Druid Animal Oracle Deck

The Druid Animal Deck - totem animals, sacred geometry and Ogham

Most animal oracle decks treat animals as loose symbols. This one works differently: every card sits within a coherent system rooted in druidic teaching. Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm are not observers writing from the outside - they have led the training programme of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids for many years.

The deck contains 33 cards: 29 animals and 4 dragons. Illustrator Will Worthington, who also contributed to The Book of Druidry, drew each image according to the principles of sacred geometry - the proportional relationships of the pentagram, circle and square that druids used when laying out their stone circles. This underlying structure is not decorative; it is part of the symbolic meaning carried by each card.

What you see on the cards

Along the border of every animal card runs a message written in Ogham, the Celtic script sometimes called the tree alphabet of the druids. The sequence begins with the blackbird, positioned at the gate and associated with the call to change. That choice is characteristic of how the deck is organised: each animal holds a fixed place and a specific meaning within the system, not simply a general symbolic role.

How to work with it

The 48-page guidebook offers a summary per animal of the druidic, Celtic and indigenous traditions linked to that creature. You can draw cards as individual totems - selecting an animal that speaks to a question or a period in your life - or follow the authors' oracle system for a more structured reading. No knowledge of tarot is required, but some familiarity with druidic tradition will help the Ogham inscriptions and geometric symbolism make fuller sense.

This is a deck that takes its origins seriously. The geometry, the script and the sequence of animals are not stylistic choices - they are part of a developed system that Philip Carr-Gomm has taught for decades.

About the creators

Philip Carr-Gomm was trained by chief druid Ross Nichols and served as head of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. His books include The Druid Way and Druid Mysteries. Stephanie Carr-Gomm contributes to the same order's training programme and co-authored The DruidCraft Tarot with Philip. Illustrator Will Worthington has worked in the field for around thirty years and previously contributed to The Book of Druidry.

Specifications

• Title: The Druid Animal Deck
• Authors: Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm
• Illustrator: Will Worthington
• ISBN: 9781800691254
• Number of cards: 33
• Guidebook: 48 pages
• Card size: 150 x 105 mm
• Box size: approx. 150 x 105 mm

Questions we often get

Do I need to know about druidism to use this deck?
The guidebook summarises the relevant traditions for each animal, so prior knowledge is not required. That said, the deck works best if you have some affinity with Celtic or druidic tradition - the Ogham inscriptions and the sacred geometry carry more weight when you have a sense of where they come from.

How does this differ from a standard animal oracle?
Most animal oracles draw on general animal symbolism. This deck is structured around a specific framework: sacred geometry, Ogham script and the totem animals as understood within druidic tradition. The sequence and placement of the animals reflect that framework rather than an arbitrary arrangement.