Tarot Tour #1: The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck
If you follow me on literally any social media platform or read any of my articles here, you’ve already seen plenty of this one. It’s my “go-to” deck for general readings and has been the primary deck I’ve used in developing THE HIEROPHANT. It felt fitting, then, that The Wild Unknown Tarot deck should be the inaugural tarot tour I take you on.
Confession that I am not at all ashamed of: I have a ton of tarot decks…like, probably a concerning amount of decks should anyone try to sort out my things once I’m dead and gone. There are a number of them I’ve never even really used but wanted to have for their artwork or as a reference. Then, there are others I’ve used so much, the boxes for the decks have literally fallen apart. (The Wild Unknown is getting there slowly but surely).
Regardless of which deck I take you on a tour of, I plan on breaking a few things down with each:
1) How I acquired it;
2) How I use it, particularly when it comes to artistic inspiration;
3) its artwork;
4) its physical quality (all my tarot pals out there are already screaming CARD STOCK!); and
5) any unique features.
Let’s get to it!
How we met
I was looking to diversify my decks and spied this one online. I’d had a few tarot decks through the years, but when I finally decided to study tarot seriously, I worked with my Ethereal Visions deck for about a full year. When the time came to spread my wings a little more, I wanted something that wandered a bit further away from the traditional card representations found in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (i.e. the Godmother of most tarot decks).
I researched The Wild Unknown deck for longer than 90% of the decks I pick up. When I first saw it online, I was instantly drawn to the artwork displayed. However, there were a couple of very dire warnings left in the reviews from individuals claiming to be professional tarot readers saying things like “This deck is filled with darkness!” and “One of my clients ran out of the room crying because of the art on the cards!” I was not up for any more trauma in my life, so I continued exploring other decks.
Then, I had the opportunity to play around with the deck in person at a metaphysical store, and while I didn’t immediately fall in love with it, I definitely felt a strong pull to it. That’s when I put it on my birthday list, and my partner (like the BAMF he is) shoved it into my hands as his homemade Loch Ness Monster birthday cake literally melted in front of me. It was an amazing birthday, but that’s not what we’re here for…
How I use it
I didn’t regularly use The Wild Unknown deck for a few months. It was a deck I would occasionally take out and study the art, but I didn’t do any readings with it, including for myself, for quite a while. Indeed, the reviews from the “professional tarot readers” online had me sufficiently spooked enough to keep several pieces of tourmaline stuffed in the box with the cards…y’know…just in case.
Then, one day it just seemed to click. I started pulling cards from it in conjunction with my Ethereal Visions deck (not asking the same questions from each deck but using one deck to build off the pull from another). Eventually, I started feeling more comfortable with the Wild Unknown in my daily readings. It wasn’t until THE HIEROPHANT downloaded into my brain that the Wild Unknown became my primary deck for readings.
I’ve mentioned it before, but if you’re new here, I often feel like my manuscripts often “choose” a deck to work with as the project unfolds. I “blame” it on the manuscripts themselves, mostly because I don’t always clearly see the connection between one deck and the story in my head. Yet, somehow they seem to mesh and facilitate deeper thought. In this instance, THE HIEROPHANT most definitely chose The Wild Unknown deck.
After I began using The Wild Unknown to help me develop the characters, plot and general approach to the story, I found myself using the deck for my own daily readings. Not long after that, it became the primary deck I use to give others readings.
The Art of the Wild Unknown
After I’d gotten a bit more comfortable with the deck, I mentioned to a dear friend that I didn’t understand why some people online seemed scared to work with the deck. She briefly flipped through the cards and said “well, they are bleak.”
That’s absolutely true if you’re looking at certain cards in the deck. For example, the Nine of Swords looks like something straight out of a horror movie. Similarly, the Ten of Swords is a bit upsetting – a bull pierced by swords from nearly angle. The Death card in the Major Arcana is also a bit of a dark card that doesn’t leave anyone wondering about the tone of the pull.
But that’s not the totality of the deck. Turn your attention to cards such as the Ten of Cups or the Ten of Pentacles. Infused with the rainbow, these cards radiate warmth and joy. They easily convey the sense of community and completion behind the original interpretation of the cards. Both Temperance and The Sun (members of the Major Arcana) are bursting with light and color.
That’s one of the great things about this deck – it reflects light and dark and everything in between. Not every card is The Lovers card. Life isn’t just about nonstop harmony and bliss, and neither is creativity. I’ve always appreciated the duality in the artwork represented, even just through its color scheme.
However, my favorite thing about the art in The Wild Unknown deck is the conscious decision to avoid depictions of humans. Many (if not most) tarot decks borrow heavily from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck’s art, meaning that even if the decks’ artists decide to mix things up a bit, humans are usually depicted doing the same things they’re doing in the R-W-S version. That’s well and good. The Ethereal Visions deck takes this approach, and I still love it with all my heart.
For me, however, there is something immensely helpful in removing humans from the equation. I find new meaning and different layers in the cards without humans taking front stage. And as someone who find solace in nature, the decision to rely on Mother Nature for the deck’s inspiration has had a calming effect on me that enriched my readings…to the point where I actually have two tattoos inspired by this deck.
