Mini-Motherpeace Tarot Deck (Cards) [Misc. Supplies]

Karen Vogel (Author), Vicki Noble (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cards | Publication Date: January 1993

The cards in this extraordinary round tarot deck are gestalt circles of powerful symbols celebrating 30,000 years of women's culture throughout the world. 3" diameter.

Product Details

• Misc. Supplies: 78 pages
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880795131
• ISBN-13: 978-0880795135
• Product Dimensions: 3.4 x 3.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #815,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars decide for yourself, May 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Mini-Motherpeace Tarot Deck (Cards) (Misc. Supplies)

This deck receives many extremely negative reviews. Don't let them scare you away, because if you do like the deck you will REALLY like it. Apparently if you don't like it you'll hate it intensely, but my experience with Motherpeace has been overwhelmingly positive and I would hate to think people are missing out on its benefits.

I love the artwork for this deck. I've looked at hundreds of others and found them either too slick and new agey/psychedelic, too "knights and damsels," or too unintelligibly abstract. The Motherpeace images are playful and unpretentious, portraying people (yes, mostly women and many nude or partially nude women, which seems to irritate many people, but my very masculine boyfriend is comfortable with the deck) of many colors and cultures in many different situations. The characters are drawn subtly but expressively, so that the meaning of the card is always clear but not necessarily spelled out.

The Major Arcana are gorgeous and filled with historical detail, such as the Ceres relief copied on the Empress card and the somewhat dandified image of Alexander the "Great" (no, I don't think he was all that great either but what do you expect from the guy who had Aristotle for a tutor) on the Emperor card. All of the Major Arcana images are striking; Strength is the Irish Brigid or St. Bride with all her animal friends surrounding her, and Death is a brilliant yellow and crimson snake renewing its skin on a black background contrasting with ethereal aspen trunks and a white skeleton bound in a fetal position as many ancient cultures bound the body for rebirth in the next world.

The Minor Arcana colors correspond to the different suits, with Wands mostly in fiery reds and oranges, Cups in watery blue-greens, Swords in cool yellows and blues, and Discs in earth tones. The fascinating details of costume and setting combined with the round cards and spontaneous drawing style make reading with this deck a very satisfying visual experience.

Despite what you may have heard, there are positive male images and negative female images in the deck. People of either gender are seen abusing power as well as using it wisely. I've used the deck and read all the books, and I feel very strongly that there is no malicious intent involved. This is a wonderful deck, and the books are great too. Enjoy!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars touch the mystery, June 23, 2000

By 

Louis Robilio - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mini-Motherpeace Tarot Deck (Cards) (Misc. Supplies)

Yeah, I'm just a guy, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate these cards. Men can draw on their feminine power (we all have both, you know) through the use of these cards. I have found them very useful for meditation and divination, especially since they represent so many underrepresented groups.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a tiny treasure, April 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Mini-Motherpeace Tarot Deck (Cards) (Misc. Supplies)

This mini version of the Motherpeace Tarot Deck is a cute little thing. Some people find it easier to handle than the large deck, but I think the main advantage is that you can do the Motherpeace Three Circles layout (or any layout, but especially the large layouts, including Noble's chakra reading) on a smaller table.

The rest of the deck's good points remain. I've heard a lot of talk about the deck "bashing" males, but as far as I can see the four very negative male-centered images (Emperor, Hierophant, Devil, and Son of Swords, all portraying unfortunate "masculine" qualities that actually can appear in women or men) are balanced by the positive male energy of the Shaman of Wands and the Sons of Discs, Cups, and Wands. The rest of the deck shows women in positive and negative situations (the negative cards always have potential for overcoming the problems) as well as acknowledging the grey areas between the extremes that many accuse the deck of embracing. People who find politics in everything can find them here too, but there's so much more to be found that it's a shame to dismiss the deck because of something so petty.

I especially enjoy the unpretentious, spontaneous artwork of this deck. The lighthearted charm of the paintings shines through despite their reduced size. Although I've listened to many complaints about the prevalence of nudity in the images, I enjoy the innocent "National Geographic" atmosphere this creates. So much unselfconscious joy is playfully infectious.

Altogether this deck is a lovely game with lots of uses in daily life. My boyfriend, who is usually too "manly" and logical for tarot or astrology, enjoys it as much as I do.