View Full Version : If but one deck... which one?
At various times, we have discussed what deck we would choose if stranded on a desert island, or if 'saved' from some global disaster, or if...
...basically, trying to create a scenario in order to actually constrain the selection to a single deck (of seventy-eight cards, so no combining of decks and calling it a single deck!).
In the poll, I have tried to isolate the most popular types, and provided an 'other', as undoubtedly my choices will not reflect the needs of many.
I have also actually closed the poll to see if I should first edit it prior to votes taking place (I shall open it in approximately 24 hours).
The question is, then, if there was but one deck which was going to be printed and available where one lives (and moving wouldn't solve the problem, for that would then be where one lives, even if temporarily), which deck would it be?
Please note that I personally value many of the range of Tarot decks currently available... the question is there more to try to reflect our 'valuing' of type of deck :)
In the interest of making known where I will vote, ... it will have to be for the Marseilles pattern!
This is not a fair question! I would have to decide the RWS deck. It is the one I learned on and would be most comfortable with in the end. I guess. I love my Marseilles too, and my beautiful Soprafino I could not imagine being without! Thoth, no problem. I could go with or without that one.
Mimi
Rusty Neon
30-04-2004, 06:18
Originally posted by jmd
I have also actually closed the poll to see if I should first edit it prior to votes taking place (I shall open it in approximately 24 hours).
That's an interesting polling feature I'd like to use with polls that I conduct. How do I go about closing a poll pending comments, then starting it up again?
Jewel-ry
30-04-2004, 06:20
A tricky question but I would go for a Marseille. It was a difficult choice though between it, and the Soprafino.
:)
closrapexa
30-04-2004, 06:34
Lets hope it never happens since I love my decks, but I suppose I would keep my RWS, since its the one I learnt from and its like a comfortable friend to me.
About the choices, I thinks its fair to say those are the Big Three. What about Oracles? I don't use them myself, but maybe there are people who wouldn't be willing to part with them.
I think I would choose Crowley... but I am not 100% sure. LOL. And if I did choose Crowley then it would have to be the actual Thoth.
Difficult one. I am drawn to the RW also, but for the sake of which deck I feel I am connecting with at the moment, then I would have to state the Thoth.
Gah! Don't make me choose!
OK. . . probably Glastonbury. The myths and stories behind the cards would keep me amused on the desert island. . .
Rusty Neon
30-04-2004, 06:42
Maybe it would be a good idea to have more main categories and to subdivide the Other into subcategories.
e.g.: make the choices
RWS
Marseilles
Thoth
RWS-inspired
Thoth-inspired
Marseilles cousin (however you phrase that, to cover IJJ Swiss, etc.)
Soprafino
Golden Dawn tarot, with non-scenic pips
Other - Pre-1900
Other - Post-1899 (with scenic pips)
Other - Post-1899 (with non-scenic pips)
Otherwise, RWS-inspired, Osho Zen people, Marseilles cousin people and Soprafino people would all be voting the same, i.e., "Other".
Rusty Neon
30-04-2004, 07:09
Perhaps there also should be a choice called "RWS/RWS-inspired AND Marseilles". Otherwise, various twin users may vote RWS (or RWS-inspired) rather than Marseilles, thereby making the Marseilles numbers smaller than indicated by Marseilles posting activity on the H&I board. As well, allow for an option "Thoth AND Marseilles".
diane drizzy
30-04-2004, 09:26
I'd have to go for my Faeries Orace, they're great little friends.
If it HAD to be a tarot deck it would be my Spiral Tarot.
As I wanted to keep the poll reasonably simple, I have but mildly modified the wording prior to opening it.
Basically, the question remains:'Which type of deck would you choose if only one kind was henceforth available?'I suppose I really mean by this something like'if only one deck was available for others and yourself to henceforth have'I voted, for those interested, for the first option :)
I voted for Waite-Coleman-Smith deck or one similar.
Love
Sulis xx
mercenary30
01-05-2004, 09:07
I also voted for RWS or similar. I am just now starting to learn to read the pips....so for comforts sake, RWS.
At the moment, I chose my Thoth deck. Because I'm deep into studying it, and I would be cheesed if I couldn't finish.
