Long ago, when I was but a wee lass (and by wee lass I mean awkward teenager), I had a teacher who was the quintessential former flower child....long flowing clothing, messy hair, eclectic friends. One day, while we were out on the playground, I lingered near her and another teacher, as she did a spread from the Medicine Cards for her coworker. Fascinated, yet slightly scared of what she was doing, I pushed the idea to the back of my head for many years, until, as an adult, I found myself studying the Tarot. It was only then, nearly twenty years later, that I remembered the Medicine Cards and sought them out on a trip to the local book store. They were still in print, just as I remembered them.....eagerly I bought the package and took it home, ready to delve into the wisdom the cards might hold.
It was then that I was highly disappointed. What had seemed highly mysterious, mystical even as a kid, was obviously nonsense. There is little in the way of symbolism to connect to upon looking at the cards. To make matters worse, the corresponding book seems to be filled with trite, condescending Native American "spiritualism." (And by spiritualism I mean a complete and total butchering of what the author probably believes Native American believe.) It made me sad, looking back on that teacher, that even as an adult (she was easily in her forties at the time) she could not see the mockery this made of Native American religions. There may be really good alternatives to the Tarot out there, sadly this is not one of them.
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