Daughters of the Moon (DOM) Aether Arcana/Majors

Ace was asking about the Life Dancer and wondering if it was considered the equivalent to the "World". I thought it would be a good idea to discuss some of the differences with this deck as opposed to other Tarot decks that are offered. I'd like for everyone to add to this, expressing how they feel about the subtle and not so subtle changes this author had done.

The DOM refers the Majors as the Aether Arcana

So now...the topic is open on the DOM's Aether Arcana....

List of Aether Arcana

The Dreamer/The Fool
The Witch/The Magician
Isis, The Priestess/The High Priestess
Mawu/Empress
Aphrodite, The Lovers (there are two cards for this pending on the querant)
The Amazon/The Chariot
Strength
The Wise One/Crone/The Hermit
Spiderwoman/The Wheel of Fortune
Maat/Justice
Reversal/The Hanged Man
The Phoenix/Death
Temperance
Oppression/The Devil
Pan
Coyotewoman, the Trickster
Kali, The Awakener/The Tower
The Star
Yemaya, The Moon
Amaterasu, The Sun
Celebration/Last Judgement
Shakti, Life Dancer/The World

Pan and Coyote woman are alternative cards. That is according to the card inserted in with the deck. So there are only 22 majors (or Aether) cards: 2 lovers and 2 of what? Coyotewoman and Pan. are they extra arcana cards?

I re-read what you wrote: she is saying: the Pan card is POSITIVE MALE energy. but for those that reject that, here is the CoyoteWoman. Weird!

This deck requires a lot of explaining for me and a lot of exploration. I can't wait!

ROFL....I can feel your frustration through the computer screen...ROFLMAO!!! I KNOW there's a lot to discuss about this deck.....yes...Pan and the Coyotewoman are additions making 22 Majors.

This deck requires a lot of explaining for me and a lot of exploration. I can't wait!

Click to expand...

Ditto...should prove to be interesting...especially if along the way we have men join this little study group of ours. I'd LOVE to get some input from them...but I don't think any of them would have the interests of buying and working with such a deck. For now, it's just Fantasyworld, you and I.

Male imput would be helpful. (any collectors out there willing to look at your copies???) I am willing to look at this deck, the Mother Peace is such a turn off, I won't touch it--and I really feel that women with men problems tend to be attracted to that deck!

I found my book but it still confuses me, why is pan positive male energy and why if that is important, does she include Coyote woman--with no explaination of the difference between them or the two lovers... and the World card, Shakti? in the black and white of the book, it looks like the SUN not the moon --the right side of the card is light and the left dark. I am still confused! oh, well, this is going to to be an interesting discusssion!

Ace said:

I found my book but it still confuses me, why is pan positive male energy and why if that is important, does she include Coyote woman--with no explaination of the difference between them or the two lovers... and the World card, Shakti? in the black and white of the book, it looks like the SUN not the moon --the right side of the card is light and the left dark. I am still confused! oh, well, this is going to to be an interesting discusssion!

Click to expand...

Ace, you have to keep in mind that this deck was created by many women and the founder whom is Ms Morgan are and is true feminists..through and through...However, as in the Dianic Wicca path, they recognize the need for balance, thus you have "Pan" and only "Pan" within the entire deck. Even the attributes of the Hierophant is bestowed or as the author puts it "gives the authority back" ...not only to the High Priestess but the Empress as well. The coyotewoman is there for the women that perhaps don't believe that balance is a necessity and/or that males do not make up the balance...for those they have that card and have the option to remove Pan from the scene. As for the two Lovers cards...this I think is good although they, in all fairness, should have had another card representing a gay couple and not just a hetrosexual relationship or a Lesbian relationship. Although, here again, being a pure feminist Tarot Deck...they see no need in including men...thus only two Lover cards are present.
In mythology, Pan has to be the most easiest going one they could have picked...mellow, soft...totally unmasculine in many aspects thus, fitting right into the theme of this deck, of which is the dominate female...

Here is a link on more of the mythology of Pan if you are interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_(god)

As Ms Morgan states in her book, feminist "her"storians have uncover information that matriachies predated patriachies throughout the world. In plain english this means Goddesses came first....male Gods appeared as sons and consorts...making the Goddess more powerful. Ms. Morgan claims that the myths were rewritten by men and thus the mighty father Gods appeared on the scene. She goes on to say that we now live in a male dominated world and that the young male gender overlook the older female gender thus erasing 8,000 years of women's knowledge and "her"story....not "his"story....

Is this helping any Ace?

Thank you, it does. Especially the idea that this deck is by committee. I will probably have a lot of questions as we continue, but I can't wait!

