The Wild Urban Animal Oracle: Messages from the City

Welcome to The Feather on the Moon

our story

I’m Holly Smee, guide and alchemist of the mystical Urban Wild. I’m also a psychotherapist-turned-author, artist, and designer, as well as the proud publishing partner of best-selling author SARK and her husband, Hollywood Screenwriter/Producer, David Rotman. 

As the creator of two successful Kickstarter decks—Moonlight Tarot and The Starlight Tarot Oracle—I’ve witnessed the transformative power that soul-led art can have as it ripples through hearts and homes. 

In every cracked sidewalk, rustling alley, and secret courtyard, I see soft paws, bright eyes, and curious hearts—our wild neighbors in the city. For those who know how to listen, these creatures speak—and their messages are tender, timely, and meant for you. 

Now, with The Wild Urban Animal Oracle, I’m inviting you deeper—into a conversation between your spirit and the resilient spirits of your city’s creatures. This deck isn’t just art—it’s a bridge between pavement and poetry, between hectic human schedules and the quiet communion of feather, fur, and skin.

This is my third deck, and it’s one that holds a very special place in my heart. The artwork came to life during my recovery from a car accident, inspired by the bond I share with my three dachshunds and four Maine Coon cats. 

To honor the love I carry for animals and the natural world, 5% of all pledges will be donated to the not for profit charity, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. When you pledge, you’re not only helping me bring this deck into the world — you’re also supporting the preservation of the habitats that our animal friends call home.

about the project

I’ve loved animals for as long as I’ve had breath. As a child, my closest kin were the four-legged, the feathered, the furred—I always felt more at ease in their quiet company than in the noisy swirl of human conversation. 

To this day, I share my home with a small, chaotic parliament of pets who remind me daily of presence, play, and the sacredness of snack time. Animals have walked beside me in every chapter of life, offering comfort, wild wisdom, and a sense of belonging that doesn’t need words.

This deck is a nod to them. 

It was born from a desire to honor the creatures we don’t often see gracing oracle decks—the unglamorous ones, the scrappy ones, the ones making magic out of pavement and parking lots. 

Sure, unicorns and giraffes have their place, but let’s be real: I’m probably not going to run into one on a Tuesday afternoon in a downtown Canadian city. And most traditional totem decks draw from the forest—moose, bear, elk—noble, yes, but unlikely to be scavenging by the bins outside my studio.

Every creature has ecological validity and a rightful place in it's ecological niche. Ego likes to create hierarchy and importance, but the laws of the universe say we are one. We live here in harmony alongside each other, each of us with an important role.

the wild urban theme

This is where The Wild Urban Animal Oracle comes alive. These are the everyday animals of the northern hemisphere’s cities—raccoons, pigeons, foxes, possums, chickadees, mice—the beings who have adapted and endured. Each one holds a message, a medicine, a mirror.

This luminous 47-card deck offers:

• A soulful, graphically designed portrait of each creature
• An oracle message woven with intuitive guidance
• A self-reflective prompt for journaling or meditation
• A mantra—an invocation whispered from the animal’s spirit to yours

Use these cards as companions in your rituals: when one of these creatures crosses your path, when the city grows too loud, or when you simply need to remember your place in the great, wild conversation. Pull a card with your morning coffee on the fire escape. Let one guide you home in the hush between dusk and streetlight. Every shuffle is a soft invitation back to what’s real—what’s wilder, quieter, and always waiting.

My art form has historically always been acrylic or watercolor painting. However, for my tarot and oracle decks, I've utilized graphic design and digital collage as my chosen artistic medium. 

Like the Starlight Tarot Oracle and Moonlight Tarot decks, I've used digital layering to create a cool collage effect which lends well to digital painting. You can see a card deconstructed in the video below, showing the overall effect it gives, and the step-by-step process I use when creating a card image. 

It took nearly a year to create the imagery for all 47 cards due to the extensive layering of flowers and foliage (and my perfectionistic nature). The cards are incredibly detailed, with layer after layer of digital collage applied, and endless hours spent collaging in digital folliage and digital flowers to add depth. 

the animals

I would also like to add three keywords to the cards, that would be placed under the animal's title name, in capital letters, like this below.

All 47 animals can be viewed here:

about the creator

I’m a big dreamer and a maker of pretty things. The art for this deck was made while I was off work for a year on medical disability, recovering from a car accident, on an intense rehab schedule, making art at home while resting and healing at night. I'm hoping with the support of crowdfunding I can bring it to life. 

