The Druidcraft Tarot [Paperback]

Philip Carr-Gomm (Author), Stephanie Carr-Gomm (Author), Will Worthington (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2005

At a time when we seek a closer connection with the natural world, this beautiful deck invites us to celebrate the earth and the rhythm of her seasons. Combining the two great streams of Western Pagan tradition--Wicca and Druidry--Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, together with artist Will Worthington, have created a tarot of extraordinary depth and relevance that can help guide and illuminate your life. The Druidcraft Tarot's powerful images have emerged from a vast store of teachings and story-telling rooted in our ancient past. Use them as gateways to your inner spiritual world, and deepen your knowledge of yourself and of the earth. Let the natural wisdom of Druidcraft bring you insight and inspiration for the life issues that you face today.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm have been initiated into both Wicca and Druidry, and are Chief and Scribe of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, one of the largest international Druid groups.

Will Worthington is a practicing Druid, Pendragon of the Order, and a highly respected artist, whose previous works include the acclaimed Druid Animal Oracle and The Green Man Tree Oracle.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (March 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312315023
• ISBN-13: 978-0312315023
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Divination > Tarot

More About the Author

Philip always wanted to be a writer and wrote short stories when he was 11 and 12. But then he found the Buddha, the Druids, and Psychoanalysis, and this was all so interesting he forgot about writing until a publisher he met at a dinner party in London, when he was in his late thirties, invited him to write a book. The result, 'The Elements of the Druid Tradition', soon became one of the best sellers in the 'Elements Of' series, and he was asked to write a follow-up: 'the Druid Way'. Twenty years' later he's still writing, having broadened his scope from the topic of Druidry, with its contemporary environmental relevance, to include the history of magic in England in 'The Book of English Magic', the subject of sacred sites in the lavishly illustrated 'Sacred Places', and the subject of nudity in religion, politics and popular culture in 'A Brief History of Nakedness.' You can find his author website at http://philipcarrgomm.druidry.org and his blog at http://philipcarrgomm.wordpress.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Deck Is "Alive" (And Not Just For Pagans!), April 12, 2005

By 

Janet Boyer "Author, Blogger, Radio Host" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Druidcraft Tarot (Paperback)

"Just as the Tarot can help us to understand so many different spiritual approaches, it also offers an ideal medium for exploring the central ideas of Wicca and Druidry. In addition, it is intimately linked to both paths historically and philosophically. And, once we explore these links, we find ourselves arriving at the common ground that is shared by both paths, and that we have called DruidCraft." -from the DruidCraft Tarot companion book

Pagan practitioners and experts Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm have teamed up once again with artist Will Worthington to create a masterful Tarot deck with Wiccan and Druidic themes. The colorful, sensual images of the DruidCraft Tarot-as well as the lucid prose of 192-page companion book-promotes the integration of masculine and feminine energies, the strengthening of our connection with the natural world, and the deepening of knowledge of the Self and the Universe we inhabit.

While the DruidCraft Tarot is geared towards pagans, non-pagans will also glean profound wisdom and intuitive information from this deck. For example, I don't consider myself a pagan or Wiccan (yet!), but as soon as I began to look at these cards, they began to "speak" to me. In fact, I've yet to come across a set of Tarot images where I could imagine myself entering the scene and having a conversation with the people portrayed on the cards.

This deck follows the Ride-Waite tradition of 78 cards, with a few changes to the Major Arcana. The Emperor becomes The Lord in the DruidCraft Tarot, and The Empress becomes The Lady. The Devil is replaced by Cernunnos, the horned god of fertility. The Christian tradition usually relegates the instinctual, animal, sexual and material worlds as evil or a part of the "beastly nature" in need of salvation. Druids and Wiccans, however, respect and revere this life-force known as Nwyfre, seeking to integrate and channel it in appropriate and responsible ways. Temperance is re-named The Fferyllt-"a Druid alchemist who combines the powers of fire and water to create harmony, balance, and transformation. " Judgment is re-named Rebirth, and features a child emerging from the Temple-Tomb of New Grange on the morning of the Winter Solstice. Standing outside the entrance, the Priest-Initiator blows into a ritual horn, summoning the re-born initiate soul to awaken.

The four illustrated suits of the Minor Arcana are Swords, Cups, Wands, and Pentacles, and the Court cards are divided into King, Queen, Prince, and Princess-accounting for the different levels of maturity, as well as the balance of masculine and feminine energies among human personality and developmental stages. The 16 character types of the Court cards as reflected by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator are explained, as well as the four elements in light of alchemy and Jungian psychology.