History on the Deck

I'm going to post this so Fantasyworld can read it too because she doesn't have the book yet...once I do, if you need any explanations or have any thoughts..jump in...now is the time to get a good foundation and understanding of the roots and concept of this deck before we carry on...
Here we go...(and this Raven just loves to type...sigh...Big hug to Fantasyworld but a gentle kick in the rear to get the book as well! )
~Quoted from Daughters of The Moon by Ffiona Morgan~

Daughters of the Moon was originally The Matriarchal Tarot, conceived at Samhain 9976,(1976). This feminist tarot project, which has now spanned 23 years in time, was originally conceived by a circle of womyn who were frustrated with using patriarchal tarot decks that did not serve their needs as an oracle. The belief system underlying the then-existing decks failed to reflect our growing consciousness of womyn, race, class and above all, Goddess or women-identified spirituality.

Like the Dreamer (or The Fool card in traditional decks), we were naive and could not possibly comprehend what a huge and complex project we had undertaken. We stepped blitherly into the world of Tarot and changed some of the basic concepts in a very radical and meaningful way. Some images that came as the Matriarchal Tarot are still with us, and new ones have been added as each printing evolved.

Through the years many womyn have worked on this project. There were times when I feared our intense transformational process would prevent the tarot's publication. Events in my life and the environment threw boulders in my path at every turn. Therefore, the publication of this deck in 1984 was a great victory, not only over worldly influences, but also over our collective internalized oppression, which at times manifested in betrayal and hurt among us.

Many sources of feminist and lesbian thought, art and music have served as inspiration, while life experiences and intuitions have been instrumental in guiding me through the deep waters of the tarot. I was amazed and astonished at the way events in my life would reflect specific tarto cards, sometimes those very cards I was studying and creating. I have truly lived and loved this tarot, in all her aspects. Sometimes these revelations appeared with too much difficulty and shock, until I learned to do protective rituals. Nevertheless, I have also been given great gifts of beauty and love that were channeled by the tarot.

continued in next post.....

History on the Deck

continuation of above...

Communication access is one of the pathways to personal power in this technological age. If the media is bombarded with commercials and violence we need to look elsewhere for images to refresh our spirits and affirm our reality. Recording comtemporary wimmin's culture, as well as researching and writing of the old Goddess cultures, creates alternative images in our minds, thereby greatly influencing our belief systems. Changing our basic ingrained beliefs is possibly the most important step in our liberation as womyn, to reprogram our thoughts/psyches so we have self-esteem and belief in ourselves and each other, and to rediscover the beauty and passion of the earh and the Goddess.

When conquering powers overtook older civilizations they often changed or destroyed theat society. Alexander the "not-so-great" destroyed 8,000 years of women's herstory when he burned the matriarchal libraries. This is why many feminist herstorians are adding these 8,000 years onto the present date, hence 9999 instead of 1999. Many sources agree that the tarot was created to replace the old, wise knowledge that was being lost by the onslaught of patriarchy. Some say magicians from many countries gathered to creat the cards; others say that the gypsies carried their knowledge through the Tarot. The hostile Christians tried to destroy the tarot by collecting and burning any decks they could find, as part of a widespread effort to destoy the Pagan religion. Tarot has always been linked to the kabbala, paganism and witchcraft, another reason for those who held power to program its demise.

I see Daughters of the Moon as a tarot of the "feminaries", a term used by Monique Wittig to describe the archives or records of womonlore and knowledge. Ancients kept art, sculpture and carvings on cave walls, just to name a few. Daughters of the Moon has reclaimed Goddess lore, dreams, memories, and hidden wimmin's herstory. I offer Her as a living/changing body of wisdom and a record of womonlore and knowledge."

Thus, the "herstory" of the deck and the thoughts and beliefs of Fiona Morgan....

Bio on Author

Here's a brief Bio on FFiona Morgan found on The Daughters of the Moon website...

"Ffiona grew up with her Welsh immigrant grandparents in a tiny town in Saskatchewan, Canada. She has lived in several parts of the U.S. (especially California), and has traveled extensively and given workshops in Hawaii, fifteen European countries, and Greece. She now lives in Sydney, Australia, where the balmy breezes delight her soul.

She has always been a political woman, an environmentalist, and especially a feminist. Ffiona has great compassion for all oppressed peoples and has given much of her life to political and feminist education.

Although a Canadian by birth, Ffiona has lived many years in California and the U.S. Ffiona carries the genes of her Welsh mother and her Rumanian father. She loves the Goddess and the earth with a passion and for almost 30 years has devoted her life to women's spirituality, as both a seeker and priestess of Isis.

She has a Masters Degree in Women's Studies and Psychology, and extensive experience as a therapist, astrologer, crystal worker, tarot and spiritual counselor and a ritualist. The name "Ffiona" symbolizes "light of the moon", and Morgan is the Goddess of darkness, visions, automatic writing, and things that are not possible. It also represents lost cultures, languages, and boundaries between the worlds. Morgan might choose you for Her own, as she chose Ffiona. "


Just some extra info....