Deck Review: The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck

In this episode, I will be giving you my honest thoughts on the The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck. I will provide a look at its elemental structure, intuitive strengths, and shortcomings. I will also discuss the production quality, availability, and how to build a lasting relationship with the cards that focus on your wild intuition.

Main themes in the episode:
•the animals from the different suits 
• strengths in artistry, intuition building, and using this oracle deck for yourself or others
• weaknesses in this deck, and why the Spirit suit’s three eggs underwhelm 
• practical ways to layer ecology and apex–prey dynamics 
• guidebook strengths, cardstock feel, and packaging updates 
• who this deck is best for and how to learn it 

Rating (Out of 5):

• Card image/artistry: 5
• Guidebook: 3
• Card stock: 4
• Packaging: 4
• User/Beginner Friendly: 4
• Availability: 4
• Overall rating: 4

Links:

Blog Review

Google Sheet Review List and Quick Notes

Amazon Link (not an affiliate code)

Want to get a reading with this and see which animal comes forward for you? Click here

Form: Let me know if you like the format here, or if you would like it better on YouTube

Background track is Wild Flowers by Northside

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Episode Setup
• 2:05 Show Format Changes And YouTube Plans
• 3:32 Why This Deck Matters To Me
• 5:34 Elements And Intuitive Structure
• 7:14 Earth Animals And Diversity
• 9:21 Water Animals And Emotional Depth
• 11:47 Fire Animals And Transformation
• 13:23 Air Animals And Conscious Progression
• 15:47 Spirit Suit And Chakra Debate
• 19:28 Buying Options And Production Notes
• 21:58 Guidebook Strengths And Limits
• 23:50 Who This Deck Is For
• 26:29 Ratings And Final Verdict
• 28:08 Gratitude And Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:46

