THE WILD UNKNOWN ANIMAL SPIRIT GUIDEBOOK KIM KRANSTHE WILD UNKNOWN@ HarperOne THE wir uvenown. Copyright © 2018 by kim Keans. All rights reserved. Printed in China, No pact of this beck may be used or reproduced ia any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief guotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 8roadway, New York, NY 10007, Hacpercollins becks may e purchased tor educational, business, or sales promo tional use. For information please email the special markets departmest at SP sales@harpercollins.com HarperCollins website: http.//wwwharpercellins.com Plast epItiow Designed by Kim krans & Su Barber Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and is available upon reguest. Names: krans, kim, Author Title: The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Guidebook / Kim Kraas. Description: San Francisco, CA: Harperdne, [2018] ISBN 918-0-06-274286-5 19 20 21 22 Imago 1098765 43CONTENTS The Eagle Meets the Rabbit UNDERSTANDING THE DECK Long Long Ago... : Natural Selection ........ Earth bea . Water ....... bees Fire Air... Ls ae : fees SPIE eee USING THE DECK What's My Spirit Animal?.......... What to ASK... ee When to Ask /t. Caring for Your Deck. ShuFf fling & cutting « Spreads DEEPER INSIGHTS The Card Order... .. The Food Web......... Apex Predators . The Nature Connection . . THE WILD UNKNOWN ANIMAL SPIRIT Earth Cards Peete Water Cards... 6. eee Fire CardS 2... ee All COCOS ee Spirit Cards... 0. 21 at 2s - 26 27 28 33 3s 36 -. 37 - 38 40 49 sl $3 St SY 89 19 149THE EAGLE MEETS THE RABBIT When | was eleven years old | began playing basketéall. | was serious about it and practiced hard, somehow landing myself as the co-captain of the team even though my limbs were thin and lanky. What | did have going for me was a natural knack for leadership and razor sharp eyes. Rather than calling me by my last name, the coach gave me the nickname "Eagle." It gave me a cush. | was both afraid of the name and enamored of it. | envisioned the great bicd, ancient and wise, Soaring over the Earth. was it possiéle that was me? Was it true? When 1 led the team onto the court for pre-game wacm-ups | did feel like an Eagle. Our team went undefeated through both Ith and 8th grades. we were vastoppable...and then came high school. Along with a handful of my teammates, / was taken up to varsity as a freshman. This meant we got, among other social booas, the coveted "varsity jacket" we'd been dreaming of all through middle school. | Filled out the order form for a custom jacket with my name on itIn gold embroidery on black fabric it read: Eagle Over the next few weeks the guestions poured in. "Why does your jacket say that?" "What does ‘Eagle’ mean?” “Why doesn't it say ‘Kim'?" The problem was, | didn't give them the answer. Instead, Something else happened that's most easily Synopsized by Saying my inner Rabbit emerged. I weat into my mom's sewing room and found a Seam cipper and razor blade. Slowly évt surely | cut the embroidered cursive letters out. My Jacket no longer said Eagle in golden thread. Now it Said Eagle in tiny, leftover puncture marks and Scratches. No matter how | tried to smooth out the fabric, the threadbare silhouette remained. | hid the jacket in the closet. I am taterested in moments like this. Not just in my past, but in yours too. What had the concept of the Eagle awakened in me? How can we éelieve So fully in something, and yet a few weeks later a voice can creep in and pull the rug from under us? The Rabbit asks endless annoying guestions, hke "Are you ceally good enough?," "what do they think of you?," "Are you suce?," "What if it’s aot okay?" The Raébit is relentless. Even though the Eagle could sweop down and devour the Rabbit at any moment, it doesn't. It's as if the Rabbitmakes the Eagle forget its job description And so goes the push and pull of our hives. we feel strong and thea weak, sure and then confused. This power play between my inner Eagle and my inner Rabbit has been of interest to me for years. It was actually the subject of the very first calendar | drew vader the moniker "The Wild Unknown." That was seven years ago, and the puzzle is still aot solved, In an attempt to delve into the mystery, please welcome The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck. It 1S an exploration of our inner contradictions, our complex natures, and the endless mystery of who we are. We start this exploration by looking outside ourselves and asking Mother Nature for guidance. What can we learn from the great creatures who have inhabited our planet Since the dawa of time? What can we leaca from the slow, stealth nature of the Crocodile? What does the Hummingbird tell us about savoring the sweetness of life? While drawing and weiting the Animal Spirit deck, there was not a single card that depicted a feeling or experience | have not been through The essence of all sixty-three creatures 1s withia us, just as we are in them. The humanexperience is infinitely vast, as is the wisdom buried in every crevice of the natural world. | hope these cards steer you toward your innate intelli gence and toward expansion, and | hope that many wild creatures grace your path along the way. May you always be on the inner guest. with love, BhoUNDERSTANDING THE DECKLONG LONG AGO Since the beginning of time, animals have played an iategzal cole in the story of humanity. In creation myths far and wide you will find complex aad transformative relationships between creatures and humans. Let your mind ge way, way back to simpler times and ancient civilizations where half- man half-beasts roamed the earth, serpents in trees tempted humans with fruit, sirens sang along the water's edge, ravens delivered messages, and fish whispered prophecies. Thea let the countless paintings covering cave walls in Lascaux, France and throughout Europe take you back over seventeen thousand years. And what are our civilzation’s very first paintings of ? Creatures and humans! Some beheve the images tell the stories of great hunting excursions, others believe they acre records of ovr eachest shamame rituals depicting our ability to commune with nature. Either way, these early cave paintings, along with myths from every culture across the globe, remind us of our eternal fascination with cceatuces of the wild. We see a soaring birdand have to woader...how? The sheer strength of horses changed the progress of our nations. Many times in myths the interfacing with a creature becomes the defining moment in the story, from the snake in the Garden of Eden to Manu and the Fish. Animals ace woven deeply into our human story and we continve to be woven into theics. It's no sucprise we ace so intimately tied to them, as creatures big and small lead us humbly toward the divine. | say this because animals naturally inspire reverence and wonder. We are transfixed by a peacock’s tail, curious about a cheetah’s spots, speechless when we see a whale sucface. Anytime we approach a state of awe, we ace ia celationship with divinity. We are awake. While you work with the Animal Spicit cards I encourage you to resist the idea that there is a "right" oc "Fixed" iaterpretation out there, to cesist the aotion that our celationship to animals belongs to any one system, nation, era, oc culture. lastead, contemplate the possibility that these sacred creatures reside withia all of us, as they always have. Relating to the mysterious creatures of our Earth is as intrinsic as breathing. We long for the sacred and therefore we long for our connection to the wild. Animals take us out of ourhuman ego mindsets and into the realm of magic and possibilty. Take pact in this tcaditioa—this deeply human tradition—and let the creatures guide you toward the divine within. There could be no greater gift to Mother Nature. DIVINITY HUMANS ANIMALSNATURAL SELECTION AS you can imagine, the most difficult step in ereating this deck was selecting the animals Who's ia and who's out? With an estimated ten thousand species of birds alone, it was not an easy task. | looked to other animal decks for guidance, without finding much apparent reasoning behind their selections. Some included a Crow but no vulture; some had many cards, some few. With the vision of a million dewy-eyed creatures peering at me while / worked, | needed some structure and ! needed it badly. Soon the ancent wisdom of yoga and my familiacity with the Tarot came to the rescue. ! steuctuced the deck by separating the animals into the elements according to their habitats. Yoga philosophy deems Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether to be the building blocks of all existence. We ace a hving and breathing blend of these five elements, as 1S everything 1 our Universe. Like the Tarot, | selected fourteen cards to make up each of the first four elemental “suits.” The Earth creatures roam the field and forest, the Water 21creatures inhabit the rivers and oceans, the Fire creatures live in the deserts and grasslands, the Aic creatures belong to the sky, and...thea come the seven cosmic Spirit cards. According to yoga philosophy, the fifth and Final element is Space, oc Ether. For our purposes, Wve given these ethereal creatures the more suitable title of spit. These ace the trump cards of the deck. They play a cole similac to the Major Arcana in the Tarot. There are seven Spirit cards, one to represent each of the chakras withia the suétle body. Sounds somewhat logical, ight? Easy peasy? Almost. As the drawings began to take shape, | noticed the Cat card didn't seem to Fit in. I wondered why. I+ was one of my favorite drawings, yet the deck was slowly beginning to have a mind of its own, a story to tell that didn't include the Cat. I realized the deck was wild. No domestic animals. No loyal dogs, no curious cats, no gecbils, chickens, o¢ goldfish. A whole slew of fabulous animals were outed. I+ had to be done. After alll, I call myself The Wild Unknown. This being Said, | hope that you will use these cards with liberty. If you desperately need a cat card, look to the big cats for consolation 22(Cheetah, Panther, Lion, and Tiger). Likewise the Wolf doesn't stray too far from the Dog. There are bound to be animals you'll miss; the odds aren't ia my Favor on this one. My hope is that you'll let ge