I want to buy a deck, but...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Redmoon	10 Jul 2002
I'm afraid they're a joke! I am a firm believer, I just have trouble buying a deck of cards from the local Barnes and Noble. What should I do? Do these decks work? If not, where can I get a good deck? And what is a good deck to buy? Thank you!

Starfish	10 Jul 2002
Welcome to Aeclectic, Errtu! I've bought a few of my decks from both Barnes & Noble and Borders - it's fine to purchase them there. Otherwise, there are quite a few good online places, I recommend www.TarotGarden.com as a good place to start. :T6P Starfish

Liliana	10 Jul 2002
It doesnt matter where you buy them if you do your research first :) I suggest browsing pics of decks here at aeclectic, and perhaps at www.tarotpassages.com See what you like art wise, theres hundreds upon hundreds of decks, so you have to find what feels right to you, whose symbolism and art speak to you. Next most pople recommend a Rider Waite or one of its clones as a first deck. An exact copy of Rider Waite with nicer coloring is the Universal Waite. Then theres decks with much of the same symbolism yet are different, such as the Spiral, Hanson Roberts, Morgan Greer, and Robin Wood. Decks like these are excellent starter decks because more books have been written on the Rider Waite symbolism than any other, but if you dont feel drawn to any of them books arent going to do you a bit of good :) Heres a link to a place where you can see some entire decks online, maybe youl find something you like http://www.tarot.com/store/browse_deck.php :THP

HOLMES	10 Jul 2002
what i would reccomend is go down to your local new age bookstore like we got one in winnipeg called genesis. or in winnipeg we got a chapters stores which has tons of new age books and tarot decks. and or the wh smith or coles book people. then you can handle the decks. and get a feeling for it which i feel is you should do for your first deck. one thing to do is look for all the decks here on the website and write down all the pictures that appeal to you. for lots of tarot cards boxes dont' have pictures of the deck on it. this should take a bit of time an hour or so. who knows you might be attracted to a non tarot deck like the medicine cards or i ching cards. what is your favourite animal., myth? there is certain theme decks too you mgiht like. like the dragon tarot, unicorn tarot, cat people , dog tarot ( just pictures of dog i couldnt' comprhend it for i thought it would be like that dogs playing poker) there is a tarot of oz, a fairy tale tarot called innerchild. and i hear whimiscal tarot is the same. fairies, gnomes. whatever your fancy :O) of course there is the standards. rider waite smith deck(it will be soon be known as that i read on the tarot passage site) aquatic tarot, golden rider universal tarot. robin wood. and other decks which are good thoth, morgon greer and tons others. again take a look at the pictures posted on the website. and pick one that appeals to you.

Redmoon	10 Jul 2002
Holmes, I would, but we dont have any around here! There's one crack-pot psychic about 45 minutes away, but she's not for real. I cant buy something from someone like that, and support them. I like the Fantastical deck. I'm looking at those. Would i have trouble learning to read these? I have no problem with studious research. The majority of my life is. From my animals, to the occult. I dont want to take the easy way out, and buy a deck i dont like. I am very willing to spend money and time on them

Jewel	10 Jul 2002
The decks at Barnes & Noble are just as good as the deck a metaphysical store. They work the same. What you need to consider is which deck you want. Browse through the threads here on Aeclectic on selecting a new deck and as others have told you do your research. If you are able to, one thing you could do is find the deck you want here on Aeclectic, purchase it through the Aeclectic link and a percentage of your purchase will go to Aeclectic to help support this site. Many of us here order from Amazon through Aeclectic and their prices is great and the decks arrive quickly. If you order from Tarot Garden please let them know that you were referred to them by Aeclectic and a proceed of that sale will also go to Aeclectic. Good luck.

niah	10 Jul 2002
I have a Barnes and Noble deck. It works great for me. :) I want an avatar so bad. LOL

migueldart	10 Jul 2002
It doesn't matter!!! Just make sure the cards 'speak' to you when you look at them, and you can look at many of them (and even link to buy them) right in this site.

emily2otters	10 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel If you are able to, one thing you could do is find the deck you want here on Aeclectic, purchase it through the Aeclectic link and a percentage of your purchase will go to Aeclectic to help support this site. Many of us here order from Amazon through Aeclectic and their prices is great and the decks arrive quickly. If you order from Tarot Garden please let them know that you were referred to them by Aeclectic and a proceed of that sale will also go to Aeclectic. Good luck. seconded. the barnes and noble near my house will let you open a sealed deck at the counter while they watch you. that way you can look at all the cards and hold them in your hands before you make your decision. if you're really crafty, you can take advatage of their good will and look at all the decks, then go home and order them through the aeclectic link... mwAHAHAHAHA!

HudsonGray	10 Jul 2002
Remember to take advantage of the Aeclectic site here--look at their deck reviews (things are rated with stars as to whether it's a working deck or just one for pretty). They do have pictures shown, even if it might only be 4 or 6 cards. Then after you see a deck you think you might like, do a search on google.com for that deck & start looking at what comes up. You'll get other reviews & different cards shown, with luck you can see virtually half a deck that way. Barnes & Noble stock US Games decks, so they can order any of those for you. I think they stock Llewellyn also, but not Lo Scarabo (those are Italian). Otherwise you can order via Amazon if you like, but that way you pay the shipping charges too.

Redmoon	11 Jul 2002
What do you guys think about the Dragon deck for beginners? I've read a couple reviews, with mixed results. Some say it's bad for beginners, some say it's good for everyone. Some say it's an awful deck. But most people seem to give it a high rating. I personally see symbolism in many of the cards(though i'm just looking at pictures on the internet), and have always loved dragons. They have fascinated me since i was a little kid. Dinsaurs, then dragons, and now reptiles. :-) Sorry if the pic's off topic, but he's a dragon! Technically speaking... My bearded dragon, Tequila Thanks!

