Green Man Tree Oracle by John Matthews

[WolfSpirit]

I bought this deck last year; I have not used it much for divination but I find the book very valuable for tree correspondences. The cards are beautiful and I love spotting the faces in the trees

I think the set was taken out of print by B&N but reprinted by an English publisher, it is easily available in Europe.

 

[KevinBlack]

Green Man arrived today!

Wow! Thank all of you folks--I'm new to this group, but am deeply appreciative that so many of you have been so generous with your time, opinions, and expertise!

Thank you, Elven, Catlin, and WolfSpirit for your recent replies. I am heartened to learn that the deck is available in Europe and Australia. My Green Man Tree Oracle arrived today, and I couldn't be happier with it! Were these simply "postcards", I'd be satisified with my purchase. The art is fantastic! As Elven mentioned, it would make a great gift for friends. After seeing the boxed set--beautifully packaged in a hard box with a holly Green Man on the cover-- I agree, and plan to act similarly.

As WolfSpirit stated, it is a wonderful reference for tree correspondences. I would also recommend the book, "Celtic Tree Mysteries: Practical Druid Magic & Divination" by Stephen Blamires, as a good guide to the Celtic Tree Alphabet and Ogham--if you want to go further.

 

[Alta]

I think it must have been reprinted. I bought it for only about $6 Cdn, and they had stacks of copies. Just a few months ago. It is lovely but confess to not having used it as an oracle.

 

[catlin]

@kevinBlack:
Glad to hear you like your deck! Watch out: here are a lot of terrible enablers (I have to admit I am also one) for getting new decks

Edit: Glad you mention the Blamires book. I wanted to recommend that too but I did not recall the English title as I bought the German translation some years ago.

 

[darwinia]

I finally tracked down a new copy of this for $6.50 US on ABE. The copy had a bashed box--the cards had a slight bend to them, but I gently rolled them the other way and they are flat now.

The book has a bigger crumple in the spine but I can open it and I'm gently bending the pages and spine the other way and it is settling down, although will never be entirely flat.

Nice layout and typography in the book. The titling font looks similar to the Charles Rennie Mackintosh one I own--very nice for this subject.

I thought it would be interesting to compare the tree illustrations to the Tarrochi Celtici by Laura Tuan. They are a different style but the same trees. I don't have the Celtic Tree Oracle or books on the trees so this suited me.

[How does Marion get these deals?? Try living in rural Ontario Marion, you're lucky if you see a tarot deck anywhere, and Chapters seems to be phasing them out of the stores around here--maybe they prefer to sell them online?]

 

[Elven]

Hi darwinia and everyone.

I just added the Tree Magick by Gillian Kemp to compliment the Green Man Oracle. I am gently being seduced by these beautiful Trees of Wisdom - (The Green Man is everywhere around me at the moment as it is Autumn here and the world is glowing gold and red) and ... they are fabulous with Elves and Faeries! It so nice to walk into the Mountain forests with this deck and read amongst the trees. *sigh*

Blessings
Elven x

 

[darwinia]

I just added the Tree Magick by Gillian Kemp to compliment the Green Man Oracle.

Oh yes of course, I have that too, what a great idea. I guess I was locked in Ogham time and forgot about more general tree decks. Thanks!

I am in Spring but I get the Green Man feeling too. I was over at the cemetery this morning doing a gravestone rubbing and I could smell cedar and pine and the new green of grass.

Perhaps the elves were watching me?

 

[Elven]

darwinia!! A Grave Stone Rubbing? Thats sounds so mysterious - what is that?
Im intruiged now

When I go out into the Mountains I stare at certain trees that sort of call - if I really sit and tune in - I get an emotional sort of feeling - sometimes its not that nice and I think poor nasty old tree LOL!! But its more than a passing feeling of being sentimental or emotional about nature - sometimes I dont get anything - and I think the tree (and me) are asleep Some are magnificent and magestic - even when they're dead wood. Its like the life around them supports their 'passing' still - monuments of an age passed.

Love em

Blessings
Elven x

 

[darwinia]

darwinia!! A Grave Stone Rubbing? Thats sounds so mysterious - what is that?
Im intruiged now

You take a piece of paper and lay it over the motif or writing on the stone and then rub it with charcoal or a soft pencil and the carving/etching comes through on the paper, thus making a print.

Gravestone rubbings have been done for centuries. In some cemeteries they forbid you to do it, since people might rub a celebrity's grave for instance as a keepsake, and irreparably damage the stone.

People have been known to be careless in such matters and it's not something I do indiscriminately, but I'm making something for someone in town using my own photograph of her family stone (It's actually a neat little bench) and it has a motif of a pug dog which is significant. The doggie wouldn't photograph as the lines are very fine, so I had to rub it and then fiddle with it in Photoshop to get it to print nicely.

They are sold commercially too--some of knights and such off medieval tombs are commercially printed on black paper with gold ink and sold framed. People often do their own family stones and then frame them--genealogy people like this for the sake of having a record--that sort of thing.

Some of them have beautiful motifs and pictures, but you have to be careful not to do damage to anything.

 

[Alta]

[How does Marion get these deals?? Try living in rural Ontario Marion, you're lucky if you see a tarot deck anywhere, and Chapters seems to be phasing them out of the stores around here--maybe they prefer to sell them online?]

Yes, I know. I have family in a rural area, and from that pov it is pretty barren. The Chapters here do carry what would qualify as a decent deck selection, and they have sets on sale for really low prices sometimes. The Oracle of the Radiant Sun has been going for $6 or so for a month or so now.
But I hear your pain darwinia!!