Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom Healing Cards [Box set] [Cards]

Christiane Northrup (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

The Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom cards were created by Christiane Northrup, M.D., to help women reach clarity, fulfillment, and success in each of five major life areas: Fertility and Creativity, Partnership, Self-Expression, Self-Care and Nurturance, and the development of an Enlightened Mind and Heart. The deck comes with an instruction booklet that offers a variety of practical ways to access intuitive, grounded information on a number of issues.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christiane Northrup, M.D., is an ob-gyn who helps empower women to tune in to their inner wisdom and take charge of their health. She’s also a best-selling author and the host of several successful public television specials. Dr. Northrup is the author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom (Bantam 1998), ISBN: 0553382098, as well as, The Wisdom of Menopause (Bantam 2001), ISBN: 055380121X; both are New York Times bestsellers.        

Product Details

• Cards: 50 pages
• Publisher: Hay House (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401901441
• ISBN-13: 978-1401901448
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 3.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cards to Stimulate Your Own Intuitive Knowing, February 25, 2004

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom Healing Cards (Cards)

"Thoughts collide in the activity of expression, and the dance goes on with meanings that are beyond rational perception." ~Dancing in the Mirror by Bryan Walton

First, I must say that these cards are quite beautiful and the edges are smooth and golden. Each card shows art that was chosen purely for its archetypal quality and classical style. The interpretation of the images are meant to encourage your own intuitive wisdom.

The 50-card deck and small booklet are all you need to get started. The cards are divided into five key life areas: Fertility & Creativity, Partnership, Nurturance/Self-Care, Self-Expression, Enlightened Heart & Mind. These areas are clearly marked at the top of each card and the cards are color coded into pastel green, pink, yellow, blue and violet.

Each life area is divided into developmental steps which are represented on the ten different cards.

To use the cards you look at the image and then refer to the booklet for additional information as needed.

Of course I was a little freaked out when the first card I picked was the "Risk vs. Safety" card which might have something to do with all the messages floating my way in books and here we find someone jumping out into the unknown. I set out the "How to use your creativity optimally" reading. The first card is supposed to tell me what I've learned about myself so far. I picked Fertility & Creativity VI Risk vs. Safety. Then, the second card is about what you are learning now and I found Nurturance/Self-Care V. Perfection vs. Imperfection. Then Card three is about your next step and that said: "Channel clearly." Then, onward to card 4 where it speaks of how I can create value for myself and others: "Prepare." The last card is supposed to show my Highest purpose and it says: "Complete and Move On."

Then, you can look in the booklet to see the deeper meanings of the images on the cards. All the artwork is rather beautiful and the cards are in themselves works of art. I was very pleased to find the "Art Credits" because otherwise I would have been eternally wondering who painted each picture, etc.

From the cards I picked out I started to understand more about birthing new projects and seeing if creations will fly on their own. Am I being told that I am supposed to jump out into the unknown in some way? The third card was quite meaningful in that it explored the possibility of creating something of value for others that uplifts and assists them in their daily life. The fourth card seems to be saying I should make more time for exercise. The last card shows a woman sitting and reading beautiful books and is a painting by Bernardino Pinturicchio.

The entire process of being inspired by the cards is a highly personal one and all the cards really seem to do is bring elements to the surface of your mind. I found that it was very easy to figure out what the cards were saying because the booklet was helpful and the pictures made complete sense. Basically you are using the cards as mirrors to reflect unconscious patterns to your conscious mind. I was very impressed with the first results of using this card set, although they were a bit too accurate. ;)

You also get an education in art while you are being playful and intuitive.

~The Rebecca Review

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Contains Some Great Wisdom, July 28, 2005

By 

Janet Boyer "Author, Blogger, Radio Host" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom Healing Cards (Cards)

"The Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom cards will help you read your current energy field and show how your thoughts and beliefs are affecting your ability to create, express yourself effectively, heal, use your mind and hear simultaneously, and achieve successful relationships with others." - The author

According to obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Christiane Northrup, the universal law of attraction operates all the time, working seamlessly through every part of our lives. We "vibrate" a certain frequency according to our thoughts, emotions and beliefs-whether conscious or not. Some of these beliefs are inherited from previous generation, and these vibrational patterns create "matches" which are mirrored in our circumstances. So if an individual is creating a scenario they don't like, Dr. Northrup asserts that this circumstance was "created" by an unhealthy thought pattern.

