My opinion on decks - Looking for suggestion.

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Nov 2001, and now archived in the Forum Library.

C.N.	01 Nov 2001
Hi, I have lurked on this forum for some time, but have decided that I need som opinion on my next deck. First I have to tell that I mostly a collector, I'm also intrested in Kabbalah/Astrology etc. and sometime does a reading for myself. I prefer decks with beutiful art in the classical sense, doesn't really like modern art and prefer either traditional symbolism or deck that have a wholly new system. Here is my current decks and my opinion: Robin Wood 5/5 - Nice art. The symbolism, while it is changed is quite consistent with the original. (However I feel that the Devil card is to negative compared to traditional tarots). Hanson-Roberts 5/5 - Like the art. The Arthuran Tarot 5/5 (Hallowquest) - Not a traditional tarot, but I like the way it is modified for a Celtic theme and the artwork is nice. Tarot (Original Waite? translated) 4.5/5 - I like the Waite symbolism, but this one has too bland colors. (My first deck) The Ancient Egyptian Tarot 4/5 - I like the majors but the minor are uninspiring. Gets also points for having astrological correspondances in the booklet. Morgan-Greer 3.5/5 - Nothing special, nice but too sombre. The Norse Tarot 3.5/5 - Good majors bland minors like the other deck by the same author. Like the way runes are included. Mythic Tarot 3/5 - Good booklet. Art nothing special. Hates the World card (two-headed freak). Cosmic Tribe 3/5 - Nice try, I like half of the cards and hate the other half. (+ Cups, Circles) (- Swords, Wands) Tarot of the Old Path 2.5/5 - Some of the cards are nice, but I can't stand those empty eyes, those stupid grins or those ridiculous claudrons. The New Palladini Tarot 2.5/5 - Seems to me that artist lost his inspiration midway. The first majors are nice but most of the cards are sort of bland. The Gendron Tarot 2/5 - A mistake. I bought it based on some cards I saw. Unfortunate those were the cards I liked best. My grivances: unclear, too energetic and lcks serenity. I'm willing to trade the last three for something, I live in Finland, so that could hinder trade. Decks I consider getting: Universal Waite Crowley Thoth Medevial Scarpani Tarot of the Stars Stairs of Gold Tarot Russian Tarot of St.Petersburg Buckland Romani Tarot So do you think those would suit my tastes? Or would getting them be a mistake? Anything else that would suit my tastes? Tarots that are popular but I know is not for me: Legend: The Arthurian Tarot & Celtic Dragon Tarot - The author of these decks are trying to switch the elements of Fire & Air. A turnoff for me. Haindl Tarot Vertigo Tarot - I doesn't like the art. Any college art tarot. Best wishes, -C.N.

mystic	01 Nov 2001
Nice collection of Decks. Of the ones that I would recommend are certainly the Thoth deck. Avoid the US Games version as the cards have a hue of green which takes away from the beauty of this deck. Also the Dragon tarot (not Celtic) is also an amazing deck filled with wonderful imagery and design. These two deck swould be a must as a collector...... Hope this points you well.....

Jewel	01 Nov 2001
Hi C.N., If you are looking to trade decks you might want to post the decks you want to trade and the ones you wish to aquire on the Trading Forum. I have a strong interest in the Qabalah, but I must say that most of the decks I have found related to this are not the most beautiful per se .... Some decks with Qabalistic symbolism you might want to check out are: Thoth Deck, Witches Tarot (Cannon version - I personally find this deck beautiful), Navigators of the Mystic Sea, Spiral Tarot (Also has quite a bit of Astrology), Sephiroth Tarot, and Tree of Life Tarot (very plain you would not like this one). I am not sure I am the right person to suggest what you may like as personally I liked several of the decks you posted as ones you did not like much or were not for you. Happy hunting ... May you find the right decks for you.

Logiatrix	01 Nov 2001
c.n., you should take another look at the legend deck...it's swords/air and wands/fire, and the artwork is quite lovely, even if only for your collection. the universal waite is a must have, IMO. i think it's one of best RWS clones. the thoth is good for any collection as well, and a necessary deck to study. also look at haindl, spiral, gill, nigel jackson, voyager or osho zen. for the art, the beauty or the uniqueness--whatever--i have found each of these to be rather nice additions to my own quite sizeable collection!

faunabay	01 Nov 2001
Taz, my legends book and deck are swords/fire and spears(wands)/air. It's my one and only complaint about this deck. Otherwise I LOVE it!!