Although I'm already having voters remorse, LOL. Stuck with the Thoth forever.....:P
Originally posted by jmd
Basically, the question remains:'Which type of deck would you choose if only one kind was henceforth available?'I suppose I really mean by this something like'if only one deck was available for others and yourself to henceforth have'I voted, for those interested, for the first option :)
You are a bit tricky you!
There is quite a difference between the two.
The first alternative suggest that other decks might still be avaliable to others. The second that only one type of deck excist.
That carries with it a responsability to preserve a long tradition in which case I would feel forced to vote for option number 1.
You sneaky jmd;-)
Rusty Neon
01-05-2004, 16:34
I confess that right after I voted, I noticed that this is a tarot-dictator poll, rather than a desert-island poll. Had I known, I would have not voted.
I realize that this current poll is meant for entertainment only; so I appreciate that no harm was intended by it.
That said, the hypothetical premise of the poll (as currently worded) is scary from the viewpoint of human liberty and freedom.
In the case of desert island polls (which, as currently worded, this present poll is not), they give the future desert-island inhabitant the choice of what type of deck to have on the island as his own personal use deck.
On the other hand, the current poll is premised on the hypothetical (thankfully) premise that there is a dictator who will only allow one kind of tarot to henceforth exist; and that the existence or mention of any other kind of tarot will be wiped from history. [It's as if to say that the type of tarot that the dictator allows to remain is what he or she deems to be the only true type of tarot and/or that is in accord with the tenets of his regime.] Scary.
By the way, I voted in the poll but I don't, in any way, think that my voted-for type of deck is the only true type nor the only kind of tarot that has the right to exist. Far from it! Other forms of tarot expression are also valid and are worthy of preservation. Human thought and human liberty are much too precious. I would prefer neither a RWS-fundamentalist dictator, nor a TdM-fundamentalist dictator, nor a Thoth-fundamentalist dictator. If there was a poll option to overthrow the dictator that is the option I would favour.
As there is no cancel-vote feature in the poll, I'm viewing my answer as an answer to a desert-island scenario rather than a tarot dictator scenario.
laura_borealis
01-05-2004, 16:46
I prefer the desert island scenario to the tarot dictator scenario so I'm deliberately going against the grain here...
I said "other" because if I am limited to one deck until I am rescued from this desert island, I want a deck that blends the three traditions. It would ideally have symbols and references from many cultures and time periods, as well. If it incorporated runes that would be good, so I could learn about that system. When my tarot deck wears out, I can then make a set of runes from coconut shell.
For that matter, I could draw a tarot on hand-made paper made from coconut leaf fiber. I'll have plenty of time to perfect the technique on this peaceful desert island -- that is, if I'm not spending all my time foraging for food.
*ponders* Maybe my initial tarot deck should be a sort of Robinson Crusoe tarot with survival tips encoded in the images. Am I thinking about this too much? :D
A survivor deck!
I like it, one with tips on what plants are edible and what animals to watch out for...
I voted for Thoth myself because it is the deck I just cannot let go off.
One could also vote for an extremly large deck, made out of wood;-)
contrascarpe
01-05-2004, 17:06
I voted for other. Each of the first three have there merits and I enjoy them all. I have the most experience with the RWS style, but when I use them I find myself reverting back to the meanings I learned previously and the reading doesn't feel like my own. Lately I have been having wonderful readings with the Secret (which is RWS-ish) and the Imagination. I recently purchased the Rohrig, Ananda and Voyager and I am itching to read with those. The Osho Zen is a favorite as well.
Dan
Rusty Neon
01-05-2004, 17:11
If the question is a tarot-dictator scenario, my deck choice would be the Lo Scarabeo Comparative Tarot deck. It has four-decks in one on each of its card ... a Marseilles style deck, a RWS style deck, a Egyptian style deck and the LS Tarot of the Origins.
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/comparative/index.shtml
If the current poll is a tarot-dictator poll (rather than a desert-island poll), I would prefer to vote "Overthrow the Tarot Dictator", but as that choice isn't listed, I would vote for Other.
Rusty Neon
01-05-2004, 18:53
I was thinking ... This poll, as currently worded, kinda reminds me of the TV "reality" show Survivor ... Which tarot decks are going to be voted off the Island?
laura_borealis
01-05-2004, 19:13
I'll be the first to suggest voting all LOTR decks off the island. :P
No matter how long I read or how many new decks I aquire, I keep coming back to one deck: my Universal Rider/Waite/Smith.
