Wise Women Oracle: Reconnect with She Who Knows, by Cheyenne Zarate
Rockpool Publishing, 1922786055, 128 pages, November 2024

Wise Women Oracle: Reconnect with She Who Knows by Cheyenne Zarate is a captivating exploration of femininity, strength, and wisdom through the lens of an oracle deck. This deck is not just a guide but a celebration of the diverse tapestry of women’s experiences, illuminating the wild woman archetype within us all through folklore, history, mythology, and pop culture. It combines beautifully illustrated cards with insightful narratives that inspire introspection and empowerment.

“We can find the wise woman at the crossroads between compassion, empathy, and motherly love, and mystery, magic, and the creative and destructive forces of nature. When we enter her time we seek to challenge ourselves and those around us to live up to our highest potential and integrity, and share our knowledge and wisdom with our children and family and also he greater world.”¹

The front of the cards are all a pretty mint green color with monochrome illustrations. The illustrations are very detailed, and there’s a lot to gaze at when working with the card. The back of the cards are all black with four white owls in the corners and a flower in the center. There simplicity of the colors scheme creates relaxing visual experience, invoking the feelings of open-heartedness and connection to nature.

Additionally, the historical range of style in the illustrations is impressive. One card features Stevie Nicks, while another depicts Psyche. From Cailleach to Cinderella, Zarate masterfully intertwines traditional mythology with contemporary themes, creating a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern life.  Drawing from many different perspective, the cards tap into a variety of cultures, identities, and stories that the wild woman appears within, enriching the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the multifaceted nature of women’s wisdom.

Beyond its artistic merit of the cards themselves, the guidebook offers practical advice for using the oracle in daily life.  Each card is accompanied by a well-crafted description that delves into the history, symbolism, and message of reflective guidance. There’s also a question for each card that prompts the reader to go within for personal insight.

As an example, this morning I pulled the card Akhilanda, She Who is Never Not Broken. The guidebook shares how Ankhilanda is a Hindu goddess who “tells us that the liminal space where we don’t know how to move forward is an empowering place.”² Zarate shares in the “Symbolism” section how Akhilanda rides a crocodile, and the same way crocodiles clench their prey in their jaws, spinning it until the prey is disoriented and drowns, Akhilanda does the same for us to strip us of our ego’s illusions and false identities and out-dated attachments. In this way, we are given the opportunity t “alchemize our pain and insecurities into greater wisdom and beauty.”³

The question for this card reads:

“How can I vulnerably and compassionately embrace my brokenness so I can reinvent a self that is stronger, wiser, and more beautiful within?”⁴

Meanwhile, Zarate’s writing in the “Reflection” section encourages readers to remember their infinite potential and courageously choosing to discard the versions of self that have become stagnant. She notes that when we allow ourselves to fall apart and be reinvented, our new self now contains the wisdom and self-awareness developed from moving through a darker time.

This card was exactly what I needed to hear in the moment! The depth of the single card reading was enough to give me plenty to reflect and journal on during the day, and it was a confirmation that it’s okay to be imperfect and change into a new version of myself. There is no formula for perfection, and the best I can do is continue to integrate the wisdom I’ve accumulated and shapeshifter as needed. I’m going to be whole no matter what!

I’m so excited to continuing working with this deck in the coming months, as the messages from these wild woman is having a resoundingly transformational effect on my soul. Zarate’s choice of women and her interpretation of their wisdom is very moving. I love Zarate’s style of making it so the guidebook shares a mixture of facts about the woman along with intuitive guidance. Readers get to know the women’s historical background along with the translation of the unique medicine she has share with others.

Overall, Wise Woman Oracle is the perfect deck to reconnect with one’s wild spirit. Its combination of engaging visuals and thoughtful narratives makes it both a valuable tool for personal growth and a beautiful deck to treasure. This deck will appeal to anyone interested in exploring the rich, empowering stories of women throughout history and mythology. Whether a seasoned practitioner or a newcomer to oracle readings, Zarate’s work offers inspiration and wisdom for all.

Wild Woman Oracle: Awaken Your True, Free and Soulful Self, by Cheyenne Zárate
Rockpool Publishing, 1925946835, 144 pages, 44 cards, October 2022

Cheyenne Zárate, the enigmatic artist who created Wild Woman Oracle: Awaken Your True, Free and Soulful Self, knows exactly how you’re feeling when you say you want to reconnect with the wildness inside you. She asks us to “reflect regularly on who we truly are,”⁵ something which is achievable with this easy to use, beautifully crafted pack.