By becoming conscious of these patterns, we can change what is no longer working well and reinforce what is. Engaging inner wisdom coupled with openness to Guidance is the key to improving habits of thought, emotion, and behavior.

Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom Healing Cards is a 50 card deck that was designed to be used as an oracle. If the deck is approached with the expectation of receiving Guidance, says Northrup, then "you'll always pick the cards that contain precisely the message you most need to further your personal growth at the moment."

The deck is divided into five "suits" which reflect five key life areas:

* Fertility and Creativity
* Partnership
* Nurturance/Self Care
* Self-Expression
* Enlightened Heart & Mind

These "suits" are show in pastels: sage green, pale yellow, lavender, mauve, and cornflower blue. The deck itself features shiny gilt edging, just like Doreen Virtue's Magical Unicorns Oracle Cards and Kat Black's Golden Tarot.

Within each of the five "suits" are ten developmental steps that require mastery in order to progress in life or improve health. These ten steps are reflected in ten cards that remain the same for all five "suits". These ten developmental steps are noted on the bottom of the cards, accompanied by roman numerals:

I Imagine/Allow
II Prepare
III Flexibility Within Structure
IV Hierarchy vs. Partnership
V Perfection vs. Imperfection
VI Risk vs. Safety
VII Active vs. Passive
VIII Channel Clearly
IX Regroup
X Complete and Move On

So let's say you draw the number VI Risk vs. Safety card from the Enlightened Heart and Mind suit. The advice is:

"New ideas and ways of doing things are often threatening to the status quo. Have the courage to advance your ideas despite the resistance of others. Do so with an open heart and compassion for the point of view of others.

Risk keeping an open mind and heart, despite the opinion of others.

Image Note: This image shows riders departing the safety of their village and negotiating a narrow path at the edge of a cliff. Likewise, you must sometimes take similar risks to chart new territory for yourself and others."

The images on the front of each card are impressionistic in nature and derived from the work of a master artist. According to Northrup, the images were chosen for the archetypal quality and classical style, not for the historical meaning or intentions of the painter. The card backing is lovely, depicting layers of wings in blue/green hues.

The 72-page companion booklet also features eleven different spreads (card layouts) which is quite surprising. Most Tarot guidebooks don't even give you that many spreads! And they are comprehensive ones, delving into life purpose, family dynamics, chakra health, abundance, and more.

There's a lot of good information in the Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom Healing Cards, but I'm not sure how good it is an actual oracle-as opposed to a healing/meditation deck. I tried doing the 4-card Conditional Health Reading and it wasn't accurate at all. The "issues" and "advice" didn't resonate at all. For example, Card 4 advised "Become a life long learner. Expose yourself to new ideas. Take classes regularly. Resolve to remain teachable throughout your life."

As an avid reader with a love of learning, this advice was totally irrelevant to me-as was the other three cards. If anything, I could use a break from all the exposure I get from reading, listening to audio courses, practicing/learning divinatory arts such as Tarot, etc.!

It would have been nice to have had modern illustrations on these cards, as is found on most Hay House decks, rather than paintings from "masters". Despite Northrup's assertions, I don't feel the pictures themselves conjure up much intuitive information. Most of the cards feature naked women and seems more like a tour through an art gallery rather than a health and healing oracle. Still, the information contained in the booklet offers sage advice, and the spreads could be used with any oracle or Tarot deck-not just this one.

It really depends on what you're looking for, but for me, the Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom Healing Cards didn't "speak"" to me and I didn't find the card images all that attractive, either.