The DruidCraft Tarot companion book is rich with myth and spiritual tradition, as well as psychological and mystical truths. We are shown how the story of Ceridwen and Taliesin is woven throughout the cards, as well as the portrayal of The Alchemical Wedding/Great Rite which reflects the cosmic dance of the God and Goddess and the interplay between masculine and feminine forces. A detailed graphic of the Meeting of the Inner and Outer Worlds provides a great visual with how the 78 cards laid out in three rings reflect the journey of the soul (the Majors), the journey of the earth around the sun (the Minors), and the 16 ways through which the inner and outer worlds meet within the individual (the Court cards)-all within the context of the Solstices, Equinoxes, Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain.

The text of the detailed card interpretations begins with the Court cards, including the general meaning and keywords of the Princesses, Princes, Queens, and Kings. Next come the Minor Arcana, with the numbers grouped together. In other words, all of the Aces are discussed together, and then the Twos--all the way up to the Tens. General keywords and descriptions are provided for the pips (for example, the Sixes represent Balance, Integration, Union, and Harmony), in addition to the comprehensive individual card interpretations. Lastly, the Majors are described at length. A graphic of each card accompanies the description of all cards, which includes interpretations and keywords for both upright and reversed position.

The back of the cards is mostly chocolate brown with gold matte accents, and are completely reversible.

The last part of the DruidCraft Tarot companion book includes a blessing and dedication ceremony for your cards, a brief divination how-to, and six spreads:

The Awen Spread - For finding the seeds of inspiration that can guide your life, and for observing the relationship between past, present and future in your mental, emotional and physical worlds.

The Lunar Spread - For help in nurturing or giving birth to ideas or projects, or for exploring your creativity

The Pentagram Spread - For help in your search for wholeness, healing, integration, and spiritual development

The Hexagram Spread - For gaining insight into relationships and the inner quest for union

The Spirits of the Circle Spread - For help in determining the influences that are affecting your life, and to explore your sense of identity, in search of the answer to the perennial question, `Who am I?'

The Chalice-And-Wand Spread - For exploring specific situations or problems, or for general readings where a sense of orientation or direction is needed

Two sample readings for The Hexagram Spread and Spirits of the Circle Spread are also given.

-Conclusion-

I am surprised at how hard I've fallen for this deck! Ever since I laid my eyes and hands on the DruidCraft Tarot, I've been using it exclusively for personal meditation and readings, as well as reading for others. The Death card in this deck is my absolute all-time favorite; I'm often discouraged at the traditional renderings of Death-the spectral, skeletal harbinger of decimation and decay. As a Scorpio, Death is (thematically) one of my favorite cards-so to behold Ceridwen (a lunar goddess and `Dark Woman of Knowledge') as a crone surrounded by symbols of transformation and rebirth is a wonderful experience. The book says of this card: "...Look at the tenderness with which the Cailleach holds the skull before she places it in the cauldron of rebirth. Letting go with compassion is an act of love, not anger. At the heart of death is pure compassion. We die to our old selves, jobs, relationships, homes, battles, so that we can be reborn to new ways of working, living and relating in the world..."

The earthy, animated images by Will Worthington provide much in the way of symbolism, color, and movement-making this a wonderful reading deck for Tarot newbies and veterans alike. For example, one look at the proud, silver-haired Queen of Swords enrobed in indigo and purple can remind you that this royal Airy-one often represents older or mature women, those who love "just the facts", and perhaps even widows.

The companion book by the Carr-Gomm's has added so much depth and insight to certain cards, as well as my overall Tarot experience. I highly recommend the DruidCraft Tarot for those wanting a deck that affirms the sacredness of nature, masculine and feminine energies, and all-that-is--without the traditional Christian imagery and good/evil proclivities.

(To see 10 card images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at http://JanetBoyer.com)

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully executed Druid and Wicca deck., March 27, 2005

By 

David Albert "doctordruidphd" (Pacific Northwest, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Druidcraft Tarot (Paperback)

The DruidCraft Tarot is one of the most recent additions to the lineup of Celtic themed Tarot and related divination products. This is a card and book set, that comes in a large and colorfully illustrated cardboard box. Unlike many of the available Celtic divination decks, the DruidCraft retains the traditional design of the Tarot, while adding its own artistic variations and interpretations.

A number of the deck's features immediately suggest a comparison to the Sacred Circle Tarot by Anna Franklin and Paul Mason. First is the size - this is a large format deck, the cards being about 9x14cm, or about ¼" wider and ½" taller than the Sacred Circle. The backs, which remind me of gold embossed leather, are not reversible, although you would have to look very carefully at the small knot work design to see the difference. There are some similarities in the design of the individual cards; that's not too surprising, as the authors credit the Sacred Circle Tarot, along with several others, in their "Sources of Inspiration" on pg. 8 of the book.

