Based on seasonal rhythms and ancient festivals, The Wildwood Tarot gift set draws inspiration from pre-Celtic mythology and shamanic mysteries. This stunning new tarot card deck introduces us to classic forest archetypes--including the Green Man and Woman, Archer, and Blasted Oak--and explains how to use them as a meditation system, divinatory oracle, or reference. Will Worthington's powerful pagan images connect us with a long-lost world that can help us make sense of our own.
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Book Description
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About the Author
John Matthews is an award-winning author whose Pirates was a New York Times best seller. His Celtic Warrior Chiefs was a New York Public Library-recommended title for young people and Arthur of Albion won a Gold Medal from NAPPA.
Mark Ryan is a theater, film, and TV actor, who is writing the graphic novel The Pilgrim.
Will Worthington has illustrated the Green Man Tree Oracle, DruidCraft Tarot, and many other books.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
86 of 91 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Wildwood Tarot is a long awaited remake of the Greenwood Tarot. This time around, it is John Matthews and Will Worthington who breathe new life into Mark Ryan's creation. I must say, I was taken aback by it. This tarot is a must-have for tarot collectors, specially so if you like pagan/celtic themed tarots.
These cards are bordered white, numbered and labeled at the bottom. However, the back of these cards is plain: dark green with a thin white line forming a rectangle within the card.
The Major Arcana are numbered and labeled at the bottom. All the standard names from the Rider Tarot have been changed on these cards.
0. The Wanderer - 0. The Fool
1. The Shaman - I. The Magician
2. The Seer - II. The High Priestess
3. The Green Woman - III. The Empress
4. The Green Man - IV. The Emperor
5. The Ancestor - V. The Hierophant
6. The Forest Lovers - VI. The Lovers
7. The Archer - VII. The Chariot
8. The Stag - VIII. Strength
9. The Hooded Man - IX. The Hermit
10. The Wheel - X. Wheel of Fortune
11. The Woodward - XI. Justice
12. The Mirror - XII. The Hanged Man
13. The Journey - XIII. Death
14. Balance - XIV. Temperance
15. The Guardian - XV. The Devil
16. The Blasted Oak - XVI. The Tower
17. The Pole Star - XVII. The Star
18. The Moon on Water - XVIII. The Moon
19. The Sun of Life - The XIX. The Sun
20. The Great Bear - XX. Judgment
21. The World Tree - XXI. The World
It's hard to pick just a few Major Arcana to describe! In The Journey (Death), a raven is depicted on top of the skull of an antelope pealing away the remaining meat. A huge Moon it seen on top, and other ravens flying away on the distance. In The Guardians (The Devil), the skeleton of a bear is depicted standing in the entrance to a cavern. Finally, In The World Tree a huge tree is prominent, the four seasons neatly depicted in its leaves. There is a door at the base of the trunk, with a circular, labyrinth like pathway in front.
The Minor Arcana are labeled with at the bottom. The standard symbols of swords, wands, cups or pentacles have been replaced with arrows, bows, vessels and stones, respectively. As expected, these represent the elements of air, fire, water and earth, but also a season in the celtic tradition (arrows - Imbolc, bows - Beltane, vessels - Lammas, and stone - Samhain). The imagery on these cards is sometimes evocative of the elements their suit represents.
On the pips, you may expect to see a number of the suit symbols depicted in within the imagery of the card. In addition, there is a keyword added to the label. The court cards follow the Rider Tarot tradition, labeled as page, knight, queen, or king, but the people have been replaced with animals.
These tarot come in a kit which includes a guidebook. The guidebook is organized as follows:
RETURN TO THE GREEN
. Preface by Mark Ryan
THE WILDWOOD SONG
. Preface by John Matthews
PART ONE: INTO THE GREEN
. An Introduction by Mark Ryan
PART TWO: THE PATH THROUGH THE FOREST
. The Cards and their Meanings
PART THREE: FINDING YOUR WAY
. Working the Cards
Part One - I think this is an essential read. Mark Ryan's introduction fleshes out the foundation of this tarot. He explains how his journey started toward the culmination of the Wildwood Tarot. He explains what the Tarot is and what it isn't. Finally, he describes how the cards of this tarot conform to the Wheel of the Year.
