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Written By: Angi Sullins
Art by: Evaboneva
Publisher: U.S. Games Systems
Number of cards: 45
Card size: 5 in x 3 in
Box size: 6.5 x 4.5 x 1.75 in
Guidebook pages: 112
Purchased or gifted?: Review copy gifted from U.S. Games Systems

Absolute favorite card: Bring on the Hagitude and Be Yourself
Other favorites: Allow anger, communion, laughter heals, intentional stillness, guard the nesting ground, focus, navigate with flow, get untangled, cultivate story, beware the happy toxins, embrace effortlessness, bloom in the mud.
Notable detail: dark grey gilded edges
Season: none (see bottom of page)
Sabbat: none (see bottom of page)
Sign: Aquarius
Tarot Deck compliment: Ostara Tarot

A *look at my favorite cards from the deck*

First Impressions: My first thought is that this deck is so weird and I absolutely love it!! I love the creatures and how they are odd, even at times a bit disturbing (but not in the way you might imagine) and yet so beautiful. And I believe that is the true essence of these cards; there is beauty in all things, experiences, and especially feelings. Perhaps you have to dig deeper to find the light; it won’t always be apparent especially if it’s covered in darkness but there is light in everything you will ever face if you’re willing to look for it. When I say weird, it’s only because it’s different from what is considered “normal.” But imagine if we all looked like the creatures in this deck. That would then be normal. Its all about perspective and I rather suspect that is the deepest healing potential of all; there is no such thing as normal.

When I say disturbing, I mean it more like it unsettles a part of your soul or psyche. Certain cards felt like they were an alarm clock for the parts of my spirit I may not have wanted to deal with right now. Not even things like anger or sadness but themes such as self-worth and self-kindness. Things like that can be just as hard to face at times. I often say, negative self-talk is the ego bullying the spirit and I’m not sure many of us really want to have to confront that, even if it is in the name of self-care. But I get the sense you can’t not do the work of self-love when using this deck.

As usual, let’s start with packaging. I am so happy with the packaging I’m seeing coming out of U.S. Games Systems. The box is lovely with a magnetic closure. It’s very similar to Llewellyn’s tarot boxes but smaller. Inside, you’ll find a nice space to hold the cards along with a ribbon to make it easier to pull them out. Something I found interesting is the little muslin baggy. It’s an alternative if you don’t want to keep your cards in the box. I personally do not keep my cards in bags if I can help it but I really appreciated that little bit of extra something and I think its a nice touch if you are someone who likes to keep your cards in bags.

Perhaps my favorite detail is the dark grey gilded edges. It’s such an unusual color which really supports the theme of the deck. It could have been something “prettier” like a red or green but the design team chose grey and I love that. I may be biased since grey and beige are my favorite colors but putting that aside, I think it was a great branding choice. I really think it fits the mood and tone of the deck and I find myself smiling just a little, every time I see it.

The guidebook is full color gorgeousness. There are big, juicy images of the cards and in fact, the images in the guidebook are just ever so slightly smaller than the cards themselves. So you’ll have no trouble finding the card you’re looking for but don’t worry, they are numbered. I know that seems like the norm but I recently bought a deck that isn’t numbered or alphabetized so it’s kind of challenging to find the card’s meaning. I’m sharing that review in March. Anyway, back to this, you’ll find endearing poems spread throughout the book as well as additional wild things.

“The Wildling realm is short on rules.”

Sadly though, there are no spreads and I find myself a bit disappointed. I would’ve loved a unique spread with questions from the perspective of one or more of the wild things. I love looking at spreads in a guidebook. I think it’s a great way for the author to share a deeper insight into some of the questions they might be asking themselves while writing the deck. And Angi is such a brilliant writer. I know she would’ve created some truly magical and inspirational spreads. I would have LOVED to have a Bring on the Hagitude spread or perhaps Invite Your Monster To Tea. But I do appreciate the section ‘How to Use This Deck.” You’ll find this in almost every guidebook but I especially loved some of the questions and statements found here:

“Does a fairy’s face remind you of your 11th grade art teacher?”

“Should you be inclined, use the cards to wallpaper your kitchen ‘til it looks like a portrait gallery from magical Other-where.”

“Above all, remember that your own wildish nature knows way more than I do.”

