CBR's Goddess Power Oracle deck

[Starlight]

I happened across a video on YouTube by Angali Shakti, a Hindu, who used to be a student in CBR's oracle school. She's very upset about this deck because she believes that:

 

1. CBR basically took information from Angali about the goddess Kali during a private reading with CBR that she'd received as a prize (plagiarism on a soul level, and the betrayal of a student by a teacher);

 

2. the goddess Kali has been completely stripped of all her symbolism and meaning and power (as has Parvati, I think she says later on);

 

3. this disrespect of the Hindu goddess is offensive to Hindus;

 

4. this distorted reconstruction gives a very unhealthy message to women, of any colour.

 

 

 

In the video she also mentions that CBR has blocked anyone, including Angali herself, who has anything critical to say about this deck.

 

Some of the main points from the video:

 

She's included part of the recording of that reading she won with CBR which ends at about 12:04.

(She's included this to show that CBR herself admits that she's not familiar with goddesses as she'd like to be.)

 

 

One of the points Angali makes at 13:00, as she reads part of the entry from the introduction in the guidebook is that CBR herself wasn't called by any goddesses to create the deck, it was suggested to her by Hay House, the publisher. (I think the point Angali wants to make here is that it was simple marketing and profits-based thinking that was the impetus behind the deck.) Later on, she reads another part from the guidebook where CBR says that it was a healer who told her to include Kali and change her so that she looked beautiful.

 

 

Angali explains that she is Hindu and grew up in Tobago/Trinidad and spent a lot of time in temples. Her mother is Hindu, her father is Vedic. She says that CBR got the traditional depiction of Kali completely wrong (there aren't 8 arms and it wasn't men who decided that Kali had to look "ugly" as CBR puts it). The point Angali is making here is that CBR still doesn't understand Kali or her symbolism. (Ends at 17:28)

 

 

she shows the card depicting Kali.

 

 

There is a lot more to the video - Angali tried to contact CBR who brushed her off, said it was pure jealousy that was prompting her reaching out to CBR, and finally blocked her from any of CBR's social media platforms. Angali contacted the artist since she couldn't contact CBR.

 

(Ends at 26:43)

 

 

(Ends at 32:43)

 

 

Angali gets pretty worked up about how CBR spoke about Kali and the words she used, and also the message she's giving women. (Ends 41:54)

 

After this, Anglai shares some of the myths and stories about Kali and how they relate to her symbolism. I haven't included all the information Angali shared, it's a long video, but I've shared the main points she makes.

 

It was an impassioned video and very eye-opening for me. I have a couple of CBR's decks (The Enchanted Path and The Wisdom of the Oracle) but I haven't bought any of her more recent decks.

 

 

What do you think? Does anyone have the deck? What do you think of it? How does non-traditional depictions of the goddesses sit with you? (e.g. a black Aphrodite? Why not a black goddess instead?)

 

Does anyone have any thoughts after watching Angali's response to the deck?

 

 

It was very brave of Angali to speak up publicly about this. It can't have been easy.

 

[Saturn Celeste]

What do you think? Does anyone have the deck? What do you think of it? How does non-traditional depictions of the goddesses sit with you? (e.g. a black Aphrodite? Why not a black goddess instead?)

 

I want my gods and goddesses to be authentic.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts after watching Angali's response to the deck?

 

I can certainly understand her anger with the 2 Hindu goddesses.  I love Kali and had I seen her as the whitewashed version of a goddess I too would have been pissed.  It is the colors and as Angali said, the symbolism that is so important to any god, especially when it is ones that a person worships.

It was very brave of Angali to speak up publicly about this. It can't have been easy.

Very true!  And you presented this video and discussion brilliantly!  Great job!  I do want to say this about Colette Baron Reid, she is kind of filling the spot Doreen Virtue left and for awhile I've been thinking that isn't such a great thing to happen.  When I started collecting oracle decks, her decks were fresh and new and exciting.  But as the industry grew at such a rapid speed, other oracles came out that I liked better than CBR and I stopped collecting her decks.  I've noticed her newer ones just don't have that edge like they used to and are looking more and more like Doreen Virtue decks and I'm not surprised Angali came out with anger towards the filtered view of her goddesses.

