Woman Mother Goddess Tarot Decks:
A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

space Cherie & Tesa

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Click on the name of the deck to get to more information about the deck and a review, if I have reviewed it yet. If not, the link goes to the artist's webpage.

"In ancient times women were considered Divine because we were known to bleed without dying and gave birth to new life. There is power in our bellies and wombs that deserves our honoring." (ALisa Starkweather)

The decks showcased on this page are quite diverse. They are all conceived and illustrated by women, sometimes built in the nooks and crannies of their lives around the needs of raising children (a situation I know all too well at this moment in my own life). More importantly, they reconceive tarot concepts from a woman's perspective. Some decks celebrate prepatriarchal goddesses, while others are extremely modern. Body images tend to be more diverse here than in more traditional decks. Some decks celebrate woman as Amazon, with an existence independent of men. Some celebrate the heroic quest of pregnancy and childbirth. Some celebrate cronehood.

Traditional tarot is often interpreted as a pictorial representation of "the journey of the fool", the heroic quest for selfhood and reunion with the divine. As described in Kathryn Allen Rabuzzi's wonderful book Motherself, the male heroic quest is one of extensionality, penetration, and crossing thresholds. The Thoth deck is particularly clear on this aspect of tarot symbolism. But the hero was born of someone. What does the quest look like from her perspective? Perhaps a story of interiority, containing, protecting one's own sacred spaces; the impact on the definition of self of being able to mother a child who must be encompassed in that self for a time, and the culture-bringing proposition of helping that child move out of the mother's self into its own self.

If we can conceive that there can be more than just one valid perspective on the hero's quest tale, the validity of a woman's tarot will follow. The decks shown here seem to take steps in this direction.

Round Decks, Alphabetical Order

DeckHigh PriestessEmpressTemperanceJudgmentTwo of WandsQueen of CupsAce of SwordsFour of Pentacles StarMoonWorld
Daughters of the Moon Tarot by Ffiona Morgan

deck cover book cover

Daughters of the Moon Isis
Daughters of the Moon Mawu
Daughters of the Moon Temperance
Daughters of the Moon Celebration
Daughters of the Moon 2 of Flames
Daughters of the Moon Mother of Cups
Daughters of the Moon Ace of Blades
Daughters of the Moon 4 of Pentacles
Daughters of the Moon Star
Daughters of the Moon Moon
Daughters of the Moon Shakti
Motherpeace by Vicki Noble and Karen Vogel

deck cover deck cover

Motherpeace High Priestess
Motherpeace Empress
Motherpeace Temperance
Motherpeace Judgement
Motherpeace 2 of Wands
Motherpeace Priestess of Cups
Motherpeace Ace of Swords
Motherpeace 4 of Discs
Motherpeace Star
Motherpeace Moon
Motherpeace World

Rectangular Decks, Alphabetical Order

DeckHigh PriestessEmpressTemperanceJudgmentTwo of WandsQueen of CupsAce of SwordsFour of Pentacles
Ancestral Path Tarot by Julie Cuccia-Watts

deck cover book coverBook

Ancestral Path Tarot High Priestess
Ancestral Path Tarot Empress
Ancestral Path Tarot Temperance
Ancestral Path Tarot Judgment
Ancestral Path Tarot 2 of Wands
Ancestral Path Tarot Queen of Cups
Ancestral Path Ace of Swords
Ancestral Path 4 of Sacred Circles
Barbara Walker Tarot by Barbara Walker

deck cover book cover

Barbara Walker Tarot Papess
Barbara Walker Tarot Empress
Barbara Walker Tarot Temperance
Barbara Walker Tarot Judgment
Barbara Walker Tarot 2 of Wands
Barbara Walker Tarot Queen of Cups
Barbara Walker Ace of Swords
Barbara Walker 4 of Pentacles
Blue Moon Tarot by Julie Cuccia-Watts
Blue Moon Tarot High Priestess
Blue Moon Tarot Empress
Blue Moon Tarot Temperance
Blue Moon Tarot Judgment
Major Arcana Only
Major Arcana Only
Major Arcana Only
Major Arcana Only
Tarot of the Crone by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince
(out of print)
Crone High Priestess
Crone Empress
Crone Temperance
Crone Judgment
Crone 2 of Staves
Crone Grandmother of Cups
Crone Ace of Swords
Crone 4 of Pentacles
Full Moon Dreams Tarot by Lunaea Weatherstone
Full Moon Dreams Tarot Priestess
Full Moon Dreams Tarot Empress
Full Moon Dreams Tarot Temperance
Full Moon Dreams Tarot Judgment
Full Moon Dreams Tarot 2 of Fire
Full Moon Dreams Tarot Queen of Water
Full Moon Dreams Tarot Ace of Air
Full Moon Dreams Tarot 4 of Earth
Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert
Gaian Tarot Priestess
Gaian Tarot Gardener
Gaian Tarot Temperance
Gaian Tarot Awakening
A Work in Progress
A Work in Progress
A Work in Progress
A Work in Progress
Gendron Tarot by Melanie Gendron

deck cover

Gendron High Priestess
Gendron Fertility
Gendron Temperance
Gendron Judgment
Gendron 2 of Wands
Gendron Queen of Cups
Gendron Ace of Swords
Gendron 4 of Pentacles
Goddess by Kris Waldherr

