by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
Universal
Goddess Tarot
This
deck is suitable for any question you wish to ask of the Tarot.
by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
Universal
Goddess Tarot
This
deck is suitable for any question you wish to ask of the Tarot.
Universal Goddess Tarot
Deck by writer Maria
Caratti & artist Antonella Platano
© 2006 Lo Scarabeo
The Universal Goddess Tarot features 78 goddesses from cultures around the world. Each goddess represents an aspect of woman, nature, and the Divine. This deck follows the format of traditional Tarot, carrying traditional titles for the Major Arcana, with Justice as VIII and Strength as XI (as is the case with most of the Lo Scarabeo decks). The suits of this deck are Wands, Chalices (Cups), Swords, and Pentacles. The Court cards all show females and are Knave, Knight, Queen, and King. It is not a Rider-Waite clone, but for the most part, it is familiar enough to traditional Tarot that anyone who has a basic understanding of the Tarot could comfortably work with this deck. For those who have knowledge of Goddesses, that's an additional asset for getting the most from this deck, as you can incorporate the qualities and energies of each Goddess with the Tarot's interpretation. I think the author and artist did a great job in choosing the most appropriate goddesses to represent each Tarot card. Certainly there could have been some other fitting associations, but in a deck like this, it has to be narrowed down to one goddess to best portray each Tarot card's energy and meaning overall. And I like how this was done.
The deck is beautiful with gorgeous coloring and lovely goddesses and scenes in the cards -- and from a variety of cultures as well. Not all decks that feature different cultures blend as well as the Universal Goddess Tarot does. Cultures in this deck include Egyptian, Native American, Chinese, Japanese, African, Celtic, Scandinavian, Greek, and others.
The artist, Antonella Platano, also did the art for the Gay Tarot, and the Witchy Tarot.
The 64-page LWB is written in five languages: English, Italian, Spanish, French, and Dutch. Although the booklet is naturally limited in what it can convey (with just 14 pages written in English to cover all the cards), it useful in that it lists all the goddesses shown on the cards. As I also work with goddess cards, I recognized a few of them in this deck before looking them up to be sure.
Some samples from the LWB to present the "voices" of the goddesses:
II. The High Priestess: You are in the presence of Isis, queen of all the Goddesses. Bow down before me. I am the guardian of occult knowledge and magic. I am mystery, intuition and female consciousness.The Universal Goddess Tarot is not merely a random collection of goddesses. Each card is illustrated with the goddess that best expresses the traditional meanings of the card. The goddesses are also portrayed in a real, human kind of way -- not in a manner of putting them on a pedestal and attributing super powers to them. It takes mythology to the levels of real life experiences in our modern day. Through the cards, both sides of a persona are shown -- the good, wise, and powerful goddess energy . . . and also the faults and struggles of the goddesses. Caratti noted in an interview: "As I gradually proceeded with the research, I realized that the life of each Goddess, the character, personality, strengths and weaknesses of each one, narrated, through the centuries and continents, the history of the feminine character and life in general. Goddesses, yes -- but most of all, women. Women who were newborns and then became playful and carefree children, who grew into young girls and fell in love, then became thoughtful and loving mothers, finally filling the role of wise and discerning old women. We [Caratti and Platano] decided, right from the start, that the Goddesses would have a ‘real and earthly’ appearance, far from the evanescent and ethereal images with which they are often depicted. The Goddesses needed to relate the life of our dimension, material and tangible, so that every woman could identify with each of them."Ace of Chalices: I am the divine source, the maternal womb, life and regeneration. My name is Habondia and I am the Celtic goddess of abundance, feelings and fertility.
4 of Wands: May you live in perfect harmony with the Great Sprit in peace, prosperity and good health. This is my desire. I am White She Buffalo, lady of the Sioux.
X. The Wheel: I am Arianrhod, Welsh goddess and lady of karma. Your destiny is my silver wheel that turns continuously, one moment in your favor, the next against you.
Knave of Swords: I am Diana, powerful Italic goddess of hunting and the open sky. Smell the air. Observe well what surrounds you. Pay attention to the slightest noise. You will capture your prey.
