Traditionally, mass-manufactured tarot decks have been accompanied by a small leaflet or booklet containing the meanings of the cards. These booklets often contain little detail, including a short introduction to the deck, keyword meanings for each of the cards, and perhaps a spread or two at the end. In tarot circles, this is referred to as the “little white book” or LWB (although often nowadays the books are neither little nor white.)
This is the “little white book” version of my interpretation of the Wooden Tarot. As I finish the card descriptions, I will paste the keywords here. As you can see, these ended up looking a lot like keywords you’d see in most standard tarot decks in the Waite-Smith tradition–proof that A. L. Swartz really meant it when he said that you can just use any book on the Waite-Smith deck to interpret the cards. If you want to see how I got from the image on the cards to these keywords, just click on “The Wooden Tarot” page and find the card you’re looking for.
I realize that this page is rather long, given that it will contain descriptions for all 78 cards, I recommend using the search function of your browser to find what you’re looking for. On a PC, type Ctrl + F and on a Mac type Command + F and a little search box will pop up. Then just type in the name of the card you want. (The search function is a life-changer if you don’t already know how to use it.)
Suit of Stones
God of Stones
Keys: a new idea for a creative project; an epiphany–not just an intellectual realization, but a new insight about our life’s purpose; pure sexual energy, intense attraction to another person
Reversed: creative mania–lots of energy, but nowhere to focus it; or an idea or project that is a nonstarter; the God of Stones reversed is generally a “no”; lack of sexual desire; sexual incompatibility
Two of Stones
Keys: creative or spiritual breakthrough; beginning a creative project or spiritual path; optimism; faith in one’s own strength; the power of coalition
Reversed: getting cold feet about undertaking a project, job, or spiritual practice; a scattering of energy–something takes the wind out of your sails; stagnation because of a lack of new ideas or influences
Three of Stones
Keys: actually embarking on a creative project, new job, or spiritual path; gathering resources for a creative or spiritual endeavor; turning inward, trusting that you have what you need within you to get the job done
Reversed: feeling unfocused or indecisive; taking on a project without necessary resources or training; committing to something even though your heart isn’t in it
Four of Stones
Keys: celebration, particularly communal celebration; togetherness with family or friends; a group of people who see beauty or the good in the same thing
Reversed: (Traditionally, this is one of the very few positive cards whose positive meaning is not changed in reversal.) counting your blessings; gratitude or happiness after a period of separation or trial; deepened appreciation of the good things in life because they have been threatened
Five of Stones
Keys: locking horns; playful rivalry; being challenged to articulate your stance or prove your strength; healthy competition
Reversed: a dispute about something small that is being blown out of proportion; inability to take criticism; refusal to listen to people who have different opinions; unable to differentiate between competition and enmity
Six of Stones
Keys: victory; independence; recognition for one’s accomplishments; a victory for oneself as well as others
Reversed: delayed success or a partial victory; not being recognized by the community for one’s achievements or a victory that is not in line with the values of one’s community
Seven of Stones
Keys: standing up to a challenge to your values or integrity; maintaining a sense of self-worth in the face of setbacks; not backing down; feeling embattled; defending (or being) the underdog
Reversed: being worn down by challenges; questioning yourself or your values because they are being challenged overwhelmingly; being the victim of gaslighting or crazymaking; giving up
Eight of Stones
Keys: swiftness; many things happening quickly all at once, especially with employment or a creative project; labor on something finally coming to fruition, everything falling into place
Reversed: things moving ahead too quickly to keep tabs on; losing control, dropping details or responsibilities; OR (depending on the context of the reading) being stuck; a situation that can’t move forward; timing is wrong
Nine of Stones
Keys: strength; resourcefulness–as in, having many spiritual or creative resources at hand in the face of a challenge or crisis; responding to challenges from a fortified, secured place; defending oneself successfully
Reversed: over-use of strength; reacting to events with unwarranted defensiveness or hostility; feeling insecure and over-compensating with displays of power and authority; thinking too much of one’s own credentials
Ten of Stones
Keys: something that is both a great joy and a great responsibility, like having a child or a job with a lot of authority; being able to keep things together, but only with a great amount of work; “living the dream”–and all of the burdens that come with it
Reversed: being crushed under burdens and expectations; the realization that a hard-won accomplishment or possession does not bring happiness; not being able to keep up with responsibilities; being forced to drop some things
Page of Stones
Keys: creative or spiritual apprenticeship; artistic imitation; the beginning stages of a creative idea; trying out new ideas or techniques without having mastered them
Reversed: abandoning a project or spiritual path early in the process because of challenges that seem overwhelming; being unsure of oneself; jumping into something too fast without a proper foundation or proper enthusiasm; being so hostile to criticism or feedback that progress is impossible
Knight of Stones
Keys: very focused creative or spiritual energy; a burst of inspiration that leads directly into action; innate talent or enthusiasm; infectious energy; championing a cause
Reversed: scattered energy; the inability to commit to a spiritual path or see a creative project through from start to finish; a great amount of talent mixed with lack of practical skill
Queen of Stones
Keys: creative maturity; an artistic or spiritual figure who mentors others; not letting creative or spiritual pursuits diminish quality relationships with friends and family; nurturing inner fire
Reversed: relationships and creative/spiritual pursuits somehow out of balance: a family situation that stifles one’s inner fire, or neglecting relationships in order to pursue one’s own path; arrogance in one’s accomplishments; unwillingness to help others
King of Stones
Keys: unbreakable will; being able to carry a project through to the end; the “fire in the belly”; never giving up.
