Will Worthington | New Wildwood Prints

Please note that these images are
 scans of the card, not the prints themselves

The Wildwood Tarot prints are proving popular so artist Will Worthington has created a second run of prints!  In addition to the existing designs, he has added The Wildwood's Queen of Bows and The Ancestor.

PLUS the Arthur and Merlin images from the Camelot Oracle are also now available in this range of fine art prints!

Wildwood Tarot | New Edition

Please note that there is a revised edition of The Wildwood Tarot about to become available!   This exciting development features a new design on the card back and additional copy in the accompanying book.

The new card design, pictured here, is suitable for reading with reversals.

The additional copy in the accompanying book adds more information for the Wildwood Tarot's Court Cards.

The cardstock and box remain unchanged from the original printing, so, at the moment, there is no clear way to tell whether a boxed set is the original or the new updated version.

WORKSHOP | ATLANTA | WIN A PLACE!

Have you wished that you could go along to the forthcoming Wildwood Tarot seminar/workshop in Atlanta?  Learn about the deck, directly from its creators, Mark Ryan and John Matthews?

How would you like to WIN a place there?

Just take part in the Raffle and keep your fingers crossed that YOU are the lucky winner - but hurry! The Raffle closes at the end of this month!

http://virginiachandler.com/wildwood-atlanta-raffle/

GOOD LUCK!

Will Worthington | Wildwood Tarot Prints | Update

Will Worthington currently has 10 of each of the following 7 Wildwood Tarot Major Arcana card images available to buy direct from his website.

The Archer
The Green Man
The Green Woman
The Hooded Man
The Seer
The Stag
The Wanderer

The overall size of the paper is A3 and the margins are approximately 5cm all round. The borders are off-white in colour.

Each print is titled and signed by Will.

At the moment, these prints are available for £25.00 each, plus P&P

Visit Will's shop to order www.willworthingtonart.co.uk

Caitlín Matthews | Reversals Part 2

How do you gauge which level of reversal to apply to a reading? This may be clearly visible from within the context and from being with the querent you are reading for.

EXAMPLE 1: Here is a three card reading for a man asking about his tour company which has been very hard hit in the recession: he wants to know what he’s doing wrong. He draws Queen of Bows reversed, 15 Death reversed, Six of Arrows. He feel’s he’s been too generous in his ideas which are now working against him. He’s not been taking up the challenge of recession and now he’s stuck in a stagnating business rut. We see that the man is his own worst enemy but that he’s aware of the problem: the reversals are on the gauge of between abating and restrained. He’s seen the writing on the wall and has been hitting the blockages enough to know it’s time to more on. The 6 of Arrows says ‘move away from here.’

Camelot Oracle Launch | 17 October, London

We are launching on the 17th October! 

The Camelot Oracle by John Matthews & glorious art by Will Worthington 

is launching tomorrow in London. 

You are cordially invited to the launch which includes a talk with John and Will. 

Get your pack early !

Caitlín Matthews | Reading Reversals

How do we cope with reversals? If you’re a beginner, as I was back in 1969, you probably have enough on your hands just getting to grips with 78 cards, never mind what they might be doing in different positions.

The Wildwood Tarot doesn’t list reversed meanings in the book, mostly because neither Mark nor John personally use them because they are visual readers who like an upright image to read with.  But this doesn’t mean to say that you can’t use them.

If you look at tarot books the world over, you will find that different writers give different kinds of reversals. This is a big variable in tarot, mostly because individual readers have learned their own method of reversal rather than slavishly following someone’s method. Before you pull faces at this variance, look at it this way: it means you are free to decide how to gauge reversals for yourself.

If you are used to reading reversals you will have your own methods already established, but you will have already discovered that there are degrees of difference as to how to read them. While XIII Death/ XIII The Journey reversed can mean ‘escape from death’ it could also have the connotation of ‘a living death,’ for example.

Will Worthington | Wildwood Prints

Soon she'll be yours to frame!

Will Worthington is in the process of creating fine art prints for seven of the Major Arcana cards of the Wildwood Tarot.

