Totem Guardians Oracle

Totem Guardians Oracle - 42 cards with animal guides and human figures

Oracle cards about animals are common enough. Cards where human and animal merge into a single image are rarer. Tanya Bond draws shapeshifters: figures that are both human and animal, where the boundary between the two blurs into a hybrid form.

The Totem Guardians Oracle consists of 42 cards, each featuring a different animal guide. Some are natural (wolf, raven, deer), others mythical (dragon, phoenix, unicorn). The figures look directly at the viewer.

What you see on the cards

Bond's style is both dreamlike and graphic. Human figures wear feathers, horns, scale armour or fur cloaks. The body language is often static, the face soft, the eyes large and searching.

The colours are saturated but not harsh: deep blue, gold, purple, green, with the occasional striking red or pink. Many cards contain a full moon, stars or flowers. The background usually stays flat, which keeps the focus on the figure.

There is no text on the cards themselves, only the name of the guide at the bottom. That makes them visually calm, but it does mean you need the guidebook if you want to read the meaning.

The 60-page guidebook

The texts are brief. For each card you get a description of the animal's symbolism and what that energy might mean in your life. The tone is encouraging, sometimes a bit general, but usable as a starting point.

There are no spreads, just a short explanation of how you can use the cards. That fits the design: this is a deck for free, intuitive drawing.

Draw a card and leave it visible on your desk for a few hours. The gaze of the figure keeps the energy present without you having to look at it again.

Who this works for

This deck is designed for beginners and people who do not want to work with a fixed structure. No major arcana, no elements, no sequence. You draw a card and interpret what you see.

The imagery is accessible and the guidebook offers enough support that you will not get lost. At the same time there is room for your own associations, especially if you read the cards visually instead of just following the text.

About Tanya Bond

Tanya Bond is an Irish artist from the Midlands. She has been working professionally for over eleven years and her work sits in private collections worldwide. Her style revolves around emotion and imagination, with a preference for dreamlike characters living somewhere between reality and myth.

Specifications

• Number of cards: 42
• Card size: 83 x 133 mm
• Guidebook: 60 pages, English
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
• ISBN: 9781646711734
• Box dimensions: 95 x 146 mm
• Weight: 453 g
• Artist: Tanya Bond

Questions we often get

Is this a tarot deck or an oracle deck?
An oracle deck. There is no fixed structure as with tarot. Each card stands on its own and you use them however you wish.

Is there text on the cards or only in the guidebook?
On the cards there is only the name of the animal guide. For the meaning you need the guidebook, unless you work visually and give your own interpretation to what you see.