The Robin Wood Tarot [Cards]

There are good sides and downsides to this deck. Let's start with the positive first.

- Based on Rider-Waite imagery, which is what most books explaining tarot are based on. The basic format is the same, but the artist put her own version and twist on it. This makes this deck very beginner friendly.

- Tastefully conceived. There is nudity, but tasteful.

- More 'artistic' than Rider-Waite decks, in my opinion, because you see more emotion on the figures' faces. Sometimes the Rider-Waite deck comes across as pictures of stick people, and at times, like rough sketches. The Robin Wood deck is more emotive, colorful, and clean. It seems more professional and 3-D.

Now, onto the downsides.

- Almost every person depicted is blonde. Not to say I have anything against blondes, but it gets redundant.

- There's a "Ken-and-Barbie" feel to it. Sometimes, it just seems 'cartoony.' Like other reviewers have cited, it's very happy-happy.

- The imagery is very defined, so those seeking more abstract imagery would do well to pass this deck up.

I would suggest this deck to those who are beginners at tarot because this is a very friendly, Rider-Waite based deck. I used this deck along with the Goddess Tarot deck when I first started out and it was very helpful. I needed the imagery to be approachable and friendly enough to sort of 'hold my hand' as I learned the tarot.

I would not, however, suggest this deck to those seeking more abstract or "impressionist" images. For those looking for something different, this is just a cleaned up, more vibrant version of Rider-Waite. As of now, I am using the Margarete Peterson deck, but my Robin Wood deck still sits fondly on the shelf, and I do go back to it from time to time, because the images are very clear in their intent and depiction.

There is a lot to like about this deck. The illustrations are colorful and clear, and Robin Wood has kept the symbolism of traditional Tarot decks while still managing to make her deck unique. I particularly appreciate her interpretation of the Death card, which I feel more strongly represents the true meaning of the card as one of change and renewal while still reminding the reader that there can be no rebirth without death.

This is a deck that speaks pretty well to me; however, I have noticed that after time, my connection to these cards isn't as strong as it used to be. For some time, I haven't been able to put my finger on the reason, but after reading the reviews on the deck, I think it has to do with the main negative that I've noticed: the faces in the deck, despite its pagan leanings, do look overwhelmingly WASP-y. And, as one reviewer put it, the deck has a distinctive "shiny, happy people" look. To me, it's a mistake to play up only the positive aspects of paganism/Wicca, as these cards do. To do so ignores an important fact: Nature does indeed nurture, but she also destroys. For that reason, more mature readers and collectors may find this deck rather weak, as I have discovered I do. Not to say that it still doesn't speak to me; it just doesn't do so with the power of other decks.

This is definitely my favorite deck. The artwork is excellent, colorful, and expresses the meanings very well. Wood has done a good job of adapting the deck for use by Pagans. Let me voice my one complaint first though; for some reason she has kept the Pope as the image on the Hierophant card. This has negative connotations for many Pagans and is not in harmony with the rest of the deck. As a result it stresses the negative rather than the positive aspects of the card. A High Priest or Elders card would have better expressed the positive aspects of the Hierophant. That aside though, the rest of the deck is very good. Some of the cards are virtually the same as the Rider-Waite deck (such as the Hermit and the Sun card) while others are completely different but express the same meaning in a better way. Among the best original cards is the Devil. No ugly, horned, goatish embodiment of evil here, just a very vivid and easily understandable expression of bondage to material things and feeling trapped. The Magician is another favorite, showing a mature and self-confident man wearing a stag antlered headdress and magically controlling physical manifestation (he holds the Cosmic Lemniscate in his hand). The Judgment card deserves special mention since it does away with the tired imagery of Gabriel blowing his trumpet and souls rising from the grave. Instead we see a cauldron of fire from which arises a perfected spiritual body, while a phoenix rises in the background. This perfectly expresses the true meaning of the card in terms of pagan imagery (probably derived from alchemy, but we are also reminded of the Cauldron of Cerridwen). The Minor Arcana are equally well done; most are similar to the Rider-Waite deck but are more elaborately drawn than Pamela Coleman Smith's images. The court cards are especially good and in many cases the figures are portrayed in more active poses than in some other decks. In summary, I'd say this is an excellent deck for beginners since it corresponds very well to the Rider-Waite meanings which appear in so many books. Yet the deck remains very useful for more advanced readers due to a wealth of symbolic imagery and colorful, expressive artwork. An excellent companion book for this deck is Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis which uses this deck to illustrate the cards.