Hummingbird Wisdom Oracle – TABI

by Ellen Valladares, illustrated by Yasmeen Westwood

Published by REDFeather Mind, Body, Spirit

ISBN: 978-0-7643-6272-9

RRP $24.99

I can’t remember when I first saw this deck, but I remember how it made me feel – I paused for a moment, clicked on the picture, tilted my head, and suddenly I had a smile on my face. I’m very picky when it comes to adding new decks to my collection, but this one was immediately added to the list. You probably understand my excitement when I found out that TABI was sent this deck, and that I’m the lucky one to review it!

The Hummingbird Wisdom Oracle comes in a sturdy magnetic box with a purple ribbon that helps you to get the cards out. Since this is my favourite type of packaging, this deck is already getting bonus points before I even opened it! The 44 9x13cm cards have a glossy finish; the cardstock is nicely thick and shuffles really well. The cards themselves are beyond words beautiful! The colours are stunningly vibrant and looking at the artwork one can easily forget about the outside world and its troubles and can get lost in the magical world of little hummingbirds. The longer you spend with a card, the more details you find. These cards bring such a gentle feeling of peace, stillness, and calmness; you can feel them hugging and comforting you.

Although I love the cards, I have mixed feelings about the 112-page guidebook. The main part of the guidebook provides card meanings. On the left side of the page spread is a picture of a card in full colour, the card’s name, and hummingbird wisdom, the short practical guidance you also see on the cards themselves. On the right side is the card meaning and explanation with an affirmation. I really appreciate this style because I was only able to read the guidebook on a train and seeing a card in full colour made it much easier to familiarise myself with the deck. As the cards are not numbered they are in the guidebook in alphabetical order.

The guidebook’s introduction contains the standard information one expects – what creatures hummingbirds are, how to use and cleanse the deck, and so on. But some information is contradictory. For example, Valladares states that you don’t need to worry about formulating a specific question as The Universe knows what questions are in your heart, but the section on suggested spreads advises to ask for a general guidance, or about a particular subject. And I beg to differ! As a tarot reader, I know how important it is to ask a clear precise question, as vague questions only lead to vague answers. Unlike me, Valladares works with Angels, and she dedicates one full paragraph to them. For some, this may be a nice added bonus, but I prefer to stay clear from any specific labels and names, so this part didn’t sit well with me. I appreciate that Valladares gives options for beginners on how to work and connect with the deck, but it feels as if she wanted to squeeze in every possible idea which makes the overall sense confusing.