Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

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.