The prints will be:

THE HOODED MAN
THE STAG
GREEN WOMAN
GREEN MAN
THE WANDERER
THE SEER
THE ARCHER


More details to follow just as soon as they are available.

Mark Ryan | 2 Vessels - Attraction

The use of anthropomorphic imagery in mythical and esoteric art is deeply rooted in prehistoric religious traditions and the evolving relationship between the human psyche and the natural world we encounter.

As discussed in both the Greenwood and Wildwood Tarot, the Lion-headed figure of the Hohlenstein Stadel is believed to be 30,000 years old, at least and cave painting in Trois Freres Caves in France and other images, figures and carvings around Europe are believed to be of the Upper Paleolithic period, or about 40,000 years old.

The Assyrians and Babylonians both included half-human half-animal figures in their depictions of their deities, as did the later Greeks and Romans.

Most notably perfected by the Egyptians whose lion-headed statues of the warrior goddess Sekhmet and Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the rituals associated with embalming, mummification and the rites of the dead are well known.

During the filming of Robin Of Sherwood I had the opportunity to discuss in some depth the symbolism of Herne The Hunter in the show and what Richard “Kip” Carpenter’s own reflections on this element of the show actually were. Besides the traditional legends associated with Windsor Game Park and the God of the Wild Hunt in British mythology, Herne also represented the human element in nature that is represented by The Green Man/Green Knight mythos. A human hunter/warden of the forest, who is so in tune and entwined with the cycles and the lore of the forest that the lines between reality and otherworldly wisdom become blurred and the veil between human experience and esoteric insight becomes transparent and amorphous.

It is with concept that we approached the Two of Vessels – Attraction, the laws of which are mysterious and polaric by nature. The unseen energy and body language exchanged between lovers in instinctive and primal.   

As I noted in the reading points for the card:

“The first shared spark of attraction between two human beings can appear simple and uncomplicated on the surface but usually the underlying psychological chemistry and the subtle interplay that ignites that magical first exchange is complex and eclectic. Human beings absorb millions of subliminal signals and messages from those around us, and we unconsciously process these stimuli and react to them every second of every day. We subconsciously absorb body language, scent and non-vocal communication and react emotionally to them with impulses and decision-making instincts developed over millennia.”

In other words, our “gut feelings” are a primal reactive sensory system that warns or allows subconscious communication to filter up through our emotional responses and then be assessed by the rational mind. Trusting our instincts in matters of the heart is a vital part of our human “bag of tools” used for establishing trust, empathy and compatibility of priorities required for survival and procreation.

These instincts are fine-tuned and if we act with sincerity and positive motivation are a good guide when dealing with partnerships and romantic relationships.

The reverse is also true. As I stated in the text for Wildwood Tarot, I believe:   

“Taking an instantaneous dislike to someone is governed by the same set of prehistoric sensory drives human beings developed when we roamed freely across the African savannah, just as "love at first sight" is as valid today as it was then. Our perceptions and signals are shared, acknowledged and reciprocated, breaking through the protective barriers and forming the initial polaric bond that is the foundation of deep and lasting attraction.”

So it seems fitting to me, when dealing with primal instincts related to trust and attraction, that those elements should be represented by ancient and polaric anthropomorphic figures, symbolizing the male and female energies within the situation or inquiry.

As I have also stated previously, the gender and dynamic roles of the energies are not intended to be states or attributes traditionally associated with stereo-typed male or female gender roles. There are, in my experience, “Luna” males and “Sola” females. We all contain elements and attributes related to empathy and protection, ferocity and ambition and both can ebb and flow within an individual’s personality as events, situations and experiences evolve and mature within us.

Some of lessons within the Two of Vessels image are therefore to acknowledge and trust your primal instincts and allow the ancient subconscious facets encoded within the ebb and flow of any emotional dynamic, emerge naturally and flow freely and enable the healthy emotional cycle to establish wellbeing and trust within any relationship.           

East West Seattle | 7 November | John Matthews & Mark Ryan

 

 

 

Wednesday, November 7 at East West Seattle

An Evening in the WildWood—Tarot

7-8:30 pm $10 Register Now!

