The Untamed Elemental by Tasya van Ree is a 52 card oracle deck with a detailed full-color guidebook. The deck works with the energetic principles of nature, which are color, geometry, and the five elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire, & Ether) as represented in Ayurveda, to help guide a person in their readings.

The guidebook starts of with an introduction about the cards which explains and gives background on the five elements. There is also a disclaimer on the choice for assigning gender-specific personal pronouns to the cards as the artist sees it as a nod to the polarity required for life to exist (the feminine & the masculine) but doesn’t want it to be a constraint to the way any type of reader (despite gender or gender identity) uses or interprets the cards. They are free to interpretation.

The guidebook continues more by going into detail on how to read the cards and card spreads by offering guidance for understanding any imbalances in the reader’s circumstance and giving suggestions on how to balance the situation.

For example, if one draws an upside down card for a daily draw this would be considered an imbalance. The guidebook has specifics on what this means for each specific card as well as how to bring it into balance.

Another example is if one did a layout and most of the cards were Fire element cards. This would be considered an imbalance as it’s showing cards from mostly one element. The guidebook has specifics on how to balance a surplus of the Fire element.

The card spreads given in the guidebook are called “meditations” and are detailed to help the reader work with the cards as a form of dynamic meditation and ritual.

The rest of the guidebook is about each of the cards. Each card in the guide has a full color photo of the card for ease of identification. There is a one word descriptor word along with a detailed entry about the card. There is also a balanced and imbalanced interpretation and what one can do to help bring it back into balance.

The cards in the deck are split into categories of the five elements. Each category has different animals and things that relate to that element.

For example, in the Earth element category, one can find cards for the following: crystal, elephant, gazelle, lynx, mountain, peacock, root, tree of life, and more! For the Water element category, one can find cards for the following: manta ray, octopus, river, sea star, swan, waterfall, wave, and more! There is even a Wild Card category for the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine cards.

Some may complain that the artwork is a bit abstract, but that is intentional and part of the beauty of this deck. It relates deeply to color and geometry, which is getting in touch with the elemental parts that this deck explores. One has to look closely and meditate on the cards to interpret from the shapes and colors what they see as the subject. The image is there; One just has to take the journey to see!

The basic geometry, colors, and subject matter of these cards make them suitable for almost any age. The shapes and colors would be appealing to young children as well, especially ones just learning shapes and words. This would be a great way to introduce them to the five elements as well as expand your Ayurveda and/or meditation practice.

Thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As an individual who has been reading tarot and oracle cards for over 25 years and owns over 200 decks, I found this deck greatly disappointing.

In an Oracle deck imagery is key, especially because it doesn't have an established system like the tarot. Each oracle deck is unique to the author. Which makes it all the more important that the user can identify with the imagery while conducting a reading. The mountain card, looks nothing like a mountain, it's very abstract. If the word "Mountain" wasn't on the deck I'd have no idea what this card was. I'm not quite sure what the author was trying to achieve here. Usually one can look at an image and pull their own meaning with ease. Things like is the mountain covered in clouds? Is the sun shining? are there plants or people? Many readers rely on their intuitive senses, they don't want to be thumbing through a book for each meaning, especially if they are reading for a client.

When it comes to the description, there is just too much focus talking about objects description, which to me reads like filler. For example the Bee card, talks about defiance in this flowery poet way, that just doesn't really grab the essence of what a bee does. The bee is about structure and organization, working together as team, rewards for hard work, fertility , the collective consciousness. None of these qualities are related to defiance, it's quite the opposite actually, if there is defiance then the whole colony will collapse. .The description should lead you towards the meaning, providing relatable examples and direction. Some cards do a better job than others. But the consistency is lacking.

These cards are used for divinational purposes, so the expectation is to have some sort guidance in that direction. This is another area of disappointment. Usually authors include numerous key words to describe the meaning of the card as quick reference without having to read the full description. This also helps the user to familiarize themselves quickly with the deck and connect to it better. Instead for each "balanced" and "unbalanced" (upright and reversed cards) there is only 2 or 3 key words. I would have preferred a shorter introduction/description of the card and more emphasis on the key word meanings. The bring into balance "advice" is also inconsistent. For some cards its very descriptive , while others it's so open and without direction that not everyone would instinctively know how to proceed. Also, i found some of the bringing into balance suggestions repetitive, just saying the same thing in a different way.

I did enjoy the artwork, but it's not something i would personally use for readings with clients. I do own some decks that are abstract, but the images are relatable to the key words and the keywords and meanings resonate with the card, even if the author adds their own perspective..

Thank you to Netgalley and Roost books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't a fan of this oracle deck or accompanying book. I did not care for the artwork at all, and I found the cards and interpretations kind of generic. I had high hopes for this and was excited to review it, but I ultimately decided not to publicly review it since it was not a good fit for me.