question =)

Nathan

Hi

Ok im totaly new um i have two sets of tarot cards which are.

1.The magical Menagerie

2.Gilded cards.

So really i just wanna know which would be the best to learn from or are niether of them anygood ?

hope you can help.

Thanks =)
 

Moonbow

Hello Nathan,

Welcome to Aeclectic. (I have sent you a PM by the way).

I am not familiar with the Magical Menagerie deck but have skimmed over the reviews here and it appears to be an oracle (only 42 cards). It seems to have good reviews.

The Gilded is a beautiful deck based on the WCS (Waite/Coleman-Smith) deck and is just fine for starting with Tarot.

Enjoy them both! Probably one at a time is good to start off with though. :)

You will find a study group for the Gilded here. Please feel free to add to any of the threads.

Oh... I'm moving this thread to Talking Tarot forum.

Good luck.

Moonbow*
 

Miren

I learned with the Gilded, using the book provided as well as Thirteen's meanings (available on this site) and www.learntarot.com. So yes, it's a good deck. :) I don't know about the other, but it seems quite respectable. I hope you enjoy them both!
 

starrystarrynight

I, too, love the Gilded Tarot. Its accompanying book is very basic and excellent for a beginner...but don't stop with it. Tarot is much deeper than any one book can cover.

The Gilded is based on the RWS (Rider-Waite-Smith) deck, which I think is the gold standard for beginners (i.e. many, if not most, start with this set of attributes, so it becomes easier to follow discussions once you gain a basis of knowledge in its use.)

There is no better place to learn and ask questions than here at AT, either. You are in the right place, friend. Welcome.

(p.s. Could that first deck you mentioned be the Fantastic Menagerie Tarot? If so, that is a wonderful deck, too--with the best LWB (little white book) I've ever come across.)
 

SunChariot

You ought to be able to learn with either. I am not a great believed that you need to start with any particular deck. Some people think you need to start with the Rider Waite. I have never cared for it and have never had one and it never hurt my learning in the least. I think it's just best to start with what calls to you.I started with the Haindl Tarot, for what it's worth. And I never had any problem. But if one is an oracle and the other is a tarot, I would also start with the tarot to and go on to the oracle later on.

Bar
 

Sophie

SunChariot said:
You ought to be able to learn with either. I am not a great believed that you need to start with any particular deck, especially the Rider Waite which I have never had.
You can't learn tarot with an oracle deck. Other than that - I would say learn tarot with a deck that calls to you and that is not too different from the big classics (that includes the Haindl, btw, which is inspired in many ways by the Thoth). The Gilded falls in that category - if you like it, go with it.
 

Little Baron

I am of the opinion that you should go with whichever suits your eyes.

Learning, reading and spending a long time with a deck that you don't like the look of defeats the object, so it doesn't really matter whether it is a RWS, recommended or not.

Which one do you get a shiver from.

The Gilded is not a personal favourite of mine, but I am well aware that it has been extremely popular with new readers. In that, I wouldn't say it was a bad catch.

And the Fantastic Menagerie gives the whole experience a different twist. Personally, out of the two, I think that one might stretch your mind a little further. From my memory, there is an acompanying book, which was written by a complete and utter nutcase, LOL :D Ain't that right, Helvetica? :D :D :D
Just joking.

Pick one. Stick with it a bit, exclusively. Live with it. Then intergrate the other one. Note their simularities and differences. You will get to a point where you can read them both and the beauty will be that they both read differently.

You have two good decks under your belt. Squeeze as much out of them as you can. Don't fall into the trap of casting them aside and buying one after another, after another. That never aids learning to begin with, in my opinion.

Best of luck to you, LB
 

Queen of Pentacle

Hi Nathan and welcome again.
Helvetica is quite true

I was thinking that you were talking about the "Fantastical Menagerie" kit wichi is a traditionnal 78 cards tarot deck. The "magical Menagerie" is not. Name mixing from my part.

On the other hand, The Gilded tarot is a very good deck to start with, and one of my favorite. Images are inspirating, friendly, and it use the RWS (Rider-Waite) weel known method, which is very popular. The Gilded copanion book by Barbara Moore is a very explicative, simple and weel done

Miren suggestions are very appropriated, and her suggestions are free online

Miren said:
I learned with the Gilded, using the book provided as well as Thirteen's meanings (available on this site) and www.learntarot.com. So yes, it's a good deck. :) I don't know about the other, but it seems quite respectable. I hope you enjoy them both!

Hope you'll enjoy you Gilded tarot and your new participation in Aeclectic tarot.
 

Little Baron

Oh, I did not realise QueenOfPentacle. I thought Nathan had just misplaced the name. I didn't know there was another.

And just incase anyone didn't get the joke, our very good friend Helvetica wrote the book to the Fantastic Managerie. A very talented lady :)

In this case, I would say the Gilded would be a good start. It is simplistic enough to be effective and styled enough to keep you interested. I think you would get a lot more from that than the oracle. Having said that, the oracle looks nice and I am sure it will make an interesting side-line deck.

LB
 

SunChariot

No of course not. :grin: You can't learn Tarot from an oracle deck, they're two different systems. But you should be able to learn either deck. And I would suggest learning how to read Tarot before learning how to read oracles is what I meant.

Bar