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The Afro Fantasy Walking Tree Oracle: Plant Allies, Ancestor Magic, and Healing through Ritual and Ceremony
50 pages
Published July 22, 2025
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 12, 2025
North Atlantic Books' previous card deck, The Cantigee Oracle, is a personal favorite. I organized a year-long creative group based on the guidebook, I've purchased multiple copies, and talked everyone I know into getting their own. When I saw NAB has a new card deck with an extensive guidebook coming out, I was first in line to request a copy! First, Jonathan Stalls' illustrations are amazing and deep and magical. Evocative, that's the word I'm looking for. Second, the guidebook - like the one which accompanies The Cantigee Oracle - is a thoughtful, creative, and practical book all on its own. If you aren't into cards, both guidebooks are worth reading as standalone personal guides with hands-on, real-world instructions. Thank you to the author, NAB, and NetGalley for the eARC.
Monticue Connally has combined extensive knowledge of a variety of spiritual paths with astrology, herbalism, and other physical practices to create a powerful guide for personal and community growth. Personally, I love the inclusion of tea suggestions. There are other practices in the book which are not for me, which is okay. Take what works for you and leave what doesn't for someone else. Likewise, many of the teachings in the book are not for me - I very much appreciate the opportunity to learn about practices which are different from my own. And there are many teachings which are immediately applicable in my life right now.
Perhaps because I read an advance copy, there were areas which felt not quite finished. Some explanations were clear and thorough. Others read more like placeholders to be fleshed out later. I do plan to purchase the card deck and guidebook when it comes out and hope to find deeper dives into some of the subjects skimmed over in the copy I read. If not, it is still a worthwhile purchase and it gives Connally something to write about next time.
Monticue Connally has combined extensive knowledge of a variety of spiritual paths with astrology, herbalism, and other physical practices to create a powerful guide for personal and community growth. Personally, I love the inclusion of tea suggestions. There are other practices in the book which are not for me, which is okay. Take what works for you and leave what doesn't for someone else. Likewise, many of the teachings in the book are not for me - I very much appreciate the opportunity to learn about practices which are different from my own. And there are many teachings which are immediately applicable in my life right now.
Perhaps because I read an advance copy, there were areas which felt not quite finished. Some explanations were clear and thorough. Others read more like placeholders to be fleshed out later. I do plan to purchase the card deck and guidebook when it comes out and hope to find deeper dives into some of the subjects skimmed over in the copy I read. If not, it is still a worthwhile purchase and it gives Connally something to write about next time.
June 12, 2025
Book Review: The Afro Fantasy Walking Tree Oracle: Plant Allies, Ancestor Magic, and Healing through Ritual and Ceremony by Monticue Connally
A Groundbreaking Synthesis of Afrofuturism and Botanical Spirituality
Monticue Connally’s The Afro Fantasy Walking Tree Oracle is a visionary contribution to the study of decolonial spirituality and eco-critical theory. This work—part oracle deck, part ethnographic manifesto—challenges Western binaries between nature and culture, offering instead a lush cosmology where trees speak, ancestors manifest through flora, and healing is an act of ecological reclamation. As an academic engaged with African diasporic traditions, I found Connally’s fusion of Afrofuturist aesthetics with Yoruba and Dagara cosmologies intellectually exhilarating and emotionally resonant.
Theoretical and Emotional Impact
The deck’s illustrations (described as “Afro-Fantasy” in style) provoked a visceral reaction—their vibrant reimagining of sacred groves as living libraries of ancestral wisdom forced me to confront my own disconnectedness from botanical kinship. Connally’s ritual frameworks, particularly the “Tree Talking” ceremonies, transcend mere esoteric practice; they read as radical political acts in an era of climate apartheid. One meditation on baobabs as time-traveling entities brought me to tears, evoking Toni Morrison’s Roots in its temporal fluidity.
The accompanying essays dismantle anthropological tropes about “primitive animism,” repositioning plant communication as a sophisticated epistemological system. Connally’s critique of herbalism’s commodification—especially the erasure of African herbal knowledge—echoes recent work by scholars like Zoe Todd, but with a poetic urgency unique to practitioner-scholars.
Constructive Criticism
-Academic Rigor: While rich in oral traditions, the text would benefit from deeper engagement with archaeological botany (e.g., evidence of sacred groves in pre-colonial Africa).
-Pedagogical Gaps: The rituals assume cultural fluency; a glossary of diasporic terms (e.g., ase, okra) would aid classroom use.
-Structural Tension: The hybrid oracle/anthology format occasionally disrupts narrative flow—some essays feel truncated to accommodate card descriptions.
Why This Matters Now
In an age of ecological collapse, Connally’s work models how to “listen” to the more-than-human world without appropriation. Their framing of deforestation as ancestral desecration reframes environmental activism as spiritual duty.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to North Atlantic Books and Edelweiss for the review copy. This text belongs in syllabi on Africana religions, ecofeminism, and visual anthropology—its multimodal approach bridges theory and praxis brilliantly.
