The Wild Unknown Tarot

When I went to TarotCon in Dallas this past October, I got to see so many different decks in action. But there were a few that I saw and really loved. One of those decks was the Wild Unknown Tarot. The first word that come to mind when thinking about this deck is that is RAW. Most of the cards have no color on them, and the ones that have some color only have certain things colored in. This deck is not for beginners at all. This deck is for someone who is looking for something a bit more basic and a deck that can lend itself to its own interpretations. 

Deck Summary: This deck is a creation of Kim Krans, a yoga teacher and artist living in California. The deck reminds you spending time in the woods and embracing nature. This is a great deck for nature lovers (animal lovers may be a bit sensitive to it, read below where I talk about the deck). This is from her website,

"78 cards filled with magical and mysterious imagery. Intricately illustrated by Kim Krans. Great for seasoned readers or those totally new to the Tarot. The cards come in a beautiful box with a black lifting ribbon and fold-out guide to get you familiar with the cards. Open your mind, draw a card, and have fun on your journey... "- Kim Krans

The packaging (5 stars):

Wild Unkown Box

The Wild Unknown box has a the deck's World Card on the cover. from this card you can see the scarce use of color and the quiet beauty that is this deck. The box is a hard cardboard box which is nice because you wouldn't need to buy a bag for it. I personally like that, that way you spend less money. 

The Pamphlet (5 stars):
Kim Krans has a guidebook that comes along with the deck, but I only bought the individual deck. This deck comes with a pamphlet with keywords for every cards meaning. Even the pamphlet is beautifully illustrated and is part of the whole Wild Unknown experience. This is cute and convenient for looking up quick meanings of the cards without having to read a whole book about it.   

The Cardstock and Deck (5 stars):
The cardstock is fabulous. The cards are almost impossible to rip, it seems to be laminated cardboard or something of that sort. It is a bit stiff, but I find that stiff is better because over time you wear them down and they will still be strong. The artwork on the deck is absolutely beautiful. It is very "wild" and different than any deck you have ever seen. 

This picture has some of my favorite cards from the deck (I had some many it was hard to pick). The cards in this deck are very interestingly represented. On Kim's website she says that this deck is for beginner and masters alike, which I really disagree with. I can't image just learning to read tarot and using this deck. It would be a challenge at best. Some of the cards really don't follow the RWS format (which is ok) and if you don't know much about tarot, this may not be the deck for you. On the contrary, it is a great deck for those who like to read intuitively. The imagery is so vivid and alive, with emotion, it is easy to pick up on any messages and many different things. You may want to look at more of the images of the deck before you buy it. Some of the cards are a bit gruesome, (Death is a decaying dead bird, 10 of swords is bull being pierced with swords and a few others) so if you are sensitive to that, that is another reason to may not get this deck. The court cards are represented by different animals: wands are snakes, pentacles are deer, geese are cups, and owls are swords.

Divination Potential (5 stars):
I have to admit I haven't used this with my clients yet. Why? Because it's harsh and very real. The readings I get this deck are in your face and love to tell you the truth. It is a great deck for readings. I would also recommend this deck for any type of meditation practice you might do with tarot. 

Final Note (5 stars): 
If you want a great, advanced deck to do readings with and mediate with, this may be the deck for you! 

If you want to learn more about this deck, Click here to go to the Wild Unknown website and check it out!