Woof
contrascarpe
01-05-2004, 23:24
Originally posted by Woof
No matter how long I read or how many new decks I aquire, I keep coming back to one deck: my Universal Rider/Waite/Smith.
Woof
I use the RWS as a reference point. If I get stuck on a card in a reading, I visualize that card from this deck. I even keep a copy of the Tarot Tip sheet with me - it is a plastic fold-out tool showing all the RWS cards - I do not agree with any of the definitions, but it is a handy visual reference.
I still stand by something I said earlier - the Golden Tarot is what the RWS should be. I haven't used my Universal RWS in a long time. When I read with a RWS type deck, I use the Golden, Prague, Morgan-Greer and Robin Wood. However, right now I am having too much fun, and so much luck, with the more funky decks.
Dan
Chronata
01-05-2004, 23:42
Ha! If I were a tarot-dictator and I made the rule that only ONE deck would be used henceforth...it would have to be MY deck!
Mwahaha!
:( Course, my deck is not done yet.
and the RWS has pretty pictures....
What I do not like about RWS and RWS decks is that the pictures do not feel 'real'.. they make me feel like a child looking at simplistic story books. The illustrations don't feel like they apply to real life, instead they apply to fantasy characters in a fairy tale. It's hard for me to take it seriously.
When I look at my Ancient Egypt deck, it feels like I'm looking at real life.. even if it existed thousands of years ago!
So I would take my Ancient Egyptian deck with me, of course. :)
punchinella
02-05-2004, 03:06
Originally posted by Rusty Neon
That said, the hypothetical premise of the poll (as currently worded) is scary from the viewpoint of human liberty and freedom.
. . . the current poll is premised on the hypothetical (thankfully) premise that there is a dictator who will only allow one kind of tarot to henceforth exist; and that the existence or mention of any other kind of tarot will be wiped from history.
Hmmn I don't see this poll as being about dictatorship, so much as about ascertaining what in our collective gut we believe the essence of tarot truly to be. Choosing a desert island deck for oneself is one thing, but there's some leeway there . . . choose the wrong deck & no one's hurt but oneself. On the other hand, choosing a deck for everyone is so much more weighty a matter. --So much more important to get it right.
Anyway, that's what tarot dictatorship in this poll appears to me to be about . . . a tactic meant to elicit from us our deepest & most considered belief . . . ??
That being said, I hesitate to reveal that I voted TdM, since I'm a newbie & so very ignorant . . . But, worlds are opening for me via this deck, & I shudder at the thought of depriving anybody of it by voting for something else (in the case of either Thoth or RWS, something I can no longer stand to use . . . )
Punchinella
It's an interesting twist, to my way of thinking, to suggest 'dictatorship', rather than, as more intended and more benignly and insightfully perceived by punchinella, as trying to ascertain a sense for which deck reflects Tarot - for by choosing, we need to more carefully consider than being stuck on a desert island for a limited time (in which case, I may even choose the LOTR deck... but please don't anyone hold me to that one!!!).
The reason it may be that 'only one kind was henceforth available' would, I suggest, certainly not be for any dictatorial reason, but rather for whatever imaginary (but tragically impoverished) scenario one may care to improvise.
Also, as attempting to ascertain this 'collective 'gut' feeling' about the matter, the LS Comparative Deck, as the proper amalgamation of four decks in smaller images upon a single cardboard card, is excluded... this is, otherwise, the same as combing together two or more decks and calling it a single deck.
(Rusty Neon or anyone else who has voted wishes that I remove their vote from the poll, than by all means PM me and I shall do so...) The poll, as any other Tarot discussion in which I engage (with the possible exception of the Games and Fun area), is NOT, to my mind, 'for entertainment purposes only'. Never has been, and, I suspect, will continue likewise. For some of us, Tarot and its discussions forms part or reflects a deep spiritual impulse, and is thus, though often of a jovial nature, simultaneously of serious significance.
Primarily, the poll is to stimulate careful reflection about Tarot. Its results indicate where we currently each and collectively stand. The same poll, even with the same group of us responding, may indeed have differing results if posted in a few years hence - for numerous possible reasons.
If this question relates to what form of Tarot should be kept if all but one were destroyed, I must say the Marseilles.
