Witches Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 06 Aug 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Sorceress_Jade	06 Aug 2002
Not Tarot of the Witches, but Witches Tarot. I just got this deck ( finally) and I think I like it. There are a few cards that look... not so good. Like the Fool looks rather idiotic. And I think the horned one has... well a lack of meaning to the imagery, even though it's not a bad looking card. The Magician is the uglest person i've seen in a long time, and a few of us are still unsure weather it's a man or a woman, lol. I really like a couple of the cards, like the wheel and the 3 of wands, and quite a few others. However the imagery seems non-standard so it may take some time with the cards for me to come to an understanding of them. I've read that the creater is Quabbalistic and was made to think that there would be Quabbalisic connotations to the cards in addition to the wiccan feel, however I haven't see it in there at all? Any comments on that, am I missing something. I'd love to hear anything helpful from others who have used this deck. What will help me, what you found was the best purpose for the deck, or the best sort of clients, etc. It's a... well loved deck and I can't imagine why the previous owner would sell it after having used it so much, but i'm none to complain as it's now in my posession. Can't wait to get started on the case. :)

Sulis	06 Aug 2002
I really, really wanted to love this deck but I just don`t. The court cards are just too samey and the wands/air, swords/fire thing freaked me out. That magician is definately a very ugly woman and The Horned one looks like he`s at a rave. Blessings Crystalmynx xx

Keslynn	06 Aug 2002
The creator of this deck did write 2 companion books to it though you'll only really need one. The first book is called The Witches Qabalah and sets out the qabalah in a pagan-friendly manner. As far as I can tell, it's a pretty good basic book about the Tree of Life though it is very basic. The second book is the one you might want to get your hands on. I just won a copy from eBay and I'm quite happy I did. I really have been trying to understand this deck with little success. This book is called The Witches Tarot and obviously covers the deck and (I hope) the qabalistic correspondences. Now Llewellyn sells the deck and book as a set, probably in reaction to people getting confused! I'll have to let you know how the book is and how well it explains the deck. Personally, I haven't been able to work with the deck yet but I am hoping to at some point. I also share the opinion that some of the majors look a little silly. And the weightlifter guy with green panties in the Pentacles? That's just entertaining. :TQS Kes

Starfish	06 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Keslynn And the weightlifter guy with green panties in the Pentacles? That's just entertaining. Oh My Goddess, Kes! I am dying over here!! bwhahahahahaha (Nearly choked on the plum I was ingesting) Now I've got visions of green panties with gold pentacles all over them! :TDEAT Starfish

LeoLady	06 Aug 2002
Hi, for those of you who can't be bothered to go thru the deck list to find this deck (like myself!) I've got the link below 4 you all to have a look. I actually bought this deck for a friend of mine who'd lost her Alistair Crowley deck during a house move. When I gave it to her, the hairs on the back of her arm stood up!! Spooky Anyways, here is the link: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/witches/index.html I do like the cards but they're far too difficult for a newbie like myself! :D, but the thing i like most is the back of the deck..one that's stayed in my mind since i clapped eyes on it. In actual fact the back was what drew me to it in the first place! Enjoy ppl's x

truthsayer	06 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by crystalmynx That magician is definately a very ugly woman and The Horned one looks like he`s at a rave. Crystalmynx xx ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! crystal, this line has given me the best laugh i've had all day. honestly, i do think the magician was intended to be male. i went to the link to see the cards and there was the magician! i just couldn't stop laughing b/c i could see why you said it was a very ugly woman. well, maybe it's a very ugly flat chested woman or a very ugly man who likes to wear gowns that show his cleavage. i can't remember what the horned one looked like but if he's been to a rave, my imagination is good enough! as to green spandex muscle men, i've always wondered what kind of drugs was ellen cannon reed on when she came up with that card. the court cards look like 4 sets of quadruplets that wear colored coded clothes so everybody can tell them apart. i can read zilch w/ these cards even tho some of them are gorgeous. i really like the 3 of wands. i really wanted to like it and i've even bought both of those books. i just can't get over my aversion to caballah and tarot combined. so i traded the deck and one book. i hope that one day ECR could explain her thinking in this deck b/c i feel like it would help me like the deck. when clive barrett explained things about the ancient egyptian, my opinion of the deck totally changed.

