Opinions, please...Especially from longtime readers...Which are the most 'important'

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

star streak	08 Jul 2002
decks (and/or books) for the following approaches to reading: Astrological Numerological Psychological Intuitive Ancient Magical/mystical (and the specific 'schools' of Magic/mysticism, please-i.e. Pagan, Wiccan, Golden Dawn, Kabbala, etc. ) Any 'New thought' magical/mystical schools Decks for meditation purposes, dreamwork, and such Any other categories of approach that I have not thought of or listed. Also, which, in your opinion, are the 'most important' decks to have for reasons... Historical Educational Artistic (Classic and/or modern) Any other reasons that I have not thought of or listed. Of the decks you hold in high esteem, are there any that absolutely require the accompanying book? (If applicable). Thank you for your time, knowledge, and opinions!

Lee	08 Jul 2002
Hi, star streak -- You're asking a lot of very good questions, but there are such a *lot* of them... :) You're basically asking for what decks would be best for every single approach out there, and I don't think that's really answerable, unless someone were to work full-time for a week at writing an answer. If someone wants to give it a go, by all means ... but my suggestion to you, star streak, would be to consider breaking it down into the 17 (by my count) separate questions and post them as separate threads, which would make it a little more manageable for folks to answer. Also, it seems to me not quite fair to ask us to answer questions that you haven't thought of! :) Seriously, you ask good questions and I look forward to hearing the answers, but I just thought it might be easier on everyone if you ask them one at a time. If you'd like, I could delete this thread and you could post them separately -- or not, it's up to you. (If you do post them separately, you might want to put the book questions in the Tarot Media forum.) -- Lee co-moderator, Tarot Decks

HOLMES	08 Jul 2002
i can only speak from my own experiences of course. when i first started i started with eden gray book about the tarot revealed. and another book she had written. i also made sure any tarot deck i got usally had a tarot book which i read. these were over the years inner child cards, aquarian tarot, sacred rose tarot. what i was looking for was corresponding meanings, ways of reading, of intrepating, and understanding the tarot. then i got a book called mystical tarot which became my basis for understanding the tarot. for there was nice little section on mediating on the tarot. then i kind of put the tarot away except for reading the tarot for friends. i got into channeling, and spiritual lessons. and the i kind of came back for the spiritual teachings of he royal road which s the tarot road ehe. the major arcana as spiritual teachings, influences, archtypes. and here i am. i never studied astralogy, numberlogy. (i tried but it wouldnt' take) i did like the animal teachings of the medicien cards, the spiritual culture teachins of the sacred path cards, and sweat lodge cards. but that was about it i like to think i come from an unuitive point of view. i do know i come from a spiritual lesson point of view. i pick my decks mostly from a pleasing eye point of view. i cant' stand ugly decks to my eye. and the pips to be illustrated. now all that aside. what i do believe is this. study everything, and anyhing if it will make you a better tarot reader me i am going to be 27 on sept the 8th, and if i keep studying, and follow all the books i plan to get on my tarot book dream list. and study channeling, and keep praticing imagine how good a reader i will be when i am 67? i like psychology aspects, inuitive. ex. psyomety, clarivoyance, clariaudient, but by all mean study astralogy, numerology,. it can only make you better. the innerchild is good with the book for ithelps you applies the myths to the cards. and how the swords of strife get transfered to swords of truth. the medicine cards while not being a tarot card system or deck needs the book to understand the animal teaching. the jungian tarot really needs the book. same with dream power tarot deck. voyager needs the book. all in all any deck you get that has a book by all means get it :O)

star streak	09 Jul 2002
you probably have a good point. I do tend to 'over-do' things. Especially when it comes to talking and asking questions. ;) So, I will indeed post the questions one at a time, if I can remember them one at a time. Thank you for the suggestion and assistance! Starstreak.

divinerguy	09 Jul 2002
Determining what is "the best" when it concerns Tarot is like trying to shovel smoke. We Tarot readers can't agree on the definition of Tarot itself, let alone agree on its history, methods of reading and etiquette. Personally, I listen to others, and incorporate what I like, and discard the rest. I do so because my conscience won't allow me follow everything I hear. Do what your conscience tells you is the right thing. Shakespeare said it best, "To thine own self be true." Many Wiccans adhere to the Rede, sort of a canon of ethics. Part of it says, "Do what thou wilt is the whole of the law." My suggestion - read everything you can lay your hands on, but decide for yourself. Divinerguy

Umbrae	09 Jul 2002
To answer your questions all at once; I used one deck, and one deck only for 30 years. Worked for me… Oh sorry, Rider-Waite.

zorya	09 Jul 2002
i'm going to narrow this down to what are in my opinion the top three; visconti sforza for historical, (jmd, catboxer or diana correct me here if i'm wrong.) rider waite, the "classic" deck thoth, the intellectual deck

