Robin Wood Tarot

For those who like nature inspired decks rich in Pagan symbolism that are super easy to read and nice to look at, then the Robin Wood Tarot may well be for you. This incredibly popular deck closely adheres to the traditional Rider Waite meanings so it’s a great alternative for beginners. But, straight up I want to add that this deck contains some over the top nudity that I know some find questionable and I admit some is a tad bizarre. The man on The Lovers card – hmm bananas anyone. Anyhow, it’s been around for a long time. I’ve only had mine for around ten years and to be honest for many years it’s spent a lot of time on my shelf. Pulling it out to write this has been a great experience for me. I’ll explain why soon.

The Robin Wood Tarot Deck

Firstly let me say that some of the pen, ink and Prismacolor pencil drawings that make up this deck rank among my favourite cards. I especially like The High Priestess, Death and The Devil. They may narrow the definitions a little but I don’t think that’s a bad thing, especially when starting out. Although, I haven’t always felt that way and that’s why grabbing this deck off my book shelf has been great for me. It’s shown me how my perceptions have changed and I look forward to pulling out some of my really early deck purchases to see how my thoughts about them have evolved – if at all. I’m hoping it has. I’ve been at this for a while.

I’ve always loved the nature focus of this deck. It’s what drew me to them in the first place. For example I like that the 4 of Swords, pictured below, isn’t set in a church. For me, nature has always been my go to when I’ve needed to rest, recharge and re-evaluate so this makes more sense to me personally. However, I did used to have an issue with a few cards.

I liked the idea behind The Empress since she is out in nature and actually creating something, but I wasn’t drawn to her appearance. And, the 4 of Pentacles seemed so harsh and closed off to any positive interpretations to me that I’d cringe when it came up. Now I see my reaction to both of these cards as strange. Some of my favourite decks, such as the Anna K Tarot have very defined messages and so, for that very reason, I use it as my go to deck when I’m particularly muddled. When I ask it to tell me what I need to see, it doesn’t pull any punches. I see that now with this deck and I understand why I baulked at these cards previously. Everything is a message even if it takes a while to recognise it.

As an aside I know you’re not supposed to go to the cards when you’re in a flap but I’m not really sure how I feel about that. I know the reading will be tainted by my emotions. However sometimes seeing the impact of my thought patterns laid out in front of me can provide the impetus to change my thinking and get back on track. Other times I see why you shouldn’t do it and I agree with the advice not to do so. Sometimes you’re just not ready for the ‘why’ that Tarot gives you. In those cases I find my Oracle cards a real blessing. But back to the Robin Wood Tarot.

As you can see, the titles on the Major Arcana cards are clear whereas on the pip cards there’s just a number in a circle. However, since the suit is obvious through the artwork I don’t see the lack of titles causing any issues for people new to the Tarot, especially when the cards are so easy to read. It’s hard to put yourself back in beginner’s mind though so I hope I’m not doing anyone a disservice when I say that. I just feel that if you describe the scenes, the people’s facial expressions and what they’re doing you’re going to be able to put together a sound reading.

For example on the 7 of Cups the focus is clearly on someone daydreaming with their head in the clouds, not that I always see that as a bad thing. And the Wheel of Fortune is a wonderful way to cement the idea of “this too shall pass” regardless of whether it’s something good or something deemed negative. I believe this is a powerful message that we often like to ignore. Nevertheless, I think realising that amazing experiences and periods in our life will fade or end makes them better because it encourages us to appreciate them more at the time. It’s easy to take good things for granted. Why wait until they’re gone to appreciate what was?

But, back to the cards themselves. The Aces in this deck are full of energy and so they rank amongst my favourites. Please know I’m not saying this lightly. I have a lot of decks and I am attached to them all for various reasons. But when I went through these cards to put this together, each time I came across an Ace I was like, “Wow” that’s a new beginning that I’d really like to experience. The phallic nature of the Ace of Wands definitely screams fertility, birth, growth, virility and life.

Robin Wood also included some helpful additions on the Pages that really help to provide a way into the card. Each has a particular item hanging from their belt. The Page of Cups has a paint palette, the Page of Swords a spyglass, the Page of Wands a coiled rope and the Page of Pentacles has a book.

The cards themselves are printed on flexible card stock that has really held up well over the years. They measure 7 x 11½ cm which makes them easy to handle and they’re amenable to all forms of shuffling. Since originally posting this review I have trimmed my deck. Lately I have enjoyed working with some smaller decks and since I’m not a fan of white borders generally this seemed like a win-win modification for me. And, it has proven to be. I am really happy with the results. Below you can see the direct comparisons.

However, there is a compromise that I had to make with the Major Arcana. The titles on the Majors are shown on a banner and that banner extends onto the border. It didn’t bother me to trim it off, but it is something to be aware of before you start. You can see the before and after below. I love how much the images pop now too. The new card size is approximately 6cm x 10.5cm. Just for reference, I used the small option on my Kadomaru Pro corner rounder.

I have to say that the more I flick through, the more convinced I become that this is as an awesome deck for those just starting out. It is a really relatable deck that still aligns closely to the Rider Waite system. I personally like the Rider Waite decks, (I have several), but I understand why some people don’t connect with them. They’ve definitely grown on me over time.

The Robin Wood Tarot Book

The little white book that accompanies this deck was put together by her partner Michael Short who also created the suggested 5 card spread. Even though it incorporates both of their insights the book is very basic. Meanings for the Major Arcana are given via keywords and short phrases for both the upright and reversed positions. The Minors are ordered in suits from Kings through to Aces. Keywords are given for the numbers first and then each individual card receives the same treatment as the Major Arcana.

Whilst the book included with the cards is brief it’s enough to get you started if you’re a beginner. There’s a separate book written by Anthony Louis called Tarot Plain and Simple that uses this deck to illustrate the individual cards. Even though it isn’t written as a guide book specifically for the Robin Wood Tarot it’s a handy companion if you want more information about the cards as well as some further direction on how to work with them.

Spreads

Three spreads are presented in the book:

• 15 card spread (created by Barbara Johnson)
• 10 card spread (Celtic Cross)
• 5 card spread (suggested for answering a specific question)

Two of these spreads, the 5 and the 15 card versions, are also printed on cards which provides quick and easy access to them. For the Celtic Cross they have attributed meanings that differ to what I’m used to but I found they worked well enough. With three spreads, clear and accessible cards, and a basic booklet that offers just enough, this popular deck is definitely beginner friendly.

Publishing Details

Deck Creator:

Robin Wood

Pictured Version:

Published by Llewellyn 2011, 19th printing

1st published in1991.