The Tarot tradition we have today is based largely on the Marseilles, so it would give us a solid base to recreate modern Tarot once we had overthrown the dictator.
Plus, no one said we had to destroy books . . . :p
I'll probably 'never- hear- the -end -of -it', but what I thought "Truly- Scarey" upon reading, was just the fact that a simple,light-hearted ET poll gotta' bit "deep"(smile) ...but...this is t/1st time I've ever truly been online;Muchless on any type forum or
such as...(hope my humble,but probably overstated 2-cents causes No-Body No offense,as that is certainly Not t/intent...)
Like a pendulum, I kept swaying between RWS & 'other', but
hadta' go w/what I cut my teeth on; & the very 1st cards I ran my
fingers 'oer was RWS.
Chronata,
Lemme' know when that decka' yours gets done, I gotta' check
i/out,hahaha!!!
crystal cove
02-05-2004, 09:23
Originally posted by Nycelle
The Tarot tradition we have today is based largely on the Marseilles, so it would give us a solid base to recreate modern Tarot once we had overthrown the dictator.
Exactly my thought. Well said.
Interestingly enough, if we were allowed two decks, I'd choose my Osho Zen.
Rusty Neon
02-05-2004, 09:52
Originally posted by Nycelle
Plus, no one said we had to destroy books . . . :p
jmd ... In order to aid us to decide which poll choice to select, would, in the poll scenario, tarot books also be destroyed? For example, would Crowley's _Book of Thoth_, Waite's _Pictorial Key to the Tarot_, and Kaplan's encylopedias of tarot (text and images) continue to be printed and be available to the people? And would such books remain available in public libraries?
firemaiden
02-05-2004, 16:07
Originally posted by Rusty Neon
I confess that right after I voted, I noticed that this is a tarot-dictator poll, rather than a desert-island poll. Had I known, I would have not voted.
Plaît-il? jmd set up four "types" which included all possible decks. All details were already accounted for among the "types", so further choices were unnecessary.
It was a very simple question, really, meaning, which type of deck do you prefer - if you could only have one - a marseille type; a rider-waite type, a thoth type, or other, which would you choose?
I fail to see what dictatorship has to do with it. :(
Rusty Neon
02-05-2004, 17:11
Originally posted by firemaiden
Plaît-il? jmd set up four "types" which included all possible decks. All details were already accounted for among the "types", so further choices were unnecessary.
It was a very simple question, really, meaning, which type of deck do you prefer - if you could only have one - a marseille type; a rider-waite type, a thoth type, or other, which would you choose?
I fail to see what dictatorship has to do with it. :(
The concern here is that we're asked to assist some powerful figure who can dictate which single deck is henceforth to be available. Thus, we asked to choose for both ourselves and others, seemingly for forever. It's different if the four choices were strictly for ourselves.
I take freedom issues seriously.
Let's agree to disagree.
For myself, it is partly because of the importance FREEDOM that I would choose the Marseille in the scenario painted - as a deck which contains all the essential elements of Tarot, and yet is free of the overlays and correlations made by Levi, Wescott, Mathers, Waite, or Crowley.
In other words, in the poll, I personally voted for a deck which would maintain the freedom I personally seek to see generally reflected within the chosen deck itself, rather than for one which assumes the 'dictatorial powers', if one wishes to describe it in those terms, of the popish equivalents in each of these people's personal orders (except for E. Levi, who did not assume such role).
It is interesting that whilst each contributed much to what I consider some of the esoteric deviations of the later 19th and early 20th centuries, and each assumed that their personal reflections 'rectified' the assumed errors of their predecessors, each of their change may indeed be questioned.
The poll, in some ways, also therefore reflects where we currently stand in relation to not only our own current views on Tarot, but how it would continue to be importantly understood and developed in such a totally unlikely event that only one remained. Our valuing of what is currently available is thus the principal reflection of the poll... and each of us have various, distinct, and legitimate reasons, whether able to be clearly articulated or not, for whatever choice we happen to make.
For those who, like Rusty Neon, interpret the question in terms of 'political power over others', perhaps I may assist with an alternative view more along the lines which simply reflects the original question, by perhaps this better question:If unfortunately only one kind of Tarot deck was to survive a global natural catastrophe, which would you hope, given that only one deck did survive, it be?
dolphingirl
03-05-2004, 00:10
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chronata
[B]Ha! If I were a tarot-dictator and I made the rule that only ONE deck would be used henceforth...it would have to be MY deck!
Mwahaha!
I loved your answer :) If I had to pick a store deck (and not my own) I would either pick a Rider Waite style deck (probably Robin Wood).
Chronata
03-05-2004, 02:05
ok. A serious answer then...
I would still choose the RWS.
My gut says...the Marseille, because it is indeed tarot at it's purest form. And I love my Marseille.
But my heart says RWS.
This comes from my own experiences of course.
If I had to choose among all the divination methods I use...I choose cards.
And among all the cards...oracle and playing cards and tarot...I choose tarot...
and among the tarot... the RWS.
This is the deck, and the divination methods that works the easiest for me to obtain answers...and the pictures on the minors especially...help me to go beyond the cards...and to tap into an intuitive place that is unrivalled by any other method, or tarot deck.
It is the one I choose when I offer to teach classes in tarot.
It is not the prefered deck of many...nor is it the easiest for many...
but for me it works very well...and is essentially the best one for me to TEACH OTHERS how to tap into thier own intuitive wells.
And I know it may not be the most perfect or historical, or symbolic or pure, or connected to numerological, astrological or variant other things considered logical...
But this is THE deck that opened the world of tarot to me.
Your'e all free to disagree... :)
I don't know if that really answers the poll question...because I am not even sure how I define the original question.
But if this poll does indeed exist to simply(or not so simply) ask my opinion ...then it is given! And I like that this poll really made me look at what I believe tarot is...and what I believe it to be for.
I have never really thought of how I use it in such acute terms before.
Thankyou Chronata...
beautifully expressed, and also shows the difficulties which we have to choose as we weigh up various considerations, and be true to ourselves, no matter who, what or why we may may agree or disagree :)
For now, Crowley-Thoth would be my choice, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be another at another time. Familiarity, you know.
Nevada
Just one deck? What an awful thought. :)
I voted for Thoth. I think its moody minors combine the best features of both the RWS and the Marseilles.
BlueLotus
03-05-2004, 11:45
I voted for Waite - Colman Smith deck or closely similar and this would probably be my trusted Spiral
I am voting with the current (as of the writting of this post) minority ... I vote for the Thoth. I am trying to reply to this pole in the spirit in which I interpret it was offered (type of deck).
Why the Thoth? well it is those moody-minors, my favorite type of minor. The Thoth itself is not my favorite deck (Cosmic Tribe and Fey decks get that vote), but Thoth type decks are my favorites. I find a depth to the moody-minors that I do not find in other types of decks (with the exception of the Fey). I am also quite partial to the placement of Justice and Strength as positions VIII and XI respectively.
I felt that voting for "other" was more like a different type of system, i.e. the Shapeshifter which has a different structure (24 Majors).
I didn't vote, because if I had the choice I couldn't decide. I'd take a stock of empty cardboard and draw my own!
:D
Simone
sagitarian
03-05-2004, 18:26
This is a trick question for those that use oracle decks...LOL.
If I could only have one deck I would pick my Brian Froud Faerie Oracle deck...
But if this is exclusive to Tarot only...
Then I would have to go with RWS.
It just didn't seem that the option "other" fit with Oracle decks, so I did not vote.
light2000
10-11-2005, 20:40
If i needed to chouce only one deck it will be RWS.
shaveling
10-11-2005, 20:58
Marseilles for me. That's partly for it's being so old and so much a source of Tarot. Mostly, though, it's because I love the Marseille pattern and did before I knew its name.
I voted Thoth, but it was very close with the Marseille style. Tomorrow I may regret this choise, and then again, the day after tomorrow I may be glad. Very difficult..
Blessings
Emeraldgirl
10-11-2005, 23:21
RWS all the way. An RWS style deck was what I first seriously studied with and years later it still has new things to offer.
northsea
11-11-2005, 00:24
I voted for OTHER since if I could only have one deck (ouch!), I'd want it to be a deck that combines the TdM-style Majors with pictorial minors since I'm unable to read floral patterns (just one of my failings), and would want any customized system (such as Paul the impish grinners') expressed in some pictorial form for mnemonic purposes, ...but not necessarily Golden Dawn, and not necessarily with human figures (like Tarot of the Spirit minors).
