This deck is very different from a lot of the traditional tarot decks. The entire deck is weaved in with the Celtic Wheel of the Year.
The four suits are matched to the seasons of the year. The Time of Bows (element of fire) being the time between Beltane and Lammas, The Time of Vessels (element of water) being the time between Lammas and Samhain, The Time of Stones (element of earth) being the time between Samhain and Imbolc and The Time of Arrows (element of air) being the time between Imbolc and Beltane.
There are some similarities in the Minor Arcana in this deck to traditional more Tarot decks but I chose the three cards below because they are some of the examples of the contrast in this deck. In the Rider-Waite deck the 6 of Pentacles is about contracts, inheritance and generosity or a win fall in the Wildwood Tarot is is labeled as Exploitation and because all of the cards have key words on them, there is not real way around the message. You are kind of stuck and dictated by the key words, whether you get something else from the card or not. Likewise with the 5 of Vessels, which is the 5 of Cups in the Rider-Waite tarot which means crying over spilt milk and sorrow, in the Wildwood it is Ecstasy. And well the 9 of Bows, he just looks creepy.
The artwork is simply stunning. Really one of the most detailed and beautiful decks I have seen in a long time (as there are a lot of mass produced Tarot decks on the market at the moment). It tends to be really raw and of course connected to the natural world.
Unlike the Minor Arcana there are huge differences in the Major Arcana. The names are very different and so are the messages a lot of the time. Number 12 - The Mirror below is traditionally The Hanged Man.
All of the Court Cards are sacred animals to the Celtic and Druidic traditions. So there are no people in the traditional 'people cards'. It also makes it interesting as you would have very different associations for someone who pulls the Adder to someone who pulls the King of Swords (well maybe you wouldn't).
This deck would require some study to learn some of the deeper meanings of the cards or would be great for empathic/intuitive readings. With the key words on a lot of the cards it will help readers get used to the meanings of the cards.
The Tarot deck comes in a hard covered box with a 160 page A5 book with green print. (its the small things right)
If you are drawn to the Celtic or Druid mythology and spiritual path you will really love this deck.
Origin: alchemy-and-alchemists.blogspot.com