 

http://www.eastwestbookshop.com/events/4303 to Register!

Mark Ryan | Popcon 2012

See Mark Ryan talking about his latest projects at Popcon LA 2012"

Wildwood Tarot App now available!

You can now work with your Wildwood Tarot directly on your ipad or iphone!

Please click on the link to visit the store to find out more about our new Wildwood App!

It's a hugely exciting development for the deck and we hope that you enjoy working with your virtual Wildwood!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wildwood-tarot/id532202817?ls=1&mt=8

Wildwood Workshop | Washington | November 2012

WILDWOOD TAROT WORKSHOPS, 2012

NEW DATE ADDED!

WILDWOOD TAROT WORKSHOP

Atlanta, Georgia 3 – 4 November 2012

Duval, Washington 10 – 11 November 2012

Mark Ryan | John Matthews

You are cordially invited to enter the Wildwood with Mark Ryan and John Matthews and to explore the symbolism of this best selling deck and its foundation on The Wheel of the Year system. The sessions include an exploration of the symbolism and history of the deck.

The programme includes practical, hands-on work involving shared table-top readings, visualization and role playing to personalize your individual relationship with the system and the archetypes.

Learn to work with the powerful Wheel of the Year, discover the ancient and powerful archetypes of the Wildwood, and learn new ways of reading. Explore the core of the Major and Minor Arcana and understand the Court Cards though meditation and shamanic journey.

This is a unique opportunity to work with the creators of the Wildwood Tarot as this will be Mark and John’s only Southeastern US appearance! Mark Ryan will be flying to Atlanta from Los Angeles giving you a chance to meet him in person and to hear him talk about the origins and creation of the deck. John Matthews, experienced tarot teacher and co-creator of The Wildwood Tarot, will be flying in from Oxford to bring his own expertise to the event, including a chance to learn shamanic journey techniques from one of its foremost teachers.

Mark & John will be happy to personally inscribe your copy of the Wildwood Tarot, copies of which will be on sale at the events.

Wild Events

Thursday, November 1, 2012 – An Evening in the Wild Wood with Mark Ryan and John Matthews

Reception and chat with Mark and John

7 – 9 PM

$35 USD per person
$50 per committed couple

(Venue)

Saturday November 3^rd – Sunday November 4^th -- The Wild Wood Tarot Workshop w/Mark Ryan and John Matthews

Workshop begins at app 9.30am and finishes at approximately 5.30pm on Saturday and Sunday

The Wild Wood Tarot Workshop will take place in North Georgia, app 45 minutes outside of Atlanta**

Prices:

• $275 per person for the two day workshop (includes tea and coffee)
• $325 per person for the two day workshop (includes breakfast and lunch both days)
• Committed Couples Pricing: $450 per couple (includes tea and coffee)
• Committed Couples Pricing: $500 per couple (includes breakfast and lunch both days)

• $250 individual Early Bird Registration – Place a deposit and register before June 30^th

• Please note that each registration includes a non returnable deposit of $50 USD per participant

**Overnight accommodations with and without meal plans available. Please ask for pricing and availability.

**Limited spaces for both Wild Events! Register early to secure your place!

To Book please contact

Ginger Wages

glwages@bellsouth.net

Tel 770 362 7020

Payment Types Available:

PayPal

Personal Check

Cashier’s Check

Saturday 10^{th –} Sunday 11^th November

Duvall, Washington (near Seattle)

Workshop begins at app 9.30am and finishes at approximately 5.30pm on Saturday and Sunday

The workshop will take place at the wonderful Mosswood Hollow Retreat Center, in Duval, WA

$275 per person for the two day workshop

(This includes full lunch on both days)

Limited accommodation is also possible, as are dinner and breakfast.

These can all be booked separately and are not included in the price of the workshop.

