Medicine Woman Tarot Question...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 May 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

MysticRose	08 May 2002
Hi, I am new to the forum... I am thinking of trying out the Medicine Woman Tarot... does anyone here like that one? Is it ok for giving tarot readings to men on? I don't want to exclude men by using a "women's" deck. LOL. Ideally I would like to try a deck that is balanced for men and women and not just for one or the other. I already have Universal Waite, Osho Zen, Gendron, Medicine Cards, Sacred Circle and Shapeshifter. I love the Sacred Circle but it is rather hard for me to shuffle. Gendron is nice but I don't like to read on that one either. Guess I just haven't found the perfect deck for me yet. I hope to give a lot of tarot readings in the future and would like to find something really comfortable that fits me better. Love, Light & Joy, SkyDancer1111

Kiama	08 May 2002
I have found the Medicine Woman to work well for men aswell... They tend not to notice that it has more women than men in it, which they might do with the Daughters of the Moon deck... The Medicine Woman isn't a feminist deck... And the author, in the Little White Book says that she does not want to exclue men, but she wants to get across the healing and compassion which men these days in our Western society have grown up without... Its about getting in touch with the inner feminine... The artwork is the thing the men I read for with this deck noticed first... Hardly any of them saw the inbalance of men and women. Kiama

MysticRose	08 May 2002
Thanks for all the insights Kiama. Maybe I will try it out then when I'm able to order it or maybe I can find someone to trade one. I wouldn't mind letting go of my Gendron for a trade. I was also eyeing the Vision Quest deck this morning here at the site. It seems nice too but doesn't seem to have the same energy at all to it as the Medicine Woman deck. I am wondering why the Vision Quest has such a high rating and the Medicine Woman deck doesn't. (scratching head?) I think too much though. Thanks again! ~*~ LL&BB ~*~

truthsayer	08 May 2002
i don't have the medicine woman but i do have the vision quest. i've looked at the medicine woman but it wasn't for me. it seems to be missing something aesthetically but then that's just my opinion. on the other hand, the vision quest is one of the most beautiful decks i own. lots of good art and nice pastels. the ppl might be unrealistically attractive but i like that! LOL i haven't had to study to be able to read VQ b/c there are enough RWS similarities that i can follow it. the names are changed from RWS words but it's not difficult to mak the transition. it's very gentle and i can use it w/ anyone. i have no doubt that medicine woman is the same way. the other native american deck by the same name isn't one that i'd recommend at all. i think there's even a "cowboy" card in it. YUCK!! if you are looking for a NA deck the 1st 2 are the ones i'd go w/. i'm not opposed to owning MW--there's too many ahead of it right now!! ;)

MysticRose	09 May 2002
Thanks for the reply Truthsayer. :-) Universe/God/Goddess granted my wish faster than I thought.... when my husband got home today I was sharing with him about wanting to see the MW Tarot and he said that he has it! Kind of strange circumstances though. His son's friend gave them to my husband's son, my husband's son gave them to my husband who put them away and never used them. So - he dug them out for me and I have been looking thru them. I really like them but can't say I'd do many readings for others on them. Maybe some spellwork though. They are just not resonating with me too much. I'm glad I found out now. Also, we had company tonight so I showed them both my Sacred Circle and Medicine Woman decks. Both people agreed they'd prefer to get readings done on the Sacred Circle and not the Medicine Woman. I can see why some prefer the MW deck though. Some of the cards are quite interesting. My favorite after looking thru them is the world "Dancer" card. One more deck checked off my wish list. ~*~ LL&BB ~*~

Logiatrix	09 May 2002
sky, have you seen the zerner-farber deck? also check out the crystal tarot, which is quite beautiful. those are both smaller decks, and much easier to shuffle. for another nice pagan deck with quality artwork (since you mentioned the sacred circle), take a look at the "tarot of the old path"; however, it might not be everybody's cup of tea for general readings. you're on the right track about looking for that one deck that will resonate with you--that'll make for the best readings, as long as YOU like your cards! my apologies if you have already reviewed any or all of the above! good luck, and please let us know what you discover...

purplelady	09 May 2002
The medicine woman deck is one of the first decks I ever owned. I have successfully read for men with it. But it's been a Long time since I've used this deck! I think it tries to balance out what the author saw as an imbalance with men and women in our society. SO it places men in the suit of cups because traditionally, cups mean emotions , and men need to get more in touch wih emotions and their feminine side. All the other suits are predominantly women. It's kind-of a cute , nurturing, deck. The court cards are really different. And if you have the set , the book has a lot of information. Especially for the majors, it even has things like suggestions on what foods to eat!

