Wildwood Tarot

Welcome, All! I hope there will be quite a few people interested in this deck, as it seems to be very polarising: either people find it extremely powerful, or they like the artwork but just can't get on with it. I'm in the former camp, but everyone is welcome to contribute; sometimes it is the opposing experiences and opinions that are among the most interesting. For the structure of this group, I have no fixed plans (and no experience of doing anything similar with Tarot!), but can we try to keep the organisation logical? This thread is for people's personal opinions of the deck, and broad ideas of where to take the discussion. Once aspects of discussion start t…

I'm fairly new to constructing my own spreads, but now that I've started it seems surprisingly natural. I'd really like to see what other people have found works well with this deck, and likewise comments about which spreads seem not to. I have a few on a laptop that seems to have almost died, and once I get them off I'll post a few. The first (which my wife came up with, on the spur of the moment), we call The Mirror: 1. The Mirror: How I see myself. 2. The Mask: How others see me. 3. The Opened Eye: How I really am. This is a very introspective spread, designed to cut away some of the illusions we have about ourselves, or which others have about us. I thi…

As it's starting to get unwieldy, here's a set of links to the cards that have discussion pages on. It will of course be updated as we go along. 0. The Wanderer https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/topic/3147-0-the-wanderer/ 1. The Shaman https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/topic/4096-1-the-shaman/ 2. The Seer https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/topic/4675-2-the-seer/ 3. The Green Woman https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/topic/3654-3-the-green-woman/ 4. The Green Man https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/topic/3628-4-the-green-man/ 5. The Ancestor https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/topic/5436-5-the-ancestor/ 6. The Forest Lo…

The idea behind this is to pool information about readings (and other significant comments) on the forum that use the Wildwood deck, so that we can easily find examples of how people read with it. It's a bit overburdened with mine at the moment, so you'll all have to post more readings of your own... and then, please, link them here as well. Bear in mind, as with all Tarot, that everyone reads differently; differences in style and interpretation should be celebrated and learned from. :) I hope nobody minds this, but the threads are all immediately accessible by searching the forum for 'Wildwood' anyway. Of course, if anyone objects to their reading being linked, just le…

This study group has been pretty quiet for a while, I've only jut got my deck, but there is so much helpful information in this group, thank you so much everyone who has contributed! I have some thoughts and questions regarding the suites in general so I thought I'd start a thread. My views are not very deep right now, but I'm literally just starting out with this deck so I'm trying to get my head round it. I've not read the book that comes with this edition cover to cover, but I can't quickly find anything discussion the use of the symbols to represent each suite. So the suites are: Arrows - Air - Spring Bows - Fire - Summer …

Hi, the suits are assigned to the elements by the creators. It is (just as a reminder) Arrows - Air Bows - Fire Vessels - Water Stones - Earth The court cards, however, are not assigned. Traditionally with many Tarot decks, it would be Kings - Fire Queens - Water Knights - Air Pages - Earth With Wildwood Tarot, I think it is different. A more suitable assignment seems to be: Kings - Earth Queens - Water Knights - Fire Pages - Air The alternate assignment yields: Kingfisher - King of Arrows: Earth of Air (instead of Fire of Air) Swan - Queen of Arrows: Wate…

I'm not sure I've seen this done before, but I'd like to try an experiment. A little while ago, I made a three-card spread that worked startlingly well, and wondered whether anyone else would like to try the same. If consistencies emerge (or differences, for that matter), it could be very instructive. 1. What can the cards do for me? 2. What can they not do for me? 3. What do they know? The result: 1. Empowerment (5 of Bows) 2. Salmon (Queen of Vessels) 3. The Wheel. My reading of this: Empowerment is exactly how I see the benefit of the Tarot in general. By forcing us to face diverse, including unpleasant possibilities, it allows us to avoid the unexpect…

I would love to get this study group going again but most of the posts are old - is there anyone still on the forum using this deck that would like to continue?

Trying to learn the Wildwood Tarot at large. Descriptions are quite vague but I understand they are wanting a lot of intution to come out to interpret. Wanted to discuss this card.

I should start by saying that the Moon is one of the cards I've always felt that I don't fully understand, and this is amplified with the Moon on Water. It's a complex beast of a card, full of symbolism, and which hints at a wide range of meanings. This is, I think, as it should be; it's a card about the doorstep of knowledge, and the recognition of ignorance; it is shadows, illusions, and fleeting glimpses that only half make sense. The book lists a large number of facets, most of which have come into play at some point in the many times that this has turned up for me; I'm finding it to be one of the most frequent cards, and it always seems to be in the right place. …

Share your favorite card from The Wildwood Tarot and tell us why. I adore the 3 of Stones card. Just look at her! She's so immersed in the moment in-tune with nature. I can feel the energy flowing into her as she grounds herself. She reminds me to tune into my surroundings more often and draw in the power of Mother Nature.

I saw this group and I have the wildwood deck. So am wondering how it works, this study group and if it is still active?

Herro fellow WildWood Tarot people. Does anyone have the workbook they made to study this deck called Wild Magic by the same authors? I randomly came across it at a bookshop and was so happy I just got it without looking through it. I'd be interested in going through it with others if there is interest. Let me know and let's see what happens.