Zárate is a supremely talented artist, now living in Canada with her two cats, Carlos, and Lily. In this deck, she draws on her Scottish, Chilean, and Ukrainian ancestry to bring us feminine figures from around the world. Her adoration and respect for these wild women is apparent here in her artwork and perfectly written descriptors. Zárate wishes to celebrate women, help them find their strength and power, “to reconnect with their wild feminine nature in order to live in alignment with their authentic truth”⁶

It was the title of Wild Woman Oracle that first drew me to these cards. I have an underlying “wild woman”, who is desperate to get out and be seen. I thought these cards might help me to embrace her and set her free. Just the thought of getting closer to nature and finding that connection deep within was all I needed to make the decision for this set.

To begin with, before I even opened the pack, I was mesmerised by the imagery. The colors used and beautiful sketch work on the box, I was instantly in love. This is carried throughout, with each card having an almost metallic feel to them, the drawings looked etched, opposed to drawn. The set consists of thirty-six cards and a guidebook, complete with an introduction to Zárate and how to use the cards. A message for each individual feminine icon is included, along with their symbolism.

There is something deep within us that’s wild, leftover remnants from a time when we may have been forest dwellers. It is that urge that makes us want to climb a mountain, swim naked in a lake, or just take yourself forest bathing in your local woods. You find inner peace and a connection to the earth.

I have used many oracle and tarot decks before now, some of which I have found to be extremely useful. They have given me insights into my mind, heart, and soul–insights that I never would have found without them. I have felt that they were created in such a way that I could rely on them for guidance and awakenings, which is how I also feel about Wild Woman Oracle. I knew that as soon as I opened the box, they were going to be there for me and offer that same kind of help.

I have found that classic tarot can often be quite harsh, unforgiving, hard to navigate and honestly, difficult to work with. And although I know we need to take the good with the bad, tarot to me has always been a bit of a tyrant. Oracle cards, especially this deck, give you a softer approach.

I have consulted angel cards  in the past and although their messages and guidance were brilliantly accurate, I am not a religious person and some of the phrases used, such as angels, God, and heaven, just don’t sit right with me and I would find myself changing the words to suit. Usually, I would exchange those words for “the Universe,” a phrase used throughout the Wild Woman Oracle. I had been searching for a deck that would speak my language, and I may have just found it.

Though no deck should be used without prior knowledge of how to read them–you must do your research before diving straight in–these cards are a perfect place to start if you are just getting going on your reading journey. It’s a nice relaxing way to spend time alone, get yourself a cup of honey tea, light a candle, and give yourself time to take in a reading from the wild women of the Universe.

I like to take my cards when I’m away with friends, so we can do a reading every six months or so. I haven’t yet had the chance to show them this fabulous pack, but they will definitely be in my case for our next trip.

I did, however, get the chance to do a reading for my Mum. She chose the classic three card reading: past, present, and future. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the cards touched upon subjects and important life aspects that needed attention at that time, some of which have been an issue for several years. The cards were adamant that this needed addressing immediately and that too much time had already been wasted. They guided her with the steps to take, how she can resolve these issues, and, more importantly, which of the wild women to call upon when needed.

The personal changes I am experiencing at the moment, physically and mentally, have been at the forefront of my mind, and when I did a reading for myself it was obvious that the cards were aware of this. They have alleviated some of my worries, given me an alternate way of viewing things, and I now feel I have them to call on when I need more guidance.

In my first reading, I drew death, destruction, and divine service. My first instinct was of course to worry about what this might mean, but the death card can have an array of different meanings and not the actual death of you or anyone else. It represents new beginnings, a chance to start fresh, tear yourself down, and rebuild. It can be a job, a relationship, a focused time in your life. Here is your chance to reinvent yourself. And this reading gave credence to feelings I’ve had: I need to let go, and I have been given permission, safe in the knowledge that these supreme beings had my back.

One card, the Inner High Priestess, stood out to me. She sits, solitary, the moon visible from her window, her black cat at her feet. She is in control, busy, but rested. Powerful. Pillars stand at either side of her, with the letters B & J, representing Boaz and Jachin from the Temple of Solomon. She holds the balance: good and evil, dark, and light, feminine and masculine. 

“The High Priestess is the portal between the earthly plane and the heavenly spiritual plane: She has one foot planted firmly in each dimension.” ⁷

The guidebook for this deck is pocket sized, easy to follow and features some lovely designs. The instructions are set out for whichever reading you choose: one card and three card divination, past present and future or situation, action, and outcome. A description for each depicted feminine figure is given, plus what they each represent and the message they wish you to have.

For example, my Inner High Priestess card represents divine service, wisdom, intuition, psychic abilities, and sacred occult. It’s an incredible card to draw, one of which has come to me twice in a row, at a time when I was in desperate need of her guidance, so I feel incredibly honored for it to have done so.

In Wild Woman Oracle, Zárate has drawn upon her own personal experiences in order to bring together the strongest feminine figures from myth, legend, and folklore. These inspiring women who we look up to, seek out, and aspire to be, are all within our reach, right beside us and deep within us.