Calling all WW Tarot Users

[Wanderer]

3 minutes ago, Teemu said:

Yes, can do. Will look for a/the proper place.

Excellent! 😀 I'd suggest here:

 

[debs]

10 hours ago, Wanderer said:

About 10 years, Debs. I was living in China at the time, and stumbled across it online - and was immediately obsessed by the imagery, in a weirdly deep and powerful way. I'd been reading with the RW for many years by then, but it had never made sense to me intuitively; I still had to check meanings, and even though it worked, it wasn't satisfying. As soon as I saw the WW, I knew it was a revelation. The symbolism made far more sense to me than the Christian and formal occult overtones of the RW, and even when I didn't know the stories behind particular characters, they felt somehow familiar... as if I knew them on some deeper level (like Jung's archetypes, I guess).

    As soon as I got back to the UK I ordered a deck, and just fell into it. There was an instant connection, and I immediately felt as though there was a personality behind the cards. Reading with them was a conversation, as if with a new friend that I somehow already knew at a very deep level. There was a period of feeling my way through the readings, including discovering that it got very sarcastic when I thought I'd drawn the "wrong" cards, or when I gave up to easily. It demanded investment and effort, and gave back accordingly.

   After a while it started to feel as though using another deck would be somehow wrong... as if the WW was jealous of my attention, and would be offended by dalliances with others. At the same time, I felt that I didn't need another deck, because (like all good Tarot decks) it contained within it everything I needed to know. The cards are a window onto the totality of life, and if they represent aspects of life in a way that is familiar, then what advantage is there in having another deck? Perhaps there are different moods that can come through from different decks, but they should be accessible through any one deck as well. The more familiar one gets with a single deck, the more subtleties it can contain, and the less one needs another angle.

    So, I'm fully aware that the 'jealousy' of the WW is probably just me projecting my own thoughts and feelings onto the deck, because I believe that reading is basically a conversation with our subconscious. The WW captures my subconscious landscape almost perfectly (or, at least, better than any other commercial deck), and so that's the one I need. There may be other decks that capture particular momentary moods better, but those are not my subconscious... so they might be easier to read at that time, but there's a risk they are not representing the message that was intended.

    I hope this all makes some sort of sense, even though it's quite different to how many people see the cards - I've never had to put it into words, before!  Perhaps it's different for others, and using multiple decks is genuinely beneficial for them. For me, though, as much as certain decks appeal (either aesthetically or through their mythology) they don't match my underlying psyche as well as the Wildwood does. As a result, the WW is better for me, in an absolute way... and using other decks is probably a waste of time.

    As a final thought, when reading for others one could make a case for using a deck that matches their underlying personality instead of our own... but I don't think that works, either, unless you're reading for another reader... in which case it has become collaborative. To give the best answers, we read in the language we know best... and, if needed, translate afterwards into the language the sitter needs. 

 

Your insights make complete sense. I'm glad I'm not the only who over thinks these things 😁!

Completely agree, I think the rws has always felt cold for me for similar reasons. Growing up in the UK mostly in the countryside with a family who are very into nature and history makes me feel more connected to decks that reflect those themes, because that's what I know and understand.

Look forward to chatting more about Wild wood in other threads.

 

[Wanderer]

On 4/12/2023 at 9:17 PM, debs said:

Your insights make complete sense. I'm glad I'm not the only who over thinks these things 😁!

Completely agree, I think the rws has always felt cold for me for similar reasons. Growing up in the UK mostly in the countryside with a family who are very into nature and history makes me feel more connected to decks that reflect those themes, because that's what I know and understand.

Look forward to chatting more about Wild wood in other threads.

 

I'm a scientist, debs... there's no such thing as over-thinking! 😁

Glad it all made sense to you! Yes, despite being a nominally 'christian' country, we do have a lot of cultural baggage, and a deep connection to the old ways. I live in the middle of Wales, where the place is riddled with ancient tracks, stones, and hill forts... and there are still lonely, ancient landscapes. I sometimes sleep out in the woods, just be feel more connected; the woodland world only really comes alive at night, so it's quite an enlightening experience. I only do that in the summer, though, for some reason!