Motherpeace Tarot

The Motherpeace Tarot is a feminist-inspired deck of tarot cards, in which most of the figures are female. It was created in the late 1970s by two women from Berkeley, California, Karen Vogel and Vicki Noble. The idea for the deck came to them in a vision in 1978. The artwork in the deck is original. Despite its departure from more traditional Tarot iconography, the deck is still in print and widely distributed. Inspiration for the deck comes from myth and literature by and about women, including Greek and Roman myth, and contemporary writers, such as Alice Walker.

In the late 1970s, Vogel and Noble were roommates who shared common interests in Goddess spirituality, psychic studies, and the occult. One night in 1978, inspiration struck in an event where "Karen felt our room literally tilt, and Vicki proceeded to have a life changing vision of Goddess energy and transmission of ancient wisdom." They began working on their own tarot shortly after. The women began devising their new, feminist based deck based on their personal knowledge of feminism, history, alternative healing, and psychic studies. Vogel and Noble explored feminism on each continent. They followed traditions back to their origins, finding out how important women were in indigenous cultures. The Goddess was a very important figure in ancient cultures.

The cards contain custom artwork by Vogel and Noble. All of the scenes depicted are centered on women. The images are meant to focus on the importance of ritual, artistic expression, uniqueness and the idea of a culture that supports one another.

At the time this deck was created, the feminist movement was experiencing a surge in popularity. Women were empowering themselves in a variety of ways, but a great deal of attention was placed on feminist art and the relationships forged between the artist, the work, and the viewer. This time period is often viewed as one of the most progressive eras of feminist artwork. Although the mood of the 1970s was reported to be somewhat dark and uncertain, particularly in the Berkeley area where Vogel and Noble resided, the empowerment that many women gained through exploring their spirituality and artistic selves helped to push them through the decade.

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