Tarot, Shamanism, Wheel of the Year Question

Lady Iron Side

I apologize ahead, I am new to learning the wheel of the Year, The Tarot deck I am really enjoying at the moment is the Wildwood / aka Greenwood Tarot. This deck is based on the wheel of the year and Shamanism, so I am trying to figure out this, and I need help from anyone who has knowledge. Please and thank you.

I picked up this book to help understand what Shamanism is: The temple of Shamanic witchcraft.

In The Wildwood/Greenwood Tarot book ( the wildwood book text is Greenwood) anyways, the book has a diagram of the Wheel of the Year.

it is suggested that the reader takes a fe hours to acquaint themselves with the archetypes found at each equinox and cross quarter day, and to follow the path laid down in the diagram and the test that follows. the most vivid and clear insights come from following the natural current of the Wheel in this way.

This may not necessarily follow the usual pattern of the Tarot, but if you follow it you may dicover some interesting new correspondence.

The Wheel as 3 circles, which can be seen as standing for different levels of consciousness and gatewys to the inner worlds.

The inner 'hub' is inhabited by the Wanderer, The Shaman, The Seer and the World Tree. These are the inner guardians at the "HEART of the FOREST"

The Shaman [OUTSIDE of TIME]
The Seer [OUTSIDE of TIME]

The Wanderer [Encompasses all worlds - Lower, Middle and Upper]
The World Tree [Encompasses all worlds - Lower, Middle and Upper]

In The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft it goes into detail about the 3 worlds

MIDDLE WORLD
THE UPPER WORLD
THE LOWER WORLD

Then talks about our consciousness parallels with the spirit worlds, the 3 selves

Middle Self
Higher Self
Lower Self

Then communicating with your three selves. This great stuff. So Where I'm getting confused is How do I apply it to the Wildwood Tarot.

Wild wood/greenwood has The 3 Circles

Heart of the wood
Inner human level
outer conscious level

Edit: so is the Heart of the wood , your Middleself I'm not sure, is the inner human level your middleself ( Middle world)?

As you can see, I just need this explained, am I to follow the Celtic ogham with the three worlds of Celtic cosmology or the Norse cosmology of the 9 worlds.

I sure would aprreciate responses thank you

Mi-Shell

Hi there!
You are looking at a big project and an even bigger concept to try and wrap your brain around.
The Wildwood tarot is not "aka" the Greenwood Tarot. They are both very different decks. the Gw was created by an inspired artist familiar with shamanism and shamanic trance states , the Wildwood is a more commercial attempt to re-create the GW deck, which is out of print.
There are extensive threads about both decks in the "Tarot decks forum", that you may find very informative when working with these decks.
The book "The temple of Shamanic witchcraft" will teach you very little of what shamanism is. Shamanism, shamanic techniques have nothing to do with witchcraft.
The terms
MIDDLE WORLD
THE UPPER WORLD
THE LOWER WORLD
are terms coined in an attempt to adequately describe 3 of many different shamanic realms = realms that a person in a full theta trance may be able to journey to, in order to find answers to important questions, get advice from his/ her Otherworld Guides and Guardians and learn shamanic techniques - like for example what healing plant to use when with what chant for what patient.
The Celtic ogham with the three worlds of Celtic cosmology or the Norse cosmology of the 9 worlds are all very differnt concepts and to try and combine/ link them with
the Wheel of the Year will only totally confuse you.
Please try to go slow, learning what each of these vast concepts encompass.

You will have years of study ahead of yourself and it will be a great journey.
Start by reading the threads here in the Greenwood study group and in the deck forum and then a couple of good web sites about the Wheel of the Year on which the decks in question are based.
Good luck!

Soaring Eagle

Let me start off by saying that I know nothing about the decks in question. As for shamanism, you will find MANY books with many differing views on what it is. It is different for people in different parts of the world. I have looked at several books on shamanism, that I just couldn't agree with their ideas. In the US there are more than 200 nations of natives, and there are atleast that many books on shamanism. For each nation of native in the US (and they are considered shamanistic, or most are) the ideas on shamanism are different.

