The Wildwood Tarot
Deck by
Authors Mark Ryan and John Matthews; Illustrated
by Will Worthington
© 2011
Published by Sterling
Even in just the brief time I've had so far
to get acquainted with the Wildwood Tarot, I am quickly
learning what an amazing and powerful deck this is.
I had heard about other people having favorable
experiences with this deck's predecessor, The Greenwood
Tarot, and now also successful reading experiences with
the Wildwood Tarot. The art for this deck is
illustrated by Will Worthington while the art of the
Greenwood Tarot was done by Chesca Potter
I just
received this deck last week (October 2011), so I haven't
had a lot of time to fully connect with the Wildwood
Tarot, but what I've encountered so far has been so spot
on with the wisdom and the information regarding a current
situation.
In doing
a reading for this situation of significant concern, the
Wildwood cards clearly and explicitly told me that I have
a lot of needless worry and inner struggles going
on. I was very encouraged by the information I
received from the cards. They not only described the
current situation with clarity and accuracy, but they also
showed me where things are leading and why they are
heading in the direction I was pointed to.
Despite
that this is a brand new tarot deck for me in October
2011, the responses I received from the cards were very
clear and rich in meaning. This was the first actual
reading I did with the Wildwood Tarot, and it won't be the
last! I don't always feel such a strong connection
with a brand new set of Tarot cards, especially when they
are not traditional.
I don't
have the Greenwood Tarot deck which was published in
1996. It has been out of print for a long
time. I do remember sitting on the fence about
possibly getting that deck in the late 90's, but I never
did buy it. Nowadays, because it's still in high
demand but is hard to find, it commands a very high price
for those who are lucky enough to find someone who has
this deck for sale. I have seen the asking price of
used copies of the Greenwood Tarot at $500!
But for
now, you don't have to pay such a high fee to get the
Wildwood Tarot deck. Although if it ultimately goes
out of print, as most decks do at some point, the price at
that time can start rising significantly.
Thus, I cannot compare the Wildwood Tarot to the writer's previous work that became so popular with repeated requests for a reprint. This review will focus solely on the Wildwood Tarot which was a two-year project between the team of Mark Ryan, John Matthews, and illustrator Will Worthington. Instead of doing a reprint of that original deck, these creators decided to create something even better . . . and with their combined talents and wisdom, the Wildwood Tarot deck was born.
You won't find a Rider-Waite-Smith in this set of cards. All of the 22 Major Arcana cards have been renamed for the Wildwood Tarot as follows:
0 The Wanderer (The Fool)
1 The Shaman (The Magician)
2 The Seer (The High Priestess)
3 The Green Woman (The Empress)
4 The Green Man (Emperor)
5 The Ancestor (The Hierophant)
6 The Forest Lovers (The Lovers)
7 The Archer (The Chariot)
8 The Stag (Strength)
9 The Hooded Man (The Hermit)
10 The Wheel (The Wheel of Fortune)
11 The Woodward (Justice)
12 The Mirror (The Hanged Man)
13 The Journey (Death)
14 Balance (Temperance)
15 The Guardian (The Devil)
16 The Blasted Oak (The Tower)
17 The Pole Star (The Star)
18 The Moon On Water (The Moon)
19 The Sun of Life (The Sun)
20 The Great Bear (Judgment)
21 The World Tree (The World)
In this deck, the suit names are also different than
tradition, and are named to represent this deck's theme and
are associated with the seasons and elements. The
traditional suit name is noted in parenthesis:
Arrows
- Air - Spring (Swords)
Bows - Fire - Summer
(Wands)
Vessels - Water -
Autumn (Cups)
Stones - Earth -
Winter (Pentacles)
The cards of this deck maintain traditional titles as Page,
Knight, Queen, and King.
The cards measure 3" x 4-3/4" with a white border on the
face of the cards. The cards are made on a quality
cardstock that should last for years to come. They are
done with a matte finish rather than having any gloss
coating. In the bottom of each border is the name of
the card. The court cards also feature an animal
association for that card, and the remainder of the Minor
Arcana present a keyword with the name and number of the
card. For the Majors, just the number and title of the
card are presented in the bottom border.
The backs of the cards are done in a plain dark green color
with a thin white inner border and contain a small leaf
design in each corner of that bordering line. On each
side of the card back is also the copyright notation for
Will Worthington who is the artist for this deck. The
backs are reversible.
The
accompanying guidebook is called "The Wildwood Tarot:
Wherein wisdom resides." This softcover book is 160
pages and is filled with information. As with all
decks that vary from tradition and may be different than
what you are used to in a tarot deck, I strongly recommend
that you read this companion book. You will get so
much more out of a deck when you take the time to explore
the book, and that certainly holds true for this book and
deck set, too.
On the first page of Part One: Into The Green (An
Introduction by Mark Ryan), we are immediately told, "The
best advice I ever got about Tarot was: 'Read the
book, meditate with the cards, then put the book away and do
your own thing!'"
I like that advice, because it truly is valid advice for
this deck and any other deck for which we're lucky enough to
get a guidebook.
