Feminine decks that are not focused on motherhood?
bonebeach
wow!
I was not expecting two pages of responses when I checked back in! Thanks so much, everyone! So many decks I haven't heard of before!
first page of responses and then I'll look at the ones on page two:
goldenVI--the Art Nouveau was actually on my short list of decks to choose from in case no one answered my thread.
it is very pretty indeed.
ana luisa--I had dismissed the Vanessa before as cutesy, but now I'll go look at it with new eyes. Besides, it comes in a tin, and I love tins!
Girl Archer: it's not what I had in mind for my feminine deck, but I am GUARANTEED to pick that one up eventually because vampires are my guilty, guilty pleasure.
Le Fanu + Aeric--your posts bring up an interesting point that is, I think, a part of my issue I have trouble articulating. Sacred Feminine isn't motherhood focused, but there are lots of motherhood goddesses. And I feel weird rejecting that outright, because in real life, I absolutely don't believe that motherhood is this ALL CONSUMING solely defining trait. But mythology draws that distinction a lot--Hera's role as wife/mother as opposed to Aphrodite's, or Athena's. In Santeria, the love goddess is Oshun, and Oshun loves babies because babies are cute, but the joke is that she hands them over to Yemaja to actually raise.
avalonian, the nine lines looks REALLY interesting to me, actually. Definitely on the short list. The Devil and Strength cards are fanastic.
Citrin: the ludy lescot definitely doesn't look sugar coated! Hmm, hmm. goldenVI's question about it is also my own, but I can see how the deck might have lots of powerful females in it, too. Like the Hanged Man--those are definitely female hands. Is she tying him up or setting him free? I dig this question. And I actually really like the lack of text on the cards...this is definitely one of those decks I dismissed before that I'm looking at in a new way now. Further investigation is required.
Serenia, the mythical goddess tarot is very pretty! It's not the style of art I had in mind, but it is quite pretty and I love the colors.
I was not expecting two pages of responses when I checked back in! Thanks so much, everyone! So many decks I haven't heard of before!
first page of responses and then I'll look at the ones on page two:
goldenVI--the Art Nouveau was actually on my short list of decks to choose from in case no one answered my thread.
it is very pretty indeed.ana luisa--I had dismissed the Vanessa before as cutesy, but now I'll go look at it with new eyes. Besides, it comes in a tin, and I love tins!
Girl Archer: it's not what I had in mind for my feminine deck, but I am GUARANTEED to pick that one up eventually because vampires are my guilty, guilty pleasure.
Le Fanu + Aeric--your posts bring up an interesting point that is, I think, a part of my issue I have trouble articulating. Sacred Feminine isn't motherhood focused, but there are lots of motherhood goddesses. And I feel weird rejecting that outright, because in real life, I absolutely don't believe that motherhood is this ALL CONSUMING solely defining trait. But mythology draws that distinction a lot--Hera's role as wife/mother as opposed to Aphrodite's, or Athena's. In Santeria, the love goddess is Oshun, and Oshun loves babies because babies are cute, but the joke is that she hands them over to Yemaja to actually raise.
avalonian, the nine lines looks REALLY interesting to me, actually. Definitely on the short list. The Devil and Strength cards are fanastic.
Citrin: the ludy lescot definitely doesn't look sugar coated! Hmm, hmm. goldenVI's question about it is also my own, but I can see how the deck might have lots of powerful females in it, too. Like the Hanged Man--those are definitely female hands. Is she tying him up or setting him free? I dig this question. And I actually really like the lack of text on the cards...this is definitely one of those decks I dismissed before that I'm looking at in a new way now. Further investigation is required.
Serenia, the mythical goddess tarot is very pretty! It's not the style of art I had in mind, but it is quite pretty and I love the colors.
bonebeach
page 2 responses, woo
usually I'm nowhere near this thorough on forums but you all are just so nice
VioletEye, I think the art for the Moon Oracle is great! I think it's more stylized than the Dark Goddess and so I evaluate it differently? Or maybe I just appreciate the style more. Looking into this one more. Thank you for noting that the scans are some of the girliest cards in the deck.
Madrigal, I wasn't familiar with JCW before so looking at all those decks was an adventure. I think the Blue Moon has a nice dreamy quality to it. I agree that objectification is a tricky issue. I think most decks go too far in one direction, but it can be either direction--a deck that is very objectifying, or a deck that removes female sensuality entirely. It's a very personal thing, and in a tarot deck, assuming illustrated pips, the artist has 78 chances to get it wrong for any particular individual's taste.
gregory: hmm, I quite like the diversity of the Universal Goddess. Very impressive, actually! I don't think the art is quite the aesthetic I'm hoping to find, though it looks very well done.
Bookwight--oooh, the Tarot of Delphi wasn't what I was looking for, but it is GORGEOUS and I love, love Victorian art. Gonna look into this one more. I had actually looked at the Vintage Wisdom Oracle before and I've been mulling it over. But ooh, the Delphi...unexpectedly, this one is near the top of my hypothetical list now. Would look great with gilded edges.
And according to beautifulbooks there are TWO empress cards in it? I would leave both in. Definitely leave both in.
skyfiery: I don't know how I missed the Dream Enchantress deck before! Beautiful, beautiful. Stellar Death card, all nice and stark. I think I might like the expressionless masks, actually. The Secret Tarot by the same artist is also intriguing.
feynrir: I love the style of the Silicon Dawn! Queer and sci fi are definite bonuses for me. I think this is a deck I would like just in general/for myself. Onto the wishlist!