To register call: 425-844-9050 or email mosswood@mosswoodhollow.org

For further information about the venue and directions how to find your way there, visit www.mosswoodhollow.org

John Matthews | 8 Stag and 11 Woodward

THE STORY OF STRENGTH AND JUSTICE

One or two people have been asking why we chose to adopt the older ordering of the Major Arcana in the Wildwood Tarot, specifically in the placing of the Strength and Justice cards. Really this all goes back to good old A.E.Waite, who stamped his presence on so many of the more recent decks. Most modern tarot creators have chosen to follow this ordering of the Arcana, placing Strength at #8 and Justice #11. In fact Waite was much criticised for this, many tarots users feeling he had upset the divine ordering of the cards which had previously followed both a numerical and astrological order. Aleister Crowley, in his Thoth deck, chose to restore the original order – since when individual tarot creators have made their own choice which order the cards would follow.

Announcement | Wildwood Tarot App!

Together with Connections Publishing (the original, brilliant publishers of the WWT) and the equally awesome Fool's Dog company from the USA, we are really pleased to announce the immanent appearance of The Wildwood Tarot app.

Suitable for iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch running iOS version 4.3 or newer, the complete book and deck will soon be available to carry with you everywhere in electronic form. All of Will Worthington's fantastic art shines out even more amazingly in this format, and the app is both easy to use and dynamically readable. So watch this space for a full announcement in the next few weeks....

Wildwood Poem | Yavor Harizanov

The Wildwood Tarot team love it when people get in touch to share with us their Wildwood experiences and here we have a poem e-mailed to us by Yavor Krasimirov Harizanov who writes to us from his home on the shores of the Danubre in Ruse, Bulgaria.

Yavor says:  'I started writing poems right after I started doing Tarot readings.  I can't explain it - it just came naturally as the cards and their meanings sank deep into my mind.'

Wildwood Tarot | Atlanta | November 2012

Wildwood Tarot Workshop
Atlanta, Ga
Nov 3 – 4, 2012

Mark Ryan | John Matthews

You are cordially invited to enter the Wildwood with Mark Ryan and John Matthews and to explore the symbolism of this best-selling deck and its foundation on The Wheel of the Year system. The sessions include an exploration of the symbolism and history of the deck.

The programme includes practical, hands-on work involving shared table-top readings, visualization and role playing to personalize your individual relationship with the system and the archetypes.

Learn to work with the powerful Wheel of the Year, discover the ancient and powerful archetypes of the Wildwood, and learn new ways of reading. Explore the core of the Major and Minor Arcana and understand the Court Cards though meditation and shamanic journey.

This is a unique opportunity to work with the creators of the Wildwood Tarot as this will be Mark and John’s only Southeastern US appearance! Mark Ryan will be flying to Atlanta from Los Angeles giving you a chance to meet him in person and to hear him talk about the origins and creation of the deck. John Matthews, experienced tarot teacher and co-creator of The Wildwood Tarot, will be flying in from Oxford to bring his own expertise to the event, including a chance to learn shamanic journey techniques from one of its foremost teachers.

Mark and John will be happy to personally inscribe your copy of the Wildwood Tarot, copies of which will be on sale at the events.

Wild Events

Thursday, November 1, 2012 – An Evening in the Wild Wood with Mark Ryan and John Matthews
Reception and chat with Mark and John
7 – 9 PM

$35 USD per person
$50 per committed couple

Venue: The Phoenix and   Dragon bookstore in Atlanta:    http://www.phoenixanddragon.com/
To book for this Thursday night chat, please contact bookstore directly.


Bookings for Thursday night only will be made through the   bookstore

Saturday November 3rd – Sunday November 4th -- The Wild Wood Tarot Workshop w/Mark Ryan and John Matthews

Workshop begins at approx 9.30am and finishes at approximately 5.30pm on Saturday and Sunday

The Wild Wood Tarot Workshop will take place in North Georgia, app 45 minutes outside of Atlanta**

Prices:

· $275 per person for the two day workshop (includes tea and coffee)
· $325 per person for the two day workshop (includes breakfast and lunch both days)

· Committed Couples Pricing: $450 per couple (includes tea and coffee)
· Committed Couples Pricing: $500 per couple (includes breakfast and lunch both days)