Jimilyn	11 Jul 2002
Awwww, Tequila is tooooooooo cute! :) Give him a pat for me. I started off with a Rider-Waite for the simple reason that it is the one the lady in the store placed in my hand. She told me to take it home and play with it. LOL! It is easy to learn with since so many books are written using the symbolism in this deck. However, if it's a deck you don't like and won't use...it's not going to be a good idea to buy it. ;) Keep looking around and reading the reviews. I don't have either of the decks you mentioned, so I can't really offer an opinion on those. But I'd say if you're going to buy one deck, get one you want to work with. If you want one besides Rider Waite and are in a position to do so, you might pick up a small version of it or the Universal Waite just for study purposes. If you are as dedicated to studying your deck as you seem to be, I imagine that you'll be fine with whichever deck is your chosen one. Catcha later, Jimilyn

VGimlet	11 Jul 2002
It's nice to buy from a local metaphysical store, or, or course, from tarotgarden, or Amazon, where a percentage of the sale helps support this site, but really, buying a deck from Barnes & Nobel is just like buying a cookbook; it's what you do *after* you own it that counts. :D Buy a deck you love. I agree, eventually you might want to pick up a Rider Waite Smith deck, or a Thoth, for study purposes, but start with a deck you really like.

mondk	11 Jul 2002
I started with the Dragon tarot; personally, I don't recommend it as a starter deck, but each person is different. They really didn't speak to me until I had worked with them quite a while and they spoke more to me when I quit using the book that came with them and going off the feelings the cards conveyed. You can go to www.usgamesinc.com and request a free tarot catalog be mailed to you. It will come in a white manilla envelope in about 2 weeks from the time you request. It is a full color catalog and while it doesn't have every deck pictured, it still has quite a few, as well as tarot books too. I get all my decks from my cousin who sells them wholesale from azure green or u.s. games systems. He ships to anywhere and has an online store. His website is www.jksalescompany.com. Hope this helps...welcome to the wonderful addictive world of tarot!!! Blessings, M.

oriel	11 Jul 2002
let us know which deck you get! i've bought decks from my local new age store, borders, barnes & noble, and amazon.com, and they're all fantastic. not to mention my local borders bookstore has a slightly larger selection than the new age store :) (our new barnes and noble is catching up though!)

Jewel	12 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by HudsonGray Barnes & Noble stock US Games decks, so they can order any of those for you. I think they stock Llewellyn also, but not Lo Scarabo (those are Italian). All of our local Barnes & Nobles carry LoScarabeo decks, they also stock Llewellyn (Llewellyn distributes for LoScarabeo here in the US). They also have a listing of decks they can special order for you if you are willing to wait. If you get the Dragon Tarot also get the book. I love the death card in that deck. If you like it get it. The important thing is that it has meaning to you, that the symbolism and the cards speak to you. If you like dragons, another deck you might check out is the Celtic Dragon. I own both decks and love them both.

Umbrae	12 Jul 2002
On one hand you can make the paper yourself, print them with wood bocks; or you could buy them from a store. You can make a deck with 78 bits of paper that are labeled as cards. Or you can buy a deck of cards. The important part is what happens next…what happens in your mind. If you dis the cards, no matter their place of origin or manufacture, they will not work for you. Amongst us here at Aeclectic, many of us have different ‘rituals’ with a new deck to ‘make it ours’, or cleanse it, or ‘bond’ with it. It is that act, when you infuse it (be it a deck from Barnes and Nobel, a crazy lady down the street, or 78 bits of paper) with your magick that it becomes real. Similar in many ways to the spanking of baby to give it first breath…

Redmoon	12 Jul 2002
Thanks for the advice everyone. I've been kinda pushed away from the Dragon deck by some people, and i see why. Some of the cards make no sense to me, while others jump right out at me. I'm looking into the Celtic Dragon and Ibis decks right now. Leaning towards the Ibis. My only problem with that is the nudity. Don't think the 'rents will like it. It doesn't appear to be anything profane to me, but they're kinda touchy at best about anything occult, or anything they dont understand. Does anyone have any suggestions for books? I'm heading to a book store today to look at decks and books. I will probably buy a book, but i doubt that i will buy any cards today. A friend suggested the Work Book by Mary K Greer. This sound good? Thanks

Liliana	12 Jul 2002
Anything by Mary Greer is great. If you are into doing meditation with the cards, get Tarot for Yourself. If you want more basic info, get Tarot Reversals. Even if you arent going to use reversals Greer has a lot of good info in there. If you get Tarot for Yurself try and get one with a blue cover, its the new edition and has some additional info over the old. 78 degrees of wisdom by Rachael Pollack is another great book And dont forget online sources www.learntarot.com has Joan Bunnings Learning the Tarot online, you can also buy and see decks there :) http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/basics/index.html Cant forget Thirteen basics, they are an excellent intro to tarot :) :THP

Jewel	12 Jul 2002
Excellent suggestions by Liliana. Presonally I have really benefited from Tarot for Yourself by Mary Greer, and Tarot Reversals would be a good book to get in conjunction with it. 78 Degrees of Wisdom is a very good book that delves into the symbology of the Raider Waite deck. If you get this book I would recommend getting the Raider Waite or Universal Waite decks as well as your deck of choice and use this book as a text. You can study your deck in relation to the Raider Waite this way. I go back to this book quite often when I get new decks.

The I want to buy a deck, but... thread was originally posted on 10 Jul 2002 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.