Why re-illustrate The Guardian of the Night as an oracle deck?
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I started this project to share the imagery and spirit of The Guardian of the Night Tarot in a way that feels more approachable. I wanted to make it easier for people who like oracle decks but might not feel at ease with Tarot.
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The Guardian of the Night works beautifully as an oracle. Its animal-focused images already share a strong intuitive message, and making it an oracle lets each card speak more clearly through the animal's wisdom, the emotion in the art, and the story behind each image.
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There is also a personal reason for this project. I made The Guardian of the Night during the COVID lockdown, a time when everything felt uncertain. Working on the deck helped me stay grounded and connected to something that mattered. Each card holds not just a Tarot meaning, but also a personal story, memory, or idea that shaped its final look.
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After seeing my work copied and taken out of context, I wanted to revisit this deck in a new way. Re-illustrating it as The Animal Guardian Oracle helped me reclaim those stories and share them more fully. This is not just a simpler version of the Tarot deck. It goes back to the heart of the artwork, giving more room for ideas, insights, and stories to shine.
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Like my other indie decks, The Animal Guardian Oracle is only available on my website. I print it in small batches with a trusted US printer, and I personally assemble and pack each order here on San Juan Island.
Greetings from
San Juan Island
Please note the decks on this site are not mass-produced, they are printed in small batches and hand-packed on San Juan Island, with current shipping timelines of 2–3 weeks.
In addition to illustrating the decks and writing the guidebooks, I also print each bag the decks go in by hand and pack each order with care for shipping. No conveyor belts and robots here. It's just me, working out of my garage, with the occasional company of my kiddo, a couple dogs, a cat, some foxes, a handful of noisy ravens, and a wandering deer here and there. I like to think that with each order I take into town for shipping that I am sending along a little bit of what makes this place so magical.
Looking for your next FAVORITE Tarot or Oracle deck? Check out these best sellers!
Symbolically Speaking
Symbolically Speaking was created as a language. Each card represents a piece of the human experience — action, emotion, instinct, memory, choice, loss, love, repair, and everything in between. When the cards are placed together, they form sentences. A story unfolds. Meaning emerges not from a single symbol, but from the relationship between them.
Pick an image that calls to you.
Each picture was taken here on the island.
When you select your image click on it to reveal your card and message.
~MJ