Thirteen	10 Jul 2002
Essential books: Konraad's Tarot Spreads Robert Wang's book on tarot and the Qabala Butler's Dictionary of the Tarot These three should cover most Astrological, Numerological, Ancient Magical/mystical and "spread" questions regarding the tarot--they're good "cover all the bases" books. Essential decks...that's harder. Rider, Thoth and Marseilles for historical reasons at the very least, as they're the three decks on which almost all modern decks are based in one form or another. Any other deck is personal preference. There are plenty with artistic beauty, and plenty that are very Wiccan, pagan, etc. You've only to research and choose. As was pointed out, when it comes to decks, your decision is as good as that of any "expert."

jmd	10 Jul 2002
If you were to at least have the following decks (most of which have already been mentioned by Thirteen, zorya and Umbrae), then each of the categories you mentioned would be covered, and the Tarot's historical development would also be, to some extent, included: Visconti-Sforza Sola-Busca (not Tarot) Marseilles Etteilla (not Tarot) Wirth (Rider/)Waite/Colman-Smith (Crowley/Harris) Thoth Mother-Peace Of course, in my opinion, the list you mention, which includes astrological, numerological, psychological, spiritual (Imaginative/Inspirational/Intuitive), as well as the 'ancient' magical/mystical, hermetic, 'meditational', and the historical, educational, and artistic are all well covered by owning and fully using one Marseilles deck!

star streak	10 Jul 2002
It looks like the responses I was looking for are beginning to trickle in! What say we just leave this be for a bit, and see what happens? Umbrae, do you read, and have you always read, simply by intuition? How did you learn symbolism of the cards, and how they related to each other in a spread? Simply by doing? Everybody, what approach do use, and why? Who applies numerology? Do you simply see how the vibration of the corresponding number effects the symbology on the card? Do you add cards together, or use other 'standard' equations in a reading? What decks and books are best for learning the numerological approach to tarot? And you astological readers, do you relate the planets and signs of the cards to what is happening in the sky at the time of the reading, and/or the date and time of the querents' birth? Or do you see each spread as a 'sky', and relate the astological correspondences of each card to each other within the layout only? Doea Linda Goodman or somebody have a book on how to apply Astrology to tarot? What decks are basic for learning the astrology of tarot? As for psychological readers, do you read the cards like a Rorschach inkblot might be read? Is it possible to read from a psychological approach without engaging the querant in deep examination of their mental/emotional state? Or is the psychological approach mainly for self work? And how, do you think, psychology ties in to the mystical and mathematical approaches? There are hundreds of book and deck sets out there, that are geared to self help. Is there a 'basic' book that explains the psycholgy of tarot? Is there a 'classic' deck to use for this approach? Why and how do all of these different angles work? What are the similarities between them? Where and how do they tie in to each other? This is what I'm after, and I am sure I will spend my life studying it. I would just like to see what the more experience of you consider to be the abc's of tarot, from each specific approach. I understand that each card has different but similar meanings for each querant, depending on their circumstances, and the placement of the cards. I am learning by reading the meanings of cards in one or more books, then I consider the placement of the card in the spread, take into account and/or 'feel out' what may or may not be happening in the querants' life and spirit, and why, and go from there. I am geussing that in time, I will be able to toss the books aside, Look at the spread like it is several images from one painting, open my intuition, and go. However, the scientist/student in me is also very interested in the more systematic appoaches, like numerology, astrology, magic, etc. And then there is psychology, which is not quite science, not quite spirituality, not quite intuition, (yet is, indeed, all of these,) and for which there is little or no math or concrete formulae that I am aware of. I am also very interested in learning ALL of the possible uses for the cards. Which means, I will spend a LOT of time studying the astrological, numerological, etc. approaches, as well as the history of tarot, (as I believe this carries an important flow into the present life of tarot, besides being interesting) Buying decks I like, or are attracted to, is easy, easy, easy. If it's a deck of cards with fascination, depth, beauty, knowledge, or some other attraction, I want it. :) I spend time with each deck, and I know which ones I jibe with right away, the ones that are 'too easy', and which ones I will have to spend time and detail with, growing into knowing them, how they work, and establishing a bond. (Being a waittress for 25 years has taught me the value of being open to all variety of approach to life. Begun as a defense mechanism against weathering personalities too different from my own, it has become a blessing that I have learned to enjoy, appreciate, and learn from people of all roads and blends. It is this same attitude that allows openess to many schools of thought) I recently acqured the Jungian, and the book that goes with it. I was expecting the book to explain why/how the images on the cards were universal, (which it yet may), and how these can be applied to the individual. I geuss I was hoping for a key to the Universal conciousness we all share, via Jungian theory symbology, which I felt would help me delve into tarot from the intuitive and psychological perspectives more readily. I haven't gotten very far into the book yet, but it would seem that Wang includes astrology in his approach. Why would he do this, if the deck is based on Jungian psychology? Was Jung into atrology? So, the next logical step, for me, would be to slowly, detrmine the methods, whys and results of many approaches, and the similarities in all -would the 'real' road to god please stand up? Actually, I think that armed with this kind of knowledge, my tarot reading would be very flexible, and I would be able to offer an interpretation based on a method that is more personalized to the querants' 'style'. More simply, when I have a person over for a reading, it often just hits me that I have a book that they need to read, or a movie that would do them some good. I think if I learned many approaches to tarot, it would help me to understand, and perhaps guide, more people with more depth and detail, directing them to a byway particularly suited to them. Am I making any kind of sense here? Therefore, I am very interested in the opinions of the more learned amongst you, as to which decks (and books) are considered the basic, most valuable decks for each approach. This will help me steer away from spending too much time with the decks that won't do a whole lot for teaching me the science, art, history and spirit of Tarot, and I will have a fair idea of which decks to really examine, and with which books. Plus, it will probably save me a whole lot of money that I would otherwise spend because I thought I might be missing something elementary to an approach without a certain deck and/or book. whew! Let me tell you, it is WORK being me! Lee, would you be so kind as to perhaps transfer this thread to 'talking tarot'? Although I AM asking for specific decks, I'm also asking questions on theory and approach. Hmmm....I'm sorry, Lee, I don't mean to make your life as a moderator so tough. Maybe if you transfer this particular post to 'Talking Tarot', and leave the original post of this thread, along with the relative replies, as is, open to more of the simple "lists" of the 'basic', and most relevant decks to each approach? Thank you Lee. If you freak out and delete the whole mess, I will understand entirely! :) With Love, Star streak PS Lee, I think I am asking so many different questions in one post, because I think that by seeing the answers in one place, I will get a better idea of the all encompassing picture, and figure out which decks are the 'basic' basics. Okay? Okay, go ahead, delete the whole mess. I hope you forgive the headache I've given you. Love, Star Streak