of what isn't included and delve into what is CHEETA fo wtek fe @ CAT 23% EARTH ¥ CREATURES OF THE FIELD & FOREST The suit of survival aad iastiact, the Earth creatures represent our relationships with fears and habits. In general, the creatures of this suit are grounded, dependable, and supportive However, Since they are So drawn to covtine, they often become stuck ia their ways. Several Earth cards indicate that coaSciousness cemaias rooted in the material plane, or as referred to ia yoga, the "gross" realm This means practical concerns (money, home, work, and family) ace ot the forefront of the mind, not leaving coom for much else. Movement and exercise ave especially helpful to counter the stagnation or "stuck-ness" that can accompany excess Earth element. LtV WATER V CREATURES OF THE OCEANS, RIVERS, & LAKES The creatures of the Water element represent our emotional world and our ability to express. These cards point to relationships, love, boundaries, and creativity...our "flow," if you will. Water creatures are often drawn to the arts, as they have a natural inclination toward beavty and depth Several Water cards indicate an outpouring of creativity and/or emotion. This can be wonderful, Joyful, even romantic. However, when Water spills and makes a mess, disappointment and sometimes tears (they are Water after all) are sure to follow. Ideally, a healthy stream of communication flows through our lives... not too much Water, rot toa little. 21sA FIRE A CREATURES OF THE DESERT & GRASSLANDS The creatures of the Fire element lead us toward change. They represent the ego, and challenge us +o become our best selves. Although these cards appeac more freguently when conflict or discomfort is present, the heat they emit is the elixic of our transformation. Several Fice cacds indicate the "heat" is oa. It’s a time of action and change. Deadlines and demands ace acouad every tuca, but it’s all in the name of gcowth. You'll look back on it ia awe of all that was accomplished. When all else fails, cemember Fire is the only thing that transforms darkness iato light. 26a2 AIR #A CREATURES OF THE SkY The creatures of the Air element move guickly and decisively. They are known to "see" more than others, and this can lead to powerful and discerning guahties. Air creatures love movement and mobility, but the speed at which they move often leaves them ungrounded. Several Ac cards indicate toe much movement and not enough Earth. Some people describe this as hving ia the head cather than the body. It's difficult to make big decisions or remember our greater purpose when we lose ouc gcoundedaess, so do whatever you must to reconnect to the physical realm. Slow walks in nature will help get your Feet back on the ground 27O SPIRIT O CREATURES OF THE ETHER The creatures of the Spirit element do not live on Earth as we know it. They ace inhabitants of a dimension beyond...the cosmic ether. These seven trump cards represent significant challenges or awakenings on the "subtle" level...the level of the inner spirit or soul. Like guardians from another realm, they are watchful and protective whea we are at a crossroads in our lives. Several Spirit cards indicate the force of hfe is moving us in new aicections. Trust is key with the Spirit cards, as life shifts in big ways. Questions might seem vnanswecable, the future vakaown...6vt you're in the perfect place. Even if you have the perception that you're in control, you're not. Grace surrounds the situation and steers the wheel 28C) - seiait 7X - alk ALCHEMICAL SYMBOLS FOR THE FIVE ELEMENTS 29USING THE DECKWHAT'S MY SPIRIT ANIMAL? It's an ever-intriquing guestion. When we ask it, our mind moves into the jungle, the tundra, the forest, the desert, the ocean...in search of creatures big and small that have somehow felt like our mascots, guardians, or allies. Maybe we did an online guiz and the answer came up just as we thought it would. "That's right," we Say, ") am a Butterfly!" Maybe an intuitive told us we have unresolved Wolf energy, and that didn't sit so well with us. Maybe we encountered an animal in nature at the perfect moment and have felt a strong kinship ever Since. |, for examele, escaped to the forests of the Pacific Northwest to finish the first draft of this boak. "I’m going to see So many epic creatures,” | thought. "I am, after all, writing an Aaimal Spirit guidebook!” so far I've encountered a few birds and a giant slug. | looked at that slug moving so Slowly on its journey across the mossy path, and | didn't have to think too hard about its message. It's the underdog of the Animal Spirit world, reminding me to stay humble and to keep on writing, no matter 33the resistance. | thanked the slug for its message and apologized for not including it in the deck. | walked away grateful but held back from naming the slug my Spicit Animal. Come on, friends, you vaderstand why. Giant spicit slugs aside, | want to encourage everyone who uses this deck not to get too hung up on the infamous gestion “what's my Spirit Anvmal2" As soon as we claim to be a Lion and a Lida only, hfe will show us ways ia which we ace also a Nightingale. These cards are about receiving guidance from the natural world that helps us navigate the complexity of life. We are multi-faceted, multi-dimensional, contradictory, creative, and amazing beings. Delve in deep with me. Welcome to The Wild Unkaown. 