C.N.	02 Nov 2001
Hi!, Thanks for the replys, here are my oppinion on the suggested decks (based on the images shown here): Suggested by mystic: Thoth deck: Will get it soon, I think I will get a translated version if the U.S. Games System one is bad. Dragon tarot: Cosidering, but this is a deck I'm not certain about. Would like to browse one before I decides. Suggested by Jewel: Thoth: See above. Witches Tarot: Fine artwork, but looks quite grim and dark. Are the rest of the cards also that sober? I will consider it. Navigators of the Mystic Sea: This is not in my taste, the colors are too clashing, it lacks a sothing quality. Spiral Tarot: This one is a bit better, but probably not really in my taste. Sephiroth Tarot: Well, could be ok, a bit flat however. Tree of Life Tarot: Hey, I could make one like this on my own and save money. :) Suggested by taz: Haindl: No, it is modern art doesn't suit my tastes. Spiral: See above. Gill: This is under serious consideration. I like that Devil card, however some of the cards seems too bright. How are the minors? Nigel Jackson: I like this one! It will be added to my list. Voyager: Hmm, I didn't really like the Gendron tarot, and this I would call worse. Osho Zen: I'm considering this one also. Added by myself: Merlin Tarot: Looks good, does anyone have it, opinions? Blessed be, C.N.

Jewel	02 Nov 2001
CN, The Witches Tarot is not a dark deck in my opinion. If you get a chance you may want to look at the entire deck. As I noted in my post I was not real sure how you would like the decks that have strong qabalistic elements (which was the premise used to mention them to you). The Nigel Jackson is great!

Logiatrix	02 Nov 2001
faunabay, c.n.... you're sooo right....it's wands/air, etc. on the legend deck! i used this deck for almost a year straight and never noticed! whatta dork! any-hoo, i still think it's beautiful...

truthsayer	02 Nov 2001
if you like the thoth deck you might want to also take a look at the tarot of the spirit by beverly eakley(?). tos is supposed to have used thoth as a guide. the book is really good and heavy kabalah. i'm not too hot on the spiral tarot. i love both decks by caitlin matthews(even tho i haven't managed to get a copy of the hallowquest yet i do have celtic wisdom). i like the robin wood and hanson-roberts, too. i don't particularly like the ones you aren't crazy about either. of your wish list, sorry but none of those decks are to my tastes. i dearly love the legend arthurian and vertigo. i don't like dark decks but for some reason i find the vertigo fascinatingly nontraditional tarot. i love arthurian legends and watercolor paintings so the LAD is a natural for me. i traded the celtic dragon b/c i just couldn't relate to it at all. due to my experience w/ disliking the celtic dragon, i decided that the dragon tarot would be a poor choice for me. the CD is a light, happy deck in comparison to the dragon deck. mind you just my opinion. i agree that i find the witches tarot to be light. the art is clear and pagan oriented. hated tarot of the witches aka the james bond deck. i don't care for the haindl or the gill deck.gill is pretty and has lots of kabalah. i'm more into symbolism other than the kabalah. haven't developed a taste for learning the kabalah. maybe one day. in haindl, the minor arcana cards are just too plain or abstract or dark for me. they're okay for part of my collection but not for reading. osho zen is okay--certainly an intense deck. just be aware of the master card. imho, the man bhagwan who is the master or osho, wasn't the icon of spiritual perfection the author of the osho zen thinks he was. personally, i have taken osho out of my deck b/c he gives me the creeps. the voyager deck doesn't fit exactly as my idea of a tarot deck. he uses jungianism and other psychological devices. to me it's more of a pyschological tool than a tarot deck. dr. wanless is bent on this one being so positive that all negative connatations are taken out. i like it okay tho. i generally like collage decks--maybe b/c i like to make them! the jury is still out on the nigel jackson deck. i really don't like traditional decks that much. his use of pastels is pretty tho. i hate his death card but maybe if i saw the whole deck. shouldn't let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch. i wouldn't mind adding the aquarian or new palladini but i doubt navigators of the mystic sea will ever belong to my collection. just has no appeal. i haven't seen the merlin deck yet so i can't give you an opinion. you might want to check out the sacred circle. some ppl here speak highly of it. it's one of those decks you either relate to it or you don't. i don't but it's still a well done deck. the sacred rose has some nice art but i don't like the empty eyes. tarot of a moon garden is gorgeous if unsophisticated. the hudes deck is also nice. i have found the art nouveau to be a great reading deck. it doesn't intimidate querents and the art is outstanding. imho it's a great beginner's deck. hope this helps a little. as a general rule i think most tarot-holics ;) are pretty picky about their fav decks even tho we're generally willing to add just about any deck to our collections! we are all amazingly diverse in our likes and dislikes!

