AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

I thought I'd try posting a weekly Motherpeace card in addition to the Dream Symbols Dictionary. For those who aren't familiar with the Motherpeace Tarot, it was created by two women who shared a feminist approach to the tarot. The theme is based on the ancient days of goddess worship and tribal cultures as well as shamanic magic, spiritual journeying and healing. I've owned the deck for years but it really started speaking to me loudly about six months ago. I do wish that Tom would add more blog categories. Tarot is more spiritual than supernatural for those of us who use it as a tool for self-reflection and spiritual growth but I'm not sure that it fits under religion and philosopy, either.

This deck is more than tarot. The "Little People," as the creators call them, are often engaged in tribal and community scenes, depicting women in many phases of strength and spiritual work. It's used by some therapists and social workers in their work with clients.. Although the images are ancient, they still depict the dramas of everyday life that we all face. Although the first edition was written in 1983, it's still so timely that you'd think it was written within the past year. The historical and mythological information presented is extremely thought-provoking - in fact, freaky - because our life today has many parallels to the life that women lived in various periods of history. Although we like think we've learned something and that gender roles in society have changed, in many ways the structure of our society hasn't changed at all.

Motherpeace has come under a lot of criticism for being blatantly feminine-oriented. I won't deny that - but we all have both masculine and feminine traits and qualities, what Freud termed the anima and animus. Society has imposed gender roles on us for centuries, causing us to either deny or squelch some of the qualities of the opposite gender that we naturally possess, creating disconnection and imbalance. Sometimes when we do recognize and nurture these energies, they can spiral out of control, such as in the case of one who becomes overly aggressive in an effort to retaliate for being perceived as weak due to gender stereotyping.

If you're a man reading this, just adapt it to your own interpretation. In tarot, as well as in dreams, male and female symbols can represent their opposites because the symbols are referring to qualities and characteristics rather than the physical or biological.

Journeys With Motherpeace - Week of November 12th -19th

This evening I drew the Daughter of Wands. In Motherpeace, daughters represent youthfulness, the maiden and mother stages of life and personality, the part of us that directs energy toward creativity, dreams and goals. Starhawk calls this the "Younger Self," the part of us that experiences the world through senses and emotions at any age. You don't have to be physically young to take on these characteristics. Daughters in readings can also represent another person with these qualities. In tarot in general, wands symbolize energy and the element of fire, particularly physical fire related to the warmth of love and sexual energy. Wands can be sticks, clubs or actual wands and have been traditionally related to phallic symbols and male energy. In Motherpeace, they symbolize female power, strength and creativity, the ability to take authority and club any snakes that get in the way.

There's a wonderful slideshow on Karen and Vicki's site where you can view each card. Just choose Daughter of Wands from the pick list.

Motherpeace Slideshow

The cards in the deck are round! The standard size deck is rather large and hard to shuffle. Right after I bought mine, I found out that they also have a mini-deck, but I'd opened these and couldn't take them back. I've gotten used to shuffling it and don't have a problem now. Karen and Vicki have a plethora of books on this deck. I recommend "Motherpeace - A Way To The Goddess Through Myth, Art and Tarot" by Vicki for serious students. I started a "year and a day" in-depth study about three months ago. If you've ever had an opportunity to take women's studies courses or have read any of the old books like "When God Was A Woman" by Merlin Stone or even any of Starhawk's works, it will make a lot of sense to you. Karen has a shorter, smaller book which is good as a handbook, but she doesn't go nearly into the detail that Vicki does for each card. Karen's book is good for when you're in a hurry.

The Daughter of Wands is filled with the energy of the drive to fulfill basic needs, joy and fiery energy. The card depicts her wild, joyful, uninhibited run alongside the sacred white unicorn. She expresses these energies and emotions through dance and movement and personifies the Wild Woman, She Who Can Not - rather, will not - be tamed. Creative energy abounds and she's not only enjoying the ride, she is the ride, her own chariot. Her wild and free spirit corresponds with the earth and the season of spring. She may be someone who's been dormant for a while, has awakened and is excited about being reborn. It doesn't have to actually be spring for her qualities to manifest in your life - she follows any period of dormancy, stagnation, depression or time spent on inner work. You might experience her energies in the dead of winter if you're coming out of a dark, still or stuck period.

When she comes up in a reading, relief, joy and creative energy are ready to bubble up like lava from a volcano - or a long-awaited orgasm. You might be more physically active, having a genuine desire to work, create, exercise, run, dance or make love. You're connected with your body and want to use its wonder to channel these energies. A feeling of freedom lifts your mood. Perhaps you've found new ways to deal with things that remove some of the struggle, or maybe those thoughts and desires about a new project have been slowly heating up and are ready to boil over and take form - Ding!

Allow these energies to flow freely - she's given you a complimentary gas card with no limit so that you'll always have enough fuel to get you through any challenges that may arise.

She reminds me of the lyrics to Metallica's "Fuel" ~

"Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme that which I desire!"

Let it be your mantra.

Love,

Parthena