Learning Motherpeace Again

When I first came to the Goddess path I was fascinated by the Tarot. As my mentor shared what she knew about this once-secret form of divination and offered the use of her many decks, I was consistently drawn to the round cards: The Motherpeace and Daughters of the Moon decks. After practicing with both sets as well as the traditional Ryder-Waite I decided that Motherpeace was "my deck." I loved the somewhat primitive artwork and was drawn to the earthy palette. I also appreciated -- still appreciate -- that the Motherpeace cards are feminist and goddess-based, but still honor male energy.

I loved the whole ritual of reading the cards, the lighting of candles and incense, unfolding them from a silk scarf that I had chosen especially for holding my deck, the mixing and touching of the cards, stacking them into neat piles and breathing into a fully trusting relationship with my intuitive self as I choose the right cards to answer the questions of my soul.



Created by Vicki Noble and Karen Vogle

Each full moon I consulted the cards for insight into the coming moon cycle. They were ever at my side when I sought divine aid or struggled to hear the answers my gut whispered into my ear. Each year on my birthday I contemplated a lengthy spread for the coming year. I read with friends and eventually for them. I relied on my intuition as much as I relied on the Motherpeace handbook and my general Tarot instruction.

And then I stopped.

I don't know why. It may have been the year my mother passed over, and I slipped into a deep depression. I stopped doing a lot of things I loved that year, and twelve years later I am still working to recover some of them.

Now I'm learning Motherpeace again.

Two nights ago I took them out of their crocheted bag, unfolded them from their silk scarf and smudged each card, all 78 of them, one by one with a wand of burning sage. I divided them into their suits and arranged the Major Arcana from 0 to 22 then shuffled and mixed until my hands recognized the softly worn edges of their roundness once again. I lit a candle and took a breath. I made three stacks and pulled three cards. The rest of the world ceased to exist for a few minutes while examined the images on the cards then chewed and swallowed their meaning.

Bliss.

I've signed up for a free Tarot instruction class online and have joined the Tarot Guild, hoping to make some valuable connections and learn from those with far more experience than I. My heart flutters at the idea of being an apprentice once more.

Learning Motherpeace again means more to me than just brushing up on my divination skills. I am reconnecting, recovering. And it's fitting work in this dark season of my first year as a hatchling crone.

I'm learning Motherpeace again. Wanna read with me?