Lots or Little

I'm not exactly sure of how I think of tarot collections. I think a small one develops stronger bonds between all of the decks and that way you could spread the 'love' evenly. Then there are people with massive collections that probably only touch the amount that we small collectors have.

What do you think is better? A small, limited, intimate collection? Or, a large multidynamic, lack-of-attention-to-many collection?

Brock Johnson

It depends. Some readers like to offer their clients a choice of decks, and let them look through and find the one that appeals to them. Others choose the deck, in which case it would probably be better to have a smaller collection so you can know each deck intimately.

Personally, I am not a professional, but when I read for others (and I'm around my collection) I let them browse through my selection and pick one. My collection is still pretty small compared to that of other Tarotholics here, but I think that I have enough variety that people can find something that they want.

I know it's kind of avoiding the question, but that's pretty much all that I have to say.

I never have anyone that I can safely tell that I do tarot without anyone thinking that I'm way out there and that they shouldn't talk to me or they'll go to hell or something. I wish I could do some live readings because I try doing something with my mom but she had no interest at all.

I have a small collection and soon will grow another 5 decks but I plan to get to know them well.

Brock

Like HarleyQuinnX said, it all depends. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Everyone has to figure out what works best for them. Too few decks and you may get bored and lose interest, too many and you may find yourself spiraling out of control and unable to manage them all. I like to feel like I'm in control of my life. Acquiring too much of anything at a pace that is too fast to manage makes me feel very uncomfortable and ineffective. I'm not going to restrict myself and say I will acquire only so many decks or books and then no more, but by the same token I will probably never have such a large collection that I couldn't tell you from memory what I have and where it is located.

-fof

I spent the first 7 years of my tarot life with no more than 2 decks at a time - a single one for the first 3-4 months (RWS) to which I added the Morgan-Greer later. Altogether, during those 7 years, I owned 5 decks, but as I said - never more than two together (I gave away the others). Then came the 7 year-itch and I started to want to spread my tarot wings a little. I bought 3-4 more. From about the middle of last year, I have been collecting more seriously, though still haphazardly (that is, as the mood takes me, and without a system). I must have close to 50 by now - tarot and oracles. I don't read with all my decks, but I do look at them all and spend time with them. Those I don't really get on with for anything I trade away. Some decks I just like to sit with, some I like to study, and some I read with occasionally, to exercise the intuitive juices. Maybe after the second round of 7 years I'll get rid of them all and come back to my simpler ways...or maybe not.

I would say, though, that unless you are a very focussed person naturally, it's best to start with one deck and stick with 1-2 for a few years before you branch out with more decks. Too many would-be tarot readers don't take the time to deepen their knowledge, and just skate along the surface of dozens of decks. Unless, of course, you like tarot primarily for collecting and for the multiplicity of the art work (wink to gregory).

Brock Johnson said:

What do you think is better? A small, limited, intimate collection? Or, a large multidynamic, lack-of-attention-to-many collection?

Click to expand...

Mine is large, but they all get attention, I know them well, and I am intimate with them. My readings follow my own system (in private) and I like to mix different things into it. I'm not interested in divination, I use them for other creative purposes.

Can you quantify joy? Does it matter the number?

No, and I think people get hung up on a number like they get hung up on the number of someone's I.Q. or the type of car someone drives, or how big their house is, or what their job is, or how much money they make. Our constant comparison and compartmentalizing of each other builds a blindness to the possibilities in life.

People are different and have different approaches to anything in life. There is no need to label one or the other "better."

Sorry Brock, but I see in various posts on this forum, and the general attitude of some people, a desperate need to say "Mine is the better way."

Since every person is unique and has their own unique ideas, it makes no sense. It's like trying to categorize infinity. Why the need for this limitation?

It is not about a number, it is a portal to individuality, personality, character, and the expansion of thought and ideas. It is a connection to culture and humanity in many forms.

It all depends on the person. I have ten tarot decks and i yet havent connected to all of them properly. But i still want more and my wishlist keeps increasing. I do plan to sit with each deck and learn it properly..

People know my thoughts on this.

I think it depends on how experienced you are.

If you are experienced, then you may have the ability to tune into a deck a little quicker than a beginner, to start with. I can look at a deck and understand many of the symbols and know, instantly, what is different from others. But for a beginner, it might take a little more time. And if that time is abandoned so they can start afresh with another deck (or another 5) then it will be an awful long time before they bond with a deck or learn the basics of the tarot.

As Darwinia, says we are all different and no method is right. But as advice, I offer this because for me, it took a long time before I bonded with a deck due to chopping and changing. It is only now that I can say I understand a 'deck' due to spending a good amount of time with it and no other. You don't have to stay with it forever, but as a beginner, I think doing so is a good exercise.

LB

I have a collection of around 40 decks - that collection developed because I was looking for 'the perfect deck'.
I did concentrate on just a couple of decks at first though and I think that for me, that was the right thing to do. I concentrated on 2 decks; The New Palladini and the World Spirit for the first year.

I recently did an exercise with a few others here called The One Deck Wonder - this was an experiment where some of us chose to use one deck only for a period of time. I used the International Icon Tarot for around 5 months and it was exactly the right thing for me to do.
Before doing this, I used to have trouble picking which deck for which reading - it was such a pain.
Using the IIT with it's sparse imagery taught me that a deck with non-pictoral minors would be the best deck for me so now I'm concentrating on the Tarot de Marseille for at least the next 6 months.

I think that ultimately it's up to each reader - I know many readers who love to work with loads of decks and other readers, like myself who prefer to use just one.

darwinia said:

I see in various posts on this forum, and the general attitude of some people, a desperate need to say "Mine is the better way."

Click to expand...

I also see many posts that say - "help, I'm a newbie to tarot, I have 25 decks and can't bond with any of them" (or even 10 as a_shikhs wrote on this thread).

Well no. Try bonding with 25 babies all at once if you are a first-time mother . So I offer my advice not because "my way is best", but addressed specifically to confused newbies who can't learn to read the tarot or deepen their knowledge of its symbolism - because they have too many decks! Now, if your aim is not to learn how to read tarot, but to have pretty pictures and interesting cultures all around you - then the more the merrier at any stage of your tarot curve.

Of course, there are always exceptions - some people are single-minded and focussed enough to buy 25 decks and work through them all deliberately, or stick to one or two for a few years - and simply enjoy the artwork and cultural diversity of the others. But if you don't think you have that kind of discipline and single-mindedness, and if you want to learn how to read and not just play around or collect - then stick to one or two at first and get a thorough grounding in them, before going on to more.