Reversed: a Captain Ahab-like tendency–obsession with accomplishing a goal no matter the cost; focused on ends over means; burnout
Suit of Blooms
Two of Blooms
Keys: connection; mutual understanding; unconditional love; interdependence; being seen and valued for who you are; realizing that you can’t do it alone
Reversed: confusing love with obsession or possession; loving or being loved only conditionally; refusing to see commonality; doing it on your own, no matter the cost
Three of Blooms
Keys: spending time with loved ones; feeling emotionally fulfilled in relationships; having fun; deepening friendships
Reversed: spending time with people who don’t have your true interests at heart; shallow friendships or relationships; not spending enough time with friends or family; imbalance in the give or take of relationship
Four of Blooms
Keys: apathy; withdrawal; risk-aversion; boredom; stagnation; wasted potential
Reversed: dissatisfaction with stagnation; wanting to take the first steps toward a goal; realizing that new ways of being or thinking are possible; gaining understanding of self-limiting or self-destructive patterns
Five of Blooms
Keys: disappointment; loss; grief; depression; sadness that must run its course before new growth is possible
Reversed: refusing to grieve or sit with feelings of sadness; conversely, a period of grief that is coming to a natural end
Six of Blooms
Keys: sharing pleasures with friends and family; acting skillfully in maintaining relationships; being generous and patient with loved ones when they are challenging; getting perspective on what is truly important when it comes to relationships
Reversed: emotional conflict or discord; forgetting why you love someone in the first place; refusing to see eye to eye on issues; keeping the blinders on
Seven of Blooms
Keys: overblown feelings; fixated on ideals of love and relationship, rather than reality; getting yourself stirred up emotionally over something that won’t happen–like getting a crush on a celebrity; investing emotions where they are not wanted or will not be reciprocated
Reversed: disillusionment; choosing to withdraw emotional energy from somewhere and invest it in something healthier; realizing when enough is enough; getting out of a bad relationship
Eight of Blooms
Keys: seeing things in perspective; diminishment of something that once nourished or excited you; walking away from people, habits, jobs, hobbies, or anything else that no longer support your emotionally
Reversed: clinging to a relationship or emotion that feels stale; seeing, but not following, signs that it’s time to move on; staying in a bad or stifling situation for a reason that makes sense: financial stability, keeping the family together, being a caregiver
Nine of Blooms
Key: happiness; a wish fulfilled; emotional contentment; having a strong circle of friends and family; may mean smugness or ignoring the suffering of others, depending on context
Reversed: getting what you want, but it turns out to be disappointing or destructive; dreams deferred; realizing that something you wished for is no longer worth it; setbacks in the pursuit of a goal
Ten of Blooms
Keys: self-esteem; healthy, loving relationships; being emotionally generous; putting emotional intelligence to good use; emotional stability and fulfillment
Reversed: emotional disconnection with others; relationship difficulties on a small or large scale; lack of self-esteem; longing for loving relationships, but not wanting to work for them
Page of Blooms
Keys: quietly carrying a great amount of sensitivity and passion; shyness in meeting new friends or lovers; an inexperienced lover; quiet, delicate beauty
Reversed: being unsure of how to handle strong emotions; emotional immaturity; sensitivity causing one to fixate in unhealthy ways–such as in self-hatred or by seeking revenge; emotional dependence rather than interdependence
Knight of Blooms
Keys: passion; emotional loyalty; being honest about your feelings; acting on your gut, rather than waiting to figure out things with logic; being up front with how you feel
Reversed: overly-sensitive; wearing your heart on your sleeve and reacting sulkily or defensively when you get rejected; reacting with anger to feelings of vulnerability; holding grudges against other people and/or shutting them out because they–intentionally or not–hurt your feelings
Queen of Blooms
Keys: intuition; the ability to get along with a wide variety of personalities; strength in emotional support of oneself and others; emotional independence and self-worth; having good people skills/being good at “reading” people