Hello, and thank you for tuning in to the Wolfchild Magic Podcast. My name is Ashley, your tarot reader, Rocky Mountain Witch, and overall Wolf Child. And I thank you for being here with me today. In today's episode, I am going to be giving you a review of an Oracle deck that I use a lot. I've also been going through and breaking down each card on my blog. That is, of course, the Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck. So this was the second deck that Kim Cranz created after the now infamous and iconic The Wild Unknown Tarot. Before we get into this episode, I just want to say that right now I am looking at my scheduling of the podcast and I'm looking to make some changes. Specifically adding a third episode into my schedule because at the beginning of the month, I do my tarot deep dive with you. At the end of the month is where I talk about whatever I want to talk about. If I want to start bringing these decks and these reviews to you in a more consistent format, then I need to either do something like every other month for my free episode, or just start bringing you a third episode, which is what I'm thinking of doing right now. This is gonna be a trial run because I may eventually move my reviews and all of my content, maybe even the podcast itself, over to YouTube. I have not made that decision yet. Again, like I said, I'm kind of toying around with some of these ideas, but I've also been thinking about bringing in some more stuff on YouTube like makeup products for glam magic, like sitting down with you and reviewing some movies or some music that kind of ties into some of these themes that we talk about. So I'm gonna try this here because I have been doing the podcast for years. I don't want to just give it up, but I will say I do have a form in the show notes. It is anonymous. If you would like to let me know your thoughts, if you want to just move over to YouTube with me, you're done with the podcast, let me know that. I want to hear your thoughts. And as always, if you like this episode or any episode I have put out, please give this podcast a review. It is the best way for this podcast to grow. Thank you so much. The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck is the second Oracle deck that I have ever received and worked with. The first one was the Oracle of the Dragon Fae. I have already done my review on that, and you can find the Google spreadsheet with my thoughts on that. I have just realized that I need Google Spreadsheets and my Evernote app more than anything because it just helps keep my brain in order. The less organized I am, the more frantic I get, and the worse the content I create becomes because I'm trying to like hold everything together, but I'm really falling apart at the seams. Organization helps me do that. So you can click that and you can see my ongoing notes. But this is a deck that I really love, and we're gonna talk about it today. This deck was created in 2017, and I received this deck as a Christmas present either 2017 or 2018, but I do believe it was 2017. It was right around the time that this deck came out. This deck was, of course, as I just said, the follow-up to her iconic tarot deck. And there are 63 cards in this deck, so it's a good size oracle deck. Most of the animals in here are truly wild, untamed, not domesticated. There are a few exceptions though, like the horse and the lamb have some domestication components, but they still have some wild attributes as well, also some historical attributes, which you are more than encouraged to bring forward in your readings. Because as Kim Cran starts to lay out in the guidebook that she wants you to take this deck and read it as intuitively as possible, and we will get into that. This deck is divided into five groups based on the elements. So we have earth, air, fire, water, and then either ether or spirit. There is also no numerological association with these cards. If you look at the images from the blog, which is listed in the show notes, you will see that there is no numbering on these cards, and that is by design. Kim Cranz wanted you to read these cards intuitively, like what is your connection to the lamb or the shark or the swan. But the way that she chose each animal for each grouping and the progression from one animal to the next in those groupings is not just random either. The way that she chose these is that it's all based on the level of consciousness that is built upon with these animals. So, for example, in the earth element, which I think highlights this the best, we have at the very beginning the moth, which is very beautiful and endearing, but hasty and impulsive, and they're quickly distracted by shiny flames. Whereas the eagle is true mastery, true foresight, this ability to see and act with leadership and with wisdom and with control. So you do not have to bring in the progression of these animals, that level of consciousness. You can just pull the cards forward and read them like that, and that is totally fine. But it is there if you want to bring that layer and that nuance into your readings. Looking at our first grouping of animals, which is animals of the fields and the forest, we have the animals of our earth element. And these animals all approach and invite us to consider how we engage and move and act based on our fears or habits. These cards speak to our instincts and our actions. Very similar to the pentacles and the tarot, these animals start the conversation of what are we doing to manifest what we want and what we need in our lives? Are we living in alignment from our emotions or our thoughts into our actions? The picture on the blog of this grouping shows these animals all laid out on my table. And I will say this is the grouping that is the most diverse. The mouse, the raccoon, the snake, the spider all have very dark backgrounds, while the fox has a very powdery yellow background. There's green in the deer and the lamb. So we have a lot of diversity with this grouping of animals. And on one hand, I will say that that could lend to some struggle to read these animals because they don't really seem to be cohesive with the way that they are drawn and illustrated. However, on the flip side, this could show that any ecosystem, whether it's physical or metaphorical, is aided and is better suited because of diversity. Physical