· $250 individual Early Bird Registration – Place a deposit and register before June 30th

· Please note that each registration includes a non returnable deposit of $50 USD per participant



**Overnight accommodations with and without meal plans available. Please ask for pricing and availability.

**Limited spaces for both Wild Events! Register early to secure your place!

To book, please contact: 

Ginger Wages
glwages@bellsouth.net
Tel 770 362 7020

Payment Types Available:
PayPal
Personal Check

Cashier’s Check

John Matthews | The Controversial 6 of Stones

THE CONTROVERSIAL SIX OF STONES

This has been consistently seen as a controversial card. Because the 6 of Discs is generally associated with plenty, why does the 6 of Stones in the Wildwood Tarot show two people begging for a crust in a desolate and fire-riven wilderness? The answer is really quite simple. This card is not just about acquiring vast wealth and plenty – it’s about what we do with it. In the current climate it seems scarcely necessary to mention that we squander it. Just as the banks have taken our money and played games of chance with it that have left hundreds of people and businesses (not to mention whole countries) bankrupt; so there are countless examples in the world of people and institutions squandering the riches given us by the earth.

Wildwood Tarot | London Workshop 13-15 April

THE WILDWOOD TAROT

A Workshop in London

With Mark Ryan & John Matthews

13th -15 April 2012

You are cordially invited to enter the Wildwood with Mark Ryan and John Matthews and to explore the symbolism of this best selling deck and its foundation on The Wheel of the Year system. The sessions include an exploration of the background and history of the deck and symbolism,

The programme includes practical, hands-on work involving shared table-top readings, visualization and role playing to personalize your individual relationship with the system and the archetypes.

Robin Of Sherwood's "Albion" by Lars Hansen

http://filmswords.com/sle/albion.htm

Caitlín Matthews | Keeping up the Practice

COURT PRACTICE SIX: KEEPING UP THE PRACTICE


This is the kind of practice that you can do again and again.  
Try doing this everyday for a week and see what you come up with. It will demonstrate that you really know your Court Cards. 

Caitlín Matthews | Wisdom of the Seasons

NEW YEAR/BEGINNING SPREAD: WISDOM OF THE SEASONS


Following our theme of time, let’s use the whole deck to look at the year ahead.  In this spread, you find the four keys of wisdom that will help you get through the year to come.   It’s a good spread to do at New Year, when you reached a threshold of change, or when you make a new beginning.  Use the whole deck to discover these keys, but only read 6 cards. Take your time.

Caitlín Matthews | Sighting the Target Spread

THE MINORS: AN INDEX OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE


The number cards of the minor arcana give an index of human experience and a progressive sense of what stage things have reached. We see this index in this table as defined by the key-words:

       

Caitlín Matthews | A Question of Time - Part 2

PART TWO: THE MAJORS AND THE THREE RINGS OF THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR


Looking at the Wheel of the Year the three kinds of cards can give us the following information:
      the Courts can give rough periods of time.
      the Minors can reveal the index of human experience (explored in the next blog post to this one).
      the Majors can show the degree or condition: how or at what level it will hit you. 


The three rings on the Wheel of the Year reveal the following levels:


The outer, inner and heart.  The guiding power of any major card can be read with these three rings in mind.

Mark Ryan | Kip Carpenter

See Mark's own Angel In The Dark blog post here about Kip Carpenter.

John Matthews | Will Sweeney | Mort D'Arthur

A little animation of John Matthew's book, with Will Sweeney:

Le Morte D'Arthur from SelfMadeHero on Vimeo.

Caitlín Matthews | A Question of Time - Part 1

COURT PRACTICE FIVE: A QUESTION OF TIME
PART ONE
When you read for people, they frequently want you to tell them the time-scale of their reading.  Generally speaking, divination is not time-bounded because it’s happening outside time and space if you’re doing it within any kind of spiritual context, which is how I usually read. 


All divination is a matter of asking the gods and spirits of the Wildwood in humility, listening and interpreting without inserting your own opinions. Divination gives us a snap-shot of things we are asking about here and now: tomorrow or next week will change as we also change.