Rating: 4.8/5 (A luminous, necessary work—would elevate with supplemental scholarly apparatus.)
Note: Connally’s collaboration with illustrators results in a visually stunning deck, though the academic text could stand alone as a critical monograph.
A Groundbreaking Synthesis of Afrofuturism and Botanical Spirituality
Monticue Connally’s The Afro Fantasy Walking Tree Oracle is a visionary contribution to the study of decolonial spirituality and eco-critical theory. This work—part oracle deck, part ethnographic manifesto—challenges Western binaries between nature and culture, offering instead a lush cosmology where trees speak, ancestors manifest through flora, and healing is an act of ecological reclamation. As an academic engaged with African diasporic traditions, I found Connally’s fusion of Afrofuturist aesthetics with Yoruba and Dagara cosmologies intellectually exhilarating and emotionally resonant.
Theoretical and Emotional Impact
The deck’s illustrations (described as “Afro-Fantasy” in style) provoked a visceral reaction—their vibrant reimagining of sacred groves as living libraries of ancestral wisdom forced me to confront my own disconnectedness from botanical kinship. Connally’s ritual frameworks, particularly the “Tree Talking” ceremonies, transcend mere esoteric practice; they read as radical political acts in an era of climate apartheid. One meditation on baobabs as time-traveling entities brought me to tears, evoking Toni Morrison’s Roots in its temporal fluidity.
The accompanying essays dismantle anthropological tropes about “primitive animism,” repositioning plant communication as a sophisticated epistemological system. Connally’s critique of herbalism’s commodification—especially the erasure of African herbal knowledge—echoes recent work by scholars like Zoe Todd, but with a poetic urgency unique to practitioner-scholars.
Constructive Criticism
-Academic Rigor: While rich in oral traditions, the text would benefit from deeper engagement with archaeological botany (e.g., evidence of sacred groves in pre-colonial Africa).
-Pedagogical Gaps: The rituals assume cultural fluency; a glossary of diasporic terms (e.g., ase, okra) would aid classroom use.
-Structural Tension: The hybrid oracle/anthology format occasionally disrupts narrative flow—some essays feel truncated to accommodate card descriptions.
Why This Matters Now
In an age of ecological collapse, Connally’s work models how to “listen” to the more-than-human world without appropriation. Their framing of deforestation as ancestral desecration reframes environmental activism as spiritual duty.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to North Atlantic Books and Edelweiss for the review copy. This text belongs in syllabi on Africana religions, ecofeminism, and visual anthropology—its multimodal approach bridges theory and praxis brilliantly.
Rating: 4.8/5 (A luminous, necessary work—would elevate with supplemental scholarly apparatus.)
Note: Connally’s collaboration with illustrators results in a visually stunning deck, though the academic text could stand alone as a critical monograph.
April 17, 2025
The Afro Fantasy Walking Tree Oracle is a beautifully illustrated 50-card oracle deck, which is a blend of both traditional tarot (Major Arcana) and oracle cards.
Each card combines folklore, planetary signs, zodiac signs, realms (of which there are 9), and associated plants/herbs, which gives the reader plenty of interpretations and meanings behind each card drawn. The manual is very clear, giving both upright and reversed meanings, as well as in-depth explanations of each card's overall design.
There's further explanation of the 9 realms: object, physical, ethereal, astral, mental, intuition, ancestral, coincidental, and the mythic realm - and the meaning and uses of each for readings.
A fantastic and beautifully crafted tool for any BIPOC reader or practitioner.
[This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion]
Each card combines folklore, planetary signs, zodiac signs, realms (of which there are 9), and associated plants/herbs, which gives the reader plenty of interpretations and meanings behind each card drawn. The manual is very clear, giving both upright and reversed meanings, as well as in-depth explanations of each card's overall design.
There's further explanation of the 9 realms: object, physical, ethereal, astral, mental, intuition, ancestral, coincidental, and the mythic realm - and the meaning and uses of each for readings.
A fantastic and beautifully crafted tool for any BIPOC reader or practitioner.
[This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion]
March 22, 2025
I loved the artwork and the different elements used in the Oracle deck. I thought it was very interesting to use major arcana cards from the Tarot along with Oracle cards created by the creator of the deck. I also really liked that natural elements, numerology, astrology, and folklore is used on each card. Some cards are also different colors which correspond to a particular element. It’s a great deck full of powerful information.
I got an advance digital look at this deck for my feedback. I think it’s a beautiful deck that anyone really into Afro futurism or their Afro roots (and beyond) will enjoy.
I got an advance digital look at this deck for my feedback. I think it’s a beautiful deck that anyone really into Afro futurism or their Afro roots (and beyond) will enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews