By Sarah Taylor
In light of the prevailing themes and discussions on gender, gender politics, the roles of the masculine and the feminine — I thought I would bring the debate into the tarot arena. It isn’t going to be an overly long article, because my aim here is to provoke thought rather than to describe it, but what prompted me to write about this today was the question I asked myself:
“Is tarot sexist?”
This came to me after reading one of the Daily Astrology posts this week, and because I have recently started reading the Richard Wilhelm translation of the I Ching. I don’t claim to know a lot about the I Ching. I have had several I Ching readings in the recent past, and Taoism is something that has indirectly informed my writing as well as my own spiritual practice (as unstructured as that practice tends to be). I knew that psychiatrist and father of analytical psychology, Carl Jung, was a personal adherent of the I Ching; and it was the fact that he had written the foreword to the Wilhelm version of the book that brought me to its pages.
I digress, but to make this point: from the perspective of this writer, the I Ching’s language and imagery can be construed as being sexist — misogynistic, even. A woman’s place is subservient to men, in line with the hierarchy of Chinese social structure at the time when the I Ching first came into being. In which case, when I read an interpretation of a hexagram, I first have to come to terms with language and imagery that can be quite jarring, then re-interpret it in light of my own beliefs without compromising its deeper meaning.
Which brings me to tarot. Tarot, in the incarnation that we know it, has its roots in more recent history, though history tells us that the gender divide in terms of roles and status was still very much in effect then. It still is today. But is tarot intrinsically sexist? Would a woman take umbrage at the idea of a helpless ‘damsel in distress’ in the Eight of Swords, for example? Conversely, would a man feel pigeon-holed into the traditional role of ‘knight in shining armour’ when he saw the Knight of Cups? I have my own ideas, but I’m interested in opening up a debate.
What I would add are a few points that I offer up for discussion, in no particular order:
The tarot is an image-driven form of divination — unlike the I Ching, for example, where meaning is couched primarily in words and where consequently the hexagrams are less separable from their corresponding written meanings. This means that we are more free to put our own interpretation on tarot cards.
Although there are ‘base meanings’ for each card (which I still believe we can ignore at times), tarot has been opened up to myriad interpretative approaches in the form of the thousands of decks that are now available to us. This seems in some way to be a means of redressing imbalances, masculine and feminine being only one of them. We have cats, lovers, witches — anything that, to somebody, addresses a gap in expression.
As I mentioned above, discrimination cuts both ways. For example, earlier this week I asked where it is that women project their shadow content into convenient masculine targets as a way of disowning their own power or uncomfortable feelings. If we have a strong reaction to a particular card, is there a possibility that our reaction is equally about what’s going on inside us as about what is going on in the deck itself?
Which brings me to the final point: that there is perhaps a significant distinction between ‘man’ and ‘woman’, and ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’. If we see tarot as an archetype-based tool, then all of us embody all the archetypes at some point in our lives. I have been as much the man in the Knight of Cups as the woman in the Eight of Swords. Seen this way the tarot is a great equaliser.
But what do you think?
If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.
“I Ching of the goddess” by Barbara walker rearranges the whole order of the hexagrams to de-patriarchize it; worth a look and y’all be the judge. I like Waite deck best and see even court cards as ambiguous; knights are Joan of arc and I’ve known all manner of queens 😉 it’s more whether the western image set on that one works; horseback, angels, farming, building, city vs village vs wilderness even. My spiritual and art practice is the mix tape, tho, so I’m good with getting to know whatever appeals and picking it up and using it as I see fit. Great piece!!!
Take a look at the Connoly Tarot — she removes all scenes where it’s two or more women present…
Journey Home fits right in with (a project I am working on which I call) my circle writing. Only “problem” I’m having (with circle writing) is that we are so acustomed to linear thinking. I too, shall pursue this (deck) in order to learn. Thanks, Green Star Gazer and Sarah!
Dear Sarah,
The Songs for the Journey Home deck is one of the most magical decks I’ve ever used and it is nearly impossible to get anymore. It was created by two New Zealand women, one of whom has passed on. The other woman, the writer half of the team is currently trying to pull together the last of their stocks and fulfill long-standing back orders. The person to contact is Catherine Cook and her email address is: researchphd@xtra.co.nz
Supposedly they were going to be gathering up the final decks sometime this month or early next so this is probably our last chance to attempt to get these decks. If you want one, I strongly recommend contacting her directly. Coming from NZ, the shipping adds to the final cost, but the deck is very worth it, in my opinion. A unique and wonderful contribution to the world of Tarot.
