Haindl Tarot

DAUGHTER OF STONES - WHITE BUFFALO WOMAN

This card, one of the loveliest in the Haindl Tarot, expresses a cen­tral myth of the Lakotas. In his famous vision, Black Elk tells how two young men were out hunting when a beautiful woman approached them. One of them wanted to make love to her but the other recognized her as wakan, "holy." She was the Spirit of the Cow Buffalo (once again, the sacred cow, the animal found in all four directions). When the young men had escorted her to the community sacred lodge, she told the people she had come to instruct them in the rituals. Above all, she had come to bring them the pipe.

The pipe embodies the cosmos: male and female (the bowl and the stem), stone and wood, the plants of the Earth, and the Fire that transforms them. The red stem comes from the ground, while the buffalo head symbolizes all "four-legged people." The wooden stem represents all plants, while the eagle feathers represent the birds. The twelve feathers signify the months of the year. The person smoking the pipe becomes joined to the world (though we do not find Water).

And when the smoke rises through the hole at the top of the lodge, the soul can follow the trail to the land of the Spirits.

As with the other cards in this suit we see the Daughter of Stones against a background of rock. We see a young woman; she radiates a natural beauty. When Brave Buffalo told Hermann and Erica Haindl of the Sun Dance, he stressed that people of the Earth needed very little to fulfill their lives. Instead of vast funds for churches and giant bureaucracies, they needed only simple huts for the lodge, and a few small trees, plus stones and plants to make the sweat ceremony.

Hermann Haindl points out that there are two peoples called "Indian" in his deck. As East and West the two Indian peoples signify two poles: India represents the elegance of culture, exemplified by Radha, while America shows the simplicity of nature.

DIVINATORY MEANINGS

In readings, the Daughter of Stones shows a person willing to take responsibility for something greater than herself. She seeks to help the people around her. She may show them how to help themselves. She demonstrates great love and courage as well as dedication. Her virtues include intelligence, for she understands the meaning of things and can explain them to others. A leader, she can inspire others to action. Her beauty comes from within. She is not a sophisticated person and may find herself uncom­fortable in situations depending on elegance, wit or fashion. She cares more for nature than for art. As with the other cards, this picture is idealistic. The Daughter of Stones will more likely signify an aspect of someone, or a phase in a person's life.

REVERSED

Reversed, the Daughter of Stones can indicate a person who seeks to inspire others but finds this difficult. She would like to help but does not know how to get across her ideas or emotions. The reversed card may show a simple person in an artificial environment. She may find herself out of place, with the wrong people.