Instead of the pages of this book being done in black and
white, they are written in dark green and white. Even
the pictures of the cards are done in green hues and
white. I thought that was kind of neat, since this is
a deck that also honors nature around us. The color
green is what I think of for nature.
The guidebook book is
divided into three parts:
- Part One – Into The Green: An Introduction by Mark Ryan
- Part Two – The Path Through the Forest: The Cards And Their Meanings
- Part Three – Finding Your Way: Working with
the Cards
In the section on working with the cards (Part Three),
three useful spreads are presented that fit this deck
well: The Pathway Spread, the Bow Spread, and the
World Tree Spread. The latter was the one I tried as
my first reading with this deck, and the results were
amazing!
Two pages are dedicated to
each of the major arcana cards, and the following sections
are provided for each of the major cards:
- Position on the Wheel (refers to the season and Pagan Sabbath)
- Description
- Meaning
- Reading Points
- Roots and Branches (keywords)
The pip cards (Ace through Ten) are presented similarly,
but have a single page dedicated to those cards. The
pip cards include a keyword, a description, meaning, and
reading points.
The court cards are the briefest presentation with one page
for each and include an animal association, position on the
wheel, meaning, reading points, and a small keyword section
called "Tracks and Pathways." I was wishing the court
cards had more information, but overall, I really have no
complaints. The book is very well written and
informative for using this set of tarot cards.
The meanings of the cards go beyond traditional systems of
Tarot. For example, in the first reading I did with
this deck, a card that came up was the Ten of Arrows.
In traditional tarot, that would be the 10 of Swords -- not
a card anyone enjoys seeing. But the keyword for the
Ten of Arrows is "instruction." After reading the
meaning in the book, it all came together intuitively, along
with the rest of the cards I drew for the reading. I
used the "World Tree Spread" from the book that begins on
page 147.
The art of this deck gives us a sense of fantasy and
nature. The coloring overall is not bright or vivid,
but has a more earthy coloring. The cards are
beautifully detailed, taking you into forests, caves, and
across land and water in all the seasons.
The cards and the book come packaged in a sturdy box with a
lid that lifts off the box. Inside you will first find
the book, and underneath the book are two wells which each
hold half the deck. I am not fond of storing my cards
in this manner, so I opted to use a tarot bag that I had
made for these cards. On the front of the box the
Ancestor card (Hierophant) is featured, and on the book
cover, we find the Hooded Man (The Hermit in traditional
tarot).
There were only two cards within this deck that I saw which
suggested nudity -- but the way the cards were done,
everything is actually covered with nothing exposed.
Thus, this shouldn't be a deck to offend anyone in terms of
nudity. However, this deck is Pagan in nature, and it
won't be for everyone.
Many scenes are lovely nature scenes, but for those who
aren't accustomed to Pagan symbology, this deck might not
call to those individuals or be the best deck for them,
either as reader or as seeker. I am not a Pagan,
however, I still like this deck very much! It's one of
those rare treasures that spoke to me on such a meaningful
level. Having had this deck a mere week, I look
forward to doing many more readings with this deck, for
myself as well as others.
From the back of the box:
"The Wildwood Tarot will take you on a
mystical journey for answers . . .
Look to the heart of a primeval
forest where deep ancestral wisdom lies to help make sense
of your world today. A beautifully illustrated card
deck, The Wildwood Tarot
is fun to use as a meditation system, a divinatory
oracle, or a source of profound knowledge. The cards
draw inspiration from pre-Celtic mythology and a belief
system steeped in shamanic mysteries. It's easy to
quickly access the magical lore of the Wildwood through
descriptions of each card revealing its historical and
mythological background as well as is divinatory
meaning. From the Green Man and Woman to the Hooded
Man and Blasted Oak, authors Mark Ryan and John Matthews
introduce forest archetypes based in the seasonal rhythms
and festivals of the ancient year. Step back in time to
better understand where your life's path may lead."
I wanted to include the above description from the box
because some box's descriptions can tend to "overrate" the
cards and make them sound more appealing than what they end
up being. But the description above is quite accurate
for The Wildwood Tarot
and is not overrated by any means!
This deck also has a website, and you can visit it at: http://thewildwoodtarot.com
Other decks by artist Will
Worthington:
- The Green Man Tree Oracle
- The Druid Animal Oracle
- The Druid Craft Tarot
- The Druid Plant Oracle
Deck Details - The Wildwood Tarot
Number
of Cards in Deck: 78
Size of Cards: 3" x 4-3/4"
Included with deck:
160-page companion book
Major Arcana: The Wanderer, The
Shaman, The Seer, The Green Woman, The Green Man, The
Ancestor,
The Forest Lovers, The Archer, The Stag, The Hooded Man, The
Wheel, The Woodward, The Mirror
The Journey, Balance, The Guardian, The Blasted Oak, The
Pole Star, The Moon On Water, The Sun of Life
The Great Bear, The World Tree
Suit Names:
Arrows (Swords), Bows (Wands), Vessels (Cups), Stones
(Pentacles)
Court Cards: Page,
Knight, Queen, King