34WHAT TO ASK Before you start a ceading, acknowledge what you're looking for. Do you want guidance with an vacesolved issue? Inspiration? Perhaps you need clarity about a relationship, oc help ia making a big decision. Sometimes a reading just pigues our interest and seems fun, and sometimes readings happen serendipitously. Whatever the case may be, take a moment before handhag the cards and let a question formulate withia you. Don't try to think up something complicated or “right.” Although ouc mind has a thousand questions, our heart only has a few...and those ace the guestions we ceally need to answer. Let the heart have its moment to speak A FEW QUESTIONS TO GET YOU STARTED. - What energy would help resolve this conflict? - What will / encounter today? - What pact of myself have | Forgotten? 35WHEN TO ASK IT There are many benefits to making a reading a citual. You might clean your space, hght a candle or incense, set ovt your favorite stone or crystal, or pechaps you simply close your eyes and take a few long, slow, deep breaths before you begin. The idea is to collect your attention and intention and direct them toward the reading. This is a moment for you to take a break from the world and to self-reflect. It's best not to demand answers from the cards when you're feeling impatient, agitated, or angry. Cool of £ First, collect yourself, and come back to the cards when you feel receptive. | have found sitting ia stillness for just a few moments before handling the cards does wonders for the process. 36CARING FOR YOUR DECK As with anything you care for, treat your Animal Spirit cards kindly. Think of them as creatuces and Friends, aad give them a nice place to lay their heads when aot in use. Take them ovt only to read, study, or enjoy the artwork...otherwise keep them in their box or a pouch. If you want to pull one card to display for inspiration, make sure to keep an eye on it. Once you stop noticing it, it's time to put it back in the deck and pull another card. Try out simple gestures hke washing your hands before you handle the cards. | have also heacd that the creatures of this deck respond well to a guiet “thank you" before tucking the cards away. 37SHUFFLING & CUTTING Eventually, we all develop our favorite way to shuffle and cut the deck. This takes time and experimentation, so for beginners | suggest a simple ovechand shuffling method. whea working with a aew set of cards make sure to mix the cards well. A great trick for breaking in a deck 15 to spread out every card aad Famiharize yourself with the actwock, mixing them up as you go. Don't be afraid to get Jost in this step—make small piles of cacds that you hke, and piles of cards you don't understand yet. Mix and match and free associate. Before you know it you'll have an intimate celationship with the cards and a well integrated deck. No matter how broken in your deck is, it’s important to shuffle before every reading. Slowly cepeat your question 1a your mad (or aloud) while you shuffle, and stop when it feels right. Take as much time as you need. When possible, use your non-domiaant hand to cut the deck (usually that means the left hand). This is said to be the more ceceptive and intuitive side. Again, you will develop 38a method of cutting that feels natural for you. 1 hke +o use this simple three step process: I After shuffling, place cards in one stack. 2. Using your non-domaant hand, sepacate the cards into three smaller piles, letting the cacds "break" naturally. 3. In any order that feels right to you, place the three piles back into one. Now you're ready to start a reading, pulling the top card from the stack. 39A CARD A DAY ONE CARD READING The Animal Spicit deck leads itself well to a simple daily reading. The single card indicates a side of yourself you'll encounter today, or perhaps a situation on the horizon. This practice is especially powerful if you do it at the same time for several days in a cow. Mornings ace a potent time for readings. Keep a journal or take photos for reference 40PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE THREE CARD READING When using Animal spirit, the emphasis of this classic spread shifts from looking at situations in our past, present, and future, to looking at the self. Use more of a “who | was," "who | am," “who I will 6e" fcamework. Don't be too hard on yourself if negative cards come up. Think of the cards as preventative medicine and shift your actions accordingly. past dynamic 2. present situation 3. future potential —7 2 41THE PATH, THE OBSTACLE TWO CARD READING This spread is a favorite, often vsed, and on- point old friend. It ceveals the problem and the solution with no messing around. Use it when something has been bothering you for a while, or you're at. a Standstill with a creative project. It’s also great when you feel down and out but don't know why. It’s likely the card ia position two will 