Oh How Things Change!

[AeonHorus]

So I've owned the Green Witch tarot now since February 2016 and boy am I glad I did. I have never had a deck that has spoken to me with such clarity as she does. I see things in the artwork that others seem to miss, this I realise now and only because I wrote a review of the deck for my website (now sadly closed) and for Aeclectic forums (also sadly closed).

 

So I thought that I would kick off here with that very same review just so as that we can all see just how your views can change about something once you have been intimate with. 😉 

 

 

The Green Witch Tarot

 

Overview & First Thoughts

So today I had the great pleasure of un-boxing my Green Witch tarot and feasting my eyes upon these most beautiful consecrated cards of art. I think that if the late great Mr. Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris were still alive they would be green with envy at these cards created by Kiri Ostergaard Leonard. I must admit though at first when I saw pre-released photographical images of the cards I held my reservations because some of the cards had veered away from the original Waite/Smith interpretations of the pictorial symbology. Now don’t take this the wrong way I am all up for change but when the art work can maybe change the meaning behind the card there the difficulty I find. There are 78 cards with 78 different very well thought out allegorical meanings for a reason, and that reason whether it is to divine the future or help sort out life problems, basically comes back to finding out the truth, be that about oneself or another party. Things happen in this life and they usually happen for a reason, be that good, bad or simply downright horrid, the fact behind the matter is that shit happens. Now when I fist found out that Ann Moura had requested a change in the artwork for cards such as the 3 of Swords (Athames, as they are called in this deck), I was as I say having trouble coming to terms with what she was doing. So, I emailed Kiri to complain lol, she informed me that it was nothing to do with her and that she was simply the artist commissioned to paint the images and she had no idea of tarot nor it’s symbolic meanings. She suggested that I speak with Ann Moura. Before I e-mailed Ann I thought that I would air my views to the public on certain tarot forums to see what reaction the public was having to these cards. Was it the same as me, did people see something that I had missed, or were they simply following the crowd with no clue in their heads.

 

This is what I found.

 

“Just found this on Amazon and got really, really excited (A Green Witch tarot...how cool would that be!)
But I was so disappointed when I saw the images. Not knocking the artwork or anything, the colours are beautiful, but it looks as if they are aiming it at a younger client base.
I need to connect with the cards and I'd struggle with this” 

 

“I was super excited until I looked closer at the cards and noticed that they may be sugar coating "negative" cards
For example: http://kirileonard.com/green-witch-tarot-3-athames/
"Traditionally the 3 of Swords is a card with a difficult message. The Rider-Waite illustration has a heart suspended in the air pierced by 3 swords, however the Green Witch Tarot differs and have a more hopeful symbolism."
I can't see how the artwork (Although beautiful) in that card illustrates grief or heartache and for me that's a deal breaker. I don't need "hopeful symbolism" I need reality.
I've enjoyed decks where the cards meanings have been tweaked and changed but I need balance in my tarot.
It's a shame. As a green witch, I’ve been wanting a deck like this”.

 

“OH.....

How very disappointing!
Why are people so scared of the reality of life?
I totally agree with you there, a good tarot needs balance and in Yin there is Yang. So why change the model that was designed specifically for that purpose. I hate it when I get readings that I know someone has just polished up to sound good or to sound like what I wanna hear. I DON"T wanna hear this I WANNA HEAR THE TRUTH, no matter how harsh it is. How else can I change or watch out for something major that is about to enter my life to create havoc and mayhem, if I am blinded by positivity.

Thank you so much for this....
I think that I shall hold off for now and wait until the reviews come out on youtube to give it a full assessment. But I think my love for this deck is now broken.

Such a shame too!

Beautiful artwork in a useless deck.”

 

But after all that, it is a beautiful deck so I decided bite the bullet and go for broke. I am now sitting here looking at the Majors sitting on my table ready for me to tell their story.

 

 

 

 

[AeonHorus]

Since then as I say my views have changed, especially about cards such as 3 Athames, this I will shed more light on as we progress through the deck. 

[joy]

This deck is really the first deck after the RWS I was reading with and I still use this for most of my readings. Not necessarily because this is the deck I love most but because I did not yet have enough time to delve further into the other decks I own. This deck is not fully following the RWS and therefore some cards are a bit of a challenge. But I love this deck. I have this deck since 2019 it was recommended by a dear friend of mine and when someone sold it second hand I thought this was not a coincidence. Maybe my dear friend would like to join us for our study? Looking over at @Whisper ❤️