But there are important differences between the decks, differences that make them completely different projects, even though both are based upon Celtic tradition and lore. I won't say the DruidCraft is a Rider-Waite "clone," but the imagery is certainly in the Rider-Waite lineage. The deck has the familiar structure of 22 Major Arcana, and Minor Arcana suits of wands, cups, swords and pentacles. The court cards in this deck are King, Queen, Prince and Princess. The reason it isn't a clone is that a number of changes in symbolism, and in some cases meaning, have been made to correspond to Celtic lore instead of Golden Dawn tradition. For example, one of my favorite cards is XV Cernunnos; while in Celtic themed decks it is common to substitute the god of the forest for the traditional Devil, there is a fundamental difference in both imagery and meaning introduced in the DruidCraft. Here, the figure of the Horned God stands vigil over a pair of sleeping (or exhausted) lovers, and we read in the accompanying book:

"Calling the figure represented by this card The Devil, though, suggests that the forces he represents are evil. We have renamed the card Cernunnos, after the horned god of fertility, because in Druidry and Wicca the powers of the animal, instinctual, sexual and material worlds are not considered evil... Some people believe Paganism to be immoral, when in fact Witches and Druids work to develop a powerful sense of social and environmental justice..." (pg. 147)

This deck is one case where I must enthusiastically recommend the book as much as the cards. There are the usual keywords and meanings with an all too psychological gabbiness, but there are also more abstract and mythological discussions that lead the reader away from the mother-in-law's criticism aspect of most decks, toward a deeper understanding of the ancient tradition and lore depicted in the images. While there are many divergences of opinion between the ideas in the DruidCraft and the Sacred Circle, as well as many areas with which I disagree, one should not be surprised to find these differences when dealing with an unwritten tradition that is thousands of years old. Agreement and disagreement are, after all, not the point - what matters is the wisdom in each individual that is inspired by the lore and tradition, and this card and book set is a fountain of wisdom and inspiration.

My most serious problem with this deck is, as with many "Celtic" decks, the attempt to combine Western tradition with the imagery and teachings of the Golden Dawn. The GD, whose members themselves may have studied and practiced in many traditions, is nonetheless founded upon Masonic and Cabalistic systems that have their origins and doctrinal bases in a different part of the world than where Wicca and Druidry emerged. While it is true that the ideas developed within the GD have contributed a great deal to the understanding of magic and spirituality in many traditions, it is also true that in many cases the effect has been to blur and confuse the practices and deeper meanings of those traditions. This confusion often shows up in "Celtic" styled decks derived from the Rider-Waite design.

If we keep in mind that it is possible to learn from other traditions without abandoning our own, and at the same time we are careful not to substitute those traditions for our own -- if we don't slide from burning wicker men to burning witches - then trying to develop a Wiccanized or Druidized Rider-Waite deck could be enlightening, provided it is well thought out and executed. The authors of the DruidCraft Tarot have done about the best job of this to date, without altering the basic structure of the deck itself. For the newcomer to either the Tarot or the study of Wiccan and Druidic tradition, this deck is probably the best resource available. The beautifully illustrated cards bring the text of the very well written book to life, and at the same time stimulate one to think beyond keywords and meanings, into the traditions from which they emerged. For those experienced with the Tarot, this deck opens a new dimension of meaning and interpretation that many, and particularly those who work in Wiccan and/or Druidic traditions, may feel is more inviting than those based on other systems.

If you are interested in learning about the ancient Druidic lore, how that lore relates to your own situation, and what advice it has to offer, then the DruidCraft Tarot is one of the best resources available. Though clearly cast in the Rider-Waite lineage, the artwork is extraordinarily beautiful, and the book is well written and very helpful in learning the lore and how it applies to the cards.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Deck - Not so hot printer, November 7, 2006

By 

SLH "Quacking Up" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Druidcraft Tarot (Paperback)

This is an awesome deck. The pictures and symbology are impressive and intuitive. The book is chock full of knowledge and Druidic lore. I was very impressed. My biggest complaint is the quality of the printing. I had to return the first deck I recieved because of printer defects, the worst of which was scraps and grease smears on the backs of the cards. Amazon was quick to assist and send me a new deck. I was pleased with their service. The new deck contains minor print flaws but the stock on which the cards are printed and the inks are not what I expect in a quality deck. The book is also sub-standard in print quality. I don't believe either will hold-up well under frequent use. Having said that, I would still purchase the deck as the artistry, symbolism are Druidic lore and worth the price.