The Circle of Nine: An Archetypical Journey to Awaken the Divine Feminine Within

Gilchrist (Tarot Triumphs) evokes the “magic power of three times three” in this modest update of a women’s spirituality system developed in the 1980s. Grounded in nine mystical female archetypes loosely tied to British and European folklore, each of Gilchrist’s queens, ladies, and mothers is given symbolic imagery, common human experiences, and teaching anecdotes from Gilchrist’s own life. For instance, the Great Mother is a nurturer and embraces the cycle of life; the Lady of the Hearth is a homebody, nester, and creative force; and the Queen of the Night channels wild energy into new ideas. At the end of each archetype summary, a section containing “street, mythic, and personal” descriptions of how the archetype behaves provides further guidance for following this spiritual system. For instance, the Lady of the Dance street image reads, “Late in the evening, she is on her way to a club, dressed in something glittering, short, and tight. She is with a couple of other girls. They may meet men there, but they are more eager to get into the rhythm of the dance.” Older readers for whom the women’s circle model still holds appeal will find Gilchrist’s book well-organized and relatable, but younger readers are likely to find this updated and expanded edition still very dated. (Sept.)