10 of Pentacles: Come and take a seat at my table. I offer you a feast of well-being, success and material wealth. I am Ben Saiten, the Japanese goddess of prosperity.
The cards are 2-5/8" by 4-3/4" and have a smooth finish. The cardstock is fair to good, but I would not call it "quality" or excellent, as they neither feel flimsy nor particularly sturdy. The front of each card has a cream-colored border with the number of the card in the center top border, along with four languages also noted in the top border, and then two additional languages noted on the bottom border (a traditional presentation for Lo Scarabeo decks). The back of the cards are divided into quarters with each quarter of the card holding the same illustration (the side view face of a goddess with the moon). You can see the image of the reversible card backs below.
The Deluxe Edition of the Universal Goddess Tarot deck includes a lovely velvet, purple bag with golden embroidery along with the 78 cards and the 64-page instruction booklet. I do wish there had been a full-sized companion book to go with this amazing Tarot deck! It is very much deserving of one! I think it would have been highly useful for those who are attracted to the Universal Goddess Tarot, but don't know much about the history of goddesses and the mythology behind them. Having an understanding of what each goddess represents is so helpful for using these cards, because through the study of goddesses, we can see how we relate to their various energies, traits, and personalities. We can explore both the shadow and the light sides of ourselves and others.
Author Maria Caratti's website (http://www.mariacaratti.com) provides information about her work with the Universal Goddess Tarot as well as her other projects. She has a great start for a companion book with her information posted on the Goddess Isis. I don't know if she may be intending to write a book for the Universal Goddess Tarot or not . . . but I hope that she does! This is a deck that is just begging for a companion book!
As mentioned, I think the goddesses chosen for each of the cards were very appropriate choices. Here is a list of the Tarot cards with the corresponding goddess:
MAJOR ARCANA
0. THE FOOL -- Lan Tsai
Ho
1. THE MAGICIAN -- Demeter
2. THE HIGH PRIESTESS
-- Isis
3. THE EMPRESS -- Astarte
4. THE EMPEROR -- Athena
5. THE HIEROPHANT --
Aditi
6. THE LOVERS -- Venus
7. THE CHARIOT -- Eos
8. JUSTICE -- Maat
9. THE HERMIT -- Hecate
10. THE WHEEL -- Arianrhod
11. STRENGTH -- Ishtar
12. THE HANGED MAN --
Frigg
13. DEATH -- Kali
14. TEMPERANCE -- Anahita
15. THE DEVIL -- Lilith
16. THE TOWER -- Morrigan
17. THE STARS -- Pleiades
18. THE MOON -- Selene
19. THE SUN -- Amaterasu
20. JUDGEMENT -- Ceridwen
21. THE WORLD -- Gea
MINOR ARCANA
| WANDS
Ace of Wands -- Bastet
|
CHALICES
Ace of Chalices -- Habondia
|
| PENTACLES
Ace of Pentacles -- Fortuna
|
SWORDS
Ace of Swords -- Bellona
|
I also have Kris Waldherr's "Goddess Tarot," which I have enjoyed through the years and has been a favorite among my lady clients . . . but I have to say that I love the beautiful Universal Goddess Tarot even more! I think this goddess tarot is also going to be a favorite new addition for my clients who enjoy taking a look at situations through the eyes of the goddesses!
I have found this deck so easy to work with and relate to . . . and it has become a deck among my cherished favorites!
Velvet
Angel
Email
Velvet Angel
Size of Cards:2-5/8" by 4-3/4"
Included with deck:A 64-page instruction booklet -- a velvet embroidered Tarot bag comes with the Deluxe Edition
Major Arcana:
Fool, Magician, High
Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers,
Chariot, Justice (#8),
Hermit, Wheel, Strength (#11), Hanged Man,
Death, Temperance, Devil,
Tower, Stars, Moon, Sun, Judgement, World
Suit Names: Wands, Chalices, Swords, Pentacles
Court Cards: Knave, Knight, Queen, King
Back Design of Cards:
 |
 UNIVERSAL
GODDESS TAROT
|
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