Reversed: hiding away; pretending to fit in with unhealthy social situations; shutting others out–intentionally or not; being so secretive it hurts those close to you; being so so socially adaptable as to be without a strong sense of self
King of Blooms
Keys: emotional maturity–often on prominent display; wanting to make a relationship work; someone in a “provider” role for a relationship or family–orchestrating things so everyone spends time together and feels included; putting the greater good of a relationship above one’s personal feelings
Reversed: emotional coldness; being detached in a situation that calls for compassion; feeling hurt or embittered by past relationships
Suit of Plumes
God of Plumes
Keys: an idea in its purest form–either a new idea or a thought experiment; the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake; a source of knowledge–anything from a gossipy friend to the library
Reversed: refusing to verify things factually; being in denial; ignorance
Two of Plumes
Keys: balance; fairness; tempering extreme ideas; balance of head and heart; making a decision or undertaking a project with a balanced perspective; neither extreme optimism nor extreme pessimism; sense and sensibility
Reversed: continually favoring one set of ideas or beliefs over another; dogma; unwillingness to meet halfway on an idea; assuming that the same idea or procedure applies equally in all situations; losing perspective
Three of Plumes
Keys: pain; grief; loss; betrayal;
Reversed: obsessing or over thinking something painful that has happened; feeling stuck and unable to move on (Note: depending on the context of the reading, this card reversed could also mean a lessening or ending of pain)
Four of Plumes
Keys: slow healing; after-effects of trauma, recent or far in the past; moving slowly in grief; licking your wounds; cutting your losses
Reversed: readiness to move on; completion of healing
Five of Plumes
Keys: aggression; theft; domination; trickery; OR being on the receiving end of aggression or some sort of fraud–a good deal of damage has been done, but it’s best to learn your lesson for next time and be thankful for what you still have
Reversed: rectifying an injustice or striking back at an aggressor; a battle in which there may be no clearly right or just side;
Six of Plumes
Keys: leaving a painful situation behind; learning from past mistakes; sacrificing comfort or certainty for the great good; abandoning an idea, belief, or ideology that no longer serves you
Reversed: being unable to move on; operating from beliefs that are not helpful; stuck in outdated assumptions about yourself or others; making excuses for staying in an unhealthy or painful situation
Seven of Plumes
Keys: self-deception; trying to hide things from others; hypocrisy; leading a double-life; dishonesty–whether from malice or vulnerability–is somewhere in the situation.
Reversed: being (painfully) honest with yourself; coming clean about a situation; getting caught; seeing through someone’s ruse, or being seen by others
Eight of Plumes
Keys: being hamstrung, especially by self-hating or self-limiting thoughts and beliefs; self-sabotage; focusing on limitations rather than possibilities; turning against oneself
Reversed: clearly seeing through conceptual limitations; taking responsibility for your future; letting go of ideas that limit you
Nine of Plumes
Keys: haunting thoughts; regret or remorse; self-hatred; anxiety; destructive thought patterns; depression; being kept up and night by negative thoughts
Reversed: seeing things in broad daylight; getting a new perspective on a formerly troubling issue; facing fears instead of running away;
Ten of Plumes
Keys: dead end; crisis of faith in a person or belief system; feeling distressed or overwhelmed by knowledge or lack of it;
Reversed: moving on from loss; being able to enter greater truths by leaving old ones behind; realizing that a thought pattern or belief doesn’t serve you anymore
Page of Plumes
Keys: playing around with ideas; arguing for argument’s sake; precociousness; cleverness; a bright young person who may think they know better than everyone; working well with ideas in the abstract
Reversed: basically the same as upright, but with added conceit; someone who may get themselves into a dangerous situation because they think they know more than they actually do
Knight of Plumes
Keys: intellectual prowess–especially on display (if the Page is an undergraduate, the Knight is in grad school); cooly considering all options, but acting quickly and irrevocably once a course of action has been settled upon.
Reversed: snobbery; intellectual deception; arrogance; choosing and acting on a plan, and clinging to it even when things go awry; someone refusing to admit they are wrong
Queen of Plumes
Keys: effortless intellectual achievement; displaying the intellect with grace and graciousness; helping others think through problems or express themselves intellectually; protecting oneself or others from intellectual condescension or belittlement
Reversed: showing off intellectually in an egotistical manner; using the intellect in a way that doesn’t benefit the community; refusing to help others or give them the benefit of the doubt if they don’t know something; being harsh and judgmental about what other may not know
King of Plumes
Keys: intellectual detachment; being an impartial judge; considering all your options; digesting a lot of information; solving problems creatively; powerful intellectual prowess
Reversed: aloofness; using the intellect to intimidate others; adhering to just the facts/the letter of the law, even if it is hurtful to others; using logic/intelligence to justify something that is acidic and poisonous, or using the intellect in an acidic or poisonous way
Suit of Bones
God of Bones
Keys: new home, possessions or financial opportunity; a benefactor; an epiphany about money, security, or wealth; encounter with a new standard of living or day to day routine.
Reversed: stuck in habits of spending and consumption; wasted opportunities; misuse of resources; lack of insight into the role of wealth or possessions in one’s life
Two of Bones
Keys: making do; dealing with fluxes of money or material goods; keeping goods and finances in tune; adjusting to changes in living situation, whether those be human-made or caused by changes in the environment
Reversed: in denial about changes; feeling stuck or unable to cope with them; losing balance with financial responsibilities, material possessions, or work situation
Three of Bones
Keys: cooperation; something greater than the sum of its parts; the first fruits of collective labor
Reversed: insisting on working alone, for better or worse; losing time or money because of lack of cooperation; types of cooperative work (like needless meetings) that are unproductive
Four of Bones
Keys: financial or material stability; the feeling of having enough; having a good home base or “nest” to return to at the end of the day
Reversed: miserliness; clinging to money or things; hoarding
Five of Bones
Keys: debt; homelessness; job loss; illness (especially with large hospital bills); or a great amount of worry about these things
Reversed: mending financial situation; accepting help from others; adjustment to a lower standard of living
Six of Bones
Keys: abundance; surplus; profit; charity; giving or helping with money or volunteer work; hand-made gifts
Reversed: financial insecurity; inability or unwillingness to help others in need; refusal to ask for or accept financial help; idle hands
Seven of Bones
Keys: fruits of labor; assessment; substantial but not long-lasting success; the transformation of a job or project–time to figure out the next steps; a nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right
Reversed: failure; clinging to a job or project after it’s time to have moved on; rashly moving forward with plans
Eight of Bones
Keys: stability; steadfastness; studiousness; saving up for a rainy day; creating a strong financial foundation; diligently working to save money; building a house or making your own possessions; short-term sacrifice for long-term gain
Reversed: spending when you should be saving; laziness; working hard at something that’s not worth it; short-term gain with long-term sacrifice
Nine of Bones
Keys: wealth; luxury; fertility; living in a walled/gated community–literally or metaphorically; feeling unable to relate to other people because of one’s wealth or status
Reversed: buying luxuries you can’t afford; a step down from a luxurious life style in one’s standard of living; giving money away–voluntarily or involuntarily; obsession with status symbols
Ten of Bones
Keys: wealth; retirement; consumption; having an abundant mindset; no longer needing to work or worry about money
Reversed: conspicuous consumption; acquiring wealth for its own sake; always wanting more; having a scarcity mindset
Page of Bones
Keys: trying your hand at a new skill; bringing a sense of playfulness to work; learning from and cooperating with others
Reversed: perfectionism–not wanting to try something unless you can be perfect at it right away; not allowing oneself to benefit from the help or wisdom of others;
Knight of Bones
Keys: throwing your weight behind something; putting your nose to the grindstone; diligence; determined focus on accomplishing an objective; being methodical but efficient
Reversed: lack of focus, diligence, or energy; it might be time to take a break; a less logical, methodical approach may be called for
Queen of Bones
Keys: protection of family members and family property; responsibility–the buck stops here; creating bonds between people; careful stewardship of resources
Reversed: smothering or domineering; lack of self-care; valuing property more highly than people; obsession with social status rather than healthy family ties and spending;
King of Bones
Keys: hearthfire; strong community and family bonds; happiness and harmony at home; generosity
Reversed: wealth at the cost of social isolation; lack of unconditional love or emotionally safe space; associating with irresponsible people, or with friends who are harmful to family or the larger community