Humanimals
An author deck by psychologist Yulia Prasolova. Animals in human situations and word cards for working with emotions, relationships, subpersonalities and decisions.
Open the deckWhat's in the deck
Humanimals is a portrait deck where animals take the place of people, busy with very human things. A badger glues a broken bowl back together. A bear sits on a bench under a streetlight and wipes away tears with a handkerchief.
The deck has 60 scenes where the animal and the human worlds meet, and 21 word cards naming emotional states: Inspiration, Doubt, Trust, Irreversibility, Clarity and others.
It is easier to talk about an animal than about yourself: a little distance lowers the defences, and a person starts to notice their own story in someone else's scene. Many scenes are deliberately built from things that do not belong together: a hippo plays the piano in the middle of a pond, a crocodile dozes on a cushion next to a pair of glasses. This helps widen the view of your situation, "borrow" a quality you need from the animal, see plainly how absurd some situations or habits are when they keep you from your goal, and take a fresh look at solutions that were close at hand but never used.
About the author
The deck was created by Yulia Prasolova, a crisis psychologist. She uploaded it to the platform herself; it passed moderation and is open to everyone in the shared library. This page is published with the author's consent.
Techniques where this deck fits
These are the self-reflection techniques in our Self-Work Navigator that work well with this deck:
When to pick
When you need emotional stability
The deck works well with a wide range of emotional states. It helps both to find and strengthen a state or quality you need (calm, courage, inspiration) and to cope with difficult ones (jealousy, aggression, fear, sadness).
Relationships and roles
Animal images make it easy to get to know your subpersonalities and hidden potential and to widen the range of ways you show up. The deck also suits work on relationships and on how a person sees their partner: a tiger resting in a boxing ring after a fight can tell a lot about someone's own role in a relationship.
Choices and decisions
You can "ask the animals for advice", lay the options out in a spread to see their strong and weak sides more clearly, and understand which decision holds more potential.
Image and word together
A word card is placed next to a scene, and the pair asks a question that neither card asked on its own. What does a hedgehog in an armchair with a cup of tea have in common with the word Embarrassment? The answer becomes a metaphor for what is really happening to a person or a couple.
When this isn't the right deck
Humanimals is a deck for conversation and self-observation. It does not diagnose and does not predict anything: a card does not say what is happening to a person, the meaning comes from what they say about it. In an acute state the deck does not replace professional help. If there are thoughts of suicide, violence, or a state you cannot cope with on your own, contact local emergency services or a crisis line.
Other decks in MAC Cards Online
About metaphorical associative cards (MAC)
Metaphorical associative cards (MAC) are a projective tool used in self-reflection, coaching and therapy. Unlike tarot or oracle cards, they don't predict anything – the image becomes a mirror for what is already happening inside you.
You can work with MAC cards alone in a quiet 5-minute session, with a therapist, or in a group. The card is not the answer; it is a frame for asking yourself a more honest question.
On MAC Cards Online, every public deck is free to try in your browser – no installation, no registration. The platform also has Self-Work Navigator with 27 guided techniques that walk you through a session step by step.