The Sacred Sisterhood Tarot

The Sacred Sisterhood Tarot is “reimagined around the female identity.” As you’d imagine, its focus is on female empowerment. This is not purely tokenistic, nor is the creator’s approach to inclusivity. Many of their artistic choices are original with a focus on proactivity without promoting a particular way of being. This is what makes this under-rated deck deserving of way more attention.

The Sacred Sisterhood Tarot Deck

To be honest I don’t recall how I came across The Sacred Sisterhood Tarot. It hasn’t been promoted by any of the more prominent YouTubers from what I can see so I’m guessing it came up as a suggestion on Amazon. That’s a pity. I truly believe this deck has a lot to offer because, while not a clone, it manages to maintain the standard meanings while adding some new perspectives and/or clarifying a message.

In muted tones of greens and yellows, with browns that range from taupe through to chocolate, and shades of blue ranging from sky to slate this deck is easy on the eye. The colouring feels old school and yet modern. So do the images. You’ll find karate kicking women actively shattering The Tower, sculptors, mums, children, bakers, adventurers, rock climbers and so much more. Women of all ages, from different cultures, with different body shapes, abilities, and sexual orientations are represented which ensures the deck is well rounded, versatile, easy to read, and highly relatable.

For example, I think this is a such a powerful representation of the Strength card. It touched me deeply and made me really think about how I define strength and what it means to be strong. And I so appreciate that in refusing to define what a fierce woman actually looks like this deck encourages us to do so for ourselves. Take the Knight of Wands as another example. Her current adventure is knitting.

About the cards

They used French titles to honour the Tarot de Marseille however English titles are used in the book. This seems unnecessary. I’d prefer one or the other. The Minor Arcana features only a Roman numeral that makes things harder than they need to be. I like Roman numerals on the Major Arcana but I know some people find them difficult so I feel this adds a level of complexity that the deck didn’t need.

The suits are d’epees, de batons, de coupes, and de deniers, but they are only shown this way on the Court cards and the Aces. They are obvious enough to interpret because the artwork helps the translation. However, I think either symbols or titles on all cards would have been good since the artwork isn’t traditional. That would stop any chance of mistaking which card is which, something I did with the Five of Wands.

Five of Swords or Five of Wands

Now it could just be me but when I first saw the Five of Wands I saw it as the Five of Swords and I thought it was great. I read it as using words to cut down something or someone that is in its prime. Possibly even as a “tall poppy syndrome” card which I always find a sad concept.

However when I saw the actual Five of Swords I realised my mistake. What it brought to the fore was that in some instances the suit isn’t as obvious as I thought it was and that pre-existing knowledge can impact how you perceive things. According to the book the Five of Wands is about friendly rivalry and being fair in the way you treat your competition. I don’t really see the artwork that way. If anything I feel it’s more about finding a way to reduce the competition. But, that could well just be me.

Moreover, I soon forgot the Five of Wands when I saw the actual Five of Swords. It hit hard!

Court cards

In The Sacred Sisterhood Tarot the Court cards are titled Valet (Page), Cavalier (Knight), Reine (Queen) and Roi (King). In a deck that encourages you to back yourself and your own interpretations I feel it is counterproductive to not make things as clear as possible. I did find it interesting that all the Kings have their back turned though. How you interpret that is up to you. “Follow the leader” was one idea that came to mind.

Physical aspects of the cards

Before I move on to discuss some individual cards and how I feel they talk to each other I’ll talk about the cards themselves. They measure 7cm x 12cm and are printed on matte cardstock. It riffles okay but straight out of the box it’s a bit stiff.

I like how well the reversible backs match in with the deck. However, I have noticed that some of the black is chipping away from the borders just like the deck has been chipping away at me. On the back of working with both The Unveiled Tarot and The Signs of the Times Oracle the different artwork has helped me edit my personal story in a life-affirming way. This far outweighs any issues I have with the cards.

Some card pairings

Queen of Swords & Three of Wands

The first thing that stood out to me was that this Queen of Swords is facing in the opposite direction to how you would usually see her. Here she is looking towards the past which I thought was an unusual choice. Then I noticed her eyes are closed. That changed everything since it suggests she is refusing to look at the past. The butterfly crown suggests her transformation is complete so she doesn’t feel the need to keep going back over things.

However, I can’t help but notice that she has also turned her back on the children on the Three of Wands. Does that mean that she refuses to remember what brought her joy when she was younger? Or, does she dismiss her inner child far too readily? I love this Three of Wands. She is exploring new creative options which is great. But better still she is not on her own in doing so. She has a willing participant that is literally supporting her endeavours. The importance of that should never be ignored. Unfortunately, far too often, that is not the case.

XV The Devil & Eight of Swords

So many of the contemporary versions of The Devil make us accountable. This is yet another example. Here The Devil is the voices in your head. I see it as referring to the negative self-talk and/or the imagined or real opinions of others that can influence how we see ourselves and what we are capable of. This card talks to me about the false stories we become chained to.

The Eight of Swords shows the result. Her own hair, something she has grown, binds her. However, in this version they’ve made it obvious that she can free herself. She is already holding the sword so you can’t pretend that it isn’t an option. Rather, it highlights that it is a conscious choice to stay trapped. From the outside it is easy to wonder why, but I feel for her.

I see someone who is scared to look beneath the surface to find the real truths. They can be just as intimidating as the false ones. But I hope that the hand covering her ear is her attempting to change things. If she can at least block out the external chatter she can begin to excise her demons and free herself from the power they have exerted over her.

