Some individuals lead lives so filled with diverse and curious experiences that they seem to defy easy categorization. Mark Ryan is one such person. Known to millions for his roles as Nasir the Saracen in Robin of Sherwood and for voicing Jetfire in the Transformers film series, Ryan's journey extends far beyond the screen, bridging the worlds of ancient British folklore, deep spirituality, and the hidden realities of modern aerospace.
This is the story of a man whose work and personal philosophy are steeped in the belief that the "wyrd"—the strange and the mystical—is not just a matter of fantasy, but an intrinsic part of our world.
The Wildwood’s Roots: A System of the Land
Mark Ryan's connection to the British landscape began in his childhood, romping through the ancient woods of Sherwood Forest. This early immersion in history and legend instilled in him a profound appreciation for a world beyond the visible. Years later, as an actor, he was offered the opportunity to create a tarot deck, but found that traditional decks like the Rider-Waite, rooted in esoteric systems like the Kabbalah, didn't resonate with him. He wanted a system that spoke the language of the British Isles.
He and his collaborator, Cheska Potter, embarked on a quest to reimagine the tarot. Their solution was to replace the traditional structure with a wheel of the year, laying out the cards to correspond with the seasons, the animals, and the ancient festivals of the land. This approach, which honored the wisdom of the earth and the power of the feminine, resulted in the creation of the Wildwood Tarot. The deck was an immediate sensation, but its original version, the Greenwood Tarot, has since become a cult classic, with unopened copies fetching thousands of dollars due to the publisher's decision not to reprint it. The deck's enduring power, Ryan believes, lies in its authenticity—its direct connection to the stories and spirits of the ancient British forests.
Intuition, Synchronicity, and a Miraculous Ring
For Ryan, the tarot is not a tool for fortune-telling, but a mirror for the subconscious. He views it as a way to gain clarity and self-knowledge, a practical application of Jungian synchronicity and quantum mechanics. He believes that by observing our own internal landscape, we can create new possibilities and pathways for our lives.
He offers a powerful anecdote to illustrate this philosophy. Having lost his uncle's precious signet ring while trogging in the rugged Brecon Beacons, he searched for days in vain. Exhausted and at his wit's end, he stood at the base of a tree, pleading with it to help him find the ring. As he slumped down against the trunk, his foot dislodged a clump of earth and, with a metallic "clink," the ring fell onto the heel of his boot. For Ryan, this was not a simple coincidence. It was a tangible piece of evidence that if one reaches the end of the road and genuinely asks for a solution, sometimes the impossible will arrive.
This faith in the unseen is also reflected in the creation of the deck itself. While meditating at the ancient site of Wayland Smithy, he was fixated on the image of a great white bear, a creature that an artist collaborator insisted did not exist in Britain. Yet, Ryan trusted his vision, and the "white bear" card was included. Years later, DNA testing would prove that polar bears are, in fact, descended from bears that originated in the British Isles—a powerful example of how intuition can access a deeper, forgotten knowledge.
From Ancient Mysteries to Classified Reality
Ryan's belief in hidden realities extends beyond folklore into the modern world. He speaks of the use of psychic and magical warfare by the SOE during World War II, a little-known historical effort to psychologically destabilize the Germans. He explains how this led to the famous flight of Rudolf Hess, who was convinced he was going to meet occult leaders in Scotland.
In a stunning transition, Ryan connects this to the contemporary phenomenon of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). Drawing on his background and high-level security clearance from a prior career, he speaks with surprising authority on the topic. He suggests that while some UAPs may indeed be non-human in origin, others are almost certainly highly advanced, classified aircraft—vehicles with propulsion systems that defy conventional aerodynamics and are capable of speeds of Mach 20. For Ryan, the line between ancient magic and future technology is razor-thin, and the strange phenomena of our world are simply a reflection of an unseen reality that we are only beginning to comprehend.
Whether delving into the ancient archetypes of the Wildwood Tarot or discussing classified aerospace projects, Mark Ryan’s message is consistent: our world is far weirder than we often allow ourselves to believe. The keys to understanding it, he suggests, lie not just in scientific inquiry, but in opening our minds and trusting the deep, intuitive connection we share with the world around us.