Physical quality
Here’s the part of these tours that I think will always make me nervous. For one, quality is often extremely objective. There are, however, certain standards within the tarot community regarding how durable and usable decks are.
For those unfamiliar with tarot, card stock is usually the first thing enthusiasts will mention when they’re reviewing a deck. It is, after all, the primary functional aspect of the cards that we’re going to notice. Card stock is usually an indicator of how long a deck will hold up and how well the cards will shuffle. It’s a factor when “cutting” the deck (dividing it to pull cards) as well as the general upkeep of the cards.
As far as card stock goes with the Wild Unknown deck, it is perhaps the *only* minor complaint I’d have about the deck. For me, the card stock is a little flimsy. There are a couple of cards in the deck that have begun to peel at the edges – not horribly, but a little nonetheless.
Another factor tarot readers consider is the size of the cards. These are pretty standard size (a little larger than your standard playing cards). For me, that’s perfect. For some, that may be a little too large. It’s really your preference.
One of the excellent things the deck has going for it is the box. Many decks come in a fairly flimsy paper (or light cardboard) box. That’s one reason most of us have started a collection of fancy-schmancy tarot card bags. For me personally, I’d much rather have a hearty box for my cards than a soft bag I tuck them away in. That’s mostly for practical reasons: 1) I take mine everywhere, and even a cloth bag isn’t going to provide the kind of protection they need; and 2) after so many tarot card bags, I have to start opening them up to check which deck is inside. I’m impatient, and I’d rather just know with a glance.
Here, the Wild Unknown deck excels. Most versions of the Wild Unknown deck that I’ve come across have a “collector’s box” (though I don’t know how it can possibly be a collector’s box if most of them have one). However, even if you were to grab the deck without said collector’s box, the deck itself is tucked inside a pretty sturdy small box that protects the deck…and I would know. This deck has travelled all over the east coast on road trips and even hikes. I’ve put this deck through the ringer, and the box has held up like a champ.
Unique features
The deck comes with a fairly large, beautiful guidebook featuring one card per page. It provides detailed information on the meaning of each card along with keywords. Many decks include guidebooks, but often times, they are paper-thin (literally) and hard to read with as little description as possible. It’s clear from the guidebook that the Wild Unknown deck creators took deep care with each card, even beyond the Major Arcana.
Beyond the lack of humans depicted in the cards, there are two major things that stand out related to the system itself:
1. The creators appear to shy away from interpreting the cards in reverse.
I don’t mind this at all, but (as you’ve probably caught on by now) I play pretty fast and loose with my interpretation. There are times when I absolutely feel like cards in this deck should be read in reverse if they fall that way, but MANY of the cards really don’t have an orientation beyond where the number is placed. That pretty much means you have to force the traditional R-W-S meaning onto a card, and it’s cool if you choose to do that, but the deck doesn't lend itself to that which I like.
If you’re unsure as to whether you should read a given card in reverse, the guidebook won’t help you. It only provides interpretation for the card in its upright position. You can absolutely look elsewhere for the meaning of the card in reverse, but you won’t find it in the deck itself.
2. That leads me to a sticky point in the deck: Many decks take liberty when it comes to labelling suits (such as pentacles, wands, etc.). This one takes the traditional “court cards” (Page/Knight/Queen/King) and puts them into a traditional family structure (Daughter/Son/Mother/Father).
We can all debate whether it makes sense to default to a traditional family structure, but that’s a different conversation. As far as reading the cards are concerned, it can cause a bit of a hiccup if you’re very wedded to understanding the reverse positions. Because reverse interpretations are not included in the guidebook AND because the family structure of the court cards is not common, you aren’t going to find exact interpretations for those cards in the reverse. Instead, you will need to translate the cards to their most likely corresponding court member (i.e. daughter = page, son = knight, etc.). That, or you’re going to have to interpret intuitively (gasp!...but with love b/c I respect my traditionalists).
Neither of these points has ever been a stumbling block for me in my readings or in creative pulls for inspiration, but they’re things to be aware of when you’re exploring decks.
All in all, The Wild Unknown Tarot deck is one of my absolute favorites. If you have a metaphysical or witchcraft store near you, chances are they carry it. Many of them will even have one open on display for you to handle and look at each individual card. If it’s a deck that interests you, I strongly suggest you find a way to get your hands on the deck and explore.
If you cannot get your phalanges on the deck, it is available online for purchase, but you can also feel free to drop me a line with any questions about the deck. I’m always happy to answer tarot questions as best I can!
If you want to delve even deeper, please check out other tarot experts such as Katie Webb or witch-extraordinaire Dana Newkirk. Without people like them, the tarot world would be stuck in the 1970s forever…not that the 70s were bad…but let’s all agree we still have work to do.
As always, please feel free to tell me your thoughts and share any stories you have of using tarot to inspire your art! Until then, have fun and look for inspiration in every nook and cranny of the world around you.
-Allison
