Womens_Bodies

“The Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom cards will help you read your current energy field and show how your thoughts and beliefs are affecting your ability to create, express yourself effectively, heal, use your mind and hear simultaneously, and achieve successful relationships with others.” – The author

According to obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Christiane Northrup, the universal law of attraction operates all the time, working seamlessly through every part of our lives. We “vibrate” a certain frequency according to our thoughts, emotions and beliefs—whether conscious or not. Some of these beliefs are inherited from previous generation, and these vibrational patterns create “matches” which are mirrored in our circumstances. So if an individual is creating a scenario they don’t like, Dr. Northrup asserts that this circumstance was “created” by an unhealthy thought pattern.

By becoming conscious of these patterns, we can change what is no longer working well and reinforce what is. Engaging inner wisdom coupled with openness to Guidance is the key to improving habits of thought, emotion, and behavior.

Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom Healing Cards is a 50 card deck that was designed to be used as an oracle. If the deck is approached with the expectation of receiving Guidance, says Northrup, then “you’ll always pick the cards that contain precisely the message you most need to further your personal growth at the moment.”

The deck is divided into five “suits” which reflect five key life areas:

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Fertility and Creativity

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Partnership

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Nurturance/Self Care

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Self-Expression

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Enlightened Heart & Mind

These “suits” are show in pastels: sage green, pale yellow, lavender, mauve, and cornflower blue. The deck itself features shiny gilt edging, just like Doreen Virtue’s Magical Unicorns Oracle Cards and Kat Black’s Golden Tarot.

Within each of the five “suits” are ten developmental steps that require mastery in order to progress in life or improve health. These ten steps are reflected in ten cards that remain the same for all five “suits”. These ten developmental steps are noted on the bottom of the cards, accompanied by roman numerals:

I Imagine/Allow

II Prepare

III Flexibility Within Structure

IV Hierarchy vs. Partnership

V Perfection vs. Imperfection

VI Risk vs. Safety

VII Active vs. Passive

VIII Channel Clearly

IX Regroup

X Complete and Move On

So let’s say you draw the number VI Risk vs. Safety card from the Enlightened Heart and Mind suit. The advice is:

New ideas and ways of doing things are often threatening to the status quo. Have the courage to advance your ideas despite the resistance of others. Do so with an open heart and compassion for the point of view of others.

Risk keeping an open mind and heart, despite the opinion of others.

Image Note: This image shows riders departing the safety of their village and negotiating a narrow path at the edge of a cliff. Likewise, you must sometimes take similar risks to chart new territory for yourself and others.

The images on the front of each card are impressionistic in nature and derived from the work of a master artist. According to Northrup, the images were chosen for the archetypal quality and classical style, not for the historical meaning or intentions of the painter. The card backing is lovely, depicting layers of wings in blue/green hues.

The 72-page companion booklet also features eleven different spreads (card layouts) which is quite surprising. Most Tarot guidebooks don’t even give you that many spreads! And they are comprehensive ones, delving into life purpose, family dynamics, chakra health, abundance, and more.

There’s a lot of good information in the Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom Healing Cards, but I’m not sure how good it is an actual oracle—as opposed to a healing/meditation deck. I tried doing the 4-card Conditional Health Reading and it wasn’t accurate at all. The “issues” and “advice” didn’t resonate at all. For example, Card 4 advised: Become a life long learner. Expose yourself to new ideas. Take classes regularly. Resolve to remain teachable throughout your life.

As an avid reader with a love of learning, this advice was totally irrelevant to me—as was the other three cards. If anything, I could use a break from all the exposure I get from reading, listening to audio courses, practicing/learning divinatory arts such as Tarot, etc.!

It would have been nice to have had original illustrations on these cards instead of paintings from “masters”. Despite Northrup’s assertions, I don’t feel the pictures themselves conjure up much intuitive information. Most of the cards feature naked women and seems more like a tour through an art gallery rather than a health and healing oracle. Still, the information contained in the booklet offers sage advice, and the spreads could be used with any oracle or Tarot deck—not just this one.

It really depends on what you’re looking for, but for me, the Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom Healing Cards didn’t “speak”” to me and I didn’t find the card images all that attractive, either.

Below are 6 images from this deck: