The Green Witch Tarot cards are a unique and captivating deck that combines the rich symbolism of traditional tarot with the natural world and its elements. This deck, created by Ann Moura and Kiri Østergaard Leonard, offers a fresh perspective on tarot readings and interpretations. One of the main ideas represented in the Green Witch Tarot cards is the harmony between humans and nature. Each card beautifully depicts this connection, showcasing the interplay between the elements and the role they play in our lives. Through these cards, the deck encourages a deeper understanding of our place in the natural world and the potential for spiritual growth through this connection. The Green Witch Tarot cards also explore the cyclical nature of life and seasons.
This deck contains 78 cards, including 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana. Although the Major Arcana titles have been changed to reflect Green Witchcraft’s ideas and the original definitions of the cards, they have not been altered. The Major Arcana titles consist of: The Greenman; The Witch; The High Priestess; The Earth Mother; The Horned God and the High Priest; The Lady and also the Lord; The Battle Wagon, The Crone; The Holly King, The Wheel of the Year and The Standing Stone. The Oak King is The Lord of Shadows.
The Major Arcana titles consist of The Greenman; The Witch; The High Priestess; The Earth Mother; The Horned God and the High Priest; The Lady and also the Lord; The Battle Wagon, The Crone; The Holly King, The Wheel of the Year and The Standing Stone. While this box is suitable for storing the cards at home, it is too flimsy and too large to put into a bag or backpack without sustaining serious damage.
The Green Witch Tarot cards also explore the cyclical nature of life and seasons. The deck draws heavily on the Wheel of the Year, which represents the changing seasons and the corresponding energies that come with them. This cyclical approach to the cards offers insightful interpretations that can help guide us through the ups and downs of life, reminding us that everything is temporary and part of a larger cycle.
The Green Witch Tarot
Ann Moura is a long-time specialist on green witchery who has been writing books on the topic since 1996. She’s teamed up with artist Kiri Østergaard Leonard to create a tarot deck that targets people in this branch of the Craft. Green witchcraft promotes a strong relationship with nature, earth magic, elementals, and the immanent Goddess and God. The deck follows this theme with an emphasis on seasons, the eight sabbats, faerie lore, herbs, plants, animals, and the bounty of nature. Characters in the deck are displayed in the normal activities of daily life.
Moura elected to change the names of several Major Arcana cards to augment the deck’s theme: 0 – Greenman, 1 – Witch, 3 – The Earth Mother, 4 – The Horned God, 6 – The Lady and the Lord, 7 – The Battle Wagon, 8 – The Crone, 9 – The Holly King, 10 – The Wheel of the Year, 11 – The Standing Stone, 12 – The Oak King, 13 – The Lord of the Shadows, 14 – The Sidhe, 15 – Nature, 16 – The Wild Hunt, 20 – Harvest, and 21 – The World Tree. The trump card archetypes are similarly adjusted to reflect the deities and practices of green witches.
Card characters are accompanied by animals and plants that correlate with the card’s meanings. The suits are named for typical altar tools: pentacles, athames, wands, and chalices. The suits correspond to an element, cardinal direction, and a season. Knights can be male or female. Queens and Kings are older and more mature characters that represent an accumulation of power and authority in their suit element.
The accompanying book The Green Witch Tarot Companion begins with an overview. The cards are described in some depth with meanings, reversals, and a few keywords. The third chapter offers six tarot spreads to experiment with. The book is logically organized and will be easy for beginners to work with.
The cards have no borders, something that will please many readers! The imagery features detailed panoramic landscapes with great depth and some interior scenes to provide contrast. The color palette is warm and energetic with bright hues. Seasonal depictions help with timing. Most of the human figures are well rendered and successfully convey the card’s meaning.
Card images sometimes stray to a greater or lesser extent from the RWS canon. In the 5 of Wands, five people are standing around a fire conducting a ritual. Ants crawl along a branch in the foreground. The 7 of Chalices is an interior scene with a woman sitting at a table day-dreaming about the seven chalices before her. Faeries are fluttering around her head and there’s a butterfly near the chalices. A frond of Solomon Seal is visible in the corner. The Knight of Wands is a woman riding a horse along a dirt path that runs past fields ripe with wheat. Golden Seal grows at the edge of the field and a night hawk is soaring overhead. The Ace of Athames features a knife instead of a long sword. Beneath the knife are bright yellow dandelions. A mouse is climbing through the flowers.