I’m the artist, the author, and the publisher of this wild deck. My background as a Licensed Psychotherapist with a long history in psychology blooms in these types of work; I create images for your heart and soul - my aim is to speak to your psyche. 

Every stroke is sacred, meant to evoke a brief pause in your breath, an intake of wonder. My process begins with my daydreams and long city walks in quiet solitude—observing the calls of crows on fire hydrants, the scritch‑scratch of critters in alleys after dusk, and the telepathy I share with my critters when I stare deeply into their eyes. 

Then, in stillness, I channel their stories into my art and words, merging realism with spirit‑soft palettes, finding where city grit meets soul shimmer. 

Your support means I can polish every card, and bring in luxurious embellishments not found on published decks in the mass market pushed out by big corporations… I get to take my power back from the 1% by funding and believing in my own dreams. 

This is an indie deck. These are the kind of beautiful details you only find when buying directly from a creator, not from mass e-commerce where products are made mainly for profit.

I’m thrilled to bring this deck to life and I hope you will support me.

the deck specs

This is a 47-card deck—an intentional number. In numerology, 4 + 7 becomes 11, a master number that hums with the frequency of intuition, angels, and quiet abundance. 

Every detail of this deck has been chosen with love and meaning. The cards themselves are 2.75 x 4.75 inches, with soft rounded corners, rich matte blue edges, matte lamination, and printed on 400 gsm art paper—sturdy, silky, built to last through many moons. 

If I surpass my funding goal of $5,000, I plan to upgrade this deck. Some stretch goal wishes include: colour printing inside the guidebook, a textured holographic face and back, foiling added to the cards, and more! I'd love for this card to be more collaborative and will be reaching out to backers as I pass certain milestones

My printer is sending me a print sample around the 10th of October showing me how the cards look with holographic line work and I will have an update to share there soon. 

The companion guidebook is a treasure in its own right: 106 pages of insight, symbolism, and soul, designed to deepen your relationship with each animal. 

For my third deck, I included imagery of the cards inside the guidebook. Upgrading it to colour would be a very easy addition. 

Everything is nestled inside a two-piece box with a thumb-hole cutout—practical and elegant, like the raccoon with her nimble paws. 

A true offering of beauty and depth for your altar, your backpack, or your kitchen table.

Shipping, Timelines & Taxes

Shipping will be collected after the campaign ends, once an accurate total for freight and costs incurred can be calculated; I will be partnering with Backerkit to help me. I’m delighted to offer worldwide delivery—wherever your corner of the earth may be. Shipping costs vary based on where you will receive your reward. 

UK/Europe/Canada Taxes:

As you may have seen in other Kickstarter campaigns, the requirements for remitting Value Added Tax (VAT) in Europe have changed. Therefore, after the campaign, in the pledge manager, backers in Europe will be charged a portion (7% to 10% depending on country) of the relevant VAT for their location. We will cover the remaining amount.

For backers in the UK, since Brexit, VAT charges on import are also incurred. Therefore, after the campaign, in the pledge manager, backers in the UK will be charged a portion of the VAT (10% only). We will cover the remaining amount.

For Canadian backers, in previous campaigns, we absorbed the cost of our Canadian sales tax. Unfortunately, this is no longer manageable. Therefore, after the campaign, in the pledge manager, backers in Canada will be charged the relevant GST and HST/PST.

Shipping Cost Estimates:

The following is a list of rough estimates for shipping to various countries: 

• USA, Canada, EU, Hong Kong, China, and Macau: $10-$15 USD
• United Kingdom: $11 USD
• European countries not in the EU, AU, and NZ: $12-15 USD.
• Countries not listed above: $20+ USD

Please note, these are rough estimates and costs may vary based on weight increased from unlocked stretch goals. All prices are noted in US dollars. 

Printing

For this project, I’ve partnered with an ethical, eco-conscious printer who shares my values of sustainability and care for the natural world.

The deck is complete—every illustration, every message, every page of the guidebook. Prototypes have been printed, tested, and held in loving hands. Once the campaign concludes, we’ll move straight into production. Printing will take approximately two to four weeks, followed by about a month in transit to our fulfillment centers. From there, your decks will begin their journey to you—with the intention of arriving in December, hopefully in time to tuck under trees or place on altars for the turning of the year.

Thank you for believing in this wild-hearted vision. Your support helps me bring art, magic, and meaning into the world—and it truly means everything.

All my heart, Holly xo