MysticRose	09 May 2002
Thanks for the ideas metaz and purplelady. :-) I am not sure about the Zerner-Farber. I LOVED the purple and pink colors on the cards when I was looking at them here at Aeclectic but I'm not sure if I resonate well with the Victorian themes....I think it is Victorian? I may decide to try them out at some point on new clients but not sure I'd want to buy them retail just yet. The crystal cards are nice but not for me. I liked the Old Ways deck listed here too but don't think I would read with it for others unless they were already familiar with Goddess ways and/or Wicca. Most people where I live know very little about the Goddess. My Sacred Circle deck is growing on me but I'm still not sure if I want to read for others on it or not. The Moon card struck me last night when I was gazing at it.... I was looking for more than just the usual illusions interpretation and then it came to me...BATS! They are for Transition and Change...at least shamanically.... with a bit of facing fears mixed in.... Fears ARE Illusions. Kind of makes a full circle of thought there. LOL. I may have a Songs deck to contemplate on too thanks to metaz! :-))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) LL&BB, SkyDancer

Logiatrix	09 May 2002
sky, since you're good with the sacred circle, except for the shuffling, have you tried shuffling the cards side-ways? that's how i was able to mix them, and other large cards, when i used them... just a thought... (now i'll go find you on the trade forum!) ;)

truthsayer	09 May 2002
the ZF isn't really a victorian deck. it's a collage deck and is very feminine/romantic. it's one of my favs to use reading for querents both male and female.

MysticRose	10 May 2002
Thanks Truthsayer and Metaz. :-) Metaz - I have been shuffling them vertically. It is the only way my hand will fit. LOL. I've tried mixing every other by top and bottom too. It is very sticky still though. I guess they are not wanting to break in just yet. I haven't ruled using them out... I'm just still getting to know them. It may take awhile. I do like them. I'm just not sure they are going to be a deck I'll want to read with everyday or not. I really have been enjoying their magickal step in aspects though. I think they are worth it just for that. :-) Truthsayer - Thanks for the feedback on the ZF. I am adding it to my wish list then as I think I would definitely like to give it a try at some point. I am releived to hear it isn't all victorianish. LL&BB

purplelady	10 May 2002
I LOVE the Enchanted Tarot! It's the same exact deck as z/f, except it's an older version with more border on the cards I think . And the cards are Huge! So if you want small cards get the z/f version. The Enchanted Tarot comes with a really wonderful hardcover book. It has a color picture of every card that is even larger than the card itself!I'm not sure if the z/f comes with a book or what it's like? Amy Zerner originally made each tarot card as a ..............oh what do you call it? A poster size wall hanging collage made of things like fabric , lace , paper, buttons etc. The tarot cards are actually photos of these wall hangings. There is a lot of victorian , but also some of it looks egyptian or arabic. She used actual victorian lace and fabrics on some of it also. I used to work with this deck a lot ,and find it a really great reading deck. Can you tell I Love this deck?!

MysticRose	10 May 2002
Thanks for the info purplelady! I looked prices up for both today. Amazon wants almost as much for ZF as the Enchanted. I am thinking I might like to try ZF better as it is smaller but if enchanted costs about the same it might be worth trying it because of the info in the book. I am in a quandry now! lol. I have found someone selling the Enchanted deck and book for a really good price at an auction but haven't bid yet. I am still thinking I might find an on sale ZF somewhere (spinning in circles am I) The arabian and egyptian touches sound great! I am really excited about the Songs deck metaz is sending too. I was really impressed with the death card shown here for that one. If the rest of the cards are as inspired as that I will be spinning round even more. Both Songs and ZF or Enchanted decks sound like they would be good for giving readings to those in my area. People around here really seem to need a softer touch. LL&BB

The Medicine Woman Tarot Question... thread was originally posted on 08 May 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.