KEYWORDS: Action, potent energy. The militant yang aspect of the female principle, the Amazon here replaces the Emperor. She is the warrior of the Major Arcana, the masculine within the feminine. Her martial image represents the phase in the spiritual evolution of this planet when the sword of the warrior is turned in anger against […]
KEYWORDS: Discrimination, guidance. The Healer specifically refers to the consciousness of the agrarian matriarchs who walked the earth as beacons of light, with healing abilities. Virgo is the astrological sign ruling trump X, formerly known as the Hermit (IX trump in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck). I feel that the sign Virgo requires a more feminine archetype […]
KEYWORDS: Blending, synthesis of energies. The main emphasis in this Sagittarian card, in other decks called Temperance, is the concept of blending and synthesizing energies and elements of nature. For this purpose, I chose the Celtic image of Cerridwen and her magical cauldron. As I researched Cerridwen, I was struck by the amazing cross-cultural similarities […]
KEYWORDS: Empowerment, desire. The Strength card symbolizes the total integration and exaltation of the desire-nature. Women’s sexuality, which has so long been suppressed and treated as something dirty and sinful, is in fact a cornerstone of our empowerment. I chose Asherah to symbolize this integration and resurgence of women’s sexual power and energies. She represents […]
KEYWORDS: Divided path with focused mind. Instead of using the traditional Chariot image, I chose the Gorgon Medusa to represent the VII trump. She is the infinite mind, focused, clear, and as potent as a laser beam. Like her serpent friends, she uses the incredible power of mind control to harness her energy and transfix […]
KEYWORDS: Intimate relationship, love, wholeness. The esoteric purpose of the Lovers card is to depict the free-flowing transit from spirit to matter and back again that existed at an earlier phase of our evolution. At this time, we could vividly distinguish the physical, mental, and spiritual levels of consciousness, and we could effortlessly glide back […]
KEYWORDS: Nurturance, sustenance. Nurturing is one of the most important components of the female principle. It is this quality that has rendered women the caretakers of the Universe (a dubious honor, to be sure). Woman is both mother and daughter interchangeably, illustrating the capacity for the flow of nurturance. This flow creates a mutually satisfying […]
KEYWORDS: Hope, new life, optimism. Tara, The Star, is the manifestation of life which spontaneously springs forth unaided in a parthenogenetic birth. For Major Arcana IV, I chose the pre-Vedic Indian Star Goddess, Tara whose name literally means star . “Her symbol, the star, is seen as a beautiful but perpetually self-combusting thing, so Tara […]
KEYWORDS: Fertility, sensuality, love. As mentioned in the Introduction, this is the first of the two cards deriving from the meanings of the Empress card in traditional decks. This Taurian card represents the perpetually fertile aspect of nature. For this I use the image of Oshun. “She is a Yoruban Goddess, Mother of the River, […]
KEYWORDS: Deep understanding, gateway to soul. Lady of the Moon, Healing of the Soul Isis — Isis, veil lifter — shape shifter Goddess of 1,000 names, wisdom that survived the flames, lift the veil for us once more that we may enter your sacred door to heal our souls from deep inside, no secrets left […]
