Goddess Inspiration Oracle: Erda

Big news: the Goddess Inspiration Oracle is shipping a month early from Amazon.com. But I’m still featuring a goddess card each Monday now through September, the GIO’s official publication date.

KEYWORDS:
wisdom
fate
divination

The Norse earth goddess, Erda, lived in a cave within the earth’s deepest recesses, which was set next to the roots of Yggdrasil, the vast World Tree. Yggdrasil was watered by Erda’s plentiful fountain of wisdom. Erda’s powers were as encompassing as Yggdrasil’s leafy span—the goddess and her magical fountain were often invoked by those in need of her far-reaching wisdom. Others believed Erda could bend the inexorable powers of fate over which she ruled.

Because of Erda’s association with fate, the Norse thought there was a clear correlation between the goddess and the art of divination. They often turned to the earth itself for guidance, using many aspects of it as oracles—animals, birds, the sky, even the ocean. They believed observation of these phenomena could offer divine answers.

Text and art adapted from the Goddess Inspiration Oracle, published by Llewellyn Worldwide. All content © Kris Waldherr 2007. All rights reserved.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Draw strength from Diana, the beloved Roman huntress. Channel your anger wisely with help from the Hawaiian fire goddess Pele. Consult Anuket for prosperity. The Goddess Inspiration Oracle makes it easy for women to tap into the sacred wisdom of these powerful deities.

From Abeona to Zhinu, eighty goddesses from across the globe are represented in this deck. Each card features a striking portrait of a deity, her attributes, and a message inspired by her unique story. It’s an ideal instrument for creating affirmations, sparking creativity, gaining fresh perspectives, and uncovering insights related to health, love, creativity, motherhood, and other issues specific to women. The guidebook offers in-depth descriptions of each goddess, keywords associated with her, and practical suggestions for working with the cards.

Purchase now.
Learn more or try a free reading.

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Lover’s Path Tarot on television

For those of you who follow country music as well as tarot, The Lover’s Path Tarot is prominently featured in a music video on CMT. The video is for Ashley Monroe’s “I Don’t Want To”.

There’s a tarot reading with the Lover’s Path at about half-way through. If the embedded video doesn’t work, the direct YouTube link is here.

It’s shocking — though cool — to see my cards on television. Some years back, I was told that the Goddess Tarot made an appearance on Queer Eye for the Straight Girl (a series that disappeared as quickly as Snakes on a Plane in pop phenomena). I never did find the episode, since I was without cable then.

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now shipping!

I’m pleased to report that the Goddess Inspiration Oracle is shipping five weeks ahead of schedule from Amazon.com. I just received my first copy of the GIO a few days ago — I must say that Llewellyn has done a beautiful job printing it! It’s, well, inspiring to finally hold it in my hands. I have the deck and book set displayed next to my work area, where I can easily browse through the GIO’s eighty goddess cards.

Here’s the official description from the publisher:

“Draw strength from Diana, the beloved Roman huntress. Channel your anger wisely with help from the Hawaiian fire goddess Pele. Consult Anuket for prosperity. The Goddess Inspiration Oracle makes it easy for women to tap into the sacred wisdom of these powerful deities.

“Renowned for her superb goddess-themed artwork, Kris Waldherr has created a simple, visually stunning oracle deck for accessing the divine feminine. From Abeona to Zhinu, eighty goddesses from across the globe are represented in this classically ornate deck. Each card features a striking watercolor portrait of a deity, her attributes, and a message inspired by her unique story. It’s an ideal instrument for creating affirmations, sparking creativity, gaining fresh perspectives, and uncovering insights related to health, love, creativity, motherhood, and other issues specific to women. The enclosed guide offers in-depth descriptions of each goddess, keywords associated with her, and practical suggestions for working with the cards.”

To learn more about the Goddess Inspiration Oracle, click here. It also can be purchased discounted from Amazon.com.

ETA: Between the time when I wrote this post and now — a scant 2 hours — all the copies Amazon had in stock appear to be sold out. That was fast! Though the Goddess Inspiration Oracle is now listed as a pre-order, I suspect they will be shipping it again soon.
EETA: It’s now available again for immediate shipping on Amazon! Also, someone asked how many goddesses paintings are featured in the Goddess Inspiration Oracle, and if there’s an overlap with the Goddess Tarot. There are 80 goddesses in the GIO — one per card, with one painting per card. Of these 80 paintings, 17 were featured previously in the Goddess Tarot. Also the GIO has just received its first review — but that is subject for a separate post.

