The Goddess Oracle Deck by Thalia Took

Thalia Took

Goodness. Thank you everyone, that helps a lot.

It's weird; the creation part, the art and the writing, demand absolute privacy, secrecy even, so that what will come has space to come; but to keep the momentum up, sharing is required. A very odd place to find myself in, given how introverted I am (which is very very).

But yes, all that helps. To know that people find it useful in a spiritual/religious/seeking self-awareness kind of way, is more than I could ever ask for.

To Sulis: I'm sorry. The painting I've done of Sulis is not part of the Goddess Oracle Deck. It's one of my later pieces, and is not in the same medium, format, or style, and wouldn't fit. And I had to decide years ago that I was done, DONE with the pen and ink and watercolor paintings for the G.O.D., or I would have gone on doing them forever; so I won't be adding anyone else to the deck, either.
 

Thalia Took

Okay, here's an example of one of the completed pages for the information and interpretation, to give y'all a taste for how I'm approaching this. This one is for Athene. (The first line should be italicised as a quote from the Goddess):


Cup your ear to the heart-of-wisdom.


Athene is a Goddess so ancient that the meaning of Her name is lost; but She has long been associated with Her city, Athens, and its sacred center, the city on the height called the Akropolis. The owl, with its bright eyes and reputation for wisdom is Her sacred bird and She is often shown with one. Athene’s sphere is the human mind and all its potential; She is known for Her intelligence and the clarity of Her thinking, and could be cunning and crafty when the occasion demanded it. With the mind comes invention and creativity, technology and civilization, and Athene is credited with devising many of humanity’s most basic and useful things, such as the olive and its oil, cooking, pottery, weaving, the plow, yoke, bridle, chariot and ship, the aulos or double flute, the trumpet, and numbers and ethics. She tamed the first horse, and, some say, breathed life into the first humans.

She is associated with the stormy sky, and wields the thunderbolt. She often wore the aegis, a sort of mantle which represents the thundercloud, and lightning with its sudden flash of brilliance is a symbol of Her insight. She is a warrior Goddess, adept in strategy, though She does not love battle for its own sake; rather She fights for justice and the reinstatement of order.
In legend She is given various fathers, such as the sea-God Poseidon or the Kretan river-God Triton; but most often Her father is said to be Zeus. In that tale, Zeus fathered Her on the Goddess Metis, Whose name means "Wisdom". But once She was pregnant Zeus learned of a oracle that said any son born of Metis would overthrow His father, so He took the precaution of swallowing Metis whole. But that did not halt the pregnancy, and some time later Athene burst from His head, fully grown and fully armed.

In the Greek conception Athene was a virgin Goddess, immune to the powers of the Love-Goddess Aphrodite and yielding to no male. This did not however mean that She could not mother or nurture another, as She did with the half-serpent half-human child Erechthonios Whom She raised to become the second king of Athens. In the classical story, Hephaestos the Craftsman-God was tricked into believing Athene loved Him, but when He came to Her She rejected Him, and His seed spilled onto the earth, creating Erechthonios. This awkward episode may well have come about to square an earlier version in which Athene actually was his mother with the inviolable virginity of later belief. At any rate Her virginity is indicative of a Goddess Who needs no male because She is fully complete and balanced within Herself.

Athene in a reading indicates wit and intellect, and the ability to achieve a favorable outcome. This card asserts that you have all the skills you need in the situation, and that calm, clear-headed thinking is what is required, whether the situation calls for diplomacy or for a fight—and also that you are able to distinguish between the two. You have access to a confidence and creativity you may not know you possess, and you can rely on your ingenuity in these matters.

This card also indicates great knowledge and learning, both of the "book" and the practical kind, and the wisdom to apply these skills properly. You are feeling inspired and inventive. The arts are almost certainly involved, and can include both what we call the fine arts, like painting or sculpture, and the "lesser" crafts such as knitting a sweater or building a bookcase, as well as other creative endeavors such as cooking a beautiful meal: to the ancients, and to Athene, they are one and the same, and equally worthy and satisfying.
Do not forget that in some stories Athene is a shapeshifter and more than a little tricksy, and that you may not always recognize Her influence. Keep your wits about you and trust your intuition and your deep sense of justice to help you see through to the truth of the situation.