Ten of Wands & Ten of Swords

This Ten of Wands hit me because it suggests she just can’t escape the weight. Whether that is real or imagined is not important. It is how she feels. That shouldn’t be dismissed. But then I started to see something else. Her posture suggests she’s leaning into those tasks/burdens/responsibilities even though she looks exhausted.

I wasn’t sure what to make of that so I did something I don’t do often enough. I physically matched her posture to see how it made me feel. Initially I felt a sense of resignation but then I found myself taking a deep breath and becoming my own cheerleader. I heard the words “You’ve got this” and I actually felt that I did.

But, sometimes, probably more often than we allow ourselves to, we need to lean on others for a while – preferably before everything gets to be too much. Sometimes we need a shoulder, a hug, or an ear that reminds us we are not alone, that this too shall pass, and that in some way we will get through.

Ten of Cups & Six of Pentacles

This is one of the most beautiful Ten of Cups. Not because it is the prettiest I’ve seen, but because of the sentiment it represents. I see two people, naked and vulnerable, prepared to step into the emotional waters and to face the obstacles together. Whether they climb the mountains or find a way around them they will do so hand in hand.

The Six of Pentacles suggests it might not always be glamorous but it will be real. If you’ve read many of my posts you will no doubt be aware that I often have issues with this card, but not here. Here we see someone actively lifting someone up. No-one is made to appear less than. That, to me, is how all help should be offered and received. This deck has offered a lot.

The Sacred Sisterhood Tarot Guidebook

Too often information about the deck’s creators is tucked away at the end of the book, almost as an after thought. However, on opening The Sacred Sisterhood Tarot Guidebook you get to meet both, Ashawnee Dubarry and Coni Curi. I love this because it allows me to form a connection with them early on.

You see them as real people rather than as just names on a box. Now not only do I know that Coni is an Argentine artist who draws inspiration from folklore, astronomy, mythology and the occult and Ashawnee is a tarot reader and astrologist, I know what drew them into tarot. I liked reading their stories and discovering where they were coming from in terms of the deck.

From there the book offers several pages of general tarot information including brief explanations of the Major and Minor Arcana; suggestions on how to ground, cleanse and shuffle your deck; and ways to use the cards such as journaling, meditation, candle magic and shadow work. I was surprised to read that she insisted that reversals, “should also be read as they are (and not turned back the right way).” The assertive nature of this stood out since generally she encourages finding your own groove. Maybe though it just stood out to me because I don’t tend to read with reversals.

Moving on, the next chapter covers female symbolism in the tarot. This is followed by a chapter on spreads. Then it’s on to the card meanings starting with the Major Arcana.

Card meanings

The Major Arcana have a dedicated page each. The card number, title and keywords for both upright and reversed is followed by a heading Yes/No/Maybe. For example, The Hierophant is listed as maybe, with the Ace of Swords a yes. Then the page is split into two columns, one for the card image and one for the expanded meanings for both the upright and reversed presentations.

The Minor Arcana offers the same information but with slightly less detail. It is presented in columns – two cards to a page – with the card image heading each column. Each section has a colour-coded page edge which makes it easy to flip through the sections.

Sample: Four of Pentacles

Keywords (Upright): Saving money, financial security, budgeting

Keywords (Reversed): Greed, hoarding, impulsive spending

Yes/No/Maybe: Yes

Upright meaning: Upright, this card suggests that it would now be wise to focus on your financial security by managing your money better and saving for a rainy day. Doing this will ensure that what you have been working toward will have a stable foundation in the future. 

In some cases the card meanings are a tad more prescriptive than I expected them to be given the nature of the deck. I would have loved them to have leaned towards the artwork rather than offering the more generic meanings. But I can see the benefit in doing so.

Also, given that Ashawnee Dubarry is an astrologist I’m surprised that no astrological information is provided. I wonder if that was her choice or the publishers or if maybe she doesn’t link tarot and astrology. If that’s the case I would love to have read a chapter about that.

All in all though the book is nicely presented and does what it needs to do.

Wrapping it all up

I feel like I have picked at this deck more than I usually would which makes me feel uncomfortable because I really, really like The Sacred Sisterhood Tarot. I feel like I came to it at precisely the right moment. When something told me it was the next deck I needed to write about after The Signs of the Times Oracle and The Unveiled Tarot I was surprised. Now I’m not. The artwork in this deck encourages you to be unashamedly yourself which ensures it lives up to its extended box title – The Sacred Sisterhood Tarot Deck and Guidebook for Fierce Women. I’m glad I came across it and I hope now more people will.

Summaries

The Sacred Sisterhood Tarot cards

Artist	Coni Curi
Card Size	7cm x 12cm
Card Stock	Matte
Shuffle	Okay to shuffle in any manner but a bit stiff
Fan & Flip Through	Clumpy to fan and flip through
Suits	De Batons, De Coupes, D Epees, De Deniers although Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles in the book
Court	Roi, Reine, Cavalier and Valet but King, Queen, Knight, Page in the book
Strength / Justice	La Force (Strength) VIII; La Justice (Justice) XI

The Sacred Sisterhood Tarot Guide book

Written by	Ashawnee Dubarry
Pages	80 pp
Appearance	Full colour, perfect bound
Spreads	One-card guidance Two-card advice spread Three-card traditional spread Three-card spread for self care Three-card spread for relationships Six-card spread for clarity Horseshoe spread (7 cards) Celtic Cross (10 cards)

Publishing Details

Created by:

Ashawnee Dubarry with artwork by Coni Curi

Pictured Version:

Published by Red Wheel in 2022

ISBN 13: 978-1590035252

Websites/Socials:

Coni Curi

Ashawnee Dubarry