[Raggydoll]

I have seen her video and it was the also the first time I saw Colette being interviewed. She did not make a good first impression  :rolleyes:. I totally agree with the critique that was raised. The whole thing is embarrassing and disrespectful in my opinion.

[Flaxen]

I’m afraid that Colette has been earmarked by the publisher as the successor to Doreen Virtue. Expect a rapid churn out of decks, each one less authentic than the last and merely to fill a marketing slot.

 

 

[Starlight]

I do want to say this about Colette Baron Reid, she is kind of filling the spot Doreen Virtue left and for awhile I've been thinking that isn't such a great thing to happen. 

 

Do you know, I hadn't thought of that until you mentioned it,  but that makes a lot of sense. Sadly. Money is powerful. If you have any weaknesses, money can bring them to the surface...

 

When I started collecting oracle decks, her decks were fresh and new and exciting.  But as the industry grew at such a rapid speed, other oracles came out that I liked better than CBR and I stopped collecting her decks.  I've noticed her newer ones just don't have that edge like they used to and are looking more and more like Doreen Virtue decks and I'm not surprised Angali came out with anger towards the filtered view of her goddesses.

 

Yes, I bought my 2 CBR decks because they were a bit different from other oracle decks. I felt they had a bit more depth than simple "love and light" type decks. But the more recent decks don't call to me at all.

 

What shocks me most is how EASY it was for CBR to make this distorted Kali, and do the same to other goddesses. As if, the term 'non-typical' makes it all right because "we want to be inclusive".

[Starlight]

I have seen her video and it was the also the first time I saw Colette being interviewed. She did not make a good first impression  :rolleyes:. I totally agree with the critique that was raised. The whole thing is embarrassing and disrespectful in my opinion.

 

I agree with you. She didn't come across well in the interview. In contrast to Angali's demeanour of understandable anger and upset, CBR comes across as superficial and blase.

[Starlight]

I’m afraid that Colette has been earmarked by the publisher as the successor to Doreen Virtue. Expect a rapid churn out of decks, each one less authentic than the last and merely to fill a marketing slot.

 

That was probably the plan! There are a lot of comments under Angali's video from some well-known card slingers in the tarot community, and if they spread the message on their platforms, it *might* cost sales.

[Starlight]

I suppose my next question is, how does one respond to this information? What is the right thing to do? Some people on other social media platforms have said they'll not buy the deck; others have said they're boycotting Hay House from now on.

 

I wonder what the bigger picture is in this. What is the takeaway? What is the right thing to do now? How do we proceed now we have this information? How does this affect our responses in other similar situations? Sometimes change happens at the pace of Nature, and that's ok. But what does this change look like?

[Raggydoll]

I suppose my next question is, how does one respond to this information? What is the right thing to do? Some people on other social media platforms have said they'll not buy the deck; others have said they're boycotting Hay House from now on.

 

I wonder what the bigger picture is in this. What is the takeaway? What is the right thing to do now? How do we proceed now we have this information? How does this affect our responses in other similar situations? Sometimes change happens at the pace of Nature, and that's ok. But what does this change look like?

 

For me, this means I will not purchase this deck and most likely none of her other decks in the future (I don’t own any of her previous ones either). I will also be much more attentive and do research whenever I want to purchase decks that could possibly be exploiting/misappropriating other cultures. I think it boils down to “when you know better you do better”. So this type of information helps us understand the complexity of deck productions. But we can’t just mention it once and then allow it to be forgotten. These last years so many issues have been brought forward, such as lack of diversity, whitewashing, stereotypical depictions and so on. These things matter to me and they play an increasingly greater role when I purchase decks. I also choose to buy less decks over all, but that’s another story. Opening up the discussion is a good thing. And it’s also important to highlight those products that one feels are breaking the negative trends.

