- The Sacred She Tarot
- Author and Artist: Ma Deva Padma
- Publisher: Atria Books/Beyond Words
- Recommended retail price: £18.99
- ISBN: 1582708983
This elegant vividly coloured deck is Ma Deva Padma’s third, after the Osho Zen Tarot and Tao Oracle decks.
It comes in a sturdy box with a magnetic closure, with a smaller box inside for the cards and a thick landscape-oriented guidebook. An unusual feature of the guidebook is the amount of gratitude the author expresses in it – to the publisher’s staff, the friends and colleagues who contributed to the development of the deck (individually credited for each card image), Pamela Colman Smith and Lady Frieda Harris, and ‘the spiritual lineage of mystics, mentors and masters’ who inspired her. Her explicit acknowledgement of how collaborative this creative effort was adds to the depth and meaning of the images. The guidebook also includes a short introduction, a personal reflection on each card, a few simple spreads, a short glossary of symbols, and a well-chosen bibliography of ‘splendid books’.
The deck is organised like a RWS deck, with 22 major cards and four suits of 14 cards each. These suits are named after the elements, and colour coded – red for fire, gray for air, blue for water and green for earth, with purple, spirit, for the major cards. There are no court cards, but rather cards numbered 11 through 14. Each card’s number (Arabic for the suits and Roman for the major cards) and descriptive name appear in white lettering against the appropriate colour background on a strip below the image. These labels clarify the meaning of the image, and might be beneficial for new or uncertain readers, though I personally found them distracting and somewhat constricting.
The vivid and luminous images are mostly drawn realistically – the deck is full of people, animals and mythical beings. Padme’s interpretations of the images created by Pamela Colman Smith – a Native American ‘wisdom keeper’ (5), for example, or the close-up eye of a whale (21) – are often startling and insightful. I particularly loved the little bat Waking Up (12), the elegant infinity/hourglass image of Transitioning (13), and the calm mysterious Understanding (17). The suit cards are also beautifully interpreted, most aligned with the interpretations we would ascribe to cards in the RWS deck but some different, often with an insightful twist. Some require a little thought to recognise the image – the four of cups, for example, is labelled Frozen, and the seven of cups, Choices, instead of showing rewards shows different hats, or roles, offered to the figure in the foreground.
I did a simple deck interview:
What is your main characteristic? Three of air – Heartbreak. I believe this card as an answer to this question is cautioning me not to be too swayed by the beauty of the images, including this one. As with any deck, messages can be, and often are, unpleasant as well as pleasant. I need to be more open to accepting and engaging with the ‘negative’ aspects of the cards, and of life.
How should I work with you? Five of earth – Perseverance. This is an interesting take on the RWS Five of Coins, and does connect to the answer to my first question – when times are hard our only real option is to keep going and look forward to spring. This deck might be offering itself as one to turn to when I or a querent could use that kind of perspective and encouragement.
What is your potential? Six of spirit – Love. The image in the RWS deck suggests that only through our subconsciousness can we access our higher selves; in the Sacred She deck we see two candle flames merging into one. I think of how we can perceive of everything around us as one substance, and as connected. The image in this card reverses the idea of the Hebrew letter Shin as a flame – three branches extending from a single base. In this case the bases are separated, but the flame is united. There is a paradox and a lesson here.
I would recommend this deck for anyone who is comfortable working with the RWS deck but would like to experience something a little different, and see the messages of the cards in new and insightful ways. The images will delight you and your querents, and give them something to connect with, consider and discuss.
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