Triple Goddess Tarot
Introduction
The Triple Goddess Tarot tells the story of the Divine Feminine as she moves from Maiden, through Mother to Crone before ultimately returning to Source. It is an uplifting deck that helped me to truly connect with my journey through these phases and to see them in a new light. I used this deck recently in a spread post about overcoming fear-based blocks and that process coupled with the philosophy behind this deck, has helped me see my life and myself in a new, and vastly different, way.
Triple Goddess Tarot Cards
The Triple Goddess Tarot seeks to act as a conduit to connect you to the triple aspects of the goddess – the maiden, mother and crone. Therefore, few men feature on the cards. With the exception of The Emperor, a few of the knights and possibly the 3 of Pentacles, they are not present as central figures.
To be honest, when I first saw IV The Emperor I thought he felt too harsh. At first glance this card made me feel that the feminine was being celebrated at the expense of the masculine. However, when I read the LWB I discovered that wasn’t case. IV The Emperor reads, “Your word is bond, set clear boundaries and keep to them. Don’t let others sway you. Structure is good and it can free you to attain your dreams.” In reading this I understood my reaction too. I am not good at setting boundaries so as driven as I am I feel compelled to put others needs first. It seems I need to embrace The Emperor a little more.
V The Teacher, one of a few cards to be renamed, is a further indicator that this is a generous deck not focused on pushing an agenda. In some Pagan-based decks The Hierophant is presented in a negative light. Here the idea of the card is rendered beautifully. In part the book states, “Learn the spiritual teachings of nature. Allow creatures great and small to teach you their messages. Seek guidance from those who are wise.” As someone very much drawn to the signs I notice around me, this speaks to my heart.
I The Magician, VIII Strength, XV The Devil and XXI The World have been renamed to align with the deck’s philosophy. The Fool is the narrator who follows the path of the triple goddess. The first seven cards of the Major Arcana represent what I The Maiden experiences in her journey to become VIII The Mother. The next seven depict the Mother’s journey as she moves towards XV The Crone, with the final seven showing what the Crone encounters as she ultimately prepares to return to Source. XXI The World has been renamed XXI Reunion to signify this.
When I sat with this idea for a while I began to connect to it deeply. I started to understand the relevance of The Crone replacing The Devil and how the two could relate. Then I watched an interview Arwen Lynch did with the deck’s creator, Jaymi Elford and it made even more sense. For me, The Devil often represents the things that we allow ourselves to be bound to and when I considered that alongside the transition from mother to crone it made sense. It can be hard to let go of our position even though doing so affords so much freedom.
If you look closely at XV The Crone pictured above, unfortunately purely labelled XV, you can see she has discarded her necklace and her scarf and she is walking away from her home. Material objects no longer hold the same appeal or power to encapsulate who she is.
A note here for those unfamiliar with Lo Scarabeo decks. They tend to produce cards in one of two ways – either like they have done with Triple Goddess Tarot, with only numbers and symbols used to label the cards, or they have borders with titles printed in multiple languages. This is because each Lo Scarabeo deck’s LWB is translated into five language. Labelling the cards in either of these ways ensures they stay universal.
I like the borderless presentation however there is one problem with this. Actually, maybe two. Firstly, in cases such as the Triple Goddess Tarot, if you don’t read the book, you don’t know about the name changes, and secondly, it makes the deck harder for beginners. One positive is that if you don’t agree with, or like the name changes, you are not influenced by them. In the case of Triple Goddess Tarot I think it does this deck a disservice. It also highlights why I recommend reading the guide book at least once.
That being said this deck is beautiful to read with. It really wants to communicate in its own way and in a way that is unique to each person working with it. For example, I see the similarities between the Queen of Wands and XIX The Sun above yet it was the differences that really stood out to me. In the Queen of Wands it is as if she is the sun and it’s the applause of others lighting her. I link the yellow dress of the Queen of Wands with the solar plexus chakra and thus her sense of self. Her self esteem is high and she is the centre whereas XIX The Sun shows a woman who seems lit from within also, but in a different way. Rather than being the centre of attention she is centred, grounded and free. There is nothing performative in the energy.
The 9 of Cups and the 10 of Pentacles, both pictured below, are further examples of this energy. On the 9 of Cups her happiness and contentment stems from her appreciation and gratitude for what she has. She doesn’t seem to want or need anything more. The 10 of Pentacles shows the joy of giving and receiving. As the card meaning suggests, she is the culmination of earth energy and she has plenty to give. She may be wrapping or unwrapping the gifts. Either way, I see her joy in having something to share and people to share it with.
Another pairing that hit home for me was the 8 of Sword and the 3 of Swords pictured below. The woman on the 8 of Swords reminds me of a friend I had a falling out with. It took me a long time to let the sun set on how that made me feel. In focusing on how unfair I perceived her actions to be, I remained trapped in a situation that, beneath it all, I was glad to be free from. It can be hard to let go of injustices but when we don’t, all we do is prolong our suffering. It took a long while for me to internalise what I knew intellectually and so it took more time than necessary for me to take control of my emotions.
