Deck Review: Robin Wood Tarot

Robin Wood, The Robin Wood Tarot. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2002. ISBN: 0875428940.

Genre: Tarot decks

Subgenre: nature, Celtic, pagan, art

Format: 78-card deck with a little white book

Source: I own this one, which I bought second hand. 

The Hermit-IX card

I first used this deck during March 2024. One effect of using this deck and sharing the daily draws on social media was people commenting with stories of having seen and/or met the artist. Clearly this classic deck resonates with folks out there, and I was glad to discover it. As I was using it throughout the month, I felt strongly that this can be a good deck to give a beginner. It also inspired me to think about other decks I have worked with that I would give a beginner. I went on and wrote a blog post with that list, so feel free to read that too. 

The Robin Wood Tarot deck comes in a tuck box with the 78-card deck and a little white book (LWB). The deck also has two extra cards featuring a 5-card spread and a 15-card spread with directions. 

 

The LWB is simple and basic. It starts with a short introduction and deck description: 

"Robin combined the traditional Tarot card designs and symbolism with a more current and natural symbolism, which makes the cards easy to interpret" (2). 

That statement sums up the deck, and yes, the cards really are easy to interpret. The deck delivers on that description. After the short introduction, you get the card meanings. The LWB starts with the Major Arcana, then the Minor Arcana. The card entries all feature card keyword, then meaning keywords and keywords for reversal. The end of the LWB offers 3 cards spreads, though two of those are the spreads featured in the extra cards. The third spread is the classic Celtic Cross. The LWB is nothing fancy; it does the job. For beginners, the simple card entries provide enough to get folks learning. The meanings are well within the Rider Waite Smith (RWS) tradition. You could supplement the LWB with a full book, but you can learn with the LWB right away. 

The card art is well within the RWS tradition. If you are like me, not a big fan of Colman Smith's art (even as we appreciate her role and place), this deck can be a great alternative. It is also a great deck for beginners, but anyone can use it with ease. I'd say I am at an intermediate stage in my cartomancy journey, and I love this deck. I found it very easy to use and very responsive. 

The Empress-III card

The art is in full color paintings. The art shows attention to detail. The characters are very expressive, and you can get a lot of detail as you read the cards from the faces and expressions. The art is clear, direct, and uncomplicated. Compared to other decks, the esoteric elements are minimal. This deck can work well for intuitive readers given how clear it is. For me, this is a solid and reliable deck I can use personally and for public readings. 

The cards measure about 4 1/2 inches by 2 3/4 inches. Cards have a white border, but that is not an issue for me. The card stock is thin and flexible, though it feels slightly better than the usual Llewellyn card stock. Cards have a soft glossy finish. They shuffle and slide with ease. Card back design is reversible. 

This is a deck I am glad to have, and I would use again. It is also a deck I would not want to do without, and I would get a back up copy. As I mentioned, it is a deck I would gladly give a beginner. An excellent deck for all users. 

5 out of 5 stars. 

Deck I have used with similar appeal elements: The Hanson Roberts Tarot (link to my review).