What it is: Originally made in the 1970s, during the renaissance of the women’s spirituality movement, this tarot deck is unusual in that the cards are round and the images are women, and goddess-based. Symbols are taken from women-centered rituals and based in non-western (and some western) global cultures.

Growth Potential: I find that tarot cards offer new ways to see what is happening in my and others’ lives. The images on the card are symbols that seem to inspire people to deep reflection about themselves. Because these particular ones are round, a good reader can interpret the nuances of the angle of the card in a way that sheds lights on surprising aspects of a person’s life.

Pop Potential: “I don’t believe it, but…” is a phrase I’m getting used to the more out-of-the-closet I become about being someone who digs the tarot. In fact, I brought the cards to a party the other day, and I was pleasantly surprised at how many people shyly asked if I’d pull them a card. Way cool! I got to have the most intimate conversations with strangers I’d ever had, and bizarrely, people trusted me. Maybe it’s because I tell them, “I don’t believe in it either, but it sure is fun, and at minimum you and I will have had a kick butt conversation all about you!” Surprise, surprise…people get really into that! (Or, it could just be the gorgeous sketches of naked, strong, sexy, vulnerable women that make them so appealing.)

“Get Real” Potential: At the beginning of the book, Karen Vogel (the co-designer and author) suggests that these card allow you to access wisdom directly from the goddess. I know other people think of tarot as a means of divination, during which the teller can actually read the future. I don’t buy that at all…and yet it freaks me out when I pull the EXACTLY RIGHT card (like the time my friend’s dog died, and she pulled the “death” card; or the time my other friend told her boyfriend she wanted to get engaged, and he freaked out, and she pulled the card that essentially said, “someone loves you but is not ready right now.”)

What I Got out of it: Aside from the obvious popularity that comes with being the tarot reader at parties, I find that the cards are a wonderful way to reflect on my day, or my week. I’ve started giving myself a full reading once a month, and although I rarely remember what the cards “said,” I highly value the ritual of reflecting regularly on my life, posing a question, and then listening deeply to my own answers. Mostly, though, I really appreciate the opportunity to get to know my friends more deeply by giving them a reading when they’re in a particularly tough place…the weird thing is, I can ask them hard questions they would NEVER be willing to hear/answer if we didn’t have the cards as a neutral mediator. As a tool for making and deepening friendships, these cards rock!

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