Name of Deck and creator/publisher

The Medicine Cards (Sams and Carson)

Link to any site with pictures of cards if you have it:

This is my personal blog where I will be posting pics of the cards and readings. I have s few up already that show some of the cards.

The Quest

A brief description of animal guide beliefs/culture/folklore etc that the deck is based on. Or Native American beliefs if the deck is slanted more that way.

Seems it is a combination of belief systems but Native American. The medicine referred to is whatever connects us closer to the Great Spirit and helps us understand the mystery of life. Calling upon an animal means you want to walk in harmony with it and gain strength from it also. To listen to its lessons and to walk the path of the animal.

What made you pick the deck?


I picked the deck for several reasons. For one it is an animal deck I owned (but I do own several) Two I have always been interested in animal guides (totem animals) and other Native American traditions and beliefs. I have identified several of my animal guides and already feel like I have learned much from this.

Do you have a specific animal guide present in this deck, if so, which one?

I actually have several animal guides in this book. The three I am most certain are connected to me. Dragonfly (the first I identified with) Fox and Raven. I have come to understand that some guides walk with us throughout life, always lurking close by to guide and teach. I will tell you that Raven is one I have resisted for a long time. It immediately came up in my guide work but I did not think Raven "fit" me. Not sure why...maybe all the negative connotations about Ravens. But over time I realized that Raven is just as strongly connected to me as Dragonfly. Those are my two strongest guides and walk on either side of me on most of my life journeys. They still have much to teach.

Some animals come and go in our life for specific reasons. For example in my first draw of 2015 I asked which animal I need to walk with or learn from this year. It was mountain lion. That's not an animal I had previously worked with but perhaps I should have or perhaps he is just here for 2015 because he has lessons to teach.

All of the animals regardless of whether we identify them as our animal totems or guides have something to teach us. That is the whole concept of Native American beliefs (and others also) That all things all creatures are connected and inter-related.
 

GoldenWolf

Name of Deck and creator/publisher

I am also working with the Medicine Cards by Sams and Carson.


Link to any site with pictures of cards if you have it.

I will be posting to the Oracle Daily Draws thread here at AT.


A brief description of animal guide beliefs/culture/folklore etc that the deck is based on. Or Native American beliefs if the deck is slanted more that way.

This deck is based on various Native American traditions with regards to animal guides and spirits. I can't speak to the authenticity of it. I just know from past experiences that the cards are usually pretty good about picking up on the issues currently in my life.


What made you pick the deck?

I picked this many years ago because then it was the only oracle that focused in on animals (yes, that was a looong time ago!). I love animals and feel that we are drawn to certain ones for special reasons and lessons.


Do you have a specific animal guide present in this deck, if so, which one?

I am drawn to Wolf as I have found myself drawn to certain people throughout my life, my pack so to speak. These are people that I resonate with and feel most comfortable with. Yet, I am also a strong individual at the same time.

I also have found myself in a teaching role at various times in my life, either formally or informally. I do have a lot of psychic energy and ability (the lunar connection) and try to share that with others.

Other animal guides I resonate with are Hawk and Otter.
 

2dogs

Name of Deck and creator/publisher

The Druid Animal Oracle (Philip & Stephanie Carr-Comm, illustrated by Bill Worthington)

Link to any site with pictures of cards if you have it:

An image search for druid animal oracle finds plenty.

A brief description of animal guide beliefs/culture/folklore etc that the deck is based on. Or Native American beliefs if the deck is slanted more that way.

As leaders of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, the authors have based it upon the Druid tradition as taught by this group, so more or less the native British Isles equivalent of North American and shamanic spirituality.

What made you pick the deck?
I was struggling with decks using animals and plants not native to my own country and based on foreign religions and mythologies, and wanted a closer connection to the things I could actually see around me. Ideally I’d like to see meaning in my own surroundings rather than relying on other people’s explanations of symbols I never come into contact with.

Do you have a specific animal guide present in this deck, if so, which one?

I haven’t previously looked into the subject of animal guides. The card I drew for the animal I need to learn from and allow to guide me in 2015 though was Hawk.

Deck structure.

There are only 33 cards in the deck which makes me wonder how specific it could really be for divination. Mixing it up with the companion Druid Plant Oracle might help as the cards of each are the same size, but in general I find drawing from multiple decks and comparing the cards to be a worthwhile technique.