Athene was traditionally offered pieces of beautiful cloth, such as the peplos woven in saffron and purple for Her annual festival, where She was also given honeycombs and cakes.

She is more usually called Athena: "Athene" is the form used by Homer. She has many, many epithets, describing the great variety of Her skills and characteristics: Polias ("Of the City"), Parthenos ("Virgin" or "Girl"), Promachos ("Champion"), Ergane ("Worker"), Mekhanitis ("Inventor"), Sthenias ("Strong"), Nike ("Victory"), Pronoia ("Forethought"), Apaturia ("Deceitful"), and Glaukopis ("Bright-eyed", though originally perhaps "Owl-eyed").
 

cardlady22

Thalia, I'd love a little timeline in the back of the book with the order you painted them in, if you noted and kept that info.
 

MoonGypsy

Thalia, i am curious, have you designed the backs of the cards, yet? If you have, could you put it up on your site? Or have i somehow missed seeing it?

Brightest Blessings,
MoonGypsyxxx
 

Thalia Took

cardlady22 said:
Thalia, I'd love a little timeline in the back of the book with the order you painted them in, if you noted and kept that info.

I did not, really, though I suppose I could figure it out. It would make an interesting (if personal) story of the stuff I was going through, true. What I remember off the top of my head is that Kali was first (and that I was not expecting it at all, nor was I planning on making Her the first in a series), and that Ishtar, Hel, Sibyl, Kore, Faerie, Bride, Aphrodite were towards the beginning. I went into it assuming no one was looking over my shoulder, meaning I let myself do what wanted to be done, even if it wasn't balanced from a logical point of view. And sure enough soon enough I got sick of the Eurocentric view of things and worked my way to some diversity (though I still don't think it ended up nearly representative enough) with Asian, Black, &c., Goddesses being included. In the middle there, also I went through a period where compassion was the theme, and Kwan Yin and the two Taras were all done together, pretty much. And then I got my brain around actually including a crone or two--the last card I did was the Cailleach.

Of course later I pulled a few out I didn't like and ended up adding another three, Morgana, Freyja and Sedna.

I have exponentially more sketches for Goddesses than actual cards; and I did notice that whatever 'kick' I was on (say, the Aztec pantheon) there was a bit of a delay in drawing the cards, so by the time I got to drawing them I may have ended up on another 'kick'. But I just let it be. Doing it organically as a journey whose destination I didn't know was the point.

A lot of it really was working my way through old stereotypes of beauty. I look back on the art now, ten years later, and think they could be more well-rounded (literally--it would be really nice to have some larger women in there). But it's pretty good.
 

Thalia Took

MoonGypsy said:
Thalia, i am curious, have you designed the backs of the cards, yet? If you have, could you put it up on your site? Or have i somehow missed seeing it?

Brightest Blessings,
MoonGypsyxxx

No, I hadn't put it up but here's a quickie scan of it:

http://www.thaliatook.com/pix/cardback.jpg

It's the waxing full waning crescent on a blue background. No border so it is immediately and obviously different from the front of the cards. (Hopefully.)
 

MoonGypsy

Oh it's WONDERFUL Thalia! Thank-You! :* It really is the kind of back i was hoping for! :thumbsup: !

Brightest Blessings of Sparkling Light,
MoonGypsy )O( :::grin:::
 

Vesper

Stunning. Beautiful. I get a warm and modern but also a little Art Deco impression from the images.

And I love the Knitty Kitties.

Will these be published soon? Ever? I really hope so.
 

Naneki

Oh how I really, really want this deck!!!! Can't wait to read the stories for them! Thalia, your art is beautiful. I feel each goddess has reached inside me and captured part of my soul.
 

Pamela

Goddess Oracle Deck

Hi Thalia,

I would be happy to help you with any questions you may have. I am the author/artist and publisher of the "Affirmations for the Everyday Goddess" deck -- so I have gone through the whole process! It is a challenging and hugely transformational experience creating a tarot deck and it does take a lot of time as you have already experienced! Goddesses are such a wonderful theme to work on for a deck and we definitely need more goddess energy on the planet right now. So, you go girl! The best to you and all your lovely work.