Deck by Robin Wood

© 1991 Llewellyn Publications

I can't say enough wonderful things about this deck.  It's a beautiful Tarot deck, filled with brilliant, attractive illustrations . . . and it's definitely one of my favorites!  One can easily associate this vivid, colorful, and expressive art with the meanings of the cards.  The Robin Wood Tarot is based on the Rider-Waite version, yet the colors are brighter and the images add more depth to the meanings of the cards.  These vivid pictures stand out so well, and it's as if the deck has an energy of it's very own.

The Robin Wood Tarot is a perfect deck to learn the Tarot with because it does follow closely with the traditional Rider-Waite deck.  There are some differences besides the art and coloring, but the differences still allow a comprehensive understanding of the card meanings.  In fact, it seems there are always new things that will catch your eye as you work with these cards.  All of these symbols will continue to help you expand your knowledge and understanding of the cards.  This is why I highly recommend the Robin Wood Tarot to new students.  For the novice reader who is ready to step away from the Rider-Waite Tarot, the Robin Wood deck has much to offer!  Not only is it the perfect deck for a beginner, it's also perfect for reading at any level.  It has definitely become one of the most popular decks for both reader and seeker.

If you are wanting to learn to read Tarot, but the Rider-Waite deck doesn't appeal to you, then I think you'll find the Robin Wood Tarot deck to work very well for you.  I recommend this deck to anyone who wants a traditional deck with better images than what is contained within the Rider-Waite cards.  A considerable amount of nudity is in this deck, so this is something to keep in mind when reading for folks who may be offended easily.  Certainly there is nudity within the Rider-Waite version as well, but in Robin Wood's deck, such nudity stands out far more due to the care and detail she put into all of her work.

The art is outstanding and offers bright, vivid cards that are exciting and fun to work with, yet also maintain a serious tone as well.  Some call this deck a Waite-Smith clone with a Wiccan flavor, however, I don't personally associate the deck with a Wiccan theme . . . probably because I don't follow those practices.  This Tarot deck is not exclusive to any specific religious tradition, although some agree that there is modern Wiccan theme among the cards.  Nevertheless, these cards have been used effectively by many readers from different backgrounds.  But this deck stands to show that regardless of your background, religion, or personal beliefs, this deck can appeal to almost everyone!  And I think that's a wonderful feature of this deck as well.  There seems to be something in this deck for everyone.

I recommend Robin Wood's book that goes with this specific deck and is sold separately.  It's "The robin Wood Tarot:  The Book" and is filled with information about the symbolism she chose for each card.  It's a great help in understanding why Robin Wood chose certain images for her cards.  She also stresses that it's okay to see any of the symbolism in a different way than she does.  As a matter of fact, Robin Wood encourages each reader to use his or her intuition and look at the cards from your own personal viewpoints.  The book is excellent in helping one to understand the reasoning behind the symbols and imagery for this particular deck.

Here is an excerpt from the back of The Robin Wood Tarot:  The Book:

"This book is all about the Robin Wood Tarot; how it started, why Robin chose the sybmols for each card, and how she reads them.  But it's not just about her deck.  Some of it is applicable to the Tarot in general; there is history here, a section about symbols, a bit about how to prepare to read the cards, even the rules for Tarrochi!"

Number of Cards in Deck: 78 cards (22 Major/56 Minor)

Size of Cards:  2-3/4" x 4-5/8"

Included with deck: LWB (Little White Book)

Major Arcana:
Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant,
Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice,
Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon,
Sun, Judgement, World

Suit Names: Cups, Wands, Swords, Pentacles

Court Cards:  King, Queen, Knight, Page

Back Design of Cards:

Available from from Amazon.com THE ROBIN WOOD TAROT Cards ROBIN WOOD TAROT Book

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