Part Two - Each Major Arcana is explained in two pages including a b/w picture of the card, Description, Meaning, Reading points and a series of key words called Roots and Branches. In contrast, each Minor Arcana is explained in one page. The explanations of pips only include a b/w picture of the card, Description, Meaning, and Reading points. Instead, the court cards include a b/w picture of the card, Meaning, Reading points and a series of key words called Tracks and Pathways.
Part Three - Several Tarot layouts are presented. These include: The Pathway Spread (3 cards), The Bow Spread (7 cards), and The World Three Spread (8 cards).
This is an interesting remake that was worth waiting for. I may not recommend this one for beginners, but certainly a must for tarot collectors.
These cards are bordered white, numbered and labeled at the bottom. However, the back of these cards is plain: dark green with a thin white line forming a rectangle within the card.
The Major Arcana are numbered and labeled at the bottom. All the standard names from the Rider Tarot have been changed on these cards.
0. The Wanderer - 0. The Fool
1. The Shaman - I. The Magician
2. The Seer - II. The High Priestess
3. The Green Woman - III. The Empress
4. The Green Man - IV. The Emperor
5. The Ancestor - V. The Hierophant
6. The Forest Lovers - VI. The Lovers
7. The Archer - VII. The Chariot
8. The Stag - VIII. Strength
9. The Hooded Man - IX. The Hermit
10. The Wheel - X. Wheel of Fortune
11. The Woodward - XI. Justice
12. The Mirror - XII. The Hanged Man
13. The Journey - XIII. Death
14. Balance - XIV. Temperance
15. The Guardian - XV. The Devil
16. The Blasted Oak - XVI. The Tower
17. The Pole Star - XVII. The Star
18. The Moon on Water - XVIII. The Moon
19. The Sun of Life - The XIX. The Sun
20. The Great Bear - XX. Judgment
21. The World Tree - XXI. The World
It's hard to pick just a few Major Arcana to describe! In The Journey (Death), a raven is depicted on top of the skull of an antelope pealing away the remaining meat. A huge Moon it seen on top, and other ravens flying away on the distance. In The Guardians (The Devil), the skeleton of a bear is depicted standing in the entrance to a cavern. Finally, In The World Tree a huge tree is prominent, the four seasons neatly depicted in its leaves. There is a door at the base of the trunk, with a circular, labyrinth like pathway in front.
The Minor Arcana are labeled with at the bottom. The standard symbols of swords, wands, cups or pentacles have been replaced with arrows, bows, vessels and stones, respectively. As expected, these represent the elements of air, fire, water and earth, but also a season in the celtic tradition (arrows - Imbolc, bows - Beltane, vessels - Lammas, and stone - Samhain). The imagery on these cards is sometimes evocative of the elements their suit represents.
On the pips, you may expect to see a number of the suit symbols depicted in within the imagery of the card. In addition, there is a keyword added to the label. The court cards follow the Rider Tarot tradition, labeled as page, knight, queen, or king, but the people have been replaced with animals.
These tarot come in a kit which includes a guidebook. The guidebook is organized as follows:
RETURN TO THE GREEN
. Preface by Mark Ryan
THE WILDWOOD SONG
. Preface by John Matthews
PART ONE: INTO THE GREEN
. An Introduction by Mark Ryan
PART TWO: THE PATH THROUGH THE FOREST
. The Cards and their Meanings
PART THREE: FINDING YOUR WAY
. Working the Cards
Part One - I think this is an essential read. Mark Ryan's introduction fleshes out the foundation of this tarot. He explains how his journey started toward the culmination of the Wildwood Tarot. He explains what the Tarot is and what it isn't. Finally, he describes how the cards of this tarot conform to the Wheel of the Year.
Part Two - Each Major Arcana is explained in two pages including a b/w picture of the card, Description, Meaning, Reading points and a series of key words called Roots and Branches. In contrast, each Minor Arcana is explained in one page. The explanations of pips only include a b/w picture of the card, Description, Meaning, and Reading points. Instead, the court cards include a b/w picture of the card, Meaning, Reading points and a series of key words called Tracks and Pathways.
Part Three - Several Tarot layouts are presented. These include: The Pathway Spread (3 cards), The Bow Spread (7 cards), and The World Three Spread (8 cards).
This is an interesting remake that was worth waiting for. I may not recommend this one for beginners, but certainly a must for tarot collectors.