truthsayer	02 Nov 2001
i know you said you don't like any collage tarot decks but you still ought to consider looking at the rohrig deck. it's quite beautiful and powerful. it's a little like the vertigo but much lighter. it's also a very sensual deck. you might want to look at the arcus arcanum. some many decks! so little time! :D

grasshopper	04 Nov 2001
I collect tarots too, and I think I share a lot of your feelings about the artwork. Two of the first two tarot decks I ever bought were the Aquarian and the Thoth(the original big deck in a white box) I actually felt a bit uncomfortable about getting the Thoth deck because of what I knew of Crowley, but I found it irresistible. You won't be disappointed by this deck. I find a lot of modern tarots are too pretty-pretty for my taste.If you like strong and powerful images, look at the Tarot of the Origins. This was originally published as a deck of the major arcana, but has recently been released in a full 78 card deck. I find it haunting, but it's quite dark. Another deck you might look at, but it is very hard to get now is the Ananda Tarot,which is very beautiful. Although I know you prefer modern decks, if you appreciate beautiful artwork, look at Nefertari's Tarot and the new Mantegna Tarot. One has lashings of gold, one has lashings of silver. They are both gorgeous. All the best grasshopper

jmd	04 Nov 2001
Two more MUSTS: The Wirth deck... this is the one which influenced Waite more than the Golden Dawn one he initially had to work with and: one from the wood cut series, preferably the re-drawn (Camoins) Marseilles deck. The Marseilles is, after all, the basic reference point for both the Wirth and the Waite! This Marseilles is definitely wirth the waite...

C.N.	05 Nov 2001
Hi, Having got more decks to consider, I have added the following to my list: Witches Tarot Merlin Tarot Nigel Jackson Tarot Osho Zen Tarot - Have to remember to bury the master card :) On the maybe list: Gill Tarot Tarot of a Moon Garden Mantega Tarot Tarot of the Origins Sacred Circle Wirth & Marseilles, will get them some day, aren't really excited about the art. Got Crowley Thoth and my oppinions are mixed, but I don't regret getting it. This is probably the only deck in which I like the minors better. What is the problem that people have with Crowley by the way? Do you want a Crowley card to bury? :) Noticed that I got mixed up the names of one of my decks: Cosmic Tribe should be Ancestral Path. Whoops. - Blessings, C.N.

raeanne	05 Nov 2001
CN, You might want to rethink the Nigel Jackson deck if you don't like Wands (Staves) as Air and Swords as Fire. Have you thought of making your own deck? You seem to have some specific wants and don't wants which is going to make it difficult to find a deck you really like. One of the things that I have learned to do is to let my mind see the "best card" in any layout. For example, I may be using the RW deck but my mind may see one card from the Robin Wood deck, another card from the Spiral Tarot, and yet another from Sacred Circle. A ten card layout can have ten different decks in my head! (Actually, even more because I can pick and choose whatever images I want from as many decks as I want.) The down side to this is that you always want more decks so you can have more images in your head! He, he, he. . .

C.N.	06 Nov 2001
Raeanne: Thanks for the warning. Yes, I have considered to make my own after I have done some more research. Haven't yet decided which set of correspondances to use with the Hebrew letters: Continental - Fool = last card. or English (GD) - Fool = first card. Jewel: Got the Stairs of Gold Tarot yesterday, it is great to have if you want to study Qabbalah with the continental system. The little white book have much info on the subject. Blessings & luck, Christer

Jeannette	06 Nov 2001
Grasshopper wrote: [...another deck you might look at, but it is very hard to get now is the ananda tarot,which is very beautiful.] If you like decks with beautiful artwork, this is a great recommendation! Very popular lately, too -- it's currently our best seller at Tarot Garden. If you haven't seen pictures of it, you can check it out here: http://www.tarotgarden.com/boutique/images/anandacards.gif The images are evocative, so in addition to simply being "pretty," it can make an ideal reading deck as well. Enjoy the pix!

Jewel	06 Nov 2001
Hi CN ... thank you so very much for the recommendation of the Stairs of Gold I will check it out! Lori the Ananda is beautiful! thanks for posting the link to the pictures.

C.N.	07 Nov 2001
Jewel, I forgot to mention that the minors are without scenes, like Marseilles. -C.N.

The My opinion on decks - Looking for suggestion. thread was originally posted on 01 Nov 2001 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.