This copy of Kris Waldherr’s Goddess Tarot got shuffled once and then put away. The cards still have that slick, squeaky new-deck slide, with no bends, soft corners or edge grime.
What you get
- 78-card tarot deck: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana
- Cards measure 3.5 x 4.75 inches, a little larger than a standard tarot deck
- Instruction booklet written by Kris Waldherr
- The original tuck box, with light wear on the corners and edges
- Published by U.S. Games Systems, Stamford, Connecticut. The cards carry a 1998 copyright.
About the deck
Waldherr set out to make a tarot that speaks to women through goddess stories while keeping the structure of the tarot intact. Every Major Arcana card gets a new title and a goddess who embodies its theme. The Fool becomes Beginnings, led by Tara. The Magician is Magic, with Isis. The High Priestess is Wisdom, with Sarasvati. The Emperor turns into Power, and Freyja takes that seat. Further along, Kuan Yin holds Sacrifice, Ukemochi holds Transformation and Inanna holds The Star.
One practical note for anyone who learned on Rider-Waite-Smith: in this deck Justice is card VIII, held by Athena. That’s the older Marseille-style numbering.
The Minor Arcana follows four elemental paths, and each one is led by a goddess. Lakshmi leads Pentacles and earth. Venus leads Cups and water. Isis leads Swords and air. The fire suit is called Staves here, and Freyja leads it.
Where the pairings come from
Waldherr matched each goddess to a card herself, as part of the goddess-spirituality publishing of the late 1990s. Sarasvati, Kuan Yin, Oya and Yemaya belong to living religious traditions with their own practice and their own clergy. Treat the booklet as a starting point into those stories, and follow the ones that call you back to their own sources.
Who this is for
- New readers who learn faster when every card has a story to hang the meaning on
- Deity workers and devotional readers who want the goddess in the room during a spread
- Practitioners of goddess spirituality, Wicca and other polytheist paths
- Collectors who want a 1998 printing in barely-touched shape without paying sealed prices
- Anyone shopping for a reader who would rather meet Freyja and Athena than a generic king and queen