The cards are round, and you can see some here:
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/songs-for-the-journey-home/
Even though they are round there still can be an up/reversed perspective since most of the illustrations are oriented in one direction but the book that goes with the deck (which really is helpful to unlocking how they are interpreting the card/image ) does not go into reversed interpretations. The authors were very careful to make this deck have a gender-neutral basis but you will see both female and male figures in the images. As I mentioned, the court cards are also re-worked in that they take the idea of the different levels of mastery of the suit/element. My only complaint is that they are unusually harsh with their view of the Swords/Air suit (which are called “Winds” in this deck) and this is probably mostly a reflection of their Spiritual teacher’s influence where all things mental/mind oriented were to be held suspect because we Westerners (supposedly) are already too much in our heads. But I temper these interpretations with my own and generally can overlook the bit of bias that one finds in-between the lines.
I was lucky to find the book on ebay, for $35 which is the most I’ve ever paid for a non-illustrated paperback, but it was worth it. The book is REALLY hard to find now. They made the decks in two sizes, the large size is very similar to the Motherpeace deck, but the smaller, traveling size is the one to get if you can. They are about 2″ in diameter and come with a little booklet that helps with their particular interpretations of their images. The colours are also a wee bit brighter.
The deck has a “soft” energy all thru it… quite a gentle and honouring of the whole of who we are without being fluffy or whimpy. It follows the traditional framework so it is easy to learn, they’ve just refined it greatly and brought it forward into a more modern format but one that is free of any patriarchal shadows of any sort. The interpretation style is similar to the concepts found in the Osho deck, since they come thru the same lineage, but the women have really raised the consciousness content up in their deck. I can’t say enough good things about it. I only wish it was easier to get because it is a vital and valuable tool for the times.
Patricia, I too have been through that – am going through that. My own therapy has been invaluable, as well as surrounding myself with people who also question. But I think that one of the most liberating experiences has been in my own university studies, where I am part of a therapeutic group of men and women. It is offering a very safe place to question a whole lot of things and also to be able to find a voice to reshape my idea of who I am.
Green stargazer,
Thank you for a great point of view! I often think “who am I today”….without much thought really. However, without social conditioning, who are we really? As a woman, have I over identified with the projected view on woman in our society? Well…yes, much to my dismay at times. Trying to fit into neat little stereo typical roles is exhausting and quite frankly bullshit….I say that with a little experience under my belt. Coming into this reality has been quite liberating….until I step out of my door or turn on the tv and see the stepford families that I was once part of. Balance is a state of mind, and can be contagious if projected appropriately.
Love and Peace,
Patricia
Thank you, all, for your contributions – and for that book recommendation, Len, which I am taking you up on, and for the Journey Home deck recommendation, Green-Star-gazer. I’m going to look that up right now.
I agree with all the points you’ve raised here. The ideas of Solar and Lunar are ones that I want to give more attention to in terms of the different quality of interpretation that they convey.
I think that it really is about polarity rather than naming that particular polarity: given that we live in a dualistic world, we live with both polarities, each one giving expression at any given moment. That’s where I think Temperance comes in – acknowledging the presence of polarity and working with it in a way that brings balance … or not, in which case we have the opportunity to experience both extremes.
I would like to get to a point where I can look at the Trigrams and see what I do in tarot cards – or at least see something other than lines! 🙂 I think it simply asks for more faith in our ability to intuit.
And, yes, Charles – some decks miss the mark in terms of the idea of polarity – or, rather, they express one without the other. Then again, maybe that isn’t wrong.
Personally, I find tarot empowering from both a masculine and feminine perspective … and every permutation of that that lies between. Although the imagery is ‘traditional’, the RWS deck feels altogether balanced – and, agreed, the Thoth seems to be a more deliberate move away from male/female imagery. I feel it on altogether a different level.
Much appreciated!
It might be worth considering feminist Tarot decks like the Motherpeace deck. A friend showed me her Motherpeace deck, I looked through it and found it entirely useless. But not because it was solely female archetypes that do not necessarily speak to my experience as a man. I could probably deal with that. The problem is that it has no polarity whatsoever. Just as an example, it is circular so it confounds even the basic up/down polarity.