Laurel	06 Aug 2002
Ellen Cannon Reed's "The Goddess & The Tree" was the very first Qabalah books I ever owned (back before it was reprinted as The Witches Qabalah) and I have a soft spot for her in my heart. That said, some of the Witches Tarot cards struck me as so darn ugly and unappealing I could never bring myself to buying a deck or giving it as a gift. I think it was the Magician card that caused me to run away in horror now that I think about it and the posts above remind me about the deck :) Laurel

catlin	07 Aug 2002
We had a lengthier discussion about this deck some weeks ago, just try to find the thread "Tarot of the Witches".

Jewel	07 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by truthsayer i just can't get over my aversion to caballah and Which book do you have left? I have one of the books and am looking for the other one. If the one you have is the one I need then I will be happy to take it off your hands! :) Personally I like this deck, then again I like the Qabalistic correspondences from an academic standpoint. I just ignore the muscle men in panties ~giggles~ and thanks to crystalminx will probably crack up every time I see the Hermit *LOL* ... see the deck just gets better for me all the time *LOL*. And yes the Magician is pretty darn ugly *LOL*. As for the qabalistic correpondences, you can find them mainly on the Major Arcana. The colored circles at the corners of the cards correspond to sephiroth from the three of life. The Major Arcana card corresponds to the pathway between the two sephira show. I do not have the deck in front of me so I cannot give you an actual example using the deck at this moment. Hope this helps.

truthsayer	07 Aug 2002
i have the goddess and the tree. i'm not sure where it's at. i know it has some water damage and may not be in any condition it could be used but if i find it i'll let you know.

Starfish	07 Aug 2002
Just wanted to say that I'm loving your new avatar! :THERM Starfish

Jewel	07 Aug 2002
Cool Truth, see if you can find it and see how good/bad condition it really is in. I am pretty sure I do not have that one! It does go with the deck right?

mondk	07 Aug 2002
(Sob) This is actually one of my most favorite decks!! Whenever I use this deck, it really seems to tell it like it is, whether the querent wants to hear it or not. And I never bothered looking at the cards in any other way other than seriously. It doesn't really matter to me what the people on the cards look like or what they are wearing; I happen to think this deck is beautiful...in my humble opinion anyway. For a really good Ellen Cannon Reed book, try reading "The Heart of Wicca" (really good for initiates). Blessings, M.

Sulis	08 Aug 2002
Didn`t really mean to slam it, I think that a lot of the cards in this deck are incredibly beautiful, the artwork is certainly very powerful. It`s just that this was my first tarot deck and because the imagery isn`t standard Rider-Waite I found it far too difficult to learn with. I haven`t traded it away though because I would like to go back to it and give it another try one day. Blessings Crystalmynx xx

Jewel	08 Aug 2002
Mondk I like the deck too! No slamming from this end.

Moongold	09 Aug 2002
I didn't see this post until today. Eureka! The Witches Tarot was the first deck I purchased but I had to get the RW to really learn the things I need to learn (long way from finished learning, too). I get quite gentle readings from the Witches Tarot, whereas RW gives me somewhat challenging ones, or perhaps that is simply something odd about me. Some of the Witches' art work is beautiful I like the Aces, for example, and there is a luminosity about some of the Cups. There is an unusual mix in the imagery in that some of the work is contemporay and some quite reflective of something 'ancient'. The female figures, for example - some of the have 70's hairstyles and some have styles from an even earlier era. I wonder a little about the muscularity of a few of the men as well but this may be intentionally part of the meaning. I can see this with the Hanged Man (Odin). I need to go back and look at this deck more carefully. It was my first ever deck when I understood nothing but now I can see much more in it. I know now why people collect decks and compare them. Love to all, Moongold

midnightmerry	09 Aug 2002
I'm glad I found this thread because for the past couple of weeks this deck has been calling to me from the local Borders. It's not the artwork that is stopping me from getting it; it is that I read that swords=fire and wands=air in this deck. Is that true? I find that so jarring, but then again, hey, maybe it's time to learn something new.

midnightmerry	09 Aug 2002
Another thing I wanted to ask is that if it is true that swords=fire, wands=air, is it really obvious? I mean, did she go out of her way to make this obvious in the artwork? Because if it is somewhat subtle I may get used to it easier.

