The Motherpeace Tarot - Who's got it?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 05 Feb 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

divinerguy	05 Feb 2002
I'm thinking about getting the mini-motherpeace tarot. Does anyone have either the books or the deck? Am I goofy for wanting this or what? Do you like it, do you hate it, whassup? Gary PS - I picked the Patriots to win.

raeanne	07 Feb 2002
Divinerguy, Since no one has answered your message yet I decided I would make a quick comment. I have the Motherpeace Tarot mini deck. The size is much better for my small hands but it also makes the pictures harder to see the details. I use this deck only rarely. I only have the LWB that came with it so I haven’t spent much time learning what the artists were trying to do. The deck doesn’t interest me enough to encourage me to spend the time to get into the details. I don’t use the deck to do personal readings but I have a couple of acquaintances that like the deck and I use it when I read for them and it works well.

jmd	08 Feb 2002
I too have the Motherpeace (full size). I mainly use it in Tarot courses as it was the first circular deck... Personally, I don't like using circular decks, and I haven't met many people who do. However, I do think that its creators have done something magnificent: they have acquired the Tarot, internalised it, and re-created it in their own way.

jade	08 Feb 2002
i LOVE this deck!!! this deck is wonderful for reading emotional issues or issues that a time line is needed. the larger book is full of so much info.......i love it. the large book assists you in understanding numerology as well as the cards. when i do a reading for myself, i often pull out this deck. what's that? i think it's calling me know! in light, jade ps i know lot's of people that love round decks and i am definitely one of them!

jade	08 Feb 2002
although i forgot to add that i only use this deck for women or gay men. it's very very very feminine. in light, jade ps although i have had men totally disagree with me on this one :)

divinerguy	08 Feb 2002
Well, I got the Mini-Motherpeace, and I'm happy with it. Not as happy as I'd be if I could put more realistic images on it. But, overall, I'm pleased. This is my second round deck. I like hem because I'm able to more easily establish relative energy levels in the correspondences. To me, it makes for more sense than hard and fast reversals, and allows me to better establish the existence of trends or patterns. I'd like to acquire the larger Motherpeace deck and maybe Tarot of the Cloisters too. Gary

purplelady	11 Feb 2002
I Love this deck too! I used to use it almost exclusively, but that was years ago.Now I haven't used it in quite some time. I have the large size deck and book titled "Motherpeace: A Way to the Goddess through Myth , Art, And Tarot". I think there are a few other books out for this deck also.

jema	15 Sep 2002
oh this is such an OLD thread. but i just had to talk a bit about the motherpeace. I got it from the snazzy catlin in a trade and i am really surprised over how much i like it! i wanted it but i just wanted to check it out and wasn't realy all that impressed by the scans i saw. but once i held it and looked at it i could sense it and we have a really great rapport now. i use it for my daily card. (after haveing used Thoth rather exclusivly for months) and i often focus on just one small detail or emotion in the card and make questions for myself based on that. questions to ponder during the day. i imagine i would have a hard time making bigger spreads with it since my method of reading the cards are time consuming to say the least. but three card readings should work just fine. i love to handle it too. instead of shuffling it i do it the "fishing in the sea" way, just lay them out and swirl around. the art is not really pretty or even well done. yet somehow it speaks to me. my new fav deck! yep.

Sulis	15 Sep 2002
Congratulations on finding a new fave deck. Blessings Crystalmynx xx

Sally Gardens	15 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by jema oh this is such an OLD thread. but i just had to talk a bit about the motherpeace. I got it from the snazzy catlin in a trade and i am really surprised over how much i like it! ... i love to handle it too. instead of shuffling it i do it the "fishing in the sea" way, just lay them out and swirl around. the art is not really pretty or even well done. yet somehow it speaks to me. my new fav deck! yep. Yay! Another Motherpeace fan! :D I started with the larger book, "Motherpeace: A Way to the Goddess Through Myth, Art, and Tarot," and was captivated enough by both the Goddess spirituality and the pictures of the cards to eventually get the deck (the large one; I don't know if the mini one was available back in the mid-80's). Now that I have the mini Motherpeace, I find I actually prefer it over the large version; the reduction in size seems to have made the colors more intense, yet I don't have any trouble seeing the details. It's also a little easier to handle, though I, too, do the "shmear around the tabletop" shuffling technique. ;) The "primitive" art never bothered me; on the contrary, it had an immediacy that somehow connected with me on the non-verbal, non-rational level. In fact, I have the most trouble with decks that are TOO "refined" or "pretty" - they make good eye candy, or even study decks, but I don't connect with them on a gut level. I think the above-mentioned "Motherpeace" book is good for learning the deck creators' mythic underpinnings to the symbolism they chose. It's not for anyone who thinks there's such a thing as "too" feminist, but granola-hippie Goddess folks will love it. :D For use with hands-on readings, I find Karen Vogel's small "Motherpeace Guidebook" to be a more practical quick reference; it gives suggested interpretations for four positions (upright, reversed, left, right) which often serve as a helpful springboard or offer additional insight to my own interpretations.