However, there are ways of looking at possible time-scales or openings, which bring us into direct contact with the Wheel of the Year and the seasonal opportunities that are offered.  For example,  every December the midwinter festival of Christmas/ Yule/Solstice comes around: every year you are in a different and unique condition, but the seasonal opportunity to come home to the hearth of the family, to the still-point of midwinter is still offered to you.  Maybe you just became unemployed or December is a miserable reminder of those who aren’t there to share this opportunity? The years of our life can be seen as a spiral of remembrance, restatement, resolution and return if we take the gateway.

John Matthews | Lucius Artorius Castus Conference

LUCIUS ARTORIUS CASTUS:
CONFERENCE IN CROATIA
29th March to 2nd April 2012

LE LION MERIDIEN HOTEL, SPLIT


An international group of scholars gather to discuss, argue, and celebrate the life of Lucius Artorius Castus, the only figure with this name whose military activities in Britain can be traced and whose connections with the myths and legends of King Arthur are well established.

Confirmed speakers include Dr Linda Malcor (USA) Professor Emeritus Nicholas Higham (UK) Antonio Trinchese (Italy) and Professor Emeritus N Cambi (Croatia). The conference will include guided tours of local archaeological sites, and the site of Lucius Artorius Castus’ grave slab, which describes his phenomenal career. We will also visit the palace of the Emperor Diocletian. There will be a special showing of the 2004 film “King Arthur”, based on the life of Artorius’ descendent, introduced by its historical consultants, John Matthews and Linda Malcor.

Caitlín Matthews | When Significators Meet....

COURTS SPREAD SIX: WHEN SIGNIFICATORS MEET
Here is a spread that I invented for the New York Reader’s Studio in 2011. It doesn’t involve reading more than 6 cards, even though it looks very impressive when laid out.  It means that you can get out ALL of your court cards and have fun. In fact, you will also need another standard tarot deck. Yes, that’s TWO tarot packs. (I know that you have more than one about the house because now you are addicted!) You will have to choose which deck is your reading deck: from the other deck you only need the court cards, which are used to frame the tableaux. You will also need a clear table, floor or bed to lay the cards for this one because it’s a big one.

Caitlín Matthews | Take your partners!

More exercises for Wildblog readers by Caitlin Matthews...


COURT CARD SPREAD FOUR: LOOK WHO YOU MADE  ME BE!
It’s true, people can be difficult, but that’s helpful to us when we want to learn court cards. In this spread, adapted from an original idea of Rachel Pollack, you can explore the courts in a constructive way. First divide the whole pack into separate court, major and minor packs. This is how you lay the cards.

1 2 3        COURT CARDS

4 5 6        MAJOR CARDS

7 8 9        MINOR CARDS

Will Worthington | John Matthews | Camelot Oracle

Meet The Lady of The Lake, from the forthcoming Camelot Oracle by Will Worthington and John Matthews.  Are you looking forward to seeing the rest of the cards?!

Caitlín Matthews | Courts With Confidence!

Image from:  http://www.brainfitnessforlife.com

USING THE COURTS WITH CONFIDENCE


In this part, we begin to have fun and grow confidently in our court card practice.  If the definitions don’t enthuse you, then draw upon your own findings from your meditations in my earlier posts to help illuminate the spreads.  Frankly, it is far better to find the story in the cards yourself than to be endlessly looking things up.

COURT PRACTICE FIVE:


                                   
TIPS FOR REMEMBERING COURT CARDS

For some of us, no amount of books can help us remember court cards, so here are a few suggestions to give your own unique and memorable edge.  

1.  FAVE RAVES: Go through the courts and the definitions outlined in part two and ask yourself:  if this card were one of my favourite film stars, singers, footballers, writers etc. (you know whom you like) who would s/he be?  Start compiling a list of personalities well-known to you. For example, if you feel that Page of Bows is most like Leonardo di Caprio or Emma Thompson is a good example of Queen of Bows, then fine, go for it!  