Kyrielle	09 Aug 2002
To whoever asked about the Kabbalah a while ago, I know those colored sections of circles on the Majors have something to do with the Tree of Life. I got this deck because some of the art is nicely done, and because some of the minors have original scenes that lead to new thoughts about the traditional meanings. All in all, I think I connect to about a third to half of the cards, while the others are just kind of there. My reactions to the cards are too inconsistent for me to do a reading with this deck. I do, however, absolutely love the Strength card! -- Kyrielle

Moongold	09 Aug 2002
Hello Midnight Merry, Yes, Cannon Reid does assign these symbols differently. It is not so obvious in the illustrations though. I just had a look at every Wand and Sword card, The Ace of Swords is the only Sword card with fire in it. All the Aces are stunning actually and have a clear association with the meaning of their suits. The book that comes with this deck is comprehensive and fascinating. I think, to get the most from this deck of cards, it would be helpful to read it. The book is illustrated with black and white pictures of the Major Arcana cards. I am going to read the book because it definitely enriches one's understanding of these cards, although there are real parallels with other decks. Cannon Reid actually points out the similarities and differences in the Golden Dawn, Rider Waite and Witches Tarots. There is something quite special about this deck. The illustrations are simple, clear, colourful and robust. Some of them are quite beautiful. To get the most from the deck you would probably need to read the book, but that applies to many decks. I'm still very much a new person and don't use this as often as my Morgan Greer but sometimes, with the sparse knowledge I have, it gives me very interesting readings. I now have six decks and one of my favourite passtimes is comparing individual cards in the decks. Moongold

midnightmerry	09 Aug 2002
Hi Moongold, thanks for letting me know about the elements/cards! Actually, I just posted in another forum. I went ahead and bought this deck and loved it the moment I opened the box. But a major bummer: the 7 of Wands is damaged! It looks like someone drew a box on it with a ball-point pen pressing down very hard. I'll have to write Llewellyn about it and I hope they can replace this card, because I really connected with this deck. Unfortunately, I didn't get the book with it, so for now it's just the LWB.

Moongold	09 Aug 2002
Hi Midnightmerry, I love the names of people in this group. I hope that you do get the book. The one I have came sperately from the deck and is a combination of two earlier volumes. It was published by Llewellyn in 1989 but is in its 10th printing. It is quite common in esoteric shops in Australia Ellen Cannon Reid sems to be a High Priestess herself. I guess one does not have to be a Wiccan to get something really good out of the deck and book. Best wishes, Moongold

midnightmerry	11 Aug 2002
Now that I've had this deck a couple of days, I think I will look for the book. It is a good deck; I really like the artwork. Thanks for the suggestion.

Keslynn	16 Aug 2002
I decided to resurrect this thread because I'm mostly through the companion book to this deck, The Witches Tarot (The Witches Qabalah 2). I must say that the book helps me to understand the deck a lot better. I might even be able to use it for readings. Her approach is very consistent and understandable. However, I would caution that this deck is only marginally compatible with what you're learned about RWS or Thoth type decksbecause it's based almost solely on the Qabalah. Well, let me change that. You could probably use other tarot knowledge with this deck, but as for me, I found that it's less confusing to work completely within her system. One very confusing thing about the deck/book is that she has wands as air and swords as fire. That would be fine if she recognized that other decks have different correspondences. But in the section where she describes her deck alongside others (RWS, Golden Dawn), she uses their swords right alongside her own. Except that their swords mean air and hers mean fire! I found it best to just read the little blurb on her deck. As I said, it's easier to work within her system rather than trying to force it into RWS meanings. :TQS Kes

Mithrea	18 Aug 2002
I just wanted to add my .02 on this deck because I have a sort of different experience with it. It's not the best way to choose a deck, but I chose this one based on the backs. I loved that silver pentacle on the black background. But when I opened the deck, I almost cried. Some of them are so beautiful, and then others (???) yeuck! The Six of Swords (I think, they are not with me) was the worst. I actually like and understand the Horned One though. I got to know the deck and somehow, it eventually became my working deck. I have The Renaissance Tarot that I use for my own readings but any reading I do for someone else, I use The Witches Tarot. That happened mostly because it made me sick to see others touch my Renaissance deck. The Witches Tarot gives me very great readings, especially on questions about love, and especially when using a pyramid layout I often use. I find this deck helps me to help the querent find the positive in their situation. I wouldn't trade this deck for anything, despite the oddness of some of the art. My deck is actually looking a little ragged now. It wears it well :)

The Witches Tarot thread was originally posted on 06 Aug 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.