The Wildwood Tarot deck review
A central theme of the Wildwood Tarot is the interconnection of humans with the wild, with animals, and with the calendar cycle. Each card in this deck is a stunning picture filled with herbal scents, rustle of leaves and field breeze.
Philosophy of the deck is based on the Wheel of the Year symbol, on ancient traditions, and legends of forest spirits.
The Wildwood Tarot deck is very unusual and original. Yes, it also has 78 cards, divided into Major and Minor Arcana. But the cards themselves are quite different. The images of the Major Arcana are associated with Celtic mythology and have names that differ from the traditional Tarot. For example, The Wanderer (the Fool), the Seer (High Priestess), the Hooded Man (the Hermit).
"The Green Woman is the drunken yeast of nature. She wore a crown of ferns and wild roses. She uttered beautiful words of life. Her expression is very calm and relaxed but exudes elegance and authority. Around her neck, she wears a Celtic gold necklace that symbolizes the sun all year round. While the yellow amber jar in front of her contained the milk of love and nourishment, the Sheela – Na – Gig engraving on it spoke of the power to sustain women’s life. The Green Woman is the symbol of the wood in midsummer. Here, among the luxuriant foliage, birds and other little animals in the wood have revived and together build a nest. They create an ecosystem among the branches as a safe haven for fragile and innocent creatures."
Four seasons correspond to four suits. All suits were renamed: Swords to Arrows, Wands to Bows, Pentacles to Stones, and Cups to Vessels. Many Minor Arcana cards in the deck are animals that inhabit in European forests.
"Being able to live both on land and underwater, the otters’ ability to move between these areas is also seen as a way of traveling between worlds. That makes otters especially revered by the Celts. The otters are also sometimes listed as one of the oldest animals in the rescue story of Mabon ap Modron."
The deck has its own interpretation system, although structurally it is close to the Rider-Waite deck. It may not be easy to work with these cards, and you may need time to learn. But it's worth it. Many owners of this deck note its strong spiritual energy. It reads perfectly and creates a warm positive atmosphere.
The edition was published in a large beautiful box and additionally contains a very detailed book describing the philosophy of the deck and the interpretation of each card.
The Wildwood Tarot deck was first published in 2011 but still ranks among the best modern decks. It is very popular and can become an embellishment of the collection of every Tarot lover and connoisseur.