ecosystems need diversity for the food web and for the flora and the fauna to survive in harmony. Even if that harmony is bloody and it's kind of that red and tooth and claw type of feel, we need diversity. It is the same thing with our metaphorical ecosystems and like groups of people. We are better when we have diversity in thought, in emotion, and culture, and background in all ways. So maybe this diversity here within the artistic choices that Kim Cranz has made is to highlight that diversity even more. Our next group of animals are our creatures of the water element from the oceans, rivers, and lakes. These creatures represent our emotional world and our ability to express. This is from the guidebook. These cards point to relationships, love, boundaries, and creativity, our flow, if you will. Water creatures are often drawn to the arts as they have a natural inclination towards beauty and depth. I think it's also interesting though that some of the creatures in this element still have a bridge to the earth element. Creatures like the beaver, the turtle, the frog, the otter, and the swan all represent this bridge between emotions and the water and the groundedness of Earth as well, which is something that we need in our lives, in our intuitive practices. We need to have a grounded and rooted sense of stability and foundation that allows us to go into those depths. So it's helpful to start to see how the elements can kind of build on each other and again bring more nuance to your readings. One of the other things to note when reading with this deck, and you will see this in the photos on my blog, the images are very straightforward. There is some flair with the coloration, and there's a few pieces of intentional symbolism. So, for example, the dolphin is the only card in this group that has such a vibrant color to it, which does lend itself to the dolphin spirit and how to read it when it comes forward. But the images are not scenic. There's no scenery, there's no big image, it's just these animals. Some people may not like that because it doesn't give a lot of other elements or imagery to add to a reading. Some people may really like that because then it's just reading from your understanding of these cards in the wild. Again, the choice is up to you, but that is just something to keep in mind. The other thing is that the animals in this group have a very dark coloring, again, other than our beautiful dolphin. I think this makes sense though, because the cards speak to that depth, to those emotions, that heart space, and that very deep intuition that we have. So it's gonna have a little bit more of a black and dark vibe to it. So I think that this makes perfect sense, and I do like it. Our next grouping is the fire element animals, and these are creatures of the deserts, the grasslands, the savannas. And it says in the guidebook, the creatures of the fire element lead us towards change. They represent the ego and challenge us to become our best selves. Although these cards appear more frequently when in conflict or discomfort, the heat they emit is the elixir of our transformation. This is the group that is the most cohesive to me. If you look at the image, you can just tell that these animals belong together. They all have the same color palette with the black, the white, and then the yellows, the oranges, and the reds. We have that tiny hint of blue with the camel, but other than that, everything with these animals makes sense together. One of the other things here that I love that Kim Cranz did was the way she played upon the background. There's those horizontal lines with some of the animal, which speaks to expansion, kind of a horizon type of symbolism. The circle and the spirals speak to harmony, continuation, and movement, and we have that with a few as well. And even the moon appears three times in this grouping. We have it with the hyena, the camel, and the tiger. And this emphasizes how a spiritual transformation is connected to cycles, transition, transitions, reflections, and the wild night. Our second to last group is our creatures of the sky and the air element. From the guidebook, it says the creatures of the air element move quickly and decisively. They are known to quote unquote see more than others, and this can lead to powerful and discerning qualities. Air creatures love movement and mobility, but the speed at which they move often leaves them ungrounded. As I said before, this is the grouping that I think highlights that non-numerical position the best, because again, we have the moth at the very beginning, which is a beautiful creature, but again, they're hasty, they're impulsive, they're easily distracted. The eagle as the end card is our great seer and watcher of the sky. The eagle speaks to that sense of transforming your karma and creating mastery. When we are working with this deck, because it is so straightforward, I think the numerical kind of consciousness-raising progression can be helpful. But again, it's not something you need. But if you want to bring it in, I would start with the air element because I think that this is where it makes the most sense. I really love the creatures that she chose for these different groupings. We still have one more to go, but I want to just speak on this quickly that I really love the way she chose these creatures. And even with like the earth element where there may be a sense of feeling disjointed, I think that the animals are wonderful to work with. I think our water element cards all flow together and it helps to have that kind of bridge back to the earth element. I will say I think the star of the show in these first four is the fire element. Again, you'll look at the blog post and just see it, and maybe you'll disagree with me. I don't know, but to me, these just make the most sense together. And then our air element really highlights that progression building. So again, there's just so much to work with with these first four groupings or these first four suits. With the spirit element, creatures of the ether, it says that these elements, or I'm sorry, these creatures of this element do not live on Earth as we know it. They are inhabitants of a dimension beyond, the cosmic ether. These seven trump cards represent significant challenges or awakenings on the subtle level, the level of the