The Wild Unknown Tarot

Pixna

That was an interesting aside, Starshower!

I love this deck for so many reasons. First and foremost for me is that it doesn't contain any off-putting human characters and the animals that are featured are drawn realistically. The deck is respectful of them without making them anthropomorphic, a downfall of many other decks that feature animal characters.

The simplicity and minimalism open the door to fresh, contemporary, individual interpretations rather than the same well-worn meanings that tend to have been repeated with other decks for countless years. There's a lot of space for the cards to spark intuition, and I find that they're very good at doing that.

I also love how the deck feels in my hands, the weight and the finish of the cards. The artwork on the backs is mesmerizing. The deck was all hand drawn, giving it a directly personal feel. This deck "speaks" to me louder and more clearly than others decks have. Rather than a deck talking "at" me, I feel that this deck communicates "with" me -- like a really good friend.

Starshower

Oh, what a marvellous post, Pixna! So beautifully expressed. Riotous applause (well, maybe gentle, thoughtful clapter, but you know what I mean.)

Yes, the thick, chunky, matt cardboard engages the sense of earthiness and weight ... and for me, the cards whisper rather than shout, announce, preach or flaunt. It makes me feel distaste for decks where the meanings are more obvious & explicit ... they now seem unsubtle and even garish. Yes, it's the spareness, realism and intimacy of the Wild Unknown that echoes its name and makes me feel privileged to hear whispers from elemental spirits.

(Of course, I have several dozen decks and will probably return to using some others more, and craving colour, humour & novelty too. But since I've had this deck, I have sold on quite a lot of OTT decks that have lost their appeal.
But I mustn't be too hasty in my honeymoon period ... it's been less than 2 years since I've used the W U, and my besotted faithfulness may change. Maybe it's only in contrast to all the colour & bright business elsewhere that I love this minimalism so much. But of course, life and tarot almost devoid of colour & dynamism would be dull & static indeed, if that were all one had.)

Mariqueen

Starshower said:
An off-topic aside: Well, I've done some research via my son & his gf about hipsters. Apparently, it's all in the big hair & Amish-style overgrown beards, narrow or retro '50s trousers, brogues or pointy shoes (as you say, Mariqueen) and waistcoats & / or fairisle jumpers & heavy-rimmed spectacles. And they use analogue & retro things like 'wireless sets', old-fashioned typewriters, sit-up-&-beg bicycles, old wooden school desks, anglepoise lamps & pens with ink. The girls wear '50s dresses, bright retro lipstick and those glasses that go up at the corners, like their eyeliner. Oh, and satchels, for both / all genders. It's WONDERFUL!
I've seen lots of youngsters dressed like this in London & in my fashionable south coast town ... some even pose on the seafront, sitting at little desks, with notices declaring "Poet for hire." It's all most amusing and nostalgic (for oldies like me, who remember these fashions from last time round) and is such fun! It seems to be a tribal style, like mod, rocker, grunge, punk, new romantic, glam rock, hippy, biker etc. I LOVE this latest, better-than-the-'beat-poets' one (except for those horrible beards!) I want to be one, but am far too old.

Anyway, you may be right about the marketing of this deck in America. I hadn't realised it was beloved of hipsters & aimed at them over there. I didn't even know that Tarot was mainstream enough to have mass appeal ...
My local Urban Outfitters had never heard of Tarot at all, still less the Wild Unknown - & I asked at least 6 uber-hip young shop staff, sporting regulation multiple piercings, ripped black, ragged clothes, black lipstick & nails and tattoos galore - who stared blankly at me. So this oldie knew of something they didn't.

Sorry, mods. That was fun.

The Wild Unknown deck still seems to have a genuine feel, with a heartfelt, subtle, secret connection to Nature in its very simplicity. It doesn't seem posey or fake at all to me.