star streak	10 Jul 2002
Okay, delete that last post. I'm getting the info I'm looking for, thanks to jmd, thirteen, Zorya, et. al. No reason to give everybody a headache trying to explain my head-mess. Thank you to those who have answered, and those who will! I'm off to frantically sort through my decks, and make a scribbled mess of my wish list! I am sure, by the time this is over, I will have at least twelve more decks to buy! And who knows, how many more books? Ugh! Love, Light, and Blessings sweet, Star streak

star streak	10 Jul 2002
in my email just now, after that absurd ramble I just posted.... "Truth is no theory, no speculative system of philosophy, no intellectual insight. Truth is exact correspondence with reality. For man, truth is the unshakeable knowledge of his real nature, the Self." -Paramhansa Yogananda Sorry all, for my rush of hot air on an already too-hot summer night. Love, blessings to all, Star streak

Lee	10 Jul 2002
Hi, star streak, I don't think I should delete any of it now, since people have responded, and your posts are interesting. So if it's okay, we'll just let it be. -- Lee :)

jmd	10 Jul 2002
I agree with Lee. I would, however, also suggest that you copy your post located on the bottom of page 1, and re-post it as a new thread in Taking Tarot (to do this, simply go to the post, click on edit, select and copy your whole post, click the back button key on your browser, go to Talking Tarot, start a new thread and paste your contribution therein! - but you probably knew all this anyway!). This would, Star Streak, certainly lead to many far reaching important discussions!

star streak	10 Jul 2002
Do you mean that huge monster of mine, that takes up most of page 2? Or do you mean the original question, calling for specific decks? (The top of page 1. I'm going to assume you mean the monster, and go for it. Thanks! Love, Star streak

star streak	10 Jul 2002
Actually, I had not yet noticed that I could edit my own posts. One of those obvious things that often escape me when I am off on a tangent. (Plus, I must admit that I am fairly new to computer use. I can operate it well enough to zero in on what I'm after, but as far as cool things like editing, fonts, etc., well, This post posting editing thing will be very useful for me, though. I can do much of my own 'moving', and have mercy on our wonderful moderators! :) Love, Star streak

Thirteen	10 Jul 2002
Reading through that monster post, I had to wonder--Gemini or Gemini rising? Just curious.

star streak	11 Jul 2002
Nope. Scorpio, Saggitarius rising. What does that mean, anyway? :) That I'm a confused mess?

Thirteen	11 Jul 2002
Sag. rising would've been my second guess. As for the Scorpio/Sag mix: means when you find something that nabs your attention, you skip the shallow end and dive right in. No dipping in the toe and testing the waters for you, no quiet test drive. First time out, take it onto the freeway and break the speed limit, lets see what this baby can do!

The Opinions, please...Especially from longtime readers...Which are the most 'important' thread was originally posted on 08 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.