2. FAMILY TREES: Each Court is like a family with  Father, Mother, Son, Daughter or King, Queen, Knight & Page.  Assign one card to each member of  your family, but do concentrate on their good qualities and not just how your family members impact upon you.  If you decide this is the best way for you to remember, then also imagine the more expansive aspects of your relatives and consider the best of which they are capable.


3.  HISTORICAL DINNER PARTY:  If you were to invite people from history to your dinner party, whom would you invite:  which tarot court place-setting would you set beside their dish?  Yes, you can have Shakespeare and Einstein, or Catherine the Great and Boudicca: mix your time-lines memorably!


4. MYTHS YOU LIKE: Stories and myths can provide all kinds of inspiration for your aide memoir.  Do you think Knight of Bows is the epitomy of Thor or Page of Arrows might be Loki?  Could Page of Vessels be Gerda and Queen of Arrows the Snow Queen?  You know the story, so you do the final casting!  

What are YOUR favourite ways to remember the Court Cards?

copyright: Caitlín Matthews 2012

WORKSHOP | LONDON APRIL 2012

THE WILDWOOD TAROT

A Workshop in London

With Mark Ryan & John Matthews

13th -15 April 2012

You are cordially invited to enter the Wildwood with Mark Ryan and John Matthews and to explore the symbolism of this best selling deck and its foundation on The Wheel of the Year system. The sessions include an exploration of the background and history of the deck and symbolism,

The programme includes practical, hands-on work involving shared table-top readings, visualization and role playing to personalize your individual relationship with the system and the archetypes.

John Matthews | Riviera Tarot Conference

Riviera Tarot Conference

27 October 2012

Riviera International Centre,

Torquay


PLEASE NOTE: WORKSHOP CONTENT CHANGED 20/1/12

John Matthews will be giving a workshop at the Riviera Tarot Conference.....

Caitlín Matthews | Wildwood Tarot Courts | Stones

And now that the year has turned, let's make the journey into the final suit of the Wildwood Tarot....

STONES - Winter 

KING  of Stones      Wolf
The Wolf stands on a snowy outcrop and bays at the full moon. Wolves are pack animals with a strong hierarchy overseen by the breeding pair who take the decisions for the pack. Young wolves leave the pack at 1-2 years in order to find mates and establish their own terrain.  The last wolf in Scotland was shot in 1700, and the only wolves in Britain are now only found in zoos or nature reserves, although there are plans afoot to reintroduce wolves to Scotland, as they are  the only natural predator of the deer which have to be regularly culled as a result.  The wolf reminds us that the untamed canine is the true master of the wild.

As a person in your life: The King of Stones is an experienced and mature person, with a more traditional mindset. Pragmatic and steadfast, he offers a secure and comfortable reliability to those around him. He is a natural businessman who understands both value and profit, and is often a philanthropist.  As a friend, he can be relied upon to keep promises or be a good financial adviser. He often offers a spring-board for likely ventures. Can also be blunt, possessive and vulgar, given to gluttony or be just plain unimaginative.


As an aspect or process: Appreciating the good things of life.  Learning to handle money well. Discovering the value of life. Cocooning yourself from outside influences.


As an event/happening: Enterprise. An estate or land. Conservation of resources or environment. Sponsorship.  Good health.  Financial support.   Financial corruption or bribes.


Questions: Who offers you the best security or pragmatic advice? What is the intrinsic value to you or others? Where do you need to provide support?  Where is life offering you its riches?

QUEEN of Stones    Bear
The mother bear stands on her hind legs to check on conditions outside her winter lair.  Bears no longer roam Britain and no-one knows when they became extinct here, perhaps between 1000-1500, though scientists studying the DNA of polar bears have recently discovered that they descend from a prehistoric Irish brown bear many centuries ago.  Sadly, the last female brown bear in Western Europe was killed in the Pyrenees in 2004.  Bears give birth in the depth of winter and keep their cubs safe until it is safe to emerge. In hibernation they drastically slow down their own metabolism. The end of hard winter, at the beginning of February, is marked all over the northern hemisphere by the emergence of the bear from its hibernation. Folklore says that if the bear can see its shadow, it is too early to leave the cave as the cold will yet strengthen.

