I’ve been drawn to the Wildwood Tarot lately - something about the earthy, primal imagery really speaks to me, especially for shadow work. The artwork looks like it could really help dig into those deeper, wilder parts of ourselves that other decks might gloss over.
Has anyone here worked with this deck for personal exploration or client readings? I’d love to hear how it compares to more traditional decks like RWS, especially when it comes to those tougher introspective spreads.
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For anyone unfamiliar with Wildwood, it’s a great deck for anyone with an affinity for nature.
It weaves together nature, animals, medieval lore, and esotericism and it does it without making things too complicated for beginner readers.
It does change the suits a little (using Vessels, Stones, Arrows, and Bows for the suits), the changes make intuitive sense and deliver empowering, deep messages without sugar-coating or doom and gloom.
Will forever be a deck I’m reaching for.
I will say if you vibe with the Wildwood deck then you should 
get the book from the author about their year with the deck. It’s both tecnical information for the deck and one of the best Tarot books I’ve ever read.
The deck is really nice, the imagery is clear enough that I don’t need the guidebook much (though I did pick up the book from the creator now).
The symbols are pretty straightforward. The colors are colorful, and each brushstroke looks intentional. I appreciate that there’s no Judeo-Christian symbolism, gives it a different feel from other decks. The art style works well for pathworking. When I look at the garden scenes or air cards, I can almost imagine being there. The figures in the cards have this welcoming quality that draws you in. Pretty happy with it.
Got the Wildwood deck as my first tarot set because the art looked nice. All the nature imagery and creatures seemed cool.
Thing is, I can’t really read with it. The cards don’t make much sense to me compared to when I use a standard Rider-Waite deck. With RW I can at least piece together meanings, but Wildwood leaves me confused. I keep looking at these beautiful cards and having no idea what they’re trying to say. Does anyone else find Wildwood harder to learn than other decks?
The Wildwood’s seasonal setup pairs nicely with herbs.
I brew chamomile or lemon balm when working with Vessels (Cups) since they’re all about emotions. For Arrows (Swords), I go with peppermint or rosemary, which helps with mental clarity. They renamed the suits to Bows, Arrows, Vessels, and Stones, which gives everything more of a nature connection. Been following the Wheel of the Year with this deck and matching herbs to seasons, mugwort for summer shadow work, pine needle tea for winter introspection, that sort of thing.
The whole woodland theme just naturally brings plant work into the readings.
The imagery in this deck is really vague and open to interpretation.This might be a pro or con depending on what you want from your deck.
Nothing has one clear meaning, which can be frustrating when you’re trying to learn. I started with Wild Unknown myself. The archetypal symbols made more sense to me as a beginner, but they still have that mystical quality if that’s what you’re after.
Try laying out the four suits side by side - Vessels (Water/Cups), Stones (Earth/Pentacles), Arrows (Air/Swords), and Bows (Fire/Wands). Vessels hold our emotions like water, while Arrows pierce through mental fog just as traditional Swords would. The deck’s raw honesty and grounding nature imagery creates a safe container for deep work. And yes, that companion book is great!
Here’s some cool Tarot history!
Wildwood came from the Greenwood Tarot back in 1996. When Greenwood went out of print, people were passing around photocopied scans at local gatherings until Mark Ryan and John Matthews redid it with Will Worthington’s art.
The lineage shows up in readings. People who are used to standard RWS titles tend to relax when they see Bows, Arrows, Vessels, and Stones instead of the usual suits. For deeper readings, I’ll put three majors down as waystones (past wound, present lesson, emerging instinct) and use the minors as tracks between them.
I’ve done full Celtic Cross spreads by grouping positions into areas (body, heart, mind, path) that gives the Wildwood room to work. If you try it, pay attention to which card feels like a threshold. Ask yourself if it’s inviting you in or telling you to go back.
Reversals in Wildwood work differently for me than other decks. I already like the deck but I’ll take anything with an interesting quirk like this.
I start by checking where the creatures are looking. When reversed cards show figures turning away, I see it as instincts retreating or hiding. Cards where the figure would face you upright mean those instincts are still trying to express themselves somehow.
Then I look at elemental combinations - reversed fire cards near water cards means the drive gets cooled down rather than stopped completely. The degree of tilt matters too. Cards that are just barely reversed often point to swap phases in shadow work.
Years ago I was into runes and pagan stuff when I came across this tarot deck. Something about it caught my attention right away, felt like I had to have it. Ended up buying it on the spot.
It worked really well for me. It was different from the traditional Rider-Waite deck, which I preferred. Made learning easier somehow. Still one of my better impulse purchases.
Been working with this deck lately and I like it a lot. Still need the guidebook for most readings since it doesn’t follow the usual Rider-Waite meanings. The artwork is gorgeous, though. Takes some getting used to but I’m enjoying figuring it out.
Working through the Wildwood Majors one per lunar cycle for a year. I journal after each one about what comes up in daily life. The large cards were hard on my hands, so I trimmed borders and rounded corners. Shuffles much easier now and you can see the art better.
As the old Celtic saying goes, ‘The oak teaches patience before it shares its wisdom.’ Wildwood can be challenging as a first deck precisely because it departs so significantly from traditional tarot structure.
RWS gives you clear visual narratives (the stabbed figure in the Ten of Swords, the celebrating friends in the Three of Cups), Wildwood speaks in a more primal, symbolic language. The Vessels, Stones, Arrows, and Bows require you to think differently about the elements and suits. You might find it helpful to work with both decks side by side for a while. Pull the same card from each deck and compare - how does the Six of Swords translate to the Six of Arrows? This way, you’re building a bridge between the traditional meanings you’re grasping with RWS and Wildwood’s unique interpretations.
Wildwood’s renamed major arcana have been easier for me to read. The Ancestor reads clearer than the Hierophant when I’m digging into guidance. The Seer feels more active than the High Priestess during shadow work, which steers my focus differently. Little changes in naming can shift the tone of a spread.
The art strays from classic Rider-Waite, so the guidebook really helps.
The Wheel underscores how tied it is to seasonal cycles and the wheel of the year. If your practice leans earth-based, it fits; if not, it can feel a bit niche. I use it when I’m in that headspace and grab something plainer otherwise.
