Is This a Good Deck for a Newbie?

[Tarotnewbie]

Hi all,

 

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

[Wanderer]

That's a complicated question! It depends what you want to do, and who you are...

 

I guess the main difficulties are that it's a different system to the normal Rider-Waite (so needs to be learned on its own), and it's based in northern European, pre-christian culture. If you have a different background and mythology, you may find it difficult to interpret a lot of the cards, to begin with. If you are just getting to grips with something like the Rider-Waite, you'll have to accept that you'll largely be starting again... even though the basic structure is the same, there are a number of major differences in precise meaning. Being a newbie may actually be an advantage here, in that you won't have deeply-ingrained preconceptions of what the cards 'should' mean!

 

So, it's a question of whether you want to be a traditional general reader, following the normal learning path (and, for many people, using a wide variety of decks), or whether you are interested  in focusing on one particular deck and developing that for your own approach. If you want to do the standard route, it is perhaps easier to begin with a mainstream deck... this gives you a basis that is more easily applied to new decks, and you can later get the Wildwood and will be able to appreciate its differences more easily. If you're not too worried about becoming proficient in the whole range of decks and techniques, then it depends on whether it's the deck for you...

 

Some people love it, and find that it works beautifully for them. Other people want to love it, but just can't get it to behave. Still others really don't like it at all. The question really is whether it calls to you. If I had to summarise what sort of deck it is, I'd say it's s serious and deep one: it doesn't sugar-coat the answers, it deals mainly with understanding and developing our inner selves (shadows and all), and it includes an amazing amount of detail if you can get it to work. It uses a system relating to the Wheel of the Year, but this isn't necessarily tied to more complex things like astrology, and does stand alone. The artwork is beautiful and evocative, for those to whom the subject matter makes sense. In my experience, it also demands respect and commitment; if you don't listen to it, even when it tells you things you don't want to hear, then you're not going to get along. Being a newbie may again help here, in that you'll be devoting yourself to it (for a while, at least) rather than to a wide range of other decks. 

 

In the end, and allowing for the above, does the deck call to you? If so, then there's a good chance it's the one for you. Does that help..?

[Tarotnewbie]

Thank you wanderer, really appreciate your detailed reply and you feedback on the wild wood tarot. I think i will stick with Rider-Waite for now and see how well i can do with it. Thanks for time and patience.

[Wanderer]

You're welcome... that's probably sensible for now, but I do hope you feel the urge to get it one day, because it's a lovely deck! Plus you can then join in the study group!  😉

[Tarotnewbie]

🙂 study group??? i will look into it. thanks.