inner spirit or soul. Like guardians from another realm, they are watchful and protective when we are at a crossroad in our lives. These seven cards relate to the seven chakras, which represents again that consciousness raising, but here it's happening within us, it's not being represented in these other animals. Because these creatures are mythical and they are in the space of spirit. Kim Kranz has chosen mythical creatures to represent these seven Trump cards that also relate to the chakras. That all sounds great and amazing, but I have to be honest here and say that I actually have a few issues with these seven cards. And the first issue that I have is that we have seven cards in this suit. And these are kind of meant to be the Trump cards. So that's again great. But out of these seven cards, which are meant to be mythical creatures where there's so many options, we have three eggs. So these cards, these seven cards that relate to the chakras, are the phoenix at the root chakra, sea serpent at sacral chakra, dragon at solar plexus, golden egg at heart chakra, black egg at throat chakra, unicorn at third eye, and then cosmic egg at crown chakra. It's such a letdown. I mean, I hate to say that because I love Kim Crans's creations, I love her books, I love everything she does, but I'm gonna be honest, I have to be honest, it's a review, and these three eggs just leave so much to be desired. So many options we could have done with mythical creatures, and I can understand the cosmic egg a little bit because at the crown chakra, we kind of transcend all creatures and we come into sacred geometry, of which the egg is one of the most prominent. So I can understand that one a little bit. Another issue I have with these cards is that I would have never known that the golden egg and the black egg were meant to be references to the heart and the throat chakra. Once you read the guidebook, it makes sense that like the black egg is the shape of an open mouth. But again, with the other cards, I can kind of intuitively understand or perceive the connections, like the unicorn at the third eye or the dragon at the solar plex. Some of that just kind of already makes sense. Whereas these I would have never known that, and so then I'm having to really lean into the guidebook to use Kim Cranz's words, which I mean I guess it's great that it's there, but I just am someone who really tries to form intuitive relationships, and that was just a very clear stop sign for me. I did not know that that was the correlation. Again, there were just so many good options. Like if it was me, if this was my deck, and it's not, and Kim Kranz doesn't give a fuck what I say, but like if it was me, I might have put a Selkie at the heart chakra or a Sphinx at the throat chakra. Some of these really cool mythological references that again kind of make sense. We know some of the stories of the Sphinx's riddle, and therefore it could be a relation to when are we speaking in riddles because we're trying to hide our inner truth. You know what I mean? I'm just I'm just throwing it out there because I just want more than three eggs in a suit with seven cards, and they're all mythical creatures, just so underwhelming. So let's finish and talk about the deck itself, like the production quality of this deck. First thing, her website is linked in the show notes, but just to be aware that if you were to go and click on purchase this deck, it does take you to Amazon. I believe that we should be leaving Amazon out of our witchcraft, our divination, and our practices as much as possible. So you may try another place like maybe Barnes Noble. I know that's another big corporation. I mean, obviously, the best place is to go into your local metaphysical store and see if they carry it. But if you want to buy it online, you're most likely gonna be having to go through some of these companies. So maybe try a place like Barnes Noble first because through her website it links all of it to Amazon. I do still have it linked, and you know, sometimes that's just the way it is if you do want to buy it online. But um, I don't love that this is the option that we get based on her website. But maybe there's something with the publisher, I don't know. I don't obviously know any of those details. What I can tell you is that the dimensions now, um, which on my blog are 5.1 inches by 2.5 by 7.7. I believe this is including the big box that everything comes in. So on Amazon you'll see the picture, but it's this huge box, and then it has the smaller box that like I have with the holographic kind of coloring and the dragon's eye, and then it has the guidebook. So I believe that those dimensions are with the box itself. There's no way that that's relating to the cards. And I was just looking because I said before I didn't know about the publishing, and I was looking at my guidebook, and it says here that it was self-published by the Wild Unknown in 2016. And then if you go to the Amazon listing of this deck, it's published by Harper One. So probably what happened is that after the independent publishing, the self-publishing of Kim and the Wild Unknown company with this deck, Harper1 wanted to pick it up, and so then they did, and they probably run it through Amazon, and it's now been kind of upgraded, which is nice. I can tell you that I wish my deck came in this really big box because my guidebook has been absolutely beat to shit. Because there's no protective box for it, it's just really taken a beating. I will say I am also someone who loves to keep all of my decks in their boxes just because I think it looks aesthetically pleasing on my shelf. I don't take them out and put them in like the drawstring bags, so I like a box. And while it does come in a box for the cards, obviously I wish it was all in a box together. So that is an incredibly nice touch. Also, it's kind of hard to tell because these pictures are professionally done, but it looks like the finish might have changed on these cards a little bit. Whereas mine is that very soft matte finish, which I love. These look to have a little bit more of a high shine. Is that going to affect the review or my opinion of if you should purchase this deck or not? Of course not. That's just a little something maybe to just keep in mind if you are someone like me who just looks at all those little