Dark Tarot Card Decks--What Is Your Take?

When I was in my 20's I got into Tarot card reading, but because of problems in my life at the time gave it up--I wasn't in the right frame of mind to receive the Wisdom of the Tarot. Now that I am older I have returned to them like a parent welcoming a long lost child back, and feel that they can positively lead to inner transformation and be of help to other people in my life.

When I first collected Tarot Card decks most decks seemed to be imitations of the standard Rider-Waite Deck, but now there are a much larger deversity of cards on the market. In exploring new card decks I've come across some that have very negative and violent imagaes, some even to be reversing the standard meaning of the traditional Rider-Waite Deck.

My only concern about these decks is that if people meditate on them or use them with the wrong motivation, I feel they might be harmful to a persons psychy. I suppose in another way they can be cathartic, allowing people to exorcise negative emotions? What do others think of these decks and what are some of their positive uses?

I have asked the same question in a few variations on another part of the forum under "Tarot Decks", where this subject comes up a lot. You might want to check there for that or try "Talking Tarot".

Well it's good to know that I'm not the only one who has been concerned about it. I'll definitely have to check it out when I have more time.

Hi Tomsde. Could you tell us which decks you feel uncomfortable about?
I don't have any 'dark' decks, but I am intrigued by your question.

Hi Tomsde,
Unfortunately there are many people in the world who have experienced the darker side of life. Men have seen the devastation of war, women have been raped, and even children have witnessed killings in their schools. If you are doing a reading for someone who has had seen horrific things, somehow the fluff bunny decks just don’t seem appropriate. I have used some of the darker decks to help people cope with some of the traumatic aftershocks of bad things that have happened in their lives. These dark decks can help expose the raw nerves that need to be healed. Personally, I don’t think these decks can harm anyone’s psyche. To me Tarot decks are simply tools. They have no power in and of themselves. The power comes from inside the person using the tool. However, if someone is already leaning in the dark direction, a dark deck could perhaps help feed that tendency but it would be, in my opinion, only a very small addition. I certainly don’t think that any of these decks are going to “turn” someone to the dark side.

Personaly I do not think that dark decks influence in any way people. Balance is necessary to find and keep and it's not healthy to go only one way, like only good or only dark. Only having fluffy cutesy decks is as bad as only having dark decks. The world is made of everything in between and we are the same as well, neither good nor bad. It is important to have access to both so whenever we need dark and violent we get it and whenever we need fluffy and cutesy we get it. Some strive better with dark and some others with light. Dark does not mean evil by the way. Light can be evil.

Tomsde said:

My only concern about these decks is that if people meditate on them or use them with the wrong motivation, I feel they might be harmful to a persons psychy.

Click to expand...

I'm not too sure what you're worried about here.
I think that a person's deck preferences are just a matter of taste. Some folks like horror films, others don't, same with decks.
Some people like dark decks, others don't.
I don't really see what 'the wrong motivation' is.
If you don't like them, don't use them but I don't think you should worry about another readers psyche because they enjoy decks with darker imagery. That's a bit like worrying about someone who likes to listen to death metal or gothy music.
I could just as easily say that I worry about the effect that Doreen Virtue's decks have on people who use them because they have what I consider to be an unnaturally rosy view of the world.

There are dark things in the world and some folks enjoy darker imagery.. I think it's as simple as that.

I am curious to know what decks you are referring to as well.

Personally, I don't think the decks influence us as much as you seem to think. All decks - cutesy ones AND dark ones - have positives and negatives in them. The images might influence what you get from the cards but esentially, the message behind them is what counts. Even when using the Hanson Roberts (which some refer to as a cutesy bunny deck), I can get decidedly negative readings. I'm sure the inverse is true with the decks you refer to.

Anyway, people collect and use different decks for a variety of reasons. Some people like to use dark decks when talking about dark subjects or delving into the darker parts of the mind. Other people use darker-themed decks for fun, because maybe it "suits the mood" (at a Halloween party for example).

At the end of the day, even though certain tarot decks seem to have distinct "personalities", they are just tools. They are not infused with spirits that are going to haunt our dreams for using them. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I think that the images on Tarot cards affect us in the same way that any image does. Surely, Tarot cards prompt contemplation, but any painting or sculpture can do the same. Written words and language also affect moods.

I mention this because the effects images have on people and how profound those effects are has been the source of discussion forever. Whenever anyone starts to question the ability of others to safely view questionable images, a red flag goes up in my mind — a red flag that screams censorship and elitism. It's pretty rare that the person who is worried about dark images is concerned with his or her own ability to handle dark images with strength and circumspection. They are usually only worried about the ability of others to handle it.

I think Tarot is more of a beacon *to* your psyche than something that fills your psyche. If you're at a place where darker imagery speaks to you, that's the deck that you'll be drawn to - if you aren't, you won't. But sometimes a strong negative reaction tinged with fear tells you something..maybe that image is really striking a chord and taking you to uncomfortable places.

There isn't anything wrong with being uncomfortable... it shows you were the sore spots are. For me Tarot is all about resolving those uncomfortable places and making them stronger and more whole, so I think it pays to pay special attention to the things we are trying to reject, and put in some time working out why.

Granted sometimes, the why is just that the philosophy of the deck's author and artist is at great odds with our own (and their own psyche is poured into the decks they create), and that's fair enough. But if it's just raising unsettling questions, maybe that's a good time to explore the answers to those questions.