(To see 6 card images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at http://JanetBoyer.com)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good System for evaluating situations., July 24, 2008

By 

bunnyrabbit4 (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom Healing Cards (Cards)

Increasingly, publishing to the "card market" follows the creation of a successful new age book. I collect cards and oracle decks of all kind and find that many of these decks work only as a "card for the day" type inspiration. Unlike Tarot cards, most lack a workable system. I was pleased to find that Dr. Northrup's cards were of a different breed.

As an artist and former professional card reader of many years, I liked her system from the get go. In the first few pages of her small but informative book, she grasped a concept that I tried to get across to my clients for years. Our present and future reality is created by our thoughts and the lessons we have chosen to learn. Yes, this is the same message as "The Secret" puts forth but in reality it is not an easy one to live. You have to understand how your energy is being used before you can change it. Tarot can show what is coming your way in the near future, but if you don't grasp the deeper meaning then all you see are alternate versions of the same plot playing out again and again. Insights into events are what change your life, not harping on the events and outcomes themselves. Dr. Northrup provides a system that addresses both the spiritual needs and the stages of the creative process needed to process them. You won't find actual events described here but you will find a wealth of spiritual and energetic insight.

Her cards are divided into five major areas on feeling:
Fertility and Creativity - Acknowledging your basic creative energy and channeling it.
Partnership- Working with your creative energy in the presence of others.
Nurturance/Self-care- Taking care of and rebuilding your creative energy
Self-Expression - Having your unique energy recognized in the world.
Enlightened Heart and Mind- Balancing the intellect and emotion.

Each area also has ten stages represented by cards with the same name but a different focus: Imagine/Allow, Prepare, Flexibility with Structure, Hierarchy vs. Partnership, Perfection vs. Imperfection, Risk vs. Safety, Active vs. Passive, Channel clearly, Regroup, Complete and move on. This resonated strongly with me as an artist because it is basically the same steps I go through when creating a painting. Why not use it in energetic creations as well?

The first reading I did was the four card reading on Life Purpose. Card one which represented the past was Risk Vs Safety from the Nurturance/Self Care section. It spoke of learning to receive rather than always giving. This resonated strongly since the last cycle in my life had been one of continual giving without benefit of much return. I had come to realize that this was a pattern created in childhood that was exhausting me. Card two was about the present. This card was from the Self-Expression group, the card was Regroup. Given the first card this made a great deal of sense because I am working on changing the way in which I share energy with others. Card three is about the future. It was from the group Partnership. The card was Channeling Clearly. Again this was a direct hit. As noted in the first card, many of my life issues involved dealing with people who had nothing to give. It was now time to clearly envision what I wanted from the people I allowed into my life. This also had reference to my partnership with my artwork as that too was in need of fine tuning. The final card, "what your inner guidance wants me to know," showed that I was essentially on track. It was from Fertility/Creativity. That card was again Channel Clearly. The issue of asking clearly for what I want has been a lifelong task. It was good to know that the rest of my reading showed that I was headed in the right direction.

I did several other readings on relationship with others and found the cards to be good indicators of what I was learning from or teaching to someone else. Who was learning what from whom seemed to be indicated by the level of the card. For instance a person I knew who was very concerned by what others think about her might pick a card from level 2 in partnership. Looking at that card I felt that I was a good bit higher up the scale and was probably the teacher. When I looked at my card it showed that I was learning a different skill from this person, one they were stronger in.

The cards themselves are extremely well-made with a good finish. The gold foil edges make them look very rich but the illustrations, while very beautiful, don't make much sense until AFTER you read the description. While this can be a deal breaker for me, I found that reading the advice was very valuable even without an intuitive "feed" coming from the images. The backs of the cards are also a very beautiful arrangement of blue angel wings arranged in a circular pattern that has a fractel feel to it.
Please note that if you have come to this page and see this product advertised for $60, the price on the box is $15.95 and I paid around $12 here at amazon. I am not sure what the problem is with one of the web pages but there are apparently two linked to this product. Here is a trick I learned. If you access the page with the $60 dollar price tag, click on the "search another edition" button beneath the place where a picture should be. This will bring you to the lower priced item.