The panned out perspective of the 3 of Swords shows that it is our thoughts about things that cause our sense of loss and heartache. We need to connect with the thoughts and emotions the loss creates but at some point we need to find a way to heal and use the experience as a catalyst for transformation. Ultimately, the lady pictured on the 3 of Swords needs to stand up again.
Some deck specifics
Firstly, this is a 79 card deck. For reasons I am unaware of, there are two 0 Fool cards. As you can see from the images below, the only difference is in the Fool’s clothing. They do give off a slightly different energy and if I had to choose one, it would be the one in the pants because somehow she seems more prepared for any circumstance. However, when decks offer multiple version of the same card, I tend to leave both versions in the pack.
I like the different energy/message they bring to the fore and therefore I don’t feel the need to exclude them. While these Fool cards aren’t as markedly different as other decks that have provided multiple versions for certain cards such as Tarot of Mystical Moments and Tarot of the Abyss, I will leave them in all the same.
At approximately 6.5 x 11.5cm the cards are ever so slightly smaller than standard tarot. The suits are Swords, Cups, Wands and Pentacles; however, there are some name changes in the Court. Pages are Students and the Kings are now Elders. As mentioned previously, this is not obvious without looking at the book.
The Pages and the Knights symbols are clear once you connect the Knight with the chess piece of the same name. However, crowns represent both the Queens and the Elders. Fortunately the artwork helps to differentiate the two. The Elders are all seated on a throne.
I love how the Queen of Swords pictured above has cast off the mask. She is who she is. This isn’t as harsh as many versions of this card yet that doesn’t diminish her power. I like that the Triple Goddess Tarot manages to be gentle, expressive, and supportive without appearing fluffy and light. It definitely has substance.
The Triple Goddess Tarot Guidebook
The Triple Goddess Tarot only comes with a 63 paged LWB. Only 18 of these pages are in English. The other languages are Italian, Spanish, French and German. Therefore there is not a lot that I can write about the book.
It opens with a key to decode the symbols used to represent the suits and the court before briefly sharing the philosophy of the deck. You can see the symbols used for the Queen and the Elder at the end of the previous section. Above are the Student (Page) and the Knight. I love the Wednesday Addams vibe on the Student of Cups and the use of the octopus. Together they make an interesting combination, but I digress. Back to the book.
Next come the card meanings. A few key phrases, printed in italics, follow a brief explanation for both the Major and Minor Arcana. For example, the Queen of Swords pictured earlier reads, “Know when to speak the truth. Be open and honest with others. Speaking your truth; being open and honest; charm; channeling wisdom.
Next there’s a Using the Cards section followed by information on the creators – Jaymi Elford and Franco Rivolli. And, that’s it. However, while there isn’t much to read, there is still enough to get you started. Once you have an understanding of the deck and its philosophy it becomes much easier to interpret the cards.
Conclusion
The Triple Goddess Tarot is a wonderful deck. The softness of Franco Rivolli’s beautiful illustrations encourages you to blur the edges and free yourself from rehashing standard card meanings in order to listen to your own inner guidance. This deck seeks to connect you with the Divine Feminine and the wisdom that resides within. It really is a pleasure to sit down and work with these cards.
In line with where I’m at in my life at the moment, this deck helped me to see myself, my life, and my place in the world in a whole new light. Admittedly that didn’t happen when I first started working with the deck. I obviously wasn’t ready. However, now, because of the changes it has facilitated, the Triple Goddess Tarot will forever more hold a special place in my heart.
Summaries
The Triple Goddess Tarot Cards
| Artist | Franco Rivolli |
| Card Size | approx. 6.5 cm x 11.5cm |
| Card Stock | Flexible satin cardstock |
| Shuffle | Easy to shuffle in any manner straight out of the box |
| Fan & Flip Through | Easy to fan, flip through, and generally handle |
| Suits | Pentacles, Swords, Cups, Wands |
| Court | Student, Knight, Queen, Elder |
| Strength / Justice | Strength (Mother) 8/ Justice 11 |
| Miscellaneous | Tuck box Reversible backs |
The Triple Goddess Tarot Guide Book
| Written by | Jaymi Elford |
| Pages | 63 pages (18 in English) |
| Appearance | LWB |
| Contents | Index Symbol Key Triple Goddess Tarot Major Arcana Minor Arcana Using the Cards About the Creators |
| Spreads | Triple Goddess Spread (3 cards) |
Publishing Details
Deck Creators:
Jaymi Elford and Franco Rivolli (artist)
Pictured Version:
Published by Lo Scarabeo in 2017
Websites/Socials:
Franco Rivolli on Instagram @francorivolliart
