decks you thought you'd hate but ending up loving?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 06 Aug 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

truthsayer	06 Aug 2002
okay, we've done "decks you thought you'd love but hated". now let's look at the deck we just knew when we saw it on the screen we'd hate a certain deck. however, reality proved you wrong. instead of ICK!! when you saw the deck you said--WOW! i know that's how i expected to feel about the hanson roberts. whenever i saw it online i just thought it was repulsive. then the day came that i could buy it so cheap that it was almost free--if nothing else to trade. well, this deck is now my #1 reading deck. i also thought i'd hate the morgan-greer and aquarian but i actually like them. i was really vocal about disliking the cosmic tribe at one point but when i got it i wasn't immediately repulsed like i thought i would be. i look at it occasionally and it's becoming somehow "friendlier". not too long ago i did a reading w/ it and got staggeringly accurate results. i don't think my beloved HR would have been able to be that honest w/ me. so now i see it as the deck to go to for the tough questions w/ no BS added. so anyone else want to fess up?

Laurel	06 Aug 2002
I was sure I'd hate the "Mage Tarot" by White Wolf when it was first published and I picked it up since it wasn't a "real" tarot deck. However, I was completely surprised by just how interesting and thought-provoking it turned out. A lot of decks have come and gone through my hands over the years, but I've kept this one. Laurel

Starfish	06 Aug 2002
My Old English deck. I didn't know how I would feel about it; I ordered it on a whim - but it is my favorite :) I love it's soft, muted colors and it gives me wonderful readings. :TDEAT Starfish

Lee	06 Aug 2002
Well, I can't say I love this deck, but when I first saw the Thoth deck (my mother gave it to me as a gift), my skin crawled. I just couldn't bear to look at the artwork. As I started to get more and more into Tarot and did more reading and saw more decks, I sort of got used to it. I'm at the point where I respect and admire it, and there are several cards that I really do love -- The Princess of Disks, the 10 and 9 and Ace of Disks, the Hermit. There are lots of cards I still dislike -- the Fool, most of the Cups cards. -- Lee

divinerguy	06 Aug 2002
The Albano Waite. Most samples only show you the Fool card, which is colored very brightly. It looked garish and cheap. Then I read that a noted Tarot author uses the Albano Waite for her readings. So I looked a little further, and I find that I like the Albano more than the original Rider Waite deck. Next, I'm going to look at the Universal Waite. Then the Diamond Tarot. Too much fun, don cha think?

kayne	06 Aug 2002
For me it was Robin Wood... Everyone here went on about how great it was and I guess the 80's hair cuts and style of illustrations really put me off the deck... but after Kiama did a webcam reading for me using the Robin Wood I thought, hey, maybe this deck isn't so bad... so I got it. And after doing a few readings with it the day I got it (I never usually do that, it usually takes some serious study before I feel comfortable enough to read with a deck) I found that the Robin Wood really spoke to me! (Despite the 80's hair cuts :P)

Starfish	06 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by kayne I found that the Robin Wood really spoke to me! (Despite the 80's hair cuts :P) Kayne - Now that you mention it.... I won't be able to look at the deck in the same way again ;). :TDEAT Starfish (Hey, I GRADUATED High School in the 80s!)

truthsayer	06 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by kayne For me it was Robin Wood... Everyone here went on about how great it was and I guess the 80's hair cuts and style of illustrations really put me off the deck... (Despite the 80's hair cuts :P) gee! i've never noticed anything wrong w/ 80's haircuts. in fact, i can't even remember what eighties haircuts looked like. now i have to go look at RW b/c i've never thought in terms of haircuts for certain decades. is there a nineties haircut? now that i think about it, the seventies was the long hair decade. anybody ever want her hair cut like farrah fawcette? the fifties crew-cuts...well, crew-cuts also seem to be a nineties hair style. now i'm self-conscious. how can i leave the house knowing i graduated from high school in the eighties and ppl might be laughing behind my back--eewwwwww! yuck! she has an eighties haircut! ROFLMAO I can see this is going to require some research. you don't happen by chance to be a cosmetologist or barber? ;) :D now that i think about it, the mountain dream deck has very definite seventies haircuts and clothing. it's definitely a dated deck.