That last one is especially juicy because she’s right. At the end of the day, this will be a personal journey with your deck and she will never be able to fully know how your relationship and intuition will unfold. My favorite line of the entire book is: “The text in this guidebook is my way to channel stories both little and big from the realm to the wildings.” Perhaps a nod to All Creatures Great and Small? If you haven’t seen the remake, I highly suggest your check it out. The 70s version isn’t too bad either but some of my favorite British actors are in the new one.

My favorite cards are a toss up between Be Yourself and Bring on the Hagitude. I resonated with Be Yourself so much. This little mushroom fairy creature seems so sweet and gentle yet, odd. And it really made me emotional to sit with this card. Because being myself, especially online, is something I really struggle with. I am my own brand of weird and to be a little vulnerable with you, I’m always worried about being judged. I’m always anxious someone won’t like my photos or my book or one of my decks. Or someone will say something if I show my face online. And then seeing this little creature who is unapologetically different, really encouraged me to be more free and authentic with myself and how I present myself to the world. This card is probably one of the bigger reasons why I’ve started to share more personal stories in these reviews. Continued below…

Purchase Wisdom of the Wild Things

Bring On the Hagitude (Baba Yaga) always makes me laugh because my mom Cynthia, and I have this phrase: “Cynthiatude.” My mom is a no nonsense sort of woman and I have literally seen her all but mow people down. She always says I need to speak up for myself more and then she’ll say “You need to get your Cynthiatude” so that I can channel her “you can F right off attitude,” in other words Cynthiatude. And that’s pretty much the message of this card. In fact the entry says “do no harm but take no bullshit.”

It’s a beautiful deck and as is the case with all of my favorites, I could talk about this one for hours and my favorite cards will probably change every time I bring it out. Working with it has been such a roller coaster of emotions. I have actually cried from pulling some of the cards. Angi does such a great job of posing questions which challenge everything you think you know about yourself and how to live. This deck really pushes you to be your truest self in every way possible. During my interview with the deck, I was told working with Wisdom of the Wild Things is going to be a journey of finding my worth and reframing my narrative. That was my personal reading but I do believe that is what you will find as well. I truly believe this is the deck of the Age of Aquarius, at the very least one of them.

“You think your know who you are, but thinking is highly overrated.”

Season, Sign and Sabbat

I didn’t choose a season or sabbat for this deck intentionally. This whole deck feels like it exists on the outside; outside what you know to be true, the rules of nature as we know it, and everything else. It’s its own world that I imagine has a different set of seasonal rules. In my mind, I’m already thinking of what the seasons could be if they were different names. What if spring was named heather and summer became jasper? What if autumn rained diamonds like what is believed to happen on Neptune and Uranus? Or rain and snow flowed upward from the ground to the sky but only in winter? It’s kind of fun to let my mind drift to whatever is in my imagination.

Which is why I choose Aquarius for the zodiac sign. Aquarius is known as the eccentric, the rebel and the visionary. They often see things from a completely different perspective and tend to wave their own brand of weirdo. They can also be unpredictable and unagreeable. I should know, my mother is an Aquarius and I see this sign so clearly in this deck just like I saw her so clearly in it too. And how appropriate is it that this deck came out just as Pluto shifted into Aquarius, ushering in the Age of Aquarius. In fact, it released just the day before the shift. I don’t really believe in coincidences so, I believe this deck arrived just at the right time.

Who is this deck for?

I think this deck is for you if you’re not afraid to embrace your weirdness. Your “otherness.” This is a great deck for unlocking your self-worth. I had a publisher (not my own) tell me that no one cares about self-worth and I think that is absolute bullshit. Everyone cares but so few know how to find it. And this deck feels like a great place to start if you’re dealing with your own battle of self-worth or feelings of shame, resentment or sadness. If that is the case, please give this one a try.

Tarot Deck Companion

I chose Ostara tarot because the images felt very similar. I even checked to see if Evaboneva was one of the illustrators for Ostara tarot but to my surprise, she was not. To be honest, that’s not my favorite deck. I don’t think it has anything to do with Ostara and I’ve often found myself looking for a connection of any kind to Ostara and have found none, at least from my perspective. But seeing it with Wisdom of the Wild Things is slowly changing my opinion (not about Ostara but the deck as a whole). They are a great aesthetic match and while I don’t think Ostara Tarot has the same depth, I do feel like it can hang in there all the same.

Thanks for reading all the way through. If you found this review to be helpful, informative or entertaining in any way, please be sure to leave a comment down below. It really helps me know what you’re enjoying so that I can provide more content based on what you love.

And of course, if there is something you’d like me to consider reviewing, please comment below or email me at hello@spiritelement.co