OK, no more new decks. Really. I mean it.

[GryffinSong]

For me its a balancing act. Not just balancing my budget. Budgeting my space, both inner and outer. When I have too many decks (for me more than a dozen or two) I am less inclined to pick up ANY of them. I feel overwhelmed by the choices. It becomes clutter, just as having too many shoes or dishes or anything else would. We live in a culture (at least those of us in the states) where we tend to accumulate stuff. We're encouraged to buy, buy, buy. And at some point it becomes too much and I'm off to Good Will with bags of stuff I really don't need. It's about making choices. Is this deck really going to be loved and used? Or is it a momentary whim and will simply sit in my closet? For me its not about guilt. Its about making wise choices for myself and where I want to be. It's about knowing the difference between the spur-of-the moment whim, and a deck that has enough depth and "rightness" for me that it's worth the investment in time, space and money.

I just sold five decks and bought one. It feels GREAT, because the one I bought I think I'll actually use. The five just sat there. Pretty decks, and ones I might have used if I didn't have others I like better. But they're better off out of my space and into the hands of someone who'll truly appreciate them.

I studied a little of feng shui a few years back and they talk about keeping energy moving. That really resonates for me. Just as dust accumulates under the bed if you don't sweep it out, decks or clothing or books that never get used seem to gather a "stuck" sort of feeling for me. So every now and then I like to sweep it away, let the air in, and make certain that the remaining decks actually have some "life" to them. The flip side to that is learning what's likely to get "stuck" BEFORE I buy it, so that I don't even bring it into my life at all. And that's still very much a work in progress.

 

[Chiriku]

Both Ciro and le charior can be "right" here. I agree with ciro's basic idea that if funds are not too scarce, storage space not too tight, and one is going to permit himself or herself any indulgences or smalljoys to begin with, tarot decks are as good as and indeed perhaps better a choice than many other alternatives. Very few indulgences wil not negatively impact our health, have the potential to be used for years, and even improve our mental acuity, state of mind, and general wellbeing.

But le charior is also correct in pointing out that for some people, like me, who have a collectors' frame of mind while wanting to grow as a reader, it is distracting and a siphoning off of tarot related mental attention/time to constantly pursue decks when one WANTS to focus on growing as a reader with the decks one already has. Note the wword WANTS; there is no problem at all for people who can happily pursue decks and still grow as a reader with their current collection. Regrettably, I am not one of those people.


There is no conflict between these two points of view.

 

[SkadisPhoenix]

I haven't got a lot of money, but when I have a little extra I love buying a new deck. It's brings some excitement...the waiting for it to arrive..the arrival..the opening..the beauty of looking through the images...the shuffle..then ahhh the read! Wonderful moment!

I'm in the same boat, the only other thing I spend money on is crafting stuff, and it's a case of once in a while treat yourself, but it is very much a case of using common sense, as CiroM was putting forward. Yes, if you need that half tank of gas to get to work, then don't buy a tarot deck, kinda obvious to me.

Then again, one friend of mine spent her last £15 in her account getting her hair dyed and going to the cinema rather than buying food, and then complained to me that she had nothing to eat. Apparently there are people who don't use their common sense. Crazy girl wouldn't even go and get an emergency food bag from our uni, which would have tided her over at least. :S

 

[cirom]

I' d like to re-emphasize my point on the uniqueness of a tarot deck. No matter how much you may enjoy the writing style of any given author, once you've read a book it's value is somewhat diminished, i.e. The fact that you know the ending takes something away from any additional re readings. Similarly with watching a movie, seeing a musical etc etc. By comparison the function of tarot deck makes it a creative work that provides a fresh story line every time it's used. So it's potential is arguably the same no matter how many times you use it or how long you keep it. Indeed it's functionality does not diminish even if sold or traded, it continues to function for its new owner, a characteristic that is reflected I assume in the second hand or trading market. This combination of continued functionality and relative preservation of value should serve to at least diminish any discomfort next time you cannot resist induging your habit.

 

[Carla]

I have vowed to stop vowing to stop buying decks. I like buying decks, I like owning them, and most decks are cheaper than a single round of drinks so what the heck.

That's my vow.

 

[SkadisPhoenix]

That's like me and new year resolutions!

