An alluring and inspiring tarot deck guided by the heart in honor of the Divine Feminine, by the popular author of Inner Witch.
Whether you are new to the tarot or a longtime enthusiast, this radiant 78-card deck and companion book are for anyone who wants to empower themselves through a deeper relationship with the Goddess of Love and Sex in all Her manifestations. With Gabriela Herstik as your guide into the mysteries of the Divine Erotic, learn specific tarot spreads to assist in connecting to the energy of love and lust, as well as how to work with the cards to create rituals, prayers, and devotional offerings to Goddess—and yourself. Through this deck and the Goddess of Love, come back to the body, the flesh, and the heart as your temple and most sacred source of power.
From Amazon.ca
When I review a tarot deck I look at a lot of different things; first there’s the kind of basic stuff like how do the cards feel, how do they shuffle, do they fit in my hand, that kind of thing. Then there’s the art, is it beautiful? Does it get the message across? Is it unique? If there are human figures I look for diversity in body type and appearance. Finally, there’s the guide that accompanies the deck, which I like to be fairly comprehensive. I want to know what the cards mean, but also why those particular images are being used to convey this particular message. I want to be able to pick the deck up, read with it, and understand the message right away. I want something beautiful and fun to use, I need something clear and articulate, and I expect something unique to the creator of the deck– and in the case of the Goddess of Love Tarot I got all of that in abundance.
The cards are made of the kind of stock I prefer, which is a little bit thin and very glossy. The cards don’t stick together and I can actually hold the deck in one hand without straining. the cards are large enough that I can clearly see everything on them, but small enough that they can fit into a nice tarot bag and fit in my purse. As someone who is not good at shuffling cards and tends to drop things a lot, these are very easy for me to use and I seriously appreciate it because I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to look cool while reading my cards.
Now let’s focus on the art work. The art on these cards is collage style and I really love it. I love the layout of the images, I love the symbols chosen, and I like this combination of vintage and contemporary elements. The back of the cards are simple without being boring – a nice cloudy pink with a crescent moon. Then, the fronts of the cards lean heavy on this very sexy, vibrant red and it’s a great combination of sweetness and passion, dreaminess and sensuality, that I like in my love magic. The deck is romantic, it’s sexy, it’s simultaneously very happy and blissful and also a little desperate and serious. This is not only the right vibe for love, but for the tarot. Some of the major arcana cards feature different goddesses of love from around the world and throughout history, so you have figures like Venus and Aphrodite, but also Kali, Sheela Na Gig, Oshun, Innana, Hathor, and even Mary Magdalene. The collage artwork features real images of ancient statuary and carvings, or centuries old paintings of these goddesses instead of redrawing them to fit modern beauty ideals. I really love this because it not only feels very authentic, but their beauty feels undiluted to me. There’s nothing wrong with modern interpretations of what a goddess may look like, of course, but these ancient images from the people who originally created or worshipped these deities are so powerful. They’re combined with symbolism like roses, serpents, angels, blood, crystals, thrones, and flames that really get their story and their message across. The goddesses featured on these cards were so well chosen and since their names are listed in the book you can actually go on and find out more about them if a card really speaks to you. The gorgeous symbolism continues in the minor arcana, and some cards feature depictions of feminine eroticism or fertility, like the venus of willendorf. Colour really takes center stage in the 4 suits with swords using airy grey and a silvery blue, pentacles featuring this incredible dark emerald green, cups using a calm and cool blue, and wands using red and a very warm-toned pink. Naturally, the deck features nudity and sexual images, and while they’re definitely sexy as hell, none of it felt gross or crass or like it was just stuck there for shock value. There’s nothing disgusting or off-putting about the deck, it all pulls you in and begs you to look a little closer. I had to giggle at a few cards where a vulva was covered with a vintage looking rose while pearls fall from it like droplets, but only because it’s very clever and pretty. The whole deck has a very cool and very sexy vibe and I absolutely love it.