Mi-Shell said:
The book "The temple of Shamanic witchcraft" will teach you very little of what shamanism is. Shamanism, shamanic techniques have nothing to do with witchcraft.

I completely agree with your statement, Shamanism and witchcraft are completely differnt. If you (Lady Iron Side) are looking for a book on shamanism, you do not want one that states it is witchcraft.

Just my thoughts.

Lady Iron Side

Mi-Shell said:
Hi there!
You are looking at a big project and an even bigger concept to try and wrap your brain around.
The Wildwood tarot is not "aka" the Greenwood Tarot. They are both very different decks. the Gw was created by an inspired artist familiar with shamanism and shamanic trance states , the Wildwood is a more commercial attempt to re-create the GW deck, which is out of print.

That pretty much is why I posted this. Is that they are two different decks yet sum what the same. The book that came with the Wildwood is for the Greenwood deck. That is where people get confused. and that is why the Wheel of the year diagram is set up the way it is cause of the GW artist practiced shamanism and shamanic trance states/ Mediatations. so I was trying to figure out what the 3 worlds/ se was refering to

Heart of the wood
Inner human level
outer conscious level

There are extensive threads about both decks in the "Tarot decks forum", that you may find very informative when working with these decks.
The book "The temple of Shamanic witchcraft" will teach you very little of what shamanism is. Shamanism, shamanic techniques have nothing to do with witchcraft.
The terms
MIDDLE WORLD
THE UPPER WORLD
THE LOWER WORLD
are terms coined in an attempt to adequately describe 3 of many different shamanic realms = realms that a person in a full theta trance may be able to journey to, in order to find answers to important questions, get advice from his/ her Otherworld Guides and Guardians and learn shamanic techniques - like for example what healing plant to use when with what chant for what patient.

This was very well describe in the Shamanism Book, this book is actually not what your fully thinking, it's all about the different Shamanism traditions from all over the world, and how you can then apply/include Shamanism into your witchcraft. ( chapter 1 Witchcraft and Shamanism. chap 2 opening the Veil, chap 3 Making sacred space within you, Capt 4 The Role of the Shaman, Chapt 5 The Worlds of the Shaman Chapt 9 Walking with the spirits Chapter 12 Anumal spirit Medicine, Chapter 12 Plant, stone, and Song medicine Capt 15 Shamanic Healing Capt 16 Mastering the 3 worlds etc.)

The Celtic ogham with the three worlds of Celtic cosmology or the Norse cosmology of the 9 worlds are all very differnt concepts and to try and combine/ link them with
the Wheel of the Year will only totally confuse you.
Please try to go slow, learning what each of these vast concepts encompass.
You will have years of study ahead of yourself and it will be a great journey.
Start by reading the threads here in the Greenwood study group and in the deck forum and then a couple of good web sites about the Wheel of the Year on which the decks in question are based.
Good luck!

Thanks I did read sum of the threads in both the GW and Wildwood study groups, and I did read sum of the thread in the deck forum. (Wildwood Tarot with 88 pages of post) not much what I've read gets into the wheel of the year , etc. so it left me hanging on a string. I will take your suggestion/advice and go slow I agree it is going to take sum time learning, In the mean time how would I best use the deck ( I really like the deck) until I get more educated on the subjects it is based on. in otherwords just treat it as a WR, Thoth, make up my own sytem lol

Soaring Eagle said:
Let me start off by saying that I know nothing about the decks in question. As for shamanism, you will find MANY books with many differing views on what it is. It is different for people in different parts of the world. I have looked at several books on shamanism, that I just couldn't agree with their ideas. In the US there are more than 200 nations of natives, and there are atleast that many books on shamanism. For each nation of native in the US (and they are considered shamanistic, or most are) the ideas on shamanism are different.

This is very interesting that you said this. lol reason is that is excatly what Christopher Penczak said in his book and goes into each culture etc. so you may even enjoy picking up his book for a good read. So I couldn't agree with you more. Thanks it good to have AT members help keep you on track.