Wildwood Tarot

magpie9

I think the big concern is that the art won't be alive and shining with spiritual luminosity. Nothing WW has done so far suggests that he has that sort of Magic in him. I love his work, but I find him an odd choice for this.

SolSionnach

magpie9 said:
I think the big concern is that the art won't be alive and shining with spiritual luminosity. Nothing WW has done so far suggests that he has that sort of Magic in him. I love his work, but I find him an odd choice for this.

I have the 2 Druid oracles, and I do like his art. But one can compare his salmon card with the one in Chesca's Greenwood and see the difference. His is life-like. Hers is brilliant with luminous energy!

His art is very earthy and grounded in this world - which definitely has its place. However, in a deck with Paleolithic Shamanism as its theme you have to get beyond the here and now.

But... We could be really surprised! I'm hopeful, but not expecting to be.

Le Fanu

magpie9 said:
I think the big concern is that the art won't be alive and shining with spiritual luminosity

I agree. Her art has, as you say, "luminosity". It has an inner light, a visionary quality. I think of Chesca as a visionary and a seer. Her images have this unreal aura, an otherworldy quality which comes from her intense inner visions. This is what gets me ever time. And - yes - just look at that salmon!

Compared to this, Worthington's art is too precise and botanical and realist.

WolfSpirit

magpie9 said:
A few years later she died, and after that her family marketed a Goddess Deck and an Animal deck. I'm pretty sure that if they'd thought of it, they could have gotten at least a Majors deck out of her existing work. what wonderful work she did!

Although we here often list these Goddess and Animal cards among our oracle decks, I don't believe they were meant as reading decks, just a showcase of her work and affordable copies of her art. There is writing on the back of every card, which makes them not very usable for readings.

I am looking forward to a new deck by Will Worthington

I wish they had not marketed it as the new Greenwood though...there is only one Greenwood.

Aulruna

Mi-Shell said:
I would love it, if they incorporate more aspects of the Celitc and neolithic "wheel of the year"!
What I however feel is that WW's art will not capture the tranc experience we see in soo many cards. The flirring of droplike colors surrounding a person like in the 5 of cups and the 4 of Stones and also the 9 of Wands. This is, what I see in trance, colors like this, beings like these.... not like in the Druidcraft. That are beautiful elaborate paintings from "a time gone by", but not like any trance experiences I or any of my Medicine friends or students ever described.

This is EXACTLY why I love the Greenwood so much.

It captures the images you see when you travel to the other planes, and the odd mix of alienness and familiarity they hold. I have never seen anything like this again.

I will try and view the WW deck as a standalone concept and not compare it with "the" Greenwood.

irisa

From Mark Ryan's MySpace Blog dated July 24th:

I’m also very happy to announce that The Wildwood Tarot has now been officially commissioned by publishers: Eddison-Sadd Editions and co-authored by John Matthews with artwork by award winning artist: Will Worthington. The Greenwood Tarot has been out of print for some years now, so it’s timely and fitting that a revised and updated version be produced by this high-quality publishing house. The Wildwood Tarot has actually come full circle in many ways, as I originally pitched the idea to Nick Eddison and Ian Jackson of Eddison-Sadd in the early nineties. At that time it was not a project we could go forward with together and Harper Collins picked it up and requested we change the name to The Greenwood Tarot. So in a way The Wildwood Tarot (It’s original name) has completed it’s journey around “The Wheel” and it has finally come home! Developing a new Tarot is a long and demanding process that cannot be rushed but we project The Wildwood Tarot will be available sometime in 2011.

I love this description of how the Wildwood has journeyed full circle just makes perfect sense!

I don't agree that if it doesn't follow the art or art style of the Greenwood it's just another deck. Of course it will be compared with the Greenwood and quite possibly be disliked by some because it won't be a clone/copy, but then I'm sure loved by others. The Wheel moves on and so must we

irisa

Le Fanu

irisa said:
Of course it will be compared with the Greenwood

Mark Ryan himself - not just us - is comparing it to the original Greenwood in that quote by irisa. Good marketing ploy I guess, but maybe a bad idea in other ways...

I mean does one really "update" (his word) Paleolithic/ pre-Celtic Shamanism? Does Paleolithic Shamanism become out of date within a 15 year period? Does he have any idea how silly that sounds??

I bet the end result will look good, I don't doubt that, but...

irisa

Le Fanu said:
I mean does one really "update" (his word) Paleolithic/ pre-Celtic Shamanism? Does Paleolithic Shamanism become out of date within a 15 year period? Does he have any idea how silly that sounds??

I don't read him as saying that at all!

I read he is "revising" and "updating" his original creation. That his original deck has become in the opinion of some untouchable is not really the issue in my mind. But then I'm a simple girl and while I like my Greenwood it does not have holy status with me.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this updated revision develops I may love or hate the finished work but at this point I have a very open mind.

irisa

Le Fanu

The bottom line of it is that it must be infuriating if your name is on a deck which seems very desirable on the market and people are paying crazy prices for it and yet you can't reprint it because the artist refuses it.

I can see where he's coming from...

oak_woman

Yes, but ...

If Mark Ryan is neither the deck's artist nor the shamanic/Celtic expert (which role undoubtedly falls to John Matthews) just what will he bring to the Wildwood Tarot?

It's noteworthy that with the Greenwood, Chesca Potter felt moved to write her own online handbook as her interpretations of the cards were often at odds with what Mark Ryan had written in the companion book ...

Wildwood Tarot

magpie9

SolSionnach

Le Fanu

WolfSpirit

Aulruna

irisa

Le Fanu

irisa

Le Fanu

oak_woman