 

Do you have any further thoughts or ideas?

[Starlight]

For me, this means I will not purchase this deck and most likely none of her other decks in the future (I don’t own any of her previous ones either). I will also be much more attentive and do research whenever I want to purchase decks that could possibly be exploiting/misappropriating other cultures. I think it boils down to “when you know better you do better”. So this type of information helps us understand the complexity of deck productions. But we can’t just mention it once and then allow it to be forgotten. These last years so many issues have been brought forward, such as lack of diversity, whitewashing, stereotypical depictions and so on. These things matter to me and they play an increasingly greater role when I purchase decks. I also choose to buy less decks over all, but that’s another story. Opening up the discussion is a good thing. And it’s also important to highlight those products that one feels are breaking the negative trends.

 

Do you have any further thoughts or ideas?

 

Like you, Raggydoll, I'm not going to buy any more of CBR's decks and by all accounts Hay House has slid down the slippery slope of profit margin ideology, so I'll be avoiding their decks, as well.

 

But like you said, this is not a one-off situation, and we shouldn't allow the ball to drop. This is systemic. When I listened to Angali, I was reminded of #blacklivesmatter and #metoo, and also the move away from fast fashion because of the dangers to overworked, underpaid women and children in hazardous working conditions.

 

It's all coming to the surface, which made me think there's an energy sweeping through the world right now that's not allowing abuse, in whatever form it takes, to remain hidden or secret any longer.

 

And with that said, I suppose there's no real, "This is how you should act". It's more about having an understanding of what sits well with our values once we have the information. It's about informed choices, whichever way we decide to go. And how we can't hide behind the excuse, "Well I didn't KNOW!" We have to squarely face the consequences of our choices, see ourselves clearly as we make them. Those layers are not being allowed to remain hidden or secret either. If we're not careful of how we act, it is likely someone will call us out! Not even CBR was untouchable.

[Starlight]

Yikes. I think I broke this thread.  :eek:

 

I've been doing a lot more thinking about Angali's video and some of the links to other events happening/that have happened in the world (Metoo, BLM, the North Dakota Pipeline, etc. (Even the French Revolution, although THAT was extreme.)) When I posted here last, I hadn't quite gathered all of my thoughts together coherently - sometimes I write to try and process what's going on in my head, but perhaps that's not a good thing to do on a forum (any forum). So if I mis-spoke and have upset anyone, please forgive me.

 

Perhaps I should be posting this to a separate more personal thread because I've realised that Angali's video actually resonated with me on two levels. The first one is the more obvious and straightforward - her anger and grief at the cultural appropriation and disrespect shown by her spiritual teacher, in addition to the plagiarisation and betrayal of a student-teacher confidence. The white-washing of goddesses and the justification under the label "non-typical".

 

The second level is the more personal one. VOICE. The power of the human voice. (And this is where it links to all the other events.) Never give up. Never give in. Stand up and speak your truth, even in the face of those who have more force behind them than you. Words ARE heard. They are seeds and they do fall on fertile ground, even if it's not obvious at first. And change will come because of that. It may not be as fast as we want it to be, but it *will* come.

 

(It was an interview with a former assistant of Harvey Weinstein's, Zelda Perkins, that helped me to understand what I was feeling, particularly what she said towards the end of the interview:

))

[Emilija]

So, I've watched the first video and I've listened to what Angali has said (that's what we should do), and it is enough for me to not want to purchase the deck. I feel that CBR has appropriated a culture without even properly consulting someone from that culture, and that's a serious faux pas. Taking something that is sacred to millions and then misrepresenting it is a serious no-no. 

[Starlight]

Benebell Wen has written a blog post about this deck and other decks and how they're being received by POC in particular in the Tarot community. As always, she has some great insights, although I don't agree with everyrhing she says.

 

https://benebellwen.com/2019/08/23/identity-politics-sensitivity-and-deck-creators/