Working with Animal Love Oracle Cards

by Nadine Gordon-Taylor, creator of Animal Love Oracle Cards and The Heart Path Oracle Cards

Ever since I was a very young child I felt the calling of elemental life in my neighborhood. I would venture out alone to be with trees, rocks, animals, and all sorts of critters and beings. Although I lived in a suburban neighborhood, I was able to spend some quality time in the woods and mountains. And when I wasn’t able to do that, the elementals came to me. I grew up with a protective wolf in my window (although it did startle me at times) and my parents told me I was sharing this occurrence with them starting at about age three. So this is why I have such a strong connection to nature and the elements. I have been nourished and loved by Mother Nature and in return, I have focused on her wisdom and guidance. I am intrigued by all creatures and believe their way of living is an instructive model for us.

All life is woven together in some way or another. Since we share our real and perceived spaces with animals I invite them into my personal space on a regular basis. This allows these guides to connect with me by sharing their stories. I imagine having conversations with them and listen to what they say on an intuitive level. That is how the animals appeared in the Animal Love Oracle Cards. I also included the animal guides of others I have met and had conversations with along the way.

Most of the watercolor paintings of these beautiful creatures are looking you in the eyes because that is how they connect with you when you use the deck. Energy cords start forming the moment you select an animal card and focus on it. And if you continue a few more minutes, they will also connect with your heart as well. Just look deeply into the eyes of the deer, fox, or chimpanzee cards for example and register how you feel.

Keep staring at the image and feel its message. Often tears start forming. That is when you know they have touched your soul.

We all live together on planet Earth (Gaia, Aria, home, it matters not what you call her, let’s just say we live in the same neighborhood) and therefore have some role to play in each other’s lives. Just as you would listen to a neighbor sharing advice about what was going on, the animals in my deck are drawn to you because you have something to learn from them about what is going on in your life and environment.

How I Created the Images: Intuitive Art Techniques

The images that appear on the cards manifested from my connection with nature I mentioned earlier. I would paint a watercolor wash on some papers and think about the animals I would like to paint – or ask what animal wanted to come forth. As the paper dried I noticed shapes forming. When the paper was dry I would start painting and as I was doing this I would see that the image was already there and I never noticed it. An example of this is the chimpanzee card. If you look at the orange background of the chimp card you can see two eye sockets and a hairline forming behind him. I never painted this, it just formed this way as it dried.

In the penguin card, I used a monotype printmaking technique for the background. I randomly rolled ink out on a plate and then put paper over it and put it through a press. When I painted the bird on the right, I noticed afterward that there was a dreamlike body, head, and beak of a bird forming on the top left – and a small baby beak coming in from the lower right. Penguins live by the ocean and it looks like there are waves of water in the background and lower down. That just happened with the movement of the ink roller over random papers that I had to select from. This is similar to what happened with the snake card. I selected one of those printed papers for its color and movement and allowed the snake to guide me to the correct one. Once I painted its head I could see the red snake in the background, its swirling movement was from the roller.

Some of the papers I used came from unsuccessful attempts; the ink got stuck and ripped as I pulled some papers off the plate. I wanted to throw them away but something guided me not to. You can see examples of this in the dog (as splashing water), bear (as foliage in the background), and bat (as the motions of many bats pulling from the cave walls) cards! I had fun pressing my fingers into the ink being silly; this was never intended to be used for anything. But somehow this paper seemed to work as a perfect abstract turkey tail in the turkey card. Another technique was randomly throwing salt into some of the watercolor washes. You can see this illustrated in the background of the hippopotamus card (it looked like moving spraying water) and cat card (looked like grass or green growth on steps going towards a building).

How to Use This Deck: Manifesting Your Animal Guide

There is no one way to use a divination tool and the same goes for Animal Love. You always get the animal card you are supposed to. Let me repeat that: you always get the card your higher self has picked for you! You can do any ritual you want (stand on your head if you like), but no matter what you do, there will always be a very important message for you.

A woman once came into my shop with her husband (for the first time) and they were talking about my art before they visited. They had seen one of my pieces hanging on a wall next door and she thought that image related very much to her business. Unbeknownst to her, her husband was secretly planning on buying her that piece. When she came in she looked around and asked if she could pull a card from the deck on the table and of course I said yes. She sat down and started shuffling and one card flew out up into the air and fell to the floor. She picked it up and they both gasped because it was the one they were just talking about. It was then that he told her that he was secretly planning on buying her the original framed painting they had seen next door for her new business! 

