Interview with The Wild Unknown Tarot

I remember when The Wild Unknown Tarot first came out. Instagram was flooded with people reading with it, its black and white minimalism, livened here and there with unexpected splashes of colour, looking so nice in every mystical person's carefully arranged altar pictures. I caved in and bought it. And, honestly, found it underwhelming.

There was no problem with the deck itself. The images did not really speak to me, they seemed random... I guess the hype just made me expect too much from it. In the end I ended up selling my copy and forgetting about it.

Years passed and I became curious about this deck once more. I have grown a lot more interested in deck featuring animals and nature lately, and sort of sick of the digital art I see everywhere (except for Paolo Barbieri's art, because he is really creative!). I found a second-hand copy of the pocket edition of The Wild Unknown for sale and decided to give it another chance. And, surprisingly, the images that had seemed random to me now... make more sense?

So, I decided to interview this deck!

New Moon Reading: There is a (small) fire under the mountain

It's been a long time since I posted a New Moon reading (and quite a while since I last posted, I won't deny that). This reading was done for the last Oracle Tide, the monthly gathering organised by Ana Cortez (learn about it here).

The first card felt somewhat ominous: the 8♠, the Field of Stone, aka the unluckiest card in the deck! Since the Head of the reading tends to 'set the mood', so to speak, I kind of expected a bad news report for the coming cycle. The following cards, however, were a lot less daunting, even though the 5♣ in the Foot position isn't the most sure-footed of all cards.

This is when Geomancy comes in handy, to help us look at a spread from a different point of view. And the Geomancy for this reading is surprisingly positive: Caput Draconis + Albus = Acquisitio. New ventures, when accompanied by wisdom, patience and clear thinking, lead to benefits. Not bad at all!

How how does this combine with the rather underwhelming cards of this spread? Well, the first thing that calls my attention here is the 3♦, the only red card. A long time ago I wrote about this card, about how it points to the creation of opportunities and the development of events, even if at first it seems small or invisible. Combined with the 7♣, the Sword of Enchantment, which speaks of coincidences and the presence of unseen influences, we can see that, its core, the spread shows a situation that is indeed, coming to be. The deep waters - or fires, in this case - are not still, they just haven't come to surface yet.

And then we have the two less positive cards, flanking our more lively pair. The 5♣ in the Foot position speaks of a situation marked by uncertainty - we feel uprooted, not sure where we stand. And the 8♠ points to a heavy obstacle, a sterile scenario that cannot be easily transformed, the inability to act because the moment is not right.

Nevertheless, the 8♠ is also the HEAD of the dragon, if you look at the shape of this particular geomantic figure. Sometimes, trouble is precisely what we need to spearhead us into a different direction. The Field of Stone is bare, there's nothing here, and the message is: consider a different path.

So, this reading tells me this cycle will bring to light an obstacle which might appear difficult to overcome at first, and might render me unstable (5♣). However, beneath this 'wall of stone', a small fire is being kindled by unseen forces, preparing for new ventures. There is a caveat though - too much air can blow this fire out! So it's important to remain confident, have some faith and not let the temporary lack of footing lead to confusion or despair.

The path has lead you to a mountain you cannot - or should not - climb. What looks like the end of the road will actually force you to create new ways, to new places, and it will be for the best.

The Playing Card Oracle © Ana Cortez & C.J. Freeman