Wildwood Tarot

[Mi-Shell]

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.
Iffff we loose that feel, the new deck will be -just another new deck.....
There are other artists, doing other ways of painting that achieve this feel.... Susan Seddom Boulet comes to mind - and Helena Nelson-Reid - and also people like Kandinski......
Lorena Babcock Moore gets it in the Ironwing Court cards! And she just uses line art.....
We will just all sit here, fretttttttt about it and wait. then we will all buy it and we will have threads and threads and threads ful of talk about it ...
And I will loooooook forward to THAT experience and sharing it all with you!

 

[SolSionnach]

I know you are waiting for Mi-Shell to answer this question, but I might toss in a thought in addition...

If you see 'shamans' as tapping into that greater "Source", then all they are doing is interpreting it for their own cultures - putting it into their own cosmology. Therefore you are going to see themes that are common to all underlying the specific mythology and symbols.

Yes, I see where you are coming from here... and I had thought of that as well. If Source is one, then at the deepest level you'd think that the same wisdom would be common to all. I'm not sure if I believe that - comparing the vaunted "Judeo-Christian" wisdom to that of, say Shinto or Voudon, I don't really see a correlation. But I'm coming from a Heinz 57 religion surfing tradition rather than deep knowledge. So my IMHO may well be cr@p.

In terms of the seasons, there are many interpretations of the MW. In the one I was taught by an Ojibway friend (and the ones I have seen through Mi-Shell), I have seen the seasons presented. It seems likely that the Celts and pre-Celts would have associated the plants and animals to these changes as well.

Ah! That answers one of my questions, then. Thank you.

The problem lies in determining whether the goal is to examine 'wisdom' and vision or a particular cultural approach.

Being North American, the land I live on has centuries of culture and spirits, animals that are unique to this place. My cultural memory is largely European (Celtic) and that brings with it a different mythology. Many of the symbols have been changed over the years by the influence of many different belief systems - so I believe this is going to happen when we see commonality in the culture and beliefs of the people who know and are of this land. My family is 375 years here, so where does one draw the line?

Mine is much closer to Europe - the middle of last century - what was then Prussia. In my case, I don't care for that cultural mindset - not the current quasi-fundamentalist Lutheran tradition, nor the Asatru (if in fact that was indigenous to the locale my ancestors came from, I'm not sure).

I think this is why is is so important that we make our own minds up. There is something for everyone - a rainbow or a solid symbol, depending on what we need. Some seek their own through shamanic practice and imagination.

William Blake said, " ‘I must create a system or be enslaved by another man’s.’ ". Heavily influenced by gnostic, and medieval iconography, he created a world of his own.

Thank you for that quote. I'd never heard it before.

So essentially, you must follow your instincts and go with what you resonate with. What is orthodox and what isn't is for scholars. Again, what is important here is what the goal is. And what makes the connection for you. There are many 'how's' to get to the same place.

In terms of the deck itself, then it is up to the authors and then we receive it as we may....

I agree. I hope they don't make a bollocks of it. While the Greenwood has it's own system, it's fairly accessible. I don't think I'm up for another deck with yet another impenetrable system. But that's just me.

 

[Bat Chicken]

Thank you for that quote. I'd never heard it before.

It's from Jerusalem...

 

[WolfSpirit]

I am just reading up on this thread...so Will Worthington is going to do the deck, great
I have never regretted getting a WW deck, and I will be looking forward to this one - although I guess it may still take a while before we can see something of it.
I expect it to be very different from the Greenwood, and I think it will be great in its own right

 

[SolSionnach]

I would love it, if they incorporate more aspects of the Celitc and neolithic "wheel of the year"!

That's exactly what I would like to see, too. I'm insanely interested in Paleo- and Neolithic religious/spiritual experience, for whatever reason. That's why I'm back studying the Greenwood again - for just that wisdom.

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.

Very cool, Mi-Shell. I'm not a Shaman or even a Shaman-wannabe, but I also feel that the Greenwood cards are an opening to something beautiful. re: WW's art - it's marvelous, but it obviously comes from a different place than Potter's art (I'm starting to regret selling the Celtic Shaman's Pack to le Fanu!!). I don't have the Druidcraft, but I do have both of the Druid oracles, and I think that you've hit on something important here: WW's art definitely evokes a time long past, whereas Potter's art comes from the spirit world, which is obviously still with us! And I think that prevents me from getting really into WW's decks... That evocation of a past time.

Iffff we loose that feel, the new deck will be -just another new deck.....
There are other artists, doing other ways of painting that achieve this feel.... Susan Seddom Boulet comes to mind - and Helena Nelson-Reid - and also people like Kandinski......

I love Seddon-Boulet's work. It's too bad that she has passed on. A tarot by her would've been awesome.

Lorena Babcock Moore gets it in the Ironwing Court cards! And she just uses line art.....
We will just all sit here, fretttttttt about it and wait. then we will all buy it and we will have threads and threads and threads ful of talk about it ...
And I will loooooook forward to THAT experience and sharing it all with you!

I definitely will be waiting to hear what others think of the Wildwood before I buy it... can't wait for all those threads, like you!

 

[Patrick Booker]

I purchased the Greenwood deck when it was first published, and also the Celtic Shaman pack. I love Chesca Potter's art work, with its sense of shimmering vibration, although the Greenwood is not a deck I use for divination or meditation.

I am sure I am being naive, but why can't it be re-issued? Is it a copyright issue? I haven't heard anything of Chesca Potter for years.

 

[ilweran]

I am sure I am being naive, but why can't it be re-issued? Is it a copyright issue? I haven't heard anything of Chesca Potter for years.

It's been discussed in this thread. Apparently Chesca converted to Christianity and disowned her previous work.

 

[magpie9]

I love Seddon-Boulet's work. It's too bad that she has passed on. A tarot by her would've been awesome.

I met her briefly, many years ago and made the usual bigtime fan noises, and told her that I wished she'd do a tarot. She seemed taken aback with the idea, saying it would be a huge project--78 paintings! And I pointed out that she had already done many of the cards. She remained unconvinced...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!

 

[Patrick Booker]

It's been discussed in this thread. Apparently Chesca converted to Christianity and disowned her previous work.

Thanks Ilweran - I've read thread now, but I never knew that. I suppose that she is in good company - didn't something a bit like that happen to Botticelli? Shame though.

 

[irisa]

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this deck develops. I'm a fan of Will Worthington and I think he'll be perfect for this. John Matthews is an expert in Celtic spirituality and I don't think this deck could be in safer hands.

There's only one Greenwood and I'd expect a reworking to be different in fact it *should* be imho. It's very exciting

irisa