I truly believe that the card you select will have a multilayered message for you – the obvious synchronicity that one notices, the deeper emotional meaning that you feel, and then there is the unconscious meaning that you have to dig down deep to receive. As with any deck, there are standard ways we are taught to pull cards and then there are the totally intuitive techniques that we create as we evolve. I play around with different methods. You don’t have to, but what I like to do first is bond with the deck in some manner – let it become part of your energy field. Or connect to it in any way that comes to you. See energy cords forming from you to the cards - or your higher self - then you can shuffle the cards.  And if possible give yourself time. It’s not bad if you rush, you will just get more out of your time with the deck if you are being mindful and open. The most common and, I feel, effective way to use this deck is the One-Card Pull, especially if you are busy. Or you can select a card in the morning, run to work thinking about it, and focus on it when you come home after. Here is an example:

One-Card Pull – Otter

Look at the card with the two otters for a minute or two before reading the message below. You can read the words on the card but let yourself intuit your own message before going any further. Listen to your thoughts and feelings. Does this card make you happy, sad, or giggle? Why? Feel into your body. Explore your emotions and see where they take you. Write down any poignant reactions. No thought is too trivial. Save and create your personal affirmations from these thoughts. Then look at the message below (from the book included with the card deck) and read and reread anything that stands out for you:

Otter

Laughter, Playful, and Protective Energy

Your Message

The card you have selected shows two affectionate otters. Otters are creatures of water; they are therefore symbolically linked to the feminine, creativity, cleansing, and healing. They are unorthodox creatures endowed with brilliant imaginations. The otters’ way of looking at life’s challenges is unconventional, but always genius. Their ideas are not always appreciated at first, but when looked at more closely are acknowledged for their originality and uniqueness. Otters have found a way to let the universe’s untapped energy source flow through them. Allow them to do the same for you. Let the clever otter guide you to wonderful inner treasures and hidden talents. Consider giving birth to a new direction, business, project, and/or lifestyle. Be adventurous and fearless, and don’t worry how it looks to others. Change the status quo; it is already obsolete. Follow your internal guidance system and know the more fun the better. Friends and relatives often romp around together, and when they are done they hang out and relax. How close are you to your family? Surprise them with an unexpected visit or randomly bring home a take-out gourmet dinner. Bond with people who have the same positive interests as you do. Consider projects that bring beauty, enjoyment, and knowledge to others.

The fun-loving otters are here to remind you that no matter how serious something is, it can always be helped by joking around. Humor and laughter are healing medicine for the heart. A really good belly laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. It also boosts the immune system increasing infection-fighting antibodies and decreases stress hormones. How many times a day do you laugh? Increase it! Surround yourself with positive energy. Only listen to songs that focus on happy, cheerful lyrics and melodies. If the otter has swum into your life it is telling you to connect with your inner, playful child. Be flexible, go with life’s currents, and enjoy the ride – but only take what’s necessary! The otters want you to know that you are not alone. Whatever you go through, we all go through. Swim with the otters and experience eternity in a great big hug.

Affirmations

I am always available to help my family, friends, and planet.

I approach everything I do with an attitude of fun, playfulness, and joy.

I confront any challenging issues in my life with courage, determination, and tenacity.

Do you resonate with certain words? Do you feel them in your body? Are insights bubbling up from stored information in your cells/DNA? If you have access to a printer print this post and underline those words and phrases and write notes on the pages. Create affirmations from the underlined words. Or copy the words down and make sentences from them.

When working with the Animal Love Oracle Cards, whichever card you pull, it will have information you are supposed to hear. The question is how much do you want to hear it – and are you ready and willing to take the next emotional/spiritual steps for your growth? The affirmations at the end of each card are meant to be repeated until you feel they are integrated into your memory.

Here are some other ways to work with the Animal Love Oracle Cards:

* The One-Card Pull with One and/or Two Clarifier Cards

* The Past Present Future Pull (with or without clarifiers)

* The Past Present Future and Outcome Pull (with or without clarifiers)

* The Celtic Cross (this reading needs a sincere time commitment)

* A Two-Card Spread with Clarifiers (reading two people at the same time – and their connections).

* Intentional Pull (where you look at the front of the cards face on, and select the card(s) you feel you want to read. This can be based on beauty, love of a specific animal, or just intuition).

You have much more power and control in your life than you appreciate. And the Animal Love Oracle Cards were created to help you come to that realization. Imagine that you get to wear any pair of eyeglasses you choose, every day of your life. Eyeglasses symbolically represent feelings about yourself and how you look and the world looks to you. They help you to see more clearly – to see that which is right in front of you. They are about paying attention to your inner as well as outer worlds. What glasses do you want to wear? You can choose any size and style. You can change the color of the lens from blue, to pink, to green anytime you want. Which pair do you want to put on today, right now? How do you want to see your life? The Animal Love Oracle Cards are your glasses helping you to a fresh new vision of your life. Pick a card every day and experience new insights and epiphanies. The animals you select are energetically here with you. They are holding you in their divine hearts. Let them into yours and love them right back!  Mother Earth will forever be so grateful. P.S. Send me pics wearing your new glasses! https://www.facebook.com/thirdeyearts62/