A strictly scientific analysis of the deck produces very unequal groups - 16 mammals, 9 birds (plus the Robin which appears on the Ram card), 4 dragons of the elements, 1 amphibian, 1 snake, 1 fish and 1 insect. The dragon cards have different borders to the others. Maybe a scientific analysis though isn’t what this deck is about.

The card images also incorporate a lot of plants, trees, landscapes and stones with carved images or symbols such as runes.

Guidebook.

The guidebook has a few sentences of divinatory meanings but most of it relates myths, stories and folklore so I haven’t really found it of much help. I was rather hoping to tie these Animal and Plant decks in with the similarly druidical Sacred Circle Tarot but have the same problem with that only the guidebook is bigger with even more myths. As far as I can make out though the Hawk card is very helpfully telling me to ignore the lot of them. ;)
 

Mi-Shell

Let's introduce our decks....
Name of Deck and creator/publisher

Link to any site with pictures of cards if you have it.
I too will be working with the Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams :)
http://www.jamiesams.net/letter-to-readers.cfm

A brief description of animal guide beliefs/culture/folklore etc that the deck is based on. Or Native American beliefs if the deck is slanted more that way.

What made you pick the deck?
I do know Jamie a little, from waaaay long ago when both of yo were young and receiving teachings from the same Medicine teacher.
The Medicine Cards are a mayor reading deck of mine- for public readings for my querants with First Nations heritage or background.

Do you have a specific animal guide present in this deck, if so, which one?

Well, I myself am part Siberian indigenous, from my father's side - from North West Tuva, north of the Yenesay River.
From my father's side I am Wolf Clan, so Ee'ren Börü is my paternal Clan Guardian/ Totem.
Ada's personal Medicine Guides were Magpie and Lynx, So they have deep meaning to me.
His Gran was the healer shaman of the tribe and her Animal Guardians were the Owl and the Tigress.
They raised Reindeer..... so guess what.....
The whole clan system had an overarching spiritual protector - an Irbis = Snow Leopard...

My maternal grandmother was Manoush Gypsy and her maiden name was "Usari" which means Bear.
They trained Bears for performances in the circus where they worked. (NO violence, but lots of honey!!! ;) )
I have written about Gran Elizza and her Tarot reading habits elsewhere in the forum and on my blog, so suffice to say, that her personal Guardian was a small Screech Owl :)
Now, I follow the ways of my Siberian Ancestors and their shamanic traditions in which I was raised.
My personal Guardians are a small Ferret and my small Owl, But All the Guardians of my family play a very important role in my shamanic practice.
Ad to that, that I live waaaay out in the bush and see many of the Animals in this deck on a regular basis....
Right now, as I am writing this, a small Flying Squirrel is sitting outside the sliding door to my left and dining on his nightly ration of Sunflower seeds.
3 days ago we had 2 Wolves walking down the frozen creek and photographed them from the living room window.....
http://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.php?p=4162668&postcount=232

So, yes, no wonder, this is an important deck to me. :)
 

Smiling

Let's introduce our decks....

Name of Deck and creator/publisher

Link to any site with pictures of cards if you have it.

A brief description of animal guide beliefs/culture/folklore etc that the deck is based on. Or Native American beliefs if the deck is slanted more that way.

What made you pick the deck?

Do you have a specific animal guide present in this deck, if so, which one?

You can go off in any other direction too in talking about your deck...these are just ideas to get us started. The idea is for those of us without your deck to get the "feel" of it.

Hi DragonFae,

Happy New Year! Very exciting to see this month's study group started. :thumbsup:

I did want to talk about the Medicine cards deck, so will post soon. Since I'm new to this, I was also wondering - will everyone also be responding to each other's posts, or are we to focus on sharing our own observations?

thanks for your help!
 

Mi-Shell

Hi Smiling! :)
Welcome to Deck studies!
Yes, here we do respond to each others posts and share our own thoughts about our own deck. We however have to "stay on topic"
 

Smiling

Hi Smiling! :)
Welcome to Deck studies!
Yes, here we do respond to each others posts and share our own thoughts about our own deck. We however have to "stay on topic"

Ok, thank you, Mi-Shell! That helps a lot. :)
 

DragonFae

Yes definitely the back and forth exchange is beneficial to all. If you can expound or ask questions or ask for clarification of someone's post and then of course it is always ok to post your own observations too.

Reply Posts that offer more details, personal thoughts or questions are of course more useful then just replies of "me too" or "I agree with what you posted." Nothing really wrong with those.... they just don't open up as much conversation.

:)

Happy all are here and hope we have a great month!