 

[Cassandra022]

i met a guy the other night. his apartment is full of all kinds of limited edition sneakers. he barely has the space for them all. he never wears them, because they are too valuable. they just sit there, taking up space and giving him, i suppose, that same kind of pleasure of owning something he likes to collect. it made me feel better about my little tarot collection. at least with cards, i get not only that, but also a tool that helps me grow, deal with things and through exchanges, possibly help someone else as well. that's nice.

plus as far as finances go, cards hold up resale value pretty well, generally, so if things really get tight, its not like you can't recoup a decent bit of what you spent on em...

 

[le_charior]

Both Ciro and le charior can be "right" here. I agree with ciro's basic idea that if funds are not too scarce, storage space not too tight, and one is going to permit himself or herself any indulgences or smalljoys to begin with, tarot decks are as good as and indeed perhaps better a choice than many other alternatives. Very few indulgences wil not negatively impact our health, have the potential to be used for years, and even improve our mental acuity, state of mind, and general wellbeing.

But le charior is also correct in pointing out that for some people, like me, who have a collectors' frame of mind while wanting to grow as a reader, it is distracting and a siphoning off of tarot related mental attention/time to constantly pursue decks when one WANTS to focus on growing as a reader with the decks one already has. Note the wword WANTS; there is no problem at all for people who can happily pursue decks and still grow as a reader with their current collection. Regrettably, I am not one of those people.


There is no conflict between these two points of view.

I totally agree, there is no conflict here! If you are an experienced and well rounded Tarot reader and have the money for it, of course you can buy as many decks as you want. I didn't want to say that cirom or anybody could not take part in the discussion or is biased. But I have to admit that the beginning of your first post, cirom:

This whole guilt trip about buying tarot decks has been discussed and analyzed on numerous other threads in the past. But to be honest I feel it's overblown.

sounded a bit condescending to me - maybe I got you wrong here, my excuses. But i felt a bit of a "this boring old discussion again" attitude here - and as if the "guilt trip" as you call it was something bad or stupid - while I feel it is a normal reaction to find the balance GryffinSong writes so nicely about. You discover Tarot, you get a first deck, you love it, you get excited about all the other decks, you buy more and more and then you realize that this is maybe not the way to become a good tarot reader or get the most out of it. I think you could have made your point ("Why feel guilty about buying decks if it's good for you, you can afford it - and every Tarot deck is unique and will last you longer than a meal in a restaurant") better and more valuable without this introduction

 

[Lokisen]

@Cirom, I think your opinion is valued around here and no, you don't "sound like a salesman."

~~~~~~~~~

In fact, Cirom makes some good points, and it reminds me of why I have such a fascination with the cards. The "fresh storyline" observation is insightful, since the cards, no matter what spread you use, will most likely come up with a new combination of meanings. Another of his observations was that the tarot is a "collectible art form" and for me at least, this is true, because some of the decks I've bought were mostly because I loved the artwork, and thus, are more like collector's items, but I still use them as reading decks often.

~~~~~~~~~

There is another wonderful thing about tarot, I find: that while there are some traditional and/or prescribed meanings for each card that you see in books and other places, the meanings can be personal to the reader and/or querent; and that there seems to be no fixed number of meanings for each card. For instance, I had one card come up for me a lot over the course of several months and so I read about its traditional meaning, and then the more I thought about the card, I saw how much it impacted my life and in so many different ways too. So, really, meanings for each card are manifold and I think that's part of what makes studying and reading tarot so interesting.

 

[cirom]

Le chariot
It's unfortunate that you chose to assume my comments were condescending. My intention was far simpler and specific. The guilt trip as I described it has been raised on various occasions I pointed that out not to deride you for raising the theme again but to address it, as it's obviously an emotion or reaction that has been felt by other members at various occasions. The purpose of my comparisons of "value" was to provide a different pesrpective of that evaluation which might in turn serve to diminish any guilt trip, an emotion which I don't regard as either bad or stupid, but in my opinion excessive and unnecessary, in the context of my analogies. Nor of course was my motive some crude attempt to encourage people to buy more decks as might be assumed by the "deeply vested interest" comment posted earlier. I trust that clarifies my position.
As for the deeper study and familiarity of fewer decks argument, that's a valid but different issue entirely.