deck cover deck cover

Goddess Wisdom
Goddess Fertility
Goddess Balance
Goddess Judgment
Goddess 2 of Staves
Goddess Queen of Cups
Goddess Ace of Swords
Goddess 4 of Pentacles
Tarot of the Goddess by Elisabet Lund (In Progress)
Tarot of the Goddess Priestess
Tarot of the Goddess The Great Mother
A Work in Progress
A Work in Progress
Tarot of the Goddess 2 of Wands
A Work in Progress
Tarot of the Goddess Ace of Swords
Tarot of the Goddess 4 of Coins
Harvesting the Universe Tarot by Anne V. Pyterek
A Work in Progress
Harvesting the Universe Birth
A Work in Progress
Harvesting the Universe Forgiveness
A Work in Progress
Harvesting the Universe Woman of Water-FLOATING
Harvesting the Universe Ace of Air-PERCEPTION
A Work in Progress
Maat Tarot by Julie Cuccia-Watts
Maat Tarot Priestess
Maat Tarot Empress
Maat Tarot Temperance
Maat Tarot Judgment
Maat Tarot 2 of Wands
Maat Tarot Queen of Cups
Maat Tarot Ace of Swords
Maat Tarot 4 of Coins
Mary-El Tarot by Marie White
Mary-El High Priestess
Mary-El Empress
Mary-El Temperance
Mary-El Judgment
Mary-El 2 of Wands
Mary-El Queen of Cups
Mary-El Ace of Swords
Mary-El 4 of Disks
Medicine Woman by Carol Bridges

deck coverDeck    deck cover

Medicine Woman Seeker
Medicine Woman Bounty
Medicine Woman Blend
Medicine Woman Discernment
Medicine Woman 2 of Pipes
Nurturing Lodge of the Bowls
Medicine Woman Ace of Arrows
Medicine Woman 4 of Stones
Oracle Tarot by Lucy Cavendish and Melinda Pearson

deck cover

Oracle High Priestess
Oracle Empress
Oracle Temperance
Oracle Judgment
Oracle 2 of Wands
No Court Cards
Oracle Ace of Swords
Oracle 4 of Coins
Shining Tribe by Rachel Pollack

deck cover

Shining Tribe High Priestess
Shining Tribe Empress
Shining Tribe Temperance
Shining Tribe Awakening
Shining Tribe 2 of Trees
Shining Tribe Gift of Rivers
Shining Tribe Ace of Birds
Shining Tribe 4 of Stones
Tarot of the Spirit by Pamela and Joyce Eakins

deck cover book cover

Tarot of the Spirit High Priestess
Tarot of the Spirit Empress
Tarot of the Spirit Temperance
Tarot of the Spirit Resurrection
Tarot of the Spirit 2 of Fire
Tarot of the Spirit Mother of Water
Tarot of the Spirit Ace of Air
Tarot of the Spirit 4 of Earth
Triple Goddess Tarot by Isha Lerner and Mara Friedman

deck cover

Triple Goddess Sanctuary
Triple Goddess Fullness of Life
Triple Goddess Seated Angel Flying
Triple Goddess Alchemy
Alchemy (Major Arcana) plus Chakra only
Alchemy (Major Arcana) plus Chakra only
Alchemy (Major Arcana) plus Chakra only
Alchemy (Major Arcana) plus Chakra only
Vala Tarot by Elizabeth Hazel (seeking publisher)
Still Need to Scan
Still Need to Scan
Vala Tarot Temperance
Still Need to Scan
Vala Tarot 2 of Fire
Still Need to Scan
Vala Tarot Ace of Air
Vala Tarot 4 of Pentacles
Wheel of Change Tarot by Alexandra Genetti

deck cover

Wheel of Change High Priestess
Wheel of Change Empress
Wheel of Change Temperance
Wheel of Change Judgment
Wheel of Change 2 of Fire
Wheel of Change Queen of Cups
Wheel of Change Ace of Swords
Wheel of Change 4 of Disks
Wise Woman's Tarot by Flash Silvermoon

deck cover

Wise Woman's Illumination
Wise Woman's Fertility
Wise Woman's Synthesis
Wise Woman's Awakening
Wise Woman's 2 of Wands
Wise Woman's Priestess of Cups
Wise Woman's Ace of Swords
Wise Woman's 4 of Pentacles
World Spirit Tarot by Lauren O'Leary

deck cover

World Spirit Tarot Priestess
World Spirit Tarot Empress
World Spirit Tarot Temperance
World Spirit Tarot Judgement
World Spirit Tarot 2 of Wands
World Spirit Tarot Sibyl of Cups
World Spirit Tarot Ace of Swords
World Spirit Tarot 4 of Pentacles
Zerner-Farber by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber

Enchanted Set ZF Deck

Zerner-Farber High Priestess
Zerner-Farber Empress
Zerner-Farber Temperance
Zerner-Farber Judgment
Zerner-Farber 2 of Wands
Zerner-Farber Queen of Hearts
Zerner-Farber Ace of Swords
Zerner-Farber 4 of Pentacles
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Tarot card images copyright to the copyright holders for the particular deck.
"Cherie and Tesa" portrait "Cherie & Tesa" by Gina Blickenstaff - my thanks to her for allowing me to display this beautiful portrait on this page as a mood-setting graphic.
Decorative graphics copyright Full Moon Graphics
Introductory text and arrangement of this page Copyright © 2002 Joan Schraith Cole.

Full Moon Graphics