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By rosita
Format:Paperback
Being very picky about tarot decks, I hesitated for a good month before buying this deck, but since it arrived I haven't worked with any of my other decks. although it is loosely based on the Rider Waite system, some cards do have different meanings. Nonetheless, I've found the deck to be so fluid and intuitive that the differences do not hinder my interpretations. I've found it to be like settling down with a dear friend. Each morning I look forward to sitting on my front porch and doing a quick read. It is very nature base. Indeed, all of the court cards are animals, and the deck is full of Old World imagery. It is very lovely and refreshing. I'm so very thankful to have added this deck to the family.
26 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By D_Thorn
Format:Paperback
I first saw this on Amazon with the pre-order and knew I had to have it -- the illustrations on the box and the overall approach (ancient, pre-Celtic) definitely drew me to the deck. Once I had it in hand, I was not disappointed.
The deck is loosely based on the traditional Ryder-Waite but reinterprets all of the Major and Minor Arcana into a very different mythos and tradition. The explanations are complete for the symbology and interpretation and the book/deck overall gives you enough guidelines as far as the organization of the deck to help grow your own understanding of the readings. Loved the new reading layouts - they had several that I had never seen before without relying on the traditional 3-card and Celtic Cross.
As far as the artwork -- the picture on the box is a good representation. Subtle and expressive and not redundant - all art adds to the interpretation.
Only complaint with the deck is that the cardstock and printing, while okay, is not as high quality as some of the European decks that I have. It is better than some decks, but the cards will wear faster than I would like.
The deck is loosely based on the traditional Ryder-Waite but reinterprets all of the Major and Minor Arcana into a very different mythos and tradition. The explanations are complete for the symbology and interpretation and the book/deck overall gives you enough guidelines as far as the organization of the deck to help grow your own understanding of the readings. Loved the new reading layouts - they had several that I had never seen before without relying on the traditional 3-card and Celtic Cross.
As far as the artwork -- the picture on the box is a good representation. Subtle and expressive and not redundant - all art adds to the interpretation.
Only complaint with the deck is that the cardstock and printing, while okay, is not as high quality as some of the European decks that I have. It is better than some decks, but the cards will wear faster than I would like.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely beautiful artwork and the book is very comprehensive. But...
The cards are so thin and cheap - I mean really thin. In addition, the front and the back of the card each have a different finish - one matte, one a bit glossier. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Lin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for pagans
Vivid images that speak to the archtypes that are the core of Wiccan, pagan, or Druidic practice. I bought several as gifts, and everyone loves the deck.
Published 2 months ago by michele vochosky
4.0 out of 5 stars
A nice balance of symbolism
This is a great deck. I enjoy the use of the natural world and related mythology. As a beginning card interpreter, I appreciate the titles ("Protection,"... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tuned In
5.0 out of 5 stars
Visually, one of the lovliest packs I have ever seen!
I have been looking for awhile for a "special" tarot deck, and this one suits me perfectly. I love the connection with the "wild", the images are startling and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Yvie
4.0 out of 5 stars
I like Mark Ryan
The man has his heart and soul in the right place. I own his previous incarnation of this work, the Greenwood tarot, which was themed as pre celtic. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ilovebooks
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible tarot deck
Never knew of this tarot deck til i saw it browsing on amazon but it's wonderfull..The details of the art and it tallks a LOT on my 1st reading. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Diego R.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful!
I bought this set mostly for the beauty of it. I'm not huge into tarot but these cards were calling to me! The artwork is beautiful!
Published 3 months ago by Adrienne Rose Smith
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice, but it's not the Greenwood....
I know, that may not seem like a fair comparison, but I think this deck really is a remake of the out of print (and now wildly expensive) Greenwood Tarot, and so of course, those... Read more
Published 4 months ago by desert hounsi
4.0 out of 5 stars
Greatly enjoy the set
I like the entire set. Nice box, great cards with excellent illustrations. The book is well written, well organized and informative with a great deal of ancient lore and history. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Maria Strouss
5.0 out of 5 stars
The energy was there before I even opened these cards...
I have read Tarot cards for well over 25 years and this deck is now a personal favorite. I have done several readings with them since receiving them, and they have all been... Read more
Published 4 months ago by callysto
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