Animals and VPMs, or, more comparing of decks
As I continue my study of the Greenwood tarot, I'm finding more and more depth in the ways it differs from the more popular decks in use these days. For example, as I mentioned before, whilst the Greenwood court cards have the traditional titles of Knight of Wands, Queen of Cups and so on, the figures depicted are animals rather than people. This affects the deck and its symbolism in several ways, Firstly, the hierarchy of Page, Knight, Queen and King is largely removed, as is the tendency to interpret these cards rather literally as 'a dark haired man' or 'a young person with blonde hair'. Many people find the court cards the most difficult part of the tarot to read - do you take them literally as influential people, interpret them psychologically as an aspect of the self, or do you see them as a way of being or of approaching life? For me, the court cards form a bridge between the archetypes of the major arcana and the more everyday focus of the minor arcana. A bridge between the spiritual and the material generally needs some kind of shamanic figure, and a connection with an animal guide or totem is key to many shamanic practices. Indeed, the Greenwood is described as a shamanic, pre-celtic tarot deck.
The other pagan tarot decks I've been working with, the Sacred Circle and the Druidcraft, also feature animals, but they accompany human figures rather than taking centre stage. For example, the Greenwood Page of Cups is the kingfisher, and the Sacred Circle Queen of Cups has a kingfisher familiar:
The book accompanying the Sacred Circle tarot mentions the kingfisher as an elusive, magical creature, but does not go into any more detail, and the Queen of Cups is given a fairly standard description as a woman of imagination and intuition, a dreamer or maybe a psychic. Making the kingfisher itself the Page as the Greenwood does, on the other hand, opens up all of the folklore and symbolism associated with this magical bird. As well as being a symbol of transience and beauty, they are said to bring healing and emotional release. Some see them as the northern hemisphere equivalent of the hummingbird, a symbol of joy, vitality and energy.
The Sacred Circle tarot does feature animals and birds in many of the cards, albeit in a supporting role. The Druidcraft, however, has very few, and in many cases they are the same as the animals featured in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the standard for many tarot enthusiasts these days. The Queen of Wands has a cat, for example, as in the RWS, representing wild energy tamed. The Queen of Pentacles has a hare, (a rabbit in the RWS deck), as does the Sacred Circle Queen of Swords. The Greenwood features a hare as the Queen of Wands, a symbol of springtime rebirth and energy.
I can't help noticing that the closer a deck is to the design and ideas of the RWS, the less animals it features. The Druidcraft has many images echoing those of the RWS, and others which are based on celtic mythology or modern pagan thought, like the Magician at a stone circle or the Fives, which feature aspects of the story of Ceridwen and Taliesin. It's the latter images which are more likely to feature animals. The Sacred Circle tarot uses many of the RWS meanings for the courts and minor arcana cards, but makes changes to the major arcana, and includes more animals, often to reinforce seasonal symbolism. The Greenwood, with a totally different structure to the RWS, puts animals at the centre of its symbolism. It's a pet peeve of mine that the RWS is so dominant in modern tarot thought, perhaps because I learnt with the Marseilles tarot which doesn't have images on the number cards and thus can be interpreted much more openly. The RWS was developed by Victorian magicians, coming from organisations like the Golden Dawn and a generally patriarchal, Christian background. Victorian patriarchal magicians (VPMs - they have a lot to answer for!) were perhaps more likely to consider animals secondary to humanity, as in the Christian tradition. The developers of the Greenwood tarot, on the other hand, had twentieth century neo-paganism to draw on, and the accompanying revival of shamanic practices. To me, the magic and guidance we get from animals is powerful, and I like that the Greenwood deck restores them to their strength.
The other pagan tarot decks I've been working with, the Sacred Circle and the Druidcraft, also feature animals, but they accompany human figures rather than taking centre stage. For example, the Greenwood Page of Cups is the kingfisher, and the Sacred Circle Queen of Cups has a kingfisher familiar:
The book accompanying the Sacred Circle tarot mentions the kingfisher as an elusive, magical creature, but does not go into any more detail, and the Queen of Cups is given a fairly standard description as a woman of imagination and intuition, a dreamer or maybe a psychic. Making the kingfisher itself the Page as the Greenwood does, on the other hand, opens up all of the folklore and symbolism associated with this magical bird. As well as being a symbol of transience and beauty, they are said to bring healing and emotional release. Some see them as the northern hemisphere equivalent of the hummingbird, a symbol of joy, vitality and energy.
The Sacred Circle tarot does feature animals and birds in many of the cards, albeit in a supporting role. The Druidcraft, however, has very few, and in many cases they are the same as the animals featured in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the standard for many tarot enthusiasts these days. The Queen of Wands has a cat, for example, as in the RWS, representing wild energy tamed. The Queen of Pentacles has a hare, (a rabbit in the RWS deck), as does the Sacred Circle Queen of Swords. The Greenwood features a hare as the Queen of Wands, a symbol of springtime rebirth and energy.
I can't help noticing that the closer a deck is to the design and ideas of the RWS, the less animals it features. The Druidcraft has many images echoing those of the RWS, and others which are based on celtic mythology or modern pagan thought, like the Magician at a stone circle or the Fives, which feature aspects of the story of Ceridwen and Taliesin. It's the latter images which are more likely to feature animals. The Sacred Circle tarot uses many of the RWS meanings for the courts and minor arcana cards, but makes changes to the major arcana, and includes more animals, often to reinforce seasonal symbolism. The Greenwood, with a totally different structure to the RWS, puts animals at the centre of its symbolism. It's a pet peeve of mine that the RWS is so dominant in modern tarot thought, perhaps because I learnt with the Marseilles tarot which doesn't have images on the number cards and thus can be interpreted much more openly. The RWS was developed by Victorian magicians, coming from organisations like the Golden Dawn and a generally patriarchal, Christian background. Victorian patriarchal magicians (VPMs - they have a lot to answer for!) were perhaps more likely to consider animals secondary to humanity, as in the Christian tradition. The developers of the Greenwood tarot, on the other hand, had twentieth century neo-paganism to draw on, and the accompanying revival of shamanic practices. To me, the magic and guidance we get from animals is powerful, and I like that the Greenwood deck restores them to their strength.