Tarot Goddess

[MercyMe]

I was going to say Fortuna, but then I read Fulgour's post and had to agree. The High Priestess, the Moon, the Water and Sophia, wisdom itself. It is she who delves the subconscious and reveals secrets and treasures. It is she who guides with deep thoughtful piercing gazes, that look that says, "You already know." She is the goddess of tarot, no question. And she is represented by many names and faces, and Fortuna is indeed one face, but she is even more multifaceted than just one incarnation.

 

[aibhlin]

I can also see how some might wish to call upon Isis, with her roots in that most ancient of (known) civilizations.

W-wasn't the indus valley inhabited and prospering long before the nile delta?

 

[Genna]

Lady Isis/The Virgin Mary is the High Priestess in my opinion. On the other hand we have gnosis,wisdom;Sophia as mentioned, and we can´t forget Lady Fortuna of course. I would say Isis and Mary though.
However, as MercyMe pointed out; they are all One.

 

[magpie9]

I vote for Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom. If I recall correctly (and if I don't, I'm sure someone will correct me ) Sophia was the original "Holy Spirit, or Holy ghost in Christianity, and in Judaism, she was Shehekianu,(spelling??) the female "side" of Yahwah.

It seems to me that the tarot deserves a Goddess of Wisdom!

 

[Genna]

Magpie9, I agree with you, and the others who have voted for Sophia. She is the Tarot Goddess.

 

[aibhlin]

My mind go to the black madonna, such as the black ikons of virgin mary who are believed to hold healing powers and have other magical asttributes. The cult of the black madonna has often been scorned, and it has it's firmist roots in places where black godesses (such as the black aspects of Innana, Ceres, Afrodithe, Athena, Kali etc) have been worshiped. She's magical, mystical and wise and was the muse of poets and singers. She also has strong coonections to the gypsies through Kali as Black Sarah, which I think is neat. She's represented by black pebbles or stones sometimes (my teacher in religious history connceted this part of the cult to the black stone in the kaba, but I think that's maybe a bit of a stretch... a nice idea, but still). For me, she's the godess of the tarot.

 

[Genna]

The Black Madonna works very well for me when thinking about a Tarot Goddess in that she can be both Lady Isis and The Virgin Mary at the same time(I believe some old statues of Lady Isis with the Horus child, and made of black wood or painted black, were later christinized into The Holy Virgin with the Child Jesus). It also works well with the mystery(as in the colour black) of the High Priestess.

 

[skinofthesoul]

how about...

Right, so I'll speak up for yet another one: Sarasvati. She's the High Priestess in the Goddess Tarot. I usually say a short prayer to her before a reading, to ask that it will be for the best and benefit of everyone involved. Wikipedia has an interesting article on Sarasvati, saying that "She is the Goddess of knowledge, speech, poetry and music". She is also associated with water, and I feel that since tarot is not only about understanding, but also - when reading for other people - about putting this understanding into wise words, she makes for a very suitable tarot goddess.

skinofthesoul~

 

[aibhlin]

The Black Madonna works very well for me when thinking about a Tarot Goddess in that she can be both Lady Isis and The Virgin Mary at the same time(I believe some old statues of Lady Isis with the Horus child, and made of black wood or painted black, were later christinized into The Holy Virgin with the Child Jesus). It also works well with the mystery(as in the colour black) of the High Priestess.

Yes, I knew I had forgotten one of the most important black godess cults there... Isis is believed to be one of the main influences on the virgin mary and jesus myth, and she was worshiped as a "black" godess. Thank you for adding that!

 

[reagun ban]

Male-oriented historians have overlaid everything
with the Sun and put the world on a timetable...
but long ago, and still today, worship centered on
the Moon ~ and in the Tarot she is truly the Soul.

Excuse me while I play the "sceptic" card.
The Moon was male in Nordic faiths as well as many others.
The Moon plays no more a part in the Tarot than any other card/deity/influence.

Like with all the cards, the names (titles) are more
referential than actual, and La Papess was clearly
intended to point a finger at the pomposity of the
monotheistic meglomania of L'Empereur & Le Pape.

That's a nice belief you have there. Funny thing is, I've heard beliefs linking the Tarot to the Cathar. That'd kinda put a dint in your belief.

The Moon is the Heart & Soul of the Tarot not any
church or empire...begin with her and she will lead.

I disagree.
In fact, I disagree with the entire concept of pinning Tarot down to one God or Goddess. To state that because they are an oracular device, which they can be, is to rule out those who divine with them and vice versa. To say they are the domain of the Moon rules out the Sun's influence, and vice versa. To say they are biased towards one influence over the other undermines one of the basic ideas behind the Tarot: balance. There is no one predominant influence, there is a synergy of influences and a blend of ideologies. That's one of the reasons it works so well.