Just in time for the long weekend, Sue Coccia’s colouring book Colour Yourself to Calmness arrives in the mail! I’m not usually a fan of mandala-style colouring books — it can be really stressful trying to keep track of all those teeny tiny patterns! — but I’m definitely making an exception for this one.

Coccia’s illustrations within the primary outlines on each page aren’t actually patterns, but rather animals and nature images. Take for example this detail from Coccia’s illustration of a lynx. I’m afraid I don’t understand the significance of the deer (stag?), mushroom, and rabbit, but I absolutely love how the image makes me want to learn more about why the artist chose these particular images to go with the lynx. And whether or not I ever learn this, I do enjoy colouring nature images, and I’m excited to take my coloured pencils to these!

The Introduction gives us a glimpse into Coccia’s fascinating process: rather than starting with the outline and filling it in with her nature imagery, Coccia starts in the middle and works outward, developing the story as she goes. For example, the illustration for Frog has Bear in the center, who has “great inner strength [and] ois living abundantly along the love and protection of Turtle.” Dragonfly in Frog’s head represents transformation and enlightenment in Frog’s dreams, and the presence of Whale and Snake in the illustration also have meaning that feed into Frog’s broader association with prosperity, healing, and inner peace.

Each page also has a ladybug embedded in the image. This is Coccia’s signature; ladybugs represent good luck, happiness, and prosperity. See for example this detail from Raven’s page below. I love the powerful symbolism of the ladybug crawling upwards in between nighttime and rain on one side, and the sun beginning to peek out from behind the clouds on the other.

According to the introduction, Coccia’s grandmother was Cherokee, and the artist “uses Native American, Polynesian, and Aboriginal images to show that we’re all connected in some manner.” The pages of this book give us a glimpse into some of the meanings associated with each animal; I imagine folks who are more familiar with the various nuances of these meanings will take even more out of the colouring experience.

A couple more pages I’m excited to colour are below. Mostly because I just really like big cats and hummingbirds!

And if there are any animals you have a particularly soft spot for, here’s the full list of all the images:

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Thank you to Firefly Books for a copy of this colouring book in exchange for an honest review.

Pinoy Practical Magic

Tanim Oracle

A friend just brought these cards over for me from the Philippines, and I love them so much I had to gush! I purchased both decks from Practical Magic, the website of Filipino tarot creator and reader Chinggay Labrador. I love how both decks feel so very Pinoy, and folks who know both Tagalog and tarot will find lots of layers to unpack.

The Pinoy Practical Magic tarot is a collage-style deck that uses photos from 1970s showbiz magazines. I love the Philippine flag-inspired backs, the national anthem lyrics on the back, and I especially, absolutely love the Tagalog translations of the majors, and the Tagalog keywords on all the cards. As an example, the High Priestess card is called Babaylan and its keyword is “kutob.” And yes, tarot readers may know that the High Priestess card is all about intuition, but for a Tagalog speaker, the word “kutob” just hits different.

The Tanim Filipino botanical oracle deck features illustrations of plants in the Philippines and keywords in both Tagalog and English. I mostly love this deck because it’s making me nerd out over botanical information. It doesn’t come with a guidebook, so for people like me who know next to nothing about plants, you would need to look up the plants online. In reading with this, I usually read up on the plant, and then figure out how it aligns for me with the keyword on the card.

Language also plays a part in this. For example, the keyword for Philippine teak is “Manganib. Be wary.” The choice of “manganib” (which denotes danger) over the milder “mag-ingat” (take care) carries quite a bit of weight, and this nuance made me deep dive into what may be significant about Philippine teak. I also love the choice of “tanim” (to plant) rather than “halaman” (a plant) as the name of this oracle deck. It denotes an action, an invitation to plant whatever card you pull into your daily life.

Looping back to the Pinoy Practical Magic deck, I especially love how the keywords paint a vivid picture of the differences between the court cards.

Take for example the Queens:

• Queen of Wands: Bongga (not sure how to translate this… kinda like expressing yourself fully and openly)
• Queen of Swords: Magpakatotoo (be true to yourself)
• Queen of Pentacles: Aruga (care)
• Queen of Cups: Unawa (understanding)

Or the Kings:

• King of Wands: Astig (not sure how to translate this, TBH… kinda like cool? awesome?)
• King of Swords: Dunong (intelligence)
• King of Pentacles: Mamahala (the ruler)
• King of Cups: Pakisama (getting along)

For me, the Wands in the above examples are a great representation of why I love the Tagalog keywords so much. There are cultural nuances that don’t quite translate, and that add to the way we can read each card.

Other examples I love from the suits:

• 2 of Cups: M.U. (mutual understanding… a rather old-school term for a romantic couple who haven’t quite made it official yet)
• 3 of Cups: Barkada (a friend group, but also kinda more than that? More like your core friend group, maybe.)
• 6 of Cups: Senti (sentimental, again a Filipino colloquialism)
• 3 of Swords: Bigo (romantically rejected, and again, seeing the Tagalog word hits harder)
• 9 of Swords: Bangungot (nightmare, but more like the kind of nightmare that comes with sleep paralysis and can make you feel like you’re truly trapped and going to die)
• 3 of Pentacles: Bayanihan (a Filipino cultural practice where the entire community comes together to help each other out)
• 5 of Pentacles: Tamlay (no energy)…I find this an interesting choice for the 5 of Pentacles, which I’ve always associated with poverty. This particular card invites deeper reflection for me, and perhaps a deeper dive into all the potential meanings and nuances within 5 of Pentacles.

Even better, this tarot deck comes with a set of stickers you can use for journaling. Perfect for deep dive reflections into the readings!