Metafizzypop, I have seen both those decks around but not looked into them much. People love them, though! I think before both decks struck me as being very positive when I was looking for something more measured, but that's a flash judgement on my part and I'll explore further.
AnemoneRosie: ooh, the Hezicos is borderless. That's definitely not what I think of when someone says fairy deck. Doesn't seem cutesy. Very neat!
Anyway, thanks again, everyone! I know my request was very specific while also being vague, and you've all been very helpful. More suggestions are always welcome, though I have a lot of thinking over to do.
usually I'm nowhere near this thorough on forums but you all are just so nice
VioletEye, I think the art for the Moon Oracle is great! I think it's more stylized than the Dark Goddess and so I evaluate it differently? Or maybe I just appreciate the style more. Looking into this one more. Thank you for noting that the scans are some of the girliest cards in the deck.
Madrigal, I wasn't familiar with JCW before so looking at all those decks was an adventure. I think the Blue Moon has a nice dreamy quality to it. I agree that objectification is a tricky issue. I think most decks go too far in one direction, but it can be either direction--a deck that is very objectifying, or a deck that removes female sensuality entirely. It's a very personal thing, and in a tarot deck, assuming illustrated pips, the artist has 78 chances to get it wrong for any particular individual's taste.
gregory: hmm, I quite like the diversity of the Universal Goddess. Very impressive, actually! I don't think the art is quite the aesthetic I'm hoping to find, though it looks very well done.
Bookwight--oooh, the Tarot of Delphi wasn't what I was looking for, but it is GORGEOUS and I love, love Victorian art. Gonna look into this one more. I had actually looked at the Vintage Wisdom Oracle before and I've been mulling it over. But ooh, the Delphi...unexpectedly, this one is near the top of my hypothetical list now. Would look great with gilded edges.
And according to beautifulbooks there are TWO empress cards in it? I would leave both in. Definitely leave both in.
skyfiery: I don't know how I missed the Dream Enchantress deck before! Beautiful, beautiful. Stellar Death card, all nice and stark. I think I might like the expressionless masks, actually. The Secret Tarot by the same artist is also intriguing.
feynrir: I love the style of the Silicon Dawn! Queer and sci fi are definite bonuses for me. I think this is a deck I would like just in general/for myself. Onto the wishlist!
Metafizzypop, I have seen both those decks around but not looked into them much. People love them, though! I think before both decks struck me as being very positive when I was looking for something more measured, but that's a flash judgement on my part and I'll explore further.
AnemoneRosie: ooh, the Hezicos is borderless. That's definitely not what I think of when someone says fairy deck. Doesn't seem cutesy. Very neat!
Anyway, thanks again, everyone! I know my request was very specific while also being vague, and you've all been very helpful. More suggestions are always welcome, though I have a lot of thinking over to do.
G6
goldenVI--the Art Nouveau was actually on my short list of decks to choose from in case no one answered my thread.
My Tarot Art Nouveau decks are still up for trade/sale. Hit me up if you decide to go this way. It'll be a good deal. ;-) It's a good deck too for people questions especially females, obviously!
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=239178
Citrin
Okay, I hope I don't screw up my answer with bad English now LOL let's see... I want to almost say, both?! I guess I resent the idea that a powerful woman is never a victim of some sort, because of the patriarchy we live in it's almost inevitable. I just got this memory of seeing an interview with Rihanna, after she was abused by C. Brown, and she was asked something like "We're all thinking how could someone as strong as you fall victim to this?" and Rihanna almost interrupted the interviewer saying with no doubt whatsoever "I AM strong. I am strong. And this still happened to me." and I loved that! It really touched me.
Some of the women in the deck do look like they're victimized, but at the same time I personally see in their facial expressions and poses that they will get through it, they will come out stronger afterwards. If you look at the Five of Wands - Yes, she's tied down and someone might be on their way to hurt her. But look at her willpower, strong body, aggressive facial expressions, to me that all says that she has the power to get out of there. The court cards are also great at showing those strong faces and eyes, in my opinion.
gregory
I'd rather agree... The femaleness in the Maat in particular truly grates on me. It feels full of "moon blood" (an expression I also detest, but that I realise is a bit unreasonable of me !)
Emily
I always found the Tarot of the Old Path pretty feminine.
Aeric
If there's one criticism I have of Sacred Feminine, it's the lack of mothers with older children. The deck has a lot of breastfeeding in it; while I don't mind that, I wish there were more cards that focused on mothers raising children and teaching them good qualities. Where children are involved, the focus is almost exclusively on the mother's role as the infant's survival, and only one or two other cards demonstrate how "motherhood" goes on a lot longer past babies. One of them is the Roman goddess Carmenta teaching the alphabet to her son. In general, the mother as mentor, guardian, and role model to her growing child is lacking. If the creators had dug a little deeper I'm sure they might have discovered mythic examples from the cultures they chose.
BodhiSeed
Shadowscapes seems to have a feminine feel to it, though it may not be what you're looking for.
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/shadowscapes/
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/shadowscapes/
gregory
Ancestral Path ? - not keen...
Feminine, mind, makes me think of pink frilly petticoats
I think we are looking FEMALE here ?