Wtonderful food-for-thought topic, Sarah. interesting what Charles said that polarities often reverse at deeper levels. Made me think that maybe when I am projecting something onto a card or person or situation it is a polarity reversal of something deeper/unconscious in me– that concept might helpme bring it up and into the light more thoughtfully.
I also always liked the Trigram images and found them useful in understanding what was being meant by the yarrow stick throw. The obvious ‘sexist” interpretations were pretty much ignored by me. I also find useful Green Star Gazer using the terms Solar and Lunar for the differences in the energies that inhabit and move us all
I have not found any Tarot deck I have seen to be obviously favoring anything I consider Patriarchal, which is my schtick laiely.
Thanks for the tip on the new I Ching book, Len! I look forward to finding it and reading it.
This is an interesting topic. Like you Sarah, I have tended to filter out the sexist elements in the I Ching, whenever I have used it — I do wonder however, if I nevertheless took on some of the ideas expressed in the system: that it is dangerous for women to be too assertive, for instance.
The tarot has very strong female archetypes (Strength, the High Priestess, the Empress, the Queens in the various suits). These are appealing to me, partly because I discern links to the Greek goddesses and myths — there appears to be some ancient wisdom there — but also because the female images don’t require me to imagine that women are also included. They show me, very directly, that when the Tarot was devised, female energy was a creative, dynamic part of the whole and that women were not only seen as dark, passive and other.
At the same time, I don’t only identify with the female figures in the Tarot (I can feel like the battling man in the 7 of wands say, or the Fool). And I agree that the variety of decks on offer mean that you can choose images that suit your sensibilities.
Another reason I like the male and female images in the Tarot is because men and women ARE different — they each have their power and mysteries,
Katrina
Sarah,
Thank you for the benefit of your experience, erudition and wisdom. Your gentle challenges never fail to encourage my continued growth. Please allow me to offer something in return. There is a new and recent translation of the I Ching by Dr. Margaret J. Pearson, based on the oldest intact transcript yet discovered – you will be blown away. It’s the game changer. The title is “The Original I Ching / An Authentic Translation of the Book of Changes / Based on Recent Discoveries”. Everybody who reads it will be changed – guaranteed.
This is a wonderful topic for discussion!
When I was younger, and more identified with my gender and learning about Tarot and Astrology, I tended to interpret the images using the conceptual framework of “feminine” and “masculine” but even those were acknowledging that we each had both within ourselves. I use the Thoth deck primarily because it is less gender-oriented and I resonate with the astrological correlations. I like the Journey Home deck because they see the court cards as representing levels of maturity within the inner masculine/feminine constructs. There are definite energetic difference between how a young male vs an elder male approaches life and how a young woman and an elder woman do as well. I feel that court cards work best when they respect these different “frequencies of experience” within the elemental framework of the suit involved.
As I’ve gotten older, I have felt less comfortable even using the phrases “masculine” and “feminine” because they are so strongly corded to physical gender in our culture in particular. I am more comfortable thinking in terms of “Solar” and “Lunar” properties which we each have regardless of our physical gender and it is a sliding scale between the two polarities to be sure. But the Elements are then the filtering mediums or lenses for these two streams and those filters are what give us all the lovely shades and nuances that we see in the tarot. For me, paying attention to the elements and the Principals as well as the evolutionary progression (represented by the number of the card) is often JUST as insightful as whatever image is on the card…sometimes more so.
I’m very interested in hearing about how other Tarot users tackle the new/old concepts of gender in their interpretation processes. BTW, when I used the I-Ching, I often found myself meditating on the Trigrams themselves, which are very image-rich in an imagined way…I often found these subtle hints helpful in teasing out what it was the Oracle wanted me to know when I used the I-Ching.
I can’t answer for Tarot, I Ching or anyone else, but for me it’s all about what we call masculine and feminine energies*, not men and women. Charles said it well, “….elemental aspects, I don’t generally think of them as masculine or feminine, even though some might overlay that onto the active/passive polarity.”
Culturally, we need to get off the idea of assigning activity or passivity to one gender or another. As you’ve indicated, Sarah – it’s up to us to use a female figure pictured on a tarot card as the idea of a woman or rather , of a certain kind of “energy”.
Thx for causing pause to think.
I tend to view systems like the I Ching and Tarot as dealing more in polarities than genders. You know I work a lot with elemental aspects, I don’t generally think of them as masculine or feminine, even though some might overlay that onto the active/passive polarity. And polarities tend to be reversed on a deeper level.