Motherpeace Tarot Deck [With Book]

Review by for Motherpeace Tarot Deck [With Book]
Rating:
The creators of the Motherpeace tarot deck have rethought the traditional (and patriarchal) images of earlier tarot desks, replacing the images with multicultural, goddess-centered images. Since “Motherpeace” was my first tarot set and I have spent little time using more traditional decks, I may not be able to accurately describe what images have changed. Instead of the traditional royalty hierarchy–King, Queen, etc., Motherpeace portrays them as Priest and Priestess. Although the desk retains the more-common medieval theme for the Cups suit, images from other cultures appear on the other suits: African (Wands), Navajo (Discs), and Greco-Roman (Swords).After using these cards in readings for more than 10 years, the images have become part of how I view certain situations. For instance, the Eight of Discs, featuring a very pregnant woman sitting in a patch of watermelons, is how I now visualize the experience of waiting, sometimes impatiently, for something to come to fruition. Depicting “Strength” as the Irish Goddess Brigid sitting among animals has caused me to rethink what true strength means–groundedness–not brute force. The images are so intricately drawn that a regular reader always will discover new details and new perspectives.When I started reading tarot cards, I wasn’t looking for something to predict the future. I approached the cards as an opportunity to use guided imagery to reflect on my life and my future. Over the years, however, I have experienced some extremely odd coincidences, and now associate certain cards with certain events.The companion book provides an excellent discussion about the inspiration for the images, and for the most part, a good sense of the meaning behind the images. Eventually, once one has used the cards for a while, the images can drive the reading, without constant referral to the guidebook. One drawback of the companion book is that it doesn’t provide a variety of readings. For that, I would suggest “Tarot for Yourself.”