Motherpeace Tarot: Deck & Book Set

24 Comments

1. Anonymous says:

   December 12, 2009 at 6:58 am

   The authors of this deck, that is. I mean, I have read some of the other reviews, and to me, the bigotry evident in this deck is inarguable. The artwork is a notch above cave paintings–which may or may not be intentional–and compared to some of the other decks out there (like the Thoth deck), it is very inadequate.

   The authors’ “wild wanton womyn” theme is so mannered and tedious that one quickly tires of the deck. True tarot decks represent true diversity with a wide range of archetypes. The Motherpeace deck limits itself to one archetype (the Matriarch) and very narrow variations thereof.

   The authors express a blatant dislike of males and maleness–in the book more than the deck, although it is VERY clear in the deck once you have perused the book.

   This might make a good gag gift if you have money to burn, but, really, it is quite unpleasant.
   Rating: 1 / 5
2. Mark Prosser says:

   December 12, 2009 at 7:27 am

   This is not really a tarot deck; it is a political tract. It appeals, really, to a VERY limited audience, but those to whom it does appeal defend it vigorously.

   Its main attraction, I think, is its venomous male-bashing throughout. In fact, it is very generous in its misanthropy. The authors’ philosophy draws heavily on the colorful and not unentertaining works of Mary Daly, but, sadly, Noble and her accomplice take Daly’s ravings seriously. The deck suffers for it.

   This really is not a life affirming deck in any sense.

   The artwork is unskilled. The deck’s roundness is gimmicky, not useful.
   Rating: 1 / 5
3. Michelle Manning says:

   December 12, 2009 at 8:44 am

   The sort of radical feminism expressed pictorially in the deck, and literally in the book was a bitter pill to swallow in the 70’s and it’s darn-nigh impossible now. The hyper-sensitivity of our culture’s increased sensitivity to hate makes the male bashing in this work conspicuous and hard to take. When I started reading with this deck, I really liked the innovation of the round cards, and the feminization of many of the characters portrayed in them. But upon studying the book (which I bought at a later date), and seeing the bitterness underlying the so-called celebrations of womanhood…well, I lost my taste for the whole shebang.

   I have to agree with the reviewers who comment on the deck’s male-bashing. Patriarchy-bashing has always been a thinly-disguised male-bashing, which a reading of the book will confirm. The persistent demonization of men is something else. In traditional tarot decks, for instance, the Emperor card signifies government, authority, organization…things like that: typically “male” characteristics. In the MP deck, however, the authors give us Alexander the “Great”–THEIR quotation marks! Alexander is “Great”, and not merely Great, because, supposedly, he burned down the “great matriarchal libraries” and institutionalized rape (and as far as they are concerned, he apparently accomplished nothing else). The authors warn us that when we draw this card, it shows that we are confronting an oppressive patriarchy. Funny, no?

   The Devil card depicts the “Big Man,” as the authors put it, the head honcho at the top of his corporate hierarchy, oppressing women and minorities. Of course, not a single female in this deck depicts anything remotely negative–only males fill that role. If this isn’t bigotry, I don’t know what is.

   The artwork is rather cute, in its simple way. I find very few decks have consistently appealing artwork. The Thoth deck does, and so (probably as a matter of sheer familiarity) does the Rider Waite deck. Motherpeace’s rustic, kid-like artwork is appealing, I suppose, in a way that more polished new-agey decks aren’t. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough to redeem the deck from it’s hatemongering agenda. We need true egalitarianism in the world, not more hate, which is what these authors provide.
   Rating: 1 / 5
4. Terrell says:

   December 12, 2009 at 9:41 am

   Hate to offer up a cliche, but with this deck, it isn’t inappropriate: When you toss out the bathwater, keep the baby. Nobel & Vogel have divested themselves of the traditional tarot symbolism and replaced it with the symbolism of an ideology that hasn’t aged well. You can still find a lot of depth and breadth in the symbolism of the Golden Dawn/Crowley/Rider-Waite-Smith decks, which because they express eternal truths–as simple as those truths may be, and as rooted in the symbolism of more traditional spiritualities–do not age. The MP deck, however, because it expresses a political position (and a radical one, too) pretending to be spiritual. . . well, it doesn’t age well. I’m struck most by the zealousness and narrowness of vision, one based on extreme prejudice. I think that once you read the book that accompanies the deck, they will appeal to you only if share the writers’ strong biases.

   I gave this deck two stars instead of only one because I find some of the artwork charming, if simple. Also, some sound use of color symbolism, but too much mix-n-match from various cultures to present a coherent symbology.
   Rating: 2 / 5
5. Sharon Monsastre says:

   December 12, 2009 at 11:58 am

   People seem sharply divided in their appreciation of this deck (or lack of it). I used this deck briefly, until I acquired the book, as well, and learned how truly agenda-driven the creators of this deck really were. Reading the book changed the way I saw the deck–entirely. I no longer use it.

   Fans of this deck say it promotes equality, but, sadly, this is far from true. In its zealous promotion of extreme feminist ideology (and when I say extreme, I mean *bizarre*!), it doesn’t seek to equalize social hierarchies, it seeks to invert them, such that the oppressed becomes the oppressor. The authors indulge in copious amounds of male-bashing. It’s quite strange, their resentment, and I think most people will find it very distasteful.

   Their ideology is far from a celebration of anything good. The authors seem to despise “manhood”–that is, any sort of human endeavor that hasn’t been utterly emasculated, and their celebration of life is, therefore, a tacit celebration of destruction. Although the authors seem to draw on a wide range of feminist theory, their own work remains intellectually simplistic and two-dimensional (women: good; men: bad).

   The artwork is okay if you aren’t expecting professional work. I don’t know if the childish drawings are intentional, to reinforce the primitive/multicultural themes of this deck, or if the artists just can’t draw. There is a lot of nudity in the deck, too–it isn’t offensive, it’s just tedious, and very self-conscious. You want to say, “Enough already! We get the Mother-Creator symbolism!” Their symbology is a subtle as a broad ax.

   There are some good multicultural decks out there–the Haindl Tarot comes to mind–but this one is bottom-of-the-barrel.
   Rating: 1 / 5