Majors Only?

Majors-only Tarots?

Who actually buys them? And who uses them? I know that in history, many of the tarot heavyweights gave not a second glance to the minors, and used the majors as a rubric for whole philosophical systems....you seldom hear about these people doing "readings" at all...though if you dig, you do find that they did them.

I know that there are a number of majors only decks in publication, and a great number come out as collectors/art decks.

The first reading i ever recieved, the woman pulled the majors out of her TdM and read with those only. I've never actually done this, i've always incorporated the minors...the majors being spiritual "big" issues, while the minors are "circumstances" that transpire in our lives.

Do you buy majors only decks?
Do you read with them?
Does anybody know how many decks come out first as majors only and then get the minors added later on? Does the artist release/publish the majors when he/she is done with the majors, and then make the complete deck available later?

I have just about finished my major arcana, and wonder if i should do this? I'm going to have two seperate minor arcanas available (by themselves, and packaged with the majors). I'm going to have non-illustrated (but pretty) "pips"...or possibly "moody" pips...and I'm going to have illustrated minors available too. The majors would be the same between the two decks, as would the courts and aces.

Just wondering if I should make the majors available sooner as a "majors only" deck...
Personally, i've never had much interest in majors only decks, but that's just me.

Opinions?

Honestly, the only way I'd by a Majors-only deck is if they were pip deck or I didn't like the Minor cards at all. I'm a bit of a visual person (not completely), I like to have that stimulated, pips just don't do it for me. I'm sure I could read fine with them, but unless the Fates just plop a pip deck down on my lap like they did the Rider-Waite, I'm content with never trying.

Though, at the moment I don't own any Majors-only deck, though I would buy the Black Tarot just because I'm in love with Luis Royo's artwork. Would I read with it? I'd like too, but if I couldn't I wouldn't complain about admiring the artwork<33

I honestly don't know about the last question.

Personally, as someone who isn't a fan of pips, I would say go ahead and publish a Majors-only deck, but this is up to you.

MissJo said:

Personally, as someone who isn't a fan of pips, I would say go ahead and publish a Majors-only deck, but this is up to you.

Click to expand...

Well, there will be TWO sets of minors, available seperately....pips (my preferance) and illustrated. Eventually. Having finished the majors I know I will go on (always intended to...) just thinking out loud about publishing the majors ahead. thanks for your feedback.

Mallah, I have been following the progress of your deck. I think it is lovely. Personally, I do not buy Major's only decks and therefore I am hoping you continue with your work and create a 78 card deck. I would definitely buy it, either in pips or scenic form (although I prefer scenic).

Majors only feels quite incomplete to me. They feel too, well..."major" to describe everyday situations. I don't know how people are able to read with them - but, perhaps that's merely a sign of my newbie-ness.

Maybe you should go in the opposite direction, Mallah and publish your deck as Majors, Illustrated Minors, and non-illustrated Minors all together in one (albeit) large package! A deck with 134 cards! It could come packaged as a triptych with a section of cards in each panel, and the purchaser could combine or discard what they want to use at will. Use the Majors alone! Use the Majors and the Illustrated pips! Use the Majors and the non-illustrated Pips! It's all workable ... at least in my mind!

I buy them, and I use (as in read with) some of them. Just as I do with all my decks.

My hunch is that if you have/publish a Majors only deck with the news that there'll be Minors later, everyone will say "ok, I'll wait."

I am more interested in Majors only decks than I used to be. I think it is good to have a small selection of Majors only reading decks. I sometimes like reading with them.

The problem is, most Majors only decks are publicised as Ltd edition/ art decks/ special collectibles and we are encouraged to have them as collectors' items.

It would be nice to see more mass market Majors only decks. I love the Tarocchi d'Arte LoS series. I have a few Majors only decks of those (Tarot of the Origins, III Millennium, Trevisan's Romantic Tarot, Crystal, etc), but overall Majors only decks are aimed at a niche market. I have and love the LoS Grand Trumps and have a few of those too!

Hello, all!

Before there was my book, there was 'almost' a Tarot deck. When I was skirting around publishers to find out more info, one of them asked me "if there was a book, too, or just a deck?"

Publishers want A DECK and A BOOK, together. That way the can publish and sell both separately, and also box them together and sell them as a set. That is where my book 'came from.' The deck never materialized, but the book did.

A Majors Only deck sounds really nice, but in practical terms it's not going to be expected to be a big money-maker, and publishers are all about THE BOTTOM LINE. That is probably why many 'Majors only' decks are limited edition/art decks/collectables which are sold on the basis that there are not 2 million copies out there and 'may' be more desirable to a collector. Conversely, self publishing a deck is still an expensive venture - so publishing 5,000 decks and having 4,982 of them sitting unsold in your garage is not a profitable idea, either.

Oh, the Lovers Tarot with the giant majors...

The one with Jane Lyle's writing and an Oliver Burston's artwork--first as 22 majors

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/lovers-tarot/index.shtml

Expanded at it's 10th anniversery to include pictorial courts...but no picture pips...people might find the collage style of the majors and courts somewhat awkward to read...it's an older deck that was based on using tarot for 'relationship readings.'

The majors only big set actually was fun and pretty and good to bring to others if they wanted a different kind of deck to 'meditate' on a major using an oldish art style painting for inspiration.

I am not really certain many liked the deck in its newer form with smaller cards and non-decorated pips...I found the set as rather different and do not mind having it. I do not really use it much, but sometimes like or enjoy such a variation.

I do not know if nowadays people really feel it's a good buy unless they like Jane Lyle's writing and the artwork appeals to them. With such wide variety of colorful art nowadays, this almost seems like a retro when collage as an art form, especially for letters and lovers seemed like a fun new way to do 'mail-art'..., especially for that decorative book set called "Griffin and Sabine".
Some people might remember that curious twentieth century popular culture artsy or folksy spin...

Cerulean

I have a handful of Majors-only decks, all of them independently/self-published.

For a long time, I only very carefully considered Majors-only decks because I knew deep down that I'd never read with them and that I wanted them for the art's sake.

But in the past couple of years, I have warmed to the idea of drawing one card from a Majors-only deck in order to set the tone for a reading on only very significant subjects or occasions: a life path reading, a reading delving into past traumas, a birthday or New Year reading, etc. But I don't want the querents to touch these decks because they are almost always limited edition, independently-published and/or out of print; they have to indicate by gesture which card they want me to draw.

I've only read with one of them, and that was because that particular deck was heavily laminated with thick plastic coating, the type you could use for a placemat under a dinner plate and then wipe off. That deck is in storage, but I think if I had it here with me, I would use it more frequently than described above, and also let the querents handle it, as well.

My favorite Majors-only is The Star Tarot by Cathy McClelland. The cards are outstanding because although they do not differ significantly from the RWS tradition of Trumps, they execute those concepts especially adeptly and beautifully. This is one that I would love to use in the "set the tone for the reading" manner described above, but again, only if the querents don't touch it themselves.

McClelland is working on the Minors as we speak, and I think so far they seem like they will be "moody Minors"--that is, not quite pips, but not scenic Minors, either. I don't regret at all having the Majors because I highly doubt she will publish the 78-card deck at the same large size as the Majors only deck, and trust me...these Majors need to be seen up close and personal in all their postcard-sized glory.