details. The guidebook is nice. It comes in this nice little um big book, black and white. It has the handwritten type font that we now have come to expect, which makes all of her decks just have that unpolished feel, and I love that. It's the wild unknown after all. The information included in the guidebook is pretty good too. I really do love the sections on like natural selection, going into the suits. She also includes in some other nuances on top of the numerological association that I mentioned, like if you have a whole bunch of apex predators or a whole bunch of prey, if you have one apex predator in your reading, all of these little things, like bringing in the food map, is another way to just elevate your readings, and you'll get used to that the more you use this deck and the more you look at the guidebook. She also then includes information on each and every card. Some of the writing is not my personal favorite. I will say that her guidebooks have gotten much better though. So, my final thoughts. The short answer is yes. The long answer is yes, especially if you like an animal or a nature deck that is more straightforward, but also kind of challenges you to create more of an intuitive connection. All of Kranz's decks have become my go-to decks, really. I love working with them. And I think the reason for that is because this deck, just like all of her decks, take time to understand and get comfortable for easy readings. So if you are someone who just wants a more immediate connection or a more immediate from, you know, pulling out the cards, seeing them to having some easy readings, this may not be the deck for you because those images are so straightforward and there are those nuances that we've already discussed. For me, I do not mind that because I like forming those bonds with my decks, and it's not even just because I'm a reader professionally, it's the fact that for me, oracle cards and tarot cards were my intro into my magic, and so because I learned to be patient back in the day, I still hold that same reverence for being a student of the deck, and that is what all of her decks provide. All of her decks provide layers and nuance and depth, and I feel that because of that, once you start to really learn and understand this deck from an intuitive perspective, your readings are just going to absolutely soar. So if you've purchased this and it's just sitting on yourself, don't give up on it. Like pull it back out, do some daily polls with it, do some journal prompts with it, really see how you can incorporate this deck back into your practice. I think you will find that once you get on the other side of it with some of this stuff, you will find that it's just an amazing deck. This is also one I love to read with at Markets and Fairs because whereas some of her other decks, like the Alchemy one, is definitely the most out there because it's all alchemical concepts, so you pull a card like wise salt. What the fuck does that mean? But everyone knows and has an understanding of the symbolism of the horse from the collective unconscious. So this is an easy one too to read with clients because they immediately start to form those connections in their mind, and it's helpful. I've even had clients that have said that they've remembered the animals that they pulled from our last reading, which could have been months ago. So it's a helpful anchor for people who have no idea what these tools are, but they know what a horse is, they know what an otter is. So now let's go into my readings. So this is all out of five. For card image and artistry, I give it a five. You cannot beat Kim Cranz's wonderful artwork. It's my favorite. It is my ride or die, my desert island artwork. I just I love working with her decks for the artwork itself. The guidebook, again, out of five, I give a three. It's pretty solid. It has some stuff that I don't love in it, but it has other things that I really do like. So it gets a three. The cardstock gets a four because it is that nice thick cardstock that keeps it shuffles well. I hope that the soft matte finish has stayed. I like a soft matte finish better, it just photographs better. I feel like sometimes it shuffles a little bit better. The only downside is that you can definitely see the dirt a little bit more, kind of the wear and tear, but I feel like that adds to its charm. It shows that it's a love deck. So for me, I personally don't mind that. But overall card stock and just the way that the cards are, I give a four. Packaging, I was gonna give a three, but I have bumped up to a four because now you get it all in the big box that comes together. Again, I think that's good. User-friendly or beginner friendly, I am gonna give it a three because I think that there is definitely a way to build this deck to work with this deck. You may just have to take some time with it, but as I said, you will be very rewarded for the patience that you put into a deck. Finally, we have availability, and I have given this a four. While I do not love that when you go to her website and you click on any of her products, you do get redirected to Amazon. There are ways around that. This is a modern deck, her decks are not going anywhere. So you can ask your local metaphysical store. You can see if, you know, other websites carry it. If you want to support, you know, again, a big corporation, but one that isn't Amazon, you can look at a place like Barnes Noble. So there are many places to find this deck and to get it in a way where we're hopefully supporting more local independent bookstores and not the big conglomerates, but we can find ways around that. So I have given it a four for that reason. So that means that this deck gets an overall rating of four out of five, and that perfectly aligns with what I feel for this deck. I think it's one that if you love nature, if you love animals, this is definitely one you should have in your collection. Thank you so much for listening to me today, dear listener. And before we go, I of course want to thank my patrons. Deb Guy, Bobby McDermott, Lisa Zimmerman, Nicole Smith, Tracy Lanham, Kim Hardnett, Chris Ree, Miranda Snow, Colleen Toy, Charlie Ruggles, Shannon Konendike, Makai Rose, and Danica Favorite. Thank you all so much for your support in me and in Wolf Child Magic. And until next time, dear listener, take care.