Finding A Deck For You!

A friend of mine is wanting to look into getting a deck for herself and doesn't know where to begin. I myself am one of those 'lucky rogues' (I've been called, not my term) who was able to buy a deck for herself and it work without problems. (Although, my first vampire deck was given to me and that's the only kind that works for me...so I buy that theme only)

I'm asking for those same kinds of people who are able to find a deck for themselves, how did you do it?

Have your friend look through the card section here at this site and see if something jumps out at them. One persons trash is anothers treasure, they need to find a deck that they can connect with. I personally come from a background of reading from regular playing cards and then took a class in reading tarot cards. I started with the deck the teacher taught with, then switched later.

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/topten.shtml

Or perhaps get one of both types, a Marseille (with numbered pips) and a Rider Waite type with picture pips. Both are read in different ways and what suits one person may not be easy for another.

I don't use any of the first decks I originally bought but they did teach me a lot. Tastes change over time so don't worry if either of you move on or change your mind sometime down the line.

I found the deck I love by looking through the decks on the Aeclectic Tarot website until something called to me. I eventually decided on the Liber T. But that was not my first deck. My first deck was the Rider-Waite deck. It doesn't really appeal to me aesthetically, but it taught me how to read tarot, and that was what mattered to me then. It is such a common deck and the basis for so many other decks, so I feel that it served me well early on.

Maybe your friend can find a basic deck if he or she is just learning and then get a deck they love later on. Or if learning isn't an issue, then definitely spend some time perusing the decks at the Aeclectic Tarot website or visit a local metaphysical store to find something that clicks.

I like what the others have said, but I would add that finding a deck with artwork that she likes is essential. For example, I know lots of people love the Mary el Tarot, but I could never read with it just because the artwork isn't my personal taste.

I'd also suggest she find a deck with a pictorial minor arcana. I've come across decks that just use the suit in whatever number the card is. What I mean is, if it were the 5 of Pentacles all that would be pictured would be 5 Pentacles.

If she's planning to just use a book to read the meanings that's not an issue, but if she's wanting to really learn to read the cards themselves it's essential (in my opinion) to find cards with something more than a number of the suit.

I had a friend in the 80's who only used the Morgan Greer because she didn't like borders and said she could see everything better with it. She was also the first person I had ever had a reading with and she got me interested in tarot. Not wanting to get the same deck she had, I ended up getting the Mythic as my first deck and didn't bond with it for some reason so bought several others before finally getting the Morgan Greer in a boxed set in the early 90's which is what I actually learned basics through use instead of just reading about it. There is something to be said I suppose about finding something you like and can use the first time out.

Given the sheer number of decks available, if she doesn't go the basic route (ie: RWS) then I would suggest getting one she loves the images to that has some documentation with it other than the LWB. I say this only because the imagery may not be as standard as what most of the books out there go into detail about. The LWB is more than what some people need iand not nearly enough for others. I am in the latter category obviously but think that having that option is a plus, especially in the learning stages.

About 12 years ago I bought my first deck and i has always worked wonderfully and accurately for me. I bought it because I thought it looked cool and mysterious, and I think that is what drew me to it. I think that because it was my first and I liked it because it was not RWS although the artwork as based off that. But I just immediately felt connected to it the first time I used it. But after 12 years I wanted a different deck that I could do deeper readings with, instead of just reading the LWB. I found the deck I am currently in love with by looking at the decks here and reading through reviews to get a good feel of what was in the different decks. I really just looked for something that strongly appealed to me and that came with a companion book where the artist explained the pictures instead of just saying this card means this. There is alot to look through, I started looking through the top 10 lists by year until i found a few I was interested in by the artwork alone and then read the reviews and looked for images of more cards.

Sang.Vulpine said:

A friend of mine is wanting to look into getting a deck for herself and doesn't know where to begin. I myself am one of those 'lucky rogues' (I've been called, not my term) who was able to buy a deck for herself and it work without problems. (Although, my first vampire deck was given to me and that's the only kind that works for me...so I buy that theme only)

I'm asking for those same kinds of people who are able to find a deck for themselves, how did you do it?

Click to expand...

My first deck was the RWS. Chosen because that was what my neighbor used and what the book used that she had recommended. The RWS is, in my opinion, a good starter deck simply because there are so many good books on it to choose from. So, there is a huge number of books your friend could choose from so she would be able to find one (or several) that work well with her style of learning.

Now, having said that, the RWS is not necessarily for everyone. Fortunately there are a lot of other decks for your friend to pick from. The advice of looking through the list of decks here on A.T. is good advice - you can get a good general idea of what the art is like, as well as reading well-thought and well-written reviews. And, while that is a good starting point, I would make one other suggestion; go to a store that has decks you can look at! As I don't live very far from Sedona, AZ I am lucky because there are several shops there that have sample decks for you to look through - in Flagstaff too. This is actually how I've picked several of the decks I now own. I'll get the urge to pick a new deck, go to my favorite "new-age" shop, sit down in front of their selection of decks and look through any deck that catches my eye. This is how I picked up the Rohrig, Spiral, Goddess and several others. Not only are you likely to get a deck you really like that way - one with artwork that really speaks to you and inspires you - but you also have the fun of pawing through all those Tarot decks!

Yes ... going and actually handling the decks is the best way in my opinion.

Yes, I agree, the cards I have been able to handle and look through are the decks I call my favorites! But I too live in a city where you can do that. If she doesn't have a place to go the only option is to have her look through online. If she is a close friend, have you thought of possibly picking her up a deck as a gift, old-school-style? I have purchased decks online that just didn't work for me and I always had a friend pop into my mind I could gift them too. Also, I do love both the decks that were given to me!

I personally wanted to start off with a RWS deck (preferably the classic style), so I perused decks in this vein online. I ended up buying an Albano-Waite deck, and while it wasn't initially what I was looking for, I'm very glad I chose it.

If I knew of this site's existence and its database of decks beforehand, I'd still probably choose the AW based on the sample images. Personally I'm fine with not handling a deck beforehand; I only need to see a good sampling of a deck's images online in order to discern if it's right for me. I think your friend should definitely take a look at the database just to see what catches her eye.