As a person in your life: Queen of Stones is a practical and welcoming person.  Her home is never empty of hospitable good cheer.  She welcomes prosperity and luxury, so expect a little opulence, though she can also have a natural and wholesome simplicity.  As a friend, she is loyal, keeping faith with you and being frank about issues needing improvement.  She may be a treasurer who is good at managing resources, or a curator of tradition, but she can also be a hoarder or a squanderer, as well as a demanding or timid individual. 


As an aspect or process: Managing things wisely. Preserving things of value. Making things better. Providing amenities. Wasting resources. Cutting your losses.
As an event/happening:  Craft and design. Expansive liberality. The commonwealth of a group or community.  Putting the family first, right or wrong. Refusing to nurture.
Questions: How can you best promote well-being here?  Where can you make space to care for yourself or others? What needs to be preserved? How can you improve standards or make things better?


KNIGHT of Stones  Horse
The Horse canters across a barren landscape under a cloudy sky.  The Przewalski horse,  with its distinctive dorsal stripe, is a throw- back to the original prehistoric horses that once roamed Britain. Thirteen of these horses were rediscovered at the end of 19^th century near the border of China and the thousand living Przewalskis all descend from them. These wild horses use their hooves to get water out of the ground; the herds graze in grasslands. Smaller than the domestic horse at 13 hands high, they are a living reminder of the herds that  once covered Europe.

As a person in your life:  The Knight of Stones is a reliable and robust person who has stamina and determination.  He takes care of the details and can be depended upon to get a job done. He is naturally adept and has a craftsman’s skill.  As a friend, he is a good person to have at your side because he checks all the possibilities before you venture yourself unwarily.  He can be dogged in pursuit or else pedestrian, plodding and materialistic, as well as not knowing when enough is enough. He can also take glum melancholia to its extremes or become a couch-potato.


As an aspect or process: Checking the details. Maintaining a steady impetus. Seeing it through. Obliging others. Taking pride in your work.  Giving up easily. Missing  the moment through lethargy and delay.


As an event/happening:  Land-management.  Industry or employment.  Security firm. Persistence.  Unemployment. Poor self-worth.


Questions: Where can you push on to the finish?  Where do  you need to be proactive? What service is required of you? How is  stubbornness shooting you in the foot?

PAGE of Stones       Lynx
The lynx crouches in a bare tree, seeking its quarry.  It was thought that lynx had become extinct over four thousand years ago, but bones dated to one and half thousand years ago were discovered in Yorkshire. The fact that the llewin (literally ‘little lion’) or lynx is mentioned in a 7^th century Cumbrian lullaby may indicate some scattered survivals of this splendid cat which still inhabits a wide swathe of northern Europe and Asia.  Hunting by smell and sight, it often uses a high perch to search out prey, usually at dusk or dawn. Adult lynxes live solitary after they leave the litter.  There have been plans to reintroduce it to Britain as a means of keeping deer numbers under control. 

As a person in your life: The Page of Stones is a person of common sense and dedication.  He enjoys learning skills that make him efficient or that lead to prosperity and comfort.  As a friend, he values the authentic aspects of your character and sticks to his commitments. Can be an idle good-for-nothing or fall into a fatal inertia that’s hard to shift.  If he or his skills are not valued or recognized, he can be wild and  undisciplined in the face of authority.


As an aspect or process: Learning the ropes as a beginner. Keeping things down to earth or actual rather than virtual.  Setting practical goals. Being busy. Vandalizing public property or mocking concepts of authority.


As an event/happening: Apprenticeship.  Study. Schools or training programmes. Concentration. Messages of prosperity or benefit. Theft or pillage.  Public disorder.  Inertia.


Questions: What data do you need to gather to make a good decision?  Where do you need to get out of your head and into your body? What needs your dedicated commitment?  What can you learn from this situation?

copyright: Caitlín Matthews 2011