The Major Arcana cards are more mythic and folkloric. Trump 4 – The Horned God features a handsome deity with deer horns surrounded by animals in a forest glade. It’s clear that nature is his primary venue as well as the source of his power. Trump 18 – The Moon is simply gorgeous. It features a night scene with a woman approaching a tree-encircled pond. A fish leaps as a gentle full moon glows overhead.
The only trump card I felt really didn’t work was Trump 20 – Harvest. It features a scene with a man standing behind a table covered with fresh produce. A woman standing near a cottage is in the background. There’s nothing wrong with the quality of the image, but it doesn’t capture the profoundly spiritual and karmic nature of the Judgment card. There are many possible mythic events and deity transformations that could have been chosen to give the card more oomph.
Nevertheless, this is a fine deck for any green witch or pagan. The deck and book do a great job of conveying the themes of the Craft. The cards can be integrated into rituals; the deities in the trump cards correlate with sabbats. The imagery of the more difficult cards is thoughtful and somewhat less threatening than decks in the RWS family. The Green Witch Tarot would be a lovely, thoughtful Yule gift to give this year.
~review by Elizabeth Hazel
Creator: Ann Moura, art by Kiri Østergaard Leonard
Llewellyn, 2015
boxed kit with 240-page book, deck, and non-custom unlabeled white box, $28.99
The images are somewhat whimsical, but not overly quaint and sentimental. The scenes depicted throughout the deck take place in an idealised world where magical doings and beings are both sacred and commonplace. All events are shown occurring in a pseudo-mediaeval world which allows both the artist and viewer some leeway with questionable historical details and factual inaccuracies.
Furthermore, the Green Witch Tarot cards embrace the concept of intuition and personal interpretation. While there are traditional interpretations for each card, this deck encourages readers to trust their instincts and delve into their own meanings and associations. This flexibility allows for a more personalized and nuanced understanding of the cards, making each reading unique and tailored to the individual. In conclusion, the interpretations of the Green Witch Tarot cards revolve around the themes of harmony with nature, the cyclical nature of life, and the importance of personal intuition. Through these cards, readers can gain deeper insights into their spiritual journeys and the interconnectedness of all things. Whether used by experienced tarot readers or beginners, the Green Witch Tarot deck offers a fresh and enchanting approach to divination..
Reviews for "The Green Witch Tarot: connecting with the natural world through divination"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I found "Interpretations of green witch tarot cards" to be quite disappointing. The book lacks a clear structure and organization, making it difficult to navigate and find the information I was looking for. Additionally, the interpretation of the cards felt superficial, lacking depth and nuance. The book fails to provide in-depth explanations or insights into the symbolism and meaning of each card. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book for someone seeking a comprehensive and insightful guide to the green witch tarot cards.
2. Mark - 1 star - "Interpretations of green witch tarot cards" is one of the worst tarot guides I've come across. The explanations are vague and lack clarity, leaving me more confused than enlightened. The book also seems to assume a certain level of prior knowledge about tarot, making it confusing for beginners like myself. The images of the cards provided in the book were of poor quality, and it was difficult to discern the details and symbols on the cards. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the intricacies of the green witch tarot.
3. Jennifer - 2 stars - I was really looking forward to diving into the "Interpretations of green witch tarot cards" as I'm passionate about both tarot and green witchcraft. However, I found this book to be quite underwhelming. The interpretations of the cards lacked originality, with generic and overused explanations. The book didn't offer anything new or unique to the understanding of the green witch tarot cards. I was left feeling disappointed and wishing I had chosen a different tarot guide that provided a deeper exploration of the green witch's perspective.
4. Robert - 1 star - "Interpretations of green witch tarot cards" was a letdown for me. The book failed to provide clear and concise interpretations, which made it difficult for me to connect with the cards and their symbolism. The writing style was also quite dry and lacked engaging storytelling or personal insights. I found myself struggling to stay interested and motivated to continue reading. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for an engaging and insightful guide to the green witch tarot.