I find it very intimate. The close-ups of animals, looking real, glimpsed in the twilight, have an almost supernatural sense of presence ... I can almost feel, hear and smell them.
That Hermit is just beautiful!
I'd love to hear how / why others love it too!

ps I love "excessive use of triangles"! Fabulous phrase! Must find out how to use Instagram ...

The first paragraph is gold! Thanks for giving me a good laugh. I'm envious of everyone who can connect with this deck, unfortunately it fell flat and doesn't speak to me at all

Calcifer

Well, commercialism has finally hit the Wild Unknown. I just received the two decks I bought on their sale - and the card stock has changed. No laminate, and the cards are thinner... if I remove 10 cards from my original deck then they're the same size as the new deck (and Printed in China is taped onto the boxes), and they're much lighter weight. They, to me, feel a lot like the Tarot Illuminati - bleh.

Michael

lark

Calcifer said:
Well, commercialism has finally hit the Wild Unknown. I just received the two decks I bought on their sale - and the card stock has changed. No laminate, and the cards are thinner... if I remove 10 cards from my original deck then they're the same size as the new deck (and Printed in China is taped onto the boxes), and they're much lighter weight. They, to me, feel a lot like the Tarot Illuminati - bleh.

Michael

Oh no, tell me it isn't so..what a shame...the card stock on the original is so wonderful..I use mine everyday and there is no wear so far.
It lends such a home made feel to it...
But then again, two of my tarot reader buddies find it hard to shuffle so some might like the thinner card stock better.
Me, I'm glad I bought two copies in the beginning.

Calcifer

Me too. I IMMEDIATELY put one of my two originals into semi-retirement. I wrote to WU with a gripe - be curious to see what/if they reply. I was terribly disappointed and told them as much: "This new version feels like a cheap copy of what I was accustomed to and expected".... is pretty much how I phrased it.

I'm thinking that if you have sticker saying "Printed in China" on the end of the box, you've got this new version. I could be wrong on that though... my original editions don't have that and don't even mention where they were printed.

Le Fanu

I love the original cardstock. But it doesn't surprise me the cardstock has changed - it must have sold quite a lot of copies and they're bound to have done a reprint and had to reassess the costs. I have two copies of the original version- love that slithery cardstock - but I am rather bored of this deck now. Overkill has done it for me. Everywhere you turn, there it is, laid out with quartz and moonstone *rolls eyes*. Beautiful deck, truly original but I've had enough. I'm finding it hard to look at this deck with fresh eyes.

Pixna

Le Fanu said:
I love the original cardstock. But it doesn't surprise me the cardstock has changed - it must have sold quite a lot of copies and they're bound to have done a reprint and had to reassess the costs. I have two copies of the original version- love that slithery cardstock - but I am rather bored of this deck now. Overkill has done it for me. Everywhere you turn, there it is, laid out with quartz and moonstone *rolls eyes*. Beautiful deck, truly original but I've had enough. I'm finding it hard to look at this deck with fresh eyes.

That's too bad. For me, it's still as fresh and wonderful as the day the deck first arrived. I'm endlessly finding more layers within the images, and the deck certainly has retained all the magic I initially saw in it. Marketing and hype have had no effect on my perspective of the actual deck. To me, those things are irrelevant.

lark

Pixna said:
That's too bad. For me, it's still as fresh and wonderful as the day the deck first arrived. I'm endlessly finding more layers within the images, and the deck certainly has retained all the magic I initially saw in it. Marketing and hype have had no effect on my perspective of the actual deck. To me, those things are irrelevant.

Me too..I'm kind of out of the tarot loop the last few years...I stopped collecting deck so didn't notice it was so popular...just by myself using it for my daily draw and for clients...and still love using it.

Leo77

Le Fanu said:
Everywhere you turn, there it is, laid out with quartz and moonstone *rolls eyes*.

Is that bad? This is the only part of the thread I couldn't contextualize. Sorry.

The Wild Unknown Tarot

Pixna

Starshower

Mariqueen

Calcifer

lark

Calcifer

Le Fanu

Pixna

lark

Leo77