jema	15 Sep 2002
i see there are actually 3 books for this deck. the two you mentioned and one mre called "motherpeace tarot playbook" i don't have any of them yet - but will try and get one as soon as i can afford it. most likely the "Motherpeace: A Way to the Goddess Through Myth, Art, and Tarot" i agree about the "pretty" decks. i got the primavera;) it is stunningly beautiful and hopeless to use. for me at least... i am even tempted to get the shining tribe deck! wohoo! that is primitive art:) and a friend is sending me her African tarot.

Sally Gardens	15 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by jema i am even tempted to get the shining tribe deck! wohoo! that is primitive art:) and a friend is sending me her African tarot. If you like Shining Tribe, you might also want to take a look at Tarot of the Trance http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/trance/index.html I never did get the Motherpeace Playbook, but I do have a book called "Making Ritual With Motherpeace Cards." Forgot to mention that one.

truthsayer	16 Sep 2002
i really like the mini motherpeace. i just couldn't relate to the larger one. some of the cards just...well, embarassed me by their explicit nature. however, this is not as obvious in the mini deck. i think that if i can adjust to the cosmic tribe, i can adjust to just about anything now!! LOL i just got the MP book everyone has mentioned here. i haven't had time to read it yet but i hope to soon.

jema	17 Sep 2002
ok someone who has the book, what does it say about the three white things, like pieces of white cloth that sails in the air and the boat without the sail, and the bird far off in the distance that looks like a doorway, and the labytinth? esp the three white things... i got this card today as my daily card and while i can always find things in it that i interpret my way it would be nice to know what the book says about it all.

Sally Gardens	21 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by jema ok someone who has the book, what does it say about the three white things, like pieces of white cloth that sails in the air and the boat without the sail, and the bird far off in the distance that looks like a doorway, and the labytinth? esp the three white things... i got this card today as my daily card and while i can always find things in it that i interpret my way it would be nice to know what the book says about it all. Four days too late, but here goes: You're talking about the Moon card, I assume. ;) The white things are "phantasms flying around" which are "visions and illusions that occupy the astral plane, making this a 'dark night of the soul.'" The thing in the distance is described as a "winged gate" a la Neumann, a portal or "birth canal that awaits the soul at the end of the journey of development." And "the labyrinth is the holy path to the center and back out again." Basically, then, all of the symbolism - including the woman journeying "with eyes closed and senses open" and the boat for sea-journeying - connects with the idea of inner journey, the realm of the unconscious. Vicki Noble's first paragraph in the practical-meaning section of the Moon chapter (summarized as "Experiencing the Mystery") may also shed some light on her interpretation of it: "When you get the Moon in a reading, there is nothing to do but yield to the feelings. If you try to figure things out intellectually, you will fail. The Moon is a sign of unconsciousness -- you may as well flow with it. If you can open yourself to being in the moment and not trying to figure out what lies ahead; if you can enter the darkness with eagerness and courage; if you can trust in the higher powers to guide you intuitively through the journey of darkness and the unknown, then you will learn from the voyage and gain consciousness as your initiatory gift." (Motherpeace, p. 132)

Hikaru	23 Sep 2002
Better late than never. I have and like the Motherpeace deck too. I have the standard size and don't find the cards hard to handle, but laying them out takes a LOT of space! YOu need to either have a really big table or do it on the floor. If anyone is interested in another round deck with a feminist emphasis, the Daughters of the Moon Tarot is nice too. Very powerful for various Witchy purposes, Mwahahahahaha! It has only one card, Pan in the Major Arcana, to represent positive Male energy. All the rest are women, women women and under certain circumstances that suits me.

Seed Crystal	19 Aug 2004
Old thread - but on a bulletin board a conversation never dies until archived or lost by server crash and bad backups... I have never gotten the Motherpeace deck because the art just doesn't do it for me. I just acquired the Daughters of the Moon deck, have gone through it once - lush color, good art and my initial impression is very well thought out images. Cards are round, a little awkward. It's an alternate Tarot if not an oracle deck, there's that much reinterpretation of the majors arcana; but I think it has legs. I have yet to do a reading with it (I am very absorbed with World Spirit deck right now.

The The Motherpeace Tarot - Who's got it? thread was originally posted on 05 Feb 2002 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.