The great thing about tarot is that it’s an established system and the cards already have meanings that you can find anywhere, which means you can use this deck like you would any other tarot deck and go with the meanings and interpretations you like best, but I highly recommend the guide included. Gabriela is a great writer who uses really beautiful language to make even the simplest sentences sing to you. Just like the artwork, her interpretations of the cards combine this beautiful and romantic energy with something very powerful and ancient. When a card features a particular goddess she explains a little about their origins and mythology before moving on to the meaning of the card itself. It’s always very clear why she chose that goddess or that figure or that body for this card’s meaning and I loved the way those things were connected. Some of the cards are renamed and I think it really works for this deck! I think my favourite change is THE FOOL becoming THE VOID, and I love JUSTICE being renamed BALANCE. In the minors the court cards are given names that are more aligned with feminine titles so PAGE becomes MAIDEN, KNIGHT becomes WITCH (love that!), QUEEN remains QUEEN, and KING becomes CRONE. I like that the titles weren’t just random,, those words really match the traditional ones so it doesn’t slow down your reading. Of course, in the book she always indicates if a card has been renamed and often explains why. For every card she listed their astrological correspondences, and not just the basic twelve signs in the major arcana, but every card’s astro correspendences like the 7 of Cups representing Venus in Scorpio. Every card also has an associated affirmation and journal question throughout the book, with the major cards also having an accompanying ritual! I absolutely adore this feature. Every one of these journal questions has lead to some incredible insight, and the rituals allow me to put the messages of the cards into action. This really helped me stay focused on the lesson I needed for the day and kept the reading from just flying out of my head as soon as it was over. I tried the deck for readings that were specifically about love or sex and also just for general readings and group readings, and I thought the results were incredibly accurate. Even without consulting a different guide or straying too far from the interpretation in the book, I found the messages really clear and universal which can be pretty tough when you have a deck with such a specific focus. I never felt limited by the theme of the deck at any time.
If you’d like to learn more about magical sexuality I highly recommend Gabriela’s book Sacred Sex!
How the sexual theme worked for me is something I actually want to elaborate on here. Gabriela and I are very different in terms of our own personal experiences and desires when it comes to sexuality, and if you put us next to each other you’d probably consider us on opposite ends of the spectrum. I’m not asexual nor am I uninterested in sex, in fact I have no easily definable term to describe myself haha if you’re into astrology I have mars in pisces in the 4th house and I think that does a good job of explaining me, but either way: I am not someone who has a lot of sex in general and what I desire from sexuality is less about anything physical and a little more emotional and … dreamy? ANYWAYS. Even as someone like me that seems very asexual to others, I never felt uncomfortable by the artwork or the interpretations in this deck. In fact I felt like the deck spoke to me and to my experience! My own personal idea of sexuality didn’t feel weird or different or out of place. My ideas of love and relationships also did not feel like they precluded me from using the deck, and that’s really incredible because these are problems I have with a lot of love and sex magic. I think that’s something that I really love about Gabriela’s work, I constantly feel like my own beliefs about and desires for love and sex are not only ok but just as sacred as anyone else’s. This deck and her book Sacred Sex both allowed me to feel very comfortable with my sexuality and see it and myself as magical. I read Sacred Sex when I was in recovery for sexual assault and I found it so beautiful and helpful and empowering, and this deck really feels like a natural extension of that book. I’m so grateful that Gabriela sent me a copy of the deck (actually, she sent me sacred sex too now that I think about it! Thanks girl!) so I could check it out, and I’m so glad I get to share it with you all!
The Goddess of Love Tarot gets a very enthusiastic ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️/5 rating from me!
Gabriela Herstik is an author, columnist and witch based in Los Angeles. She is the Priestess and co-creatrix of Kink Coven, a monthly full moon ritual play party that casts a spell of protection on sex workers, and raises funds for mutual aid groups and organizations supporting them. Gabriela’s work and words on the intersection of the erotic, esoteric, and the Divine Feminine have been featured in the likes of Vogue International, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, The Guardian, Flaunt Magazine, and more.
Paige Vanderbeck, The Fat Feminist Witch 
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