S2 Teaser: Cripping the Wildwood

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What is the Wildwood?

The Wildwood is not a place. It is any place. It is the dripping rainforests of the Pacific Northwest and the arid landscapes of the Sahara. The Wildwood is that place inside yourself you retreat to when only primal knowledge can decide your path. When you turn to it intentionally, regularly, without need or urgency, with curiosity, it can become something else entirely. Only then may it reveal the key to parts of yourself you thought lost altogether. 

This ancient place yet persists in patches around the world, retreating places where you can feel the depth of roots beneath your feet. Where you hear the Earth’s voice in the wind and the plop of rain on leaf. It persists, too, in many of us; that place where we keep the questions we can’t answer. The knowledge learned not from classes and books but from a gentle coexistence with the hum of life. 

As technology has progressed and consumption skyrocketed, we’ve strayed further from the Wood. Many systems of power work to scare us away from this place, labeling it and its denizens feral, uncivilized, dangerous, savage. These fearmongerers know that the liberation offered by the Wood is one that cannot be squashed. 

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The Known World: 

Western scientific knowledge systems portray homo sapiens as no longer part of the ecosystem. We are not beings woven into its web, but both weavers and cullers of the web itself. This Earth made us, nurtured us, taught us to swim and hunt and love. When did we and she become distinct entities with hard boundaries? When did we take the crown to lord over all that she made? 

The same fearmongerers who paint the Wood as feral tell us that there is no place for disabled people in it. We would just be killed, our use spent. They tell us to be greatful; thanks to their technology, born from the exploitation of the Earth, we can not only live, but be productive. 

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When were they last in the Wood? In the place where trees partner with fungi to share resources, the strong supporting the weak. Where the protection of the colony extends to all. Where a crack in one’s bark becomes the perfect nursery for a young moss’s delicate frond to develop. 

Is there truly no place for us in the Wood, or is it just better for them if we believe that? 

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The Unrealized Future 

Tree offers up two of her branches. They are harvested quickly, gently, a scattering of seeds and compost left as thanks. The branches are given to a Woodcarver, who whittles them slowly, skillfully, his hands carrying centuries of knowledge. The Woodcarver adds pads of fiber, offered by Bamboo, to fit comfortably under the shoulders of a young girl. 

She overflows with joy when she receives them. With their aid, she can once again navigate the Wood with ease. She departs immediately to give her thanks to Tree. They talk for hours. 

Many years later, the girl is swimming in a pond when she encounters Chipmunk. Their eyes are cloudy and they walk slowly, sniffing the air often. She greets Chipmunk, who runs to the edge of the pond. She goes over to lift them gently in her palm before emerging from the pond. With Chipmunk on her shoulder, she gathers seeds and berries. As she goes, she teaches Chipmunk how to identify their scent and know them by their texture. Chipmunk returns home when the sun finally sinks, cheeks bulging with food. 

The Wildwood reminds us that we are not born alone, and like all creatures, we have a role to play in this world. Are you ready to heed its call?  

The Wildwood Tarot was created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, with illustrations by Will Worthington. This writing is an exploration of my own reflections on and relationship to the cards, not a guide on how to use the deck. For that, see the creators’ wonderfully thorough guide book that accompanies the deck.