Okay, that’s enough for one day!

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Goddess Inspiration Oracle: Nut

KEYWORDS:
the sky
the stars
protection

Nut, whose name translates as “night,” was a mother goddess worshiped by the ancient Egyptians as the physical personification of the night sky. Paintings depict her as a beautiful naked woman covered in stars, her body sharply arched over the earth in protection. She was married to Geb, the god who represented the verdant, green earth.

One myth relates that the sun god, Re, was reborn each morning from Nut’s womb; the rosy color of the sunrise symbolized her blood as she pushed him out into the sky. It was also believed that the dead were taken into Nut’s celestial vault, where the goddess would eternally protect and nurture them.

Text and art adapted from the Goddess Inspiration Oracle, published by Llewellyn Worldwide. All content © Kris Waldherr 2007. All rights reserved.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Draw strength from Diana, the beloved Roman huntress. Channel your anger wisely with help from the Hawaiian fire goddess Pele. Consult Anuket for prosperity. The Goddess Inspiration Oracle makes it easy for women to tap into the sacred wisdom of these powerful deities.

From Abeona to Zhinu, eighty goddesses from across the globe are represented in this deck. Each card features a striking portrait of a deity, her attributes, and a message inspired by her unique story. It’s an ideal instrument for creating affirmations, sparking creativity, gaining fresh perspectives, and uncovering insights related to health, love, creativity, motherhood, and other issues specific to women. The guidebook offers in-depth descriptions of each goddess, keywords associated with her, and practical suggestions for working with the cards.

Purchase now.
Learn more or try a free reading.

• Filed under goddesses, recent publications, tarot and oracles | No Comments

defining moments

Now that I’m in the midst of the New Book, it’s been harder for me to splinter my attention into blogging. I’ve continued posting my Goddess Inspiration Oracle countdowns each week, and some posts on publishing. But I’d like to share more than these bare bones.

I’ve been thinking lately about defining moments. (Maybe this phrase should be written with a capital “D” and “F”, to underscore their importance.) My life lately feels a bit like this right now. For the most part, things are in a welcome state of peaceful equilibrium, like the Balance card in the Goddess Tarot. I tell myself to remember this peaceful state and to cherish it. Having sold the NB, watching my daughter grow up into a beautiful little girl, feeling connected to a supportive community around me — it’s all good. I want to capture this defining moment, like a snap shot to be pulled out of my memory at will.

Though other defining moments I’ve experienced haven’t always risen out of contentment, they are equally important to me. They’ve helped me to figure out exactly I am, what my path should be. We all experience these moments, these quick-brilliant flashes of mythic living that illuminate our lives. What’s tricky is to recognize them for what they are before they fade into yet-another-detail to be cataloged.

One true story: I think I’ve mentioned in the past here that I lived for a year in England after I sold my first book. It was one of the most magical years of my life — it was the first time that I was able to devote myself entirely to art. And I was living in one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen, surrounded by intensely creative and gifted people.

Sometimes it was hard. Even with a book contract, I still worried about making a living and whether I’d be able to sell future books. I also worried that my art would be beautiful enough to move people as I’d like it to. Would I’d ever be able to reach the artistic goals I yearned for? I pondered this intensely, wondering if I’d chosen the right path. Art can feel like an indulgent proposition, when so much of the world is in trauma.

And one day, the answer came to me when I least expected it.

Of all places, it was on the Underground, London’s equivalent to the NYC subway system. I was in London to show my portfolio around, in hopes of alleviating my ever present “can I make a living as an illustrator” anxiety. Though the Underground was crowded, I managed to score a seat — much welcome, since I was tired from walking around the city all day. I settled in, keeping my eyes low and body tucked tight, to avoid any contact with strangers.

Suddenly, I heard a woman’s voice. “You must be an artist.” Sitting next to me was a middle-aged woman, neatly dressed in business clothing. She continued, “I usually don’t do this, but look at your hands — they’re so long and graceful. You must be an artist.”

Stunned, I nodded yes.

The woman said nothing else to me during that crowded train ride. But what she said was enough.

And what about you? What defining moments do you value?

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