(This is the first card I'm studying in the Wildwood, I'm following Alison Cross's book "A Year in the Wildwood". So my notes and observations are based heavily on the Guidebook, Alison's Book and my own observations of this card. My studies will primarily follow the journaling ideas from Alison's book with a little more basic notes to start with). This Queen is represented by the Cave Bear. She is a symbol of Power and Protection. As a Queen she is: - practical - welcoming - nurturing - delights in prosperity and luxury (being of the stones suite) - loyal - generous In a more negative light, she may also be: - a hoa…

I rather like this card. The traditional Chariot always has a worrying feel to me, because of being always on the cusp of losing control, but here that aspect is entirely lost. The card is also integrated more firmly into the rest of the deck, because of the Swords suit becoming Arrows, whereas I've always found the Chariot to be something of an outsider. Here, the card fits perfectly with the Wildwood mythos... Our archer is fully equipped for the role, all her clothes tied down, protection on her arm, with her hair braided and tucked away under a cap. She has a quiver full of arrows, one nocked to the bow, and aims at a target (a live one, we presume) somewhere in th…

This is a gorgeous, beguiling card whose elements are very difficult to unpick, and the whole remains elusive... To me, it is very like the Moon on Water, both in content and in character, and this is tied also to a similar type of meaning. It is 'equivalent' to the Hanged Man in RW decks, but really is quite a different thing, sharing only the uneasy sense that one needs to look at things differently... So, we have a serpent-woman, mermaid, or some variation (a siren, possibly?), referred to in the book as the Dark Woman of Knowledge. Whether this is Nimue, Morgan, or other iterations in British mythology, she is a figure who reveals secrets and hidden truths, thereby…

First impressions: Scary… especially the woods and the ghost face under the tree. At first this card scares me. What jumps out & its meaning to me: The two different colored snakes. As if it’s Yin & Yang. What does it remind me of? It reminded me of the dragons from the animated series Avatar: The Last Air Bender, when Aang & Zuko go to master the fire element. Those dragons looked scary but were wise teachers. Story behind the scene: Whilst meditating over this I realized I could be very wrong with my first impression… this card probably is not scary… perhaps the snakes are holding/guarding the tree……

For a deck based in the days before Christianity, the Hierophant's card needs to be radically different. The entire concept of patriarchal, dogmatic doctrine and the permanence of established religion thought doesn't really apply. Although we don't know much at all about early Celtic religious practices or beliefs, the traces have been put back together based on historical detail, inspiration and spirit journeys. The Ancestor is very much a reflection of this reconstruction, and also to some extent represents a very personal perspective; here, she is based on the Greenwood Tarot, where the imagery came from Chesca's visions of her Guide: Elen of the Ways. Elen doesn't…

First impressions: Cunning! Looking at you through narrowed eyes… gauging you. What jumps out & its meaning to me: His white fur patch actually makes a heart shape. This fox seems approachable. His tail is relaxed (non-threatening). But see his paws? He’s ready to walk towards me; this to me says he’s not afraid either. His ears are pointed, ready to listen. He’s an observer and a learner. What does it remind me of? Reminds me of the first time I met my dog Pluto. He’s a rescue baby. Was severely wounded when found by the rescuers. I adopted him and picked him up directly from the vets. He was growling, but as I got closer and…

1. The Shaman There's a very interesting take on the Greenwood Shaman in ilweran[/member] 's Greenwood journal (https://www.thetarotforum.com/journals/ilweran's-greenwood-tarot-journal/30/) which is useful to compare with. However, the Wildwood shaman is a very different character, both in appearance and in meaning... First, the description. The Shaman is an old man, barefoot, with long white hair and beard, tattooed and dressed in a mixture of ragged robes, bearskin, and an ornamented tabard. The tabard shows images of animal spirits, in the style of some cave paintings. He crouches outside his dwelling beneath the tangled branches of a massive tree, holding a…

The Seer is to some extent an enigmatic character in the context of the Wildwood deck. The human story in the Wildwood community is practical, pragmatic and roles are well defined. Even where we have a mysterious character such as the Shaman, his role within the society is clear. The Seer, though, lives in her own world, on the fringes of society. What is her significance for the people of the Wildwood, and how is she seen by them? She is difficult to unravel, deeply mysterious, and gives little away. Much as the High Priestess in RW decks, the Seer keeps her own counsel. We should start with the image, perhaps. There is symbolism everywhere, and immense detail... sh…

The Wanderer is The Fool in standard R-W-type decks. In many ways this is the same figure: a carefree youngster about to step over the edge of a cliff, beginning the path to wisdom. However, there are some aspects that are different, and feel different, and which gives this card, to me, a subtly different set of implications... To start with, this isn't someone toppling accidentally over the edge. This figure is deliberately stepping onto a rainbow that stretches away over the clouds. The bottom of the ravine is masked, but just visible: a barren stony canyon with rivers flowing through it. This isn't something we can imagine as a benign unknown to fall into... it'…

Let's talk about Arrows both generally and in Wild Wood... The arrows are our desires - independence - self-defense two crossed arrows represent friendship two arrows facing away from each other represent conflict Like hunters we need to be able to focus to achieve our prey The Natives used arrows for hunting and for protection Arrows can represent power, love (cupids arrow) Arrows show direction Arrows represent strength in finding one's direction in life An arrow pulled back on a bow shows focus, readiness, and aim An arrow released from a bow shows action - shows someone who is ready to take on whatever comes the…

All Tarot decks have their own personality and ways of working... and since this is such a polarising (and sometimes challenging!) deck, I thought it would be useful to share our observations on how it likes to be treated, and how to get the best from it. I've been hesitating on writing this, because I've always assumed it to be a very personal relationship with each individual... but reading people's comments about trying to use it, I'm really not sure that's true. There seem to be some themes that repeat regularly... so here are my thoughts on what this deck is like, and how to work with it. Treat them as my personal foibles... but see if they are also useful…

Hi all, Can someone tell me if the wildwood tarot is a good deck for a newbie.