One day a month ago, I was browsing Amazon for oracle decks (not that I need any more), and I stumbled across this gem: the Wild Woman Oracle by Cheyenne Zarate. I read Women Who Run with the Wolves by Dr. Estes in 2020 and felt a deep calling in my soul, so I was thrilled to find that someone had made some oracle cards based upon much of Dr. E’s work!
I immediately pre-ordered it as a birthday present to myself! It was scheduled to be released around October 1st, but it came early and I wanted to post about it right away. Keep reading for my review and thoughts on Cheyenne Zarate’s Wild Woman Oracle (and be on the lookout for my corresponding YouTube video!)
*I always try to give an unbiased and objective review as possible to help you determine if this is a good product for you.
What are Oracle Cards?
Oracle cards are a spiritual tool that you can use for self-reflection, journaling, shadow work, and even reading potential futures. They are similar to tarot, but are often considered tarot’s less scary, little sister. They tend to be more neutral to positive.
While tarot is also fairly structured, oracle cards are widely varied and can be vastly different from other decks. There are endless possibilities with oracle decks.
What is the Wild Woman Oracle Deck?
The Wild Woman Oracle Deck was created by artist Cheyenne Zarate. Cheyenne uses pen and ink to create her artwork in a sketch style.
This Wild Woman deck is geared toward helping women discover the divine feminine in themselves. It is inspired by my favorite book in the world: Women Who Run with the Wolves, by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes.
Each of the cards depict strong female archetypes and figures from folklore, mythology, or contemporary culture. With use of this deck, from the product description on Amazon:
“You will see how all your life experiences – especially the difficult, dark and uncertain ones – are alchemising into gold … into the invaluable wisdom, fierce self-respect and keen joie de vivre of the Wild Woman”
Unboxing the Wild Woman Oracle Deck
When I first took these cards out of their packaging, I immediately loved their fierce energy and stark design. They are simple in concept but I find the cards to be incredibly deep.
This is a pretty standard oracle card deck with a cardboard box, a booklet on top, and the cards underneath.
The Wild Woman Oracle card size measures approximately 3.5 by 5 inches while the box measures about 4 by 5.5 inches.
Check out my reviews of the Dream Weaver’s Oracle and the Clairvoyant Oracle (another very feminine deck).
Art, Card Quality & Sample Cards
I love the earthy feeling of Cheyenne’s sketches. They are refined and full of texture, but also quite raw.
The only thing that bothers me is that the bronze color of the background is much too dark for the ink sketches, and I don’t find that there is enough contrast. The highly texturized ink drawings are almost TOO detailed for this color background, and it would have been much better if they had just been printed on white or ivory color paper.
Each card has a number and title, as well as a keyword below. For example, card 26 is “Witching Hour Tea” which calls for introspection.
As far as card quality goes, these cards are top-notch. I usually prefer matte finish cards, which also tend to be thicker.
These cards are glossy, yet they DON’T STICK TOGETHER! This makes them great for shuffling and spreading out to intuitively read and pull a card. It also guarantees that you’re only pulling one card, and not multiples when you have a deck that sticks.
RELATED POST: Moonology Oracle Review
Wild Woman Oracle Deck Booklet
This is a deck that I love to read intuitively and visually. That said, the booklet is quite helpful and gives a lot of great information.
The Message is chock full of keywords and ideas that you can use for journaling or discussing in a women’s circle or women’s group.
Cheyenne also includes “Symbolism”: an interpretation of the visuals you see on the card.
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Top 20 Tarot Card Decks for Beginners
The Best Oracle Decks for Beginners
Spirituality of the Wild Woman Oracle Review and Impressions
Just getting a feel for the energy of these cards, I would say that they were created from the head/mind. Many people can tell whether the creator of a deck of oracle or tarot cards was created from the mind, heart, gut (sacral chakra, body center), or spirit.
For example, the Field Tarot was created by a woman when she was supposedly pregnant and you can tell that deck was created from a place of pure creation and intuition (gut). This deck does not feel that way at all. It feels very head-heavy.
That’s not to say that this is a bad thing at all! The book, Woman Who Runs with the Wolves, which served as the inspiration from this deck, also has a lot of intellectual characteristics, especially as it is a collection/preservation of stories before they were touched by Christianity/the patriarchy. There was a lot of intellect involved on the part of Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes.
I just think that if you are someone who acts from the heart or intuition a lot, you may struggle to connect with this deck.
RELATED POST: 40 Wild Woman Quotes for Feeling Wild and Free!
Witch or Wild Woman?
A witch is someone who practices magic. A wild woman is a woman tapped into her internal reservoir of power and wisdom.
While I am both, I imagine that there are those women who are not. And in an effort to be objective, this is something I must mention. There are specific mentions to witches in this that may be a turn-off for many woman who consider themselves a wild woman but do not practice magic.
If you’re thinking about getting the Wild Woman Oracle, this is something to consider.
RELATED POST: Affirmations for the Everyday Goddess Deck Review
Doing a Spread with the Wild Woman Oracle Card Deck
While many booklets suggest different or weird spreads that are unique to their deck, this oracle deck sticks to the basics.
They recommend a simpler spread like a 3-card “Past, Present, Future” spread.
Personally, I do find that with more niche card decks like this one (or the Wild Kuan Yin Oracle deck, or the Shaman’s Oracle deck) that simpler is MUCH better, and if you start getting too complicated, you actually start to detract from the meaning behind the cards, as well as detract from the amazing work that the writer has put into the booklet.
To get a feel for a 3-card spread, I did one for myself, past, present, future. Here’s what I drew:
- Past: Rise of the Inner Warrior
- Present: Voice of the Outcasts
- Future: Rewilding with Grandmother Moon
This is 100% spot on. In my past few years, which started with reading Women Who Run with the Wolves, I suddenly realized how judgmental I had been toward other women and started to stand in solidarity with them.
Currently, I am still working toward advocacy of equality and intersectional feminism. (My blog is the perfect example of this.)
It seems that my future may bring me back to simplicity and nature. I also find it very interesting that this card mentions Grandmother. My paternal grandmother passed away in 2020 and her spirit has been around me a lot recently. It makes me wonder if her spirit will be integral in this “rewilding” I will be going through!
After doing this spread, I looked at the top and bottom card of the deck, and on top was “Blessed Yule: Hope” and on bottom was “Medusa: Sacred Rage.”
This is INSANELY powerful to me. Because while you may think that hope and rage are quite opposite, I think that they are two sides of the same coin. They are both based in love, and there must be a balance in them in order to be a true wild woman.
RELATED POST: 15 Wild Woman Songs to Inspire Your Highest Self
Wild Woman Oracle Deck Review Conclusion
I give this deck 4.5 stars out of 5. I adore the messages and love the artwork! However, the lack of contrast between the black ink and the brown cards does bother me, and I do find this to be a little more witchy than “wild woman.”
Overall, without a doubt, these cards will be a significant and useful addition to my oracle card collection! If you love Dr. E’s work and appreciate witchy things, then this will be right up your alley!
Right on, Cheyenne! You rock!
Make sure you read Women Who Run with the Wolves and check out my lessons learned from this wonderful book.
MORE ORACLE DECK REVIEWS:
Wild Kuan Yin Oracle Deck
The Shaman’s Oracle
Doreen Virtue’s Archangel Oracle
Psychic Tarot Oracle