Poet Coleman Barks notes that all the mystical traditions love birds and their singing: "Birds represent our longings for purity and freedom and they carry messages of ineffable joy." Anyone open to the connection between birds and spirituality will want to savor this boxed book-and-card set. It contains 52 cards that can be used individually or in spreads for guidance and wisdom on a daily or weekly basis. Forty-five of the cards deal with individual birds; interpretive sections in the book cover this particular bird's wisdom, its meaning when drawn in reverse (broken wing), exercises to help you gain a bird's eye view (bird vision), and interesting tidbits of information and bird lore.

If you draw the hawk, it is presenting you with the inspiration of observation, whereas if you draw the oriole, it teaches you about compassion. See a swan and it challenges you to think about beauty. Carbone states: "You can consult this book anytime a message comes to you by way of a feather, a song, a flight, a meditation, a dream, a name, a sign, or a gift." There are also 7 "Feathered Friends" cards, based on the chakras, designed for meditation on your life situation. The elegant cards and illustrations by Mary Ruzicka make this a delightful divination package.