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Tarot Deck Review: The Goddess Tarot Deck by Kris Waldherr

The Goddess Tarot Deck created and Illustrated by Kris Waldherr

Published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT; the deck is printed in Italy. Inside the softly-colored box are the 78-card deck, a 3 ¼ x 4 ½ inch “Little White Book” containing an introduction by the author, card meanings, and a description of the Celtic Cross spread, a 207 page 4 ½ by 7 inch softcover companion book, and a 20 inch by 17 inch template or layout sheet for a Celtic Cross spread, showing card positioning and position meanings.

The theme of this deck as indicated by its title, The Goddess Tarot, is the Divine Feminine, and Ms. Waldherr is certainly qualified to create this deck. She is the author of The Book of Goddesses, and its companion book, Embracing the Goddess Within: A Creative Guide for Women, which together offer a rich and textured portrait of the Divine Feminine. Some of the art from these books is also found in this deck. The Goddess Tarot highlights the Divine Feminine, and the language, symbols and mysticism associated with Goddesses throughout the world. Each of the 22 Major Arcana cards features a feminine archetype personified by a Goddess, and many of the card names have been changed to more accurately reflect the combination of the traditional meaning of the card and the myth of the Goddess representing the card. For example, Tara is featured on the 0 card named “Beginnings,” with Isis on the number I card named “Magic,” Sarasvati on the number II card called “Wisdom,” and similarly all the way through to the number XXI card with the traditional name of “The World’ and the corresponding Goddess of Gaia. Merely working with the images and card descriptions of the Major Arcana alone would offer a broad taste of personality traits and myths associated with many Goddesses honored within various cultures, religions and spiritual practices.

But if you are interested in the Divine Feminine, you don’t want to ignore the Minor Arcana. Each of the suits presented, the traditional Cups, Staves, Swords and Pentacles, illuminates the wisdom of a specific Goddess and a myth or story associated with that Goddess. The Cups tell of Venus and the emotional satisfaction associated with both the Goddess and the suit. Staves offer the talent and initiative of Freyja, Swords the understanding of Isis, and Pentacles tell of the beauty and wealth of Lakshmi. Each numbered card has an image based on the Rider-Waite deck but adjusted to fit the story or myth being told by the suit. The Court Cards, also each with an image, are ranked King, Queen, Prince, and Princess.

The cards themselves are 3 3/8 by 4 ¾, large enough so the images can be seen but not so large that shuffling is a challenge. Like the companion book, the card stock is sturdy enough to encourage regular use. The finish is glossy, which should make the cards nicely slippery but to my surprise, I found the cards in my deck tend to stick together, making shuffling a bit difficult. The images themselves are beautiful. The coloring is pastel, but while soft and dreamlike images are created by the palate used in this deck, there is also a vibrancy that is alluring. The figures are detailed, and are costumed appropriately according to their individual stories. The backgrounds behind the figures are beautifully colored, as are the frames around the images. The back of the cards contain a simple image of royal blue and gold.

If you are a “Tarot purist,” this might not be the deck for you. Despite being Rider-Waite based, the Goddess Tarot uses non-traditional names and images on the Major Arcana cards, and incorporates a story into the images of each suit of the Minor Arcana cards. Overall, most of the images are of women, with very few male images within the deck.

But if you are a Tarot enthusiast, either woman or man, who is interested in deepening your knowledge of the Divine Feminine, the Goddesses of different cultures, feminism, and world culture, or if you enjoy exploring Goddess/Divine Feminine imagery of all kinds, this deck will be a good fit. The beautiful imagery and compelling myths combine and lace seamlessly with the meanings and correspondences already in place within a Tarot deck in order to offer a rich and textured portrait of the Divine Feminine. The use of Goddess archetypes within the images and stories of the Major Arcana presents a whole new set of Goddess-specific correspondences to be used in a reading, adding depth and texture to the messages of the cards.

 

For Amazon information, click image below.

 

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About the Author:

Raushanna is a lifetime resident of New Jersey. As well as a professional Tarot reader and teacher, she is a practicing Wiccan (Third Degree, Sacred Mists Coven), a Usui Reiki Master/Teacher, a certified Vedic Thai-Yoga Massage Bodyworker, a 500-hr RYT Yoga Teacher specializing in chair assisted Yoga for movement disorders, and a Middle Eastern dance performer, choreographer and teacher.  Raushanna bought her first Tarot deck in 2005, and was instantly captivated by the images on the cards and the vast, deep and textured messages to be gleaned from their symbols. She loves reading about, writing about, and talking about the Tarot, and anything occult, mystical, or spiritual, as well as anything connected to the human subtle body. She has published a book, “The Emerald Tablet: My 24-Day Journey To Understanding,” and is currently working on a book about the Tarot, pathworking and the Tree of Life. Raushanna documents her experiences and her daily card throws in her blog, DancingSparkles.blogspot.com, which has been in existence since 2009. She and her husband, her son and step son, and her numerous friends and large extended family can often be found on the beaches, bike paths and hiking trails of the Cape May, NJ area.

 

For Amazon information, click image below.