6e in its “out of balance” state for this ceading. Reference the indivioval cacd descriptions for guidance. | the path 2. the obstacleRELATIONSHIP SPREAD FOUR CARD READING The Animal Spicit cards ace lke arrows piercing into the heart of our relationships. They reveal hidden dynamics and words left vaspoken. They cemiad us of our best and worst Selves. Use this spread to see what's going on between you and another person. Don't be fooled by the simplicity of the celationship spread. It holds a mirror up to your heact. ic you the other person the shadow dynamic sa the illuminated dynamic a Hau +3YEAR AHEAD SPREAD THIRTEEN CARD SPREAD The perfect reading to celebrate a bicthday or new year. Each card represents the essence of the month, and the card in the ceater represents the overall theme of the year. You can either shuffle the deck once and pick all the cards from the stack consecutively, or shuffle between each pull. If you're doing this reading for a birthday, stact with the curceat month's card ia position one. There are lots of beautiful variations to this spread...make it your own |. January 2. February 3. Macch 4. ete... 13. the overall "theme" of the year +tooo op OZ g —& \ > & Ci5 13 , |O 4SDEEPER INSIGHTSTHE CARD ORDER You may have already noticed there are no numbers on the Animal Spirit cards. Once you start to shuffle, it’s hacd to discern an order within the suits. However, for more advanced readers there 1s a thread of logic that cuas through each of the elements, oc suits. You can refer back to the guidebook at any time to study the order ia which the cards are listed. Again, this is aot crucial for grasping the meaning of the cards, noc is it a necessary step for delving deep into a ceading. It is simply there as an adastional layer. The order of the animals is not based on numerology, but cather a study of consciousness developing and expressing itself. The level of awakened elemental energy increases through the Progression of each suit. For example, in the Aic element the ficst card is the Moth and the final card is the Eagle. Though the Moth 1s endearing 1A many ways, it struggles to "see" and it lives a very short hfe. The Eagle hves a long hfe, and stirs in us a Sease of wonder and greatness. Likewise, ponder the progression 49of consciousness and intelligence between the Crocodile and the Whale, oc the Fire Aat and the Lion. When the time is right, try adding this subtle layer to the wisdom of your readings \i/ / S aig” ” 4, ad — aS sOTHE FOOD WEB Consider the Rabbit for a moment. Worry and fear are apparent in every move it makes. We might even judge the Raésit. "Chill out," we say. "Be coal lke the Fox!" 1 fell into this camp until I looked at diagrams of the food web and saw the long hst of predators waiting to snack on the Rabbit. It procreates like crazy because...well...it has to in order to sustain its species. After a while, a hfestyle lke this takes its toll and the Rabbit simply has to be hyper-alect all the time Cpeople ace like this too, by the way). The Fox, on the other hand, has very few predators. It roams the Eacth as a hunter, aot as the huated. These dynamics are indeed biological, but being aware of and open to their message can bring new depth to your readings. Whea the fox and the Rabbit show up ia a reading together, know that there is a certain power dynamic at flay. Same goes for the Frog and the Dragonfly, or the Owl and the Mouse. slAPEX PREDATORS For readers interested in adding an even deeper layer to thei vaderstanding of the cards, familiarize yourself with the apex predators withia the deck. They ace the "heavyweights" of the Earth, Water, Fire, and Aic suits. Apex predators are anmals that do not have any predators within their ecosystem. Therefore they do not live in fear hke many other creatures do, as they ace at the top of the foed chain. When any of these cards appear, know that you are dealing with a powerhouse. Not oaly that, but two apex predators from different elements Clike the Lion aad the Eagle) usually "lock horas," so to speak, since they are both used to being 1a command. $3THE NATURE CONNECTION At some point along your journey with the Animal Spicit cards, | hope you will put the guidebook down and forget all the esoteric animal interpretations you may have read online or been told by someone in the past. Remember for a moment that these creatures exist in the wild. They surrovad us. Other than the spit cacds (which belong to the vaseeable and subtle cealm) these creatures ace out there as we speak, being Fully and completely themselves. Studying them through a biological leas will deepen your relationship to these cards. Research their behavior, their habitats. Look ot their shape, what they eat, how they communicate. How do they live? Fast or slow, with others or in solitude? what are theic tendencies? To fight, flee, oc make friends? Take some time with these guestions and observe the animal for what it 15. Set all of your previous assumptions aside and watch a video of a Cheetah chasing its prey. Watch a Moth dancing around the candlelight. Get in touch with the essence and feeling it st