Today i would take the Toltec Oracle, this deck is the much powerfull deck i have ever seen!!!
Power/Harmony
Omeada
Annabelle
11-12-2005, 03:34
I voted that I would choose a Marseille-type deck.
Although right now I am most comfortable with RWS-style decks, if I was going to have only one deck forever and ever, I would want one with the fewest possible limitations.
Nocturnal Lure
11-12-2005, 04:24
I find it interesting to see that the Toth deck comes in last right now.
In the poll I think "other" should have been left behind so people vote for the "core" decks and can specify their other preference in the thread itself.
I chose Crowley because it is more complex so it will keep me on my toes more, where RWS, my second choice woud at one point make lazy in reading at the end.
I voted Waite since I am most familiar with it and the decks that I have are in the same vein as it.
tarobones
11-12-2005, 11:53
I voted for other. For me it's the Fey Tarot, followed by Tarot of the Four Elements, followed by the Spiral Tarot, followed by the Light and Shadow Tarot.......lots of "others." If I were forced to choose one of the traditional decks I would choose RWS.
rainwolf
11-12-2005, 13:33
Although RWS was my first, I'm learning the Thoth right now and I think that when I'm done learning (well, never done, but more practiced) I'll be just as connected to it. The art is a lot more attractive too (imo) so I think it could affect my moods and intuition more too.
I voted 'other'. I've picked the deck that I'm learning with at the moment which is the Tarot of the Old Path. :)
baba-prague
12-12-2005, 11:50
I also voted "other" but it does depend what you mean by RWS. I'd choose a deck that follows RWS but isn't a straight RWS, if you know what I mean. Which deck? Probably Tarot of Prague as it's my usual reading deck, but I just might go for the Fairytale as it's demanding - seventy-eight stories packed in there - and that gives it a lot of longevity - lots of possibilities.
Moonbow*
12-12-2005, 12:34
I voted Marseilles because these decks have not only kept my attention and interest longer than others, but also they open up many other avenues of interest.
I find they push my imagination and knowlege, and I really like the simplicity of the pictures.
Having said that there are a few others that would come very close second and these are more likely to be either Thoth based or 'other' based or RWS based.. :)
I went for other. I'm with laura-borealis, for one thing. But also - we assume we can have the deck we want ? In that case I WANT WANT WANT the wooden Kashmir, so first I can love it to death and when I wear it out, I can hitch the cards together and use it as a boat..... :D
I also voted other as my still fav is the Legend Arthurian and I could not do without that.
…I WANT WANT WANT the wooden Kashmir...It’s actually a complex question – and the answer for me varies on the occurrence.
The Art Lover – Meditater in me says, “Wooden Kashmir, hands down.”
But only one deck…
and away...?
Away type away…you get what you grab and that’s it you ain’t coming back kind of away…
And perhaps being thrown in with folks that don’t speak English…
And perhaps with folks that don’t even speak human…
I’d have to have an illustrated pip deck so that it could also work as a communication tool (Italo Calvino style)…cuz you never know where you might end up…heck…the universe is a big place, maybe the biggest yet…and when you become a traveler…
:smoker:
Cerulean
14-12-2005, 01:22
...such as the Minchiate, which is almost three decks in one (Majors, extra majors/astrology cards and minors) or the Vacchetta, with all the decorative detail...
...and then kept thinking of other decks that might work as a "tarot/oracle" because of all the extra symbolism--Quest, Haindl, etc...
But I miss my simpler delights. Neoclassical 1810-11 would work for me if I can also take all my references that mention 'di Gumppenberg' and an Italian dictionary and I can cheat by gazing at books with other designs...
I probably answered differently earlier. But this was a great question to revisit!
Cerulean
I'm going minimalist, basic Rider. Then again, I know no other, so I'm an easy mark.
firefrost
20-12-2005, 10:02
I'd have to go along with the RWS Original as well. No matter which other decks I may fall in love with, that one will remain close to my heart.
Well - Im taking my Sabian Symbols - of the card variety. If I plan to be away for a long long time - I might finally remember 360 card meanings LOL!!! :P I could also build a resort for 'shipwrecked tarot souls' out of the book. :D
Blessings
Elven x