Phoenix	06 Aug 2002
Halloween Tarot. Never liked the images, but saw the deck and book set in the store, and said "what the hell." I haven't regretted it! I also never liked the Robin Wood Tarot, but I really want it now!

jema	07 Aug 2002
i never did like the overworked majors and it took me weeks of constant work with the deck to finally accept it. i still don't like many of the majors but the minors are so great that i can live with them. i know this may sound odd - cause everyone i know hates the minors and love the majors. but some of the minors are really great! the swords are very thought provoking and i do like the format of the deck with the long and slender cards. it is still a "cold" deck but i now see the beauty of it and it is a deck some of my clients choose and i do often use it in comparative readings esp since the minors are so good. oh and let me mention the Cosmic tarot here. i once traded it away and now i had to go and buy it again this summer cause i suddenly missed it. i am also already beginning to miss the swedish deck i traded to catlin. so i will probably try and find it again (by the way catlin - it is OOP so hold on to it)

catlin	07 Aug 2002
Hi Jema, No chance to get your Swedish goodie back from me because I just love the humorous touch. Normally I am very serious in tarot matters but this deck made me smile several times and see some cards from another point of view.

Liliana	07 Aug 2002
Gonna have to smack you twoi around, mentioning a deck in vague terms and not giving us a TITLE hehe, what is this swedish wonder? Tarot Nova was one for me, my mom offered to sell me the larger deck and palmistry et for 5 bucks, well 5 bucks of course Ill buy it, but I didnt think Id actually like it, too sparse in symbolism. but it is actually relly cute and funny, even tho theres some cards I dont get (Judgement as a butterfly and a key, emperor as a cowboy boot) but some are so simple I love them the best, like the 4 of coins shows a little piggy running offf with the 4 coins, shows meaning much better to me than rider waites man. and the knights, riding element appropriate animals, are adorable :THP

All Is One	07 Aug 2002
Of course, Truthsayer, your thread had no original intention to talk me into wanting so many of the decks that I had actually managed NOT to lust after... Or did it? I may have to run back to the taro-holics anonymous meetings (lol) They really kicked me off on a seroius spending binge! (I was going to trade the Gendron and the Robin Wood...how can I let them go so quickly now?)

catlin	07 Aug 2002
Hey, Liliana, go smack Jema around for trading a deck to me whose name I cannot spell as it is Swedish LOL :D. It is a Swedish Wicca deck and I think there is no chance to get it in the States.

Lee	07 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Liliana Tarot Nova ... is actually relly cute and funny, even tho theres some cards I dont get (Judgement as a butterfly and a key ... Judgement = the key to rebirth (butterfly emerges from coccoon)... -- Lee :)

jema	07 Aug 2002
the swedish deck: some images of the majors can be seen here: http://www.hansarnold.com/htmls/tarot/tarot.html it is currently out of print and hard to get a hold on but i might know of a place that still have them that i will try later this week or so. the deck is made by Hans Arnold - known in sweden for his illustrations for horror novels and short stories. this deck is as catlin writes, a funny one. lots of animals in it. there is a book to it - a HUGE book but only in swedish. and i must say that the person behind the book is rather weird, a swedish witch with a lot of new age ideas andher interpretations for the cards are funny but rather off the wall.

Starfish	07 Aug 2002
Jema - Thanks for sharing the link with us - it's a darling deck! Too bad it's out of print. :THERM Starfish

Cerulean	07 Aug 2002
My tiny fancy that I only liked certain art decks took a dive this summer. Tarot Nova's color-coded colors and bright folkart inserts had me buy the fortunetelling-kit, just to get the bigger cards. I wanted a soft-focus and somewhat modern tarot with simpler paintings, not photos or collage, for meditative monthly check-ins. People who favor the Glastonbury or Shapeshifter usually have great ties to celtic topics. And me being Asian, I had looked at many that encouraged my past associations in this cultural background. But my Roots of Asia is still on order. Since I am studying Western art history and literature now, many of the art theme decks of past cultures can be like reading a book assignment. I found a few decks, such as Tarot of the Cloisters, the Diamond Tarot, etc., to be nice when the Rider-Waite Smith moods hit me. But for monthly meditations, I'm doing something completely different. A retro 1989 deck--Tarot of Love by Marcia Perry-- follows a theme with some AGM Mueller decks on topics of self-discovery and rethinking attitudes, etc. My commentary is based on Visionquest Tarot, Master's Tarot (Montabano and Folchi). Perhaps because I define myself and my world by how my 'relationships' are, this works for me.

Rhiannon	07 Aug 2002
2 decks I was sort of unsure about are the Goddess Tarot and the World Spirit. I saw a few particular scans online that bothered me, but when I got the decks home I found that they weren't as bad as I thought. Now I love them both. R :)

Liliana	08 Aug 2002
Oh I adore that swedish deck, i spotted a panda, we always call my daughter Amanda Panda so it got to me :) If it happens you can get more maybe we can figure out some trade or some way of me getting a payment to you for one if its not amazingly expensive :) :THP

Jewel	08 Aug 2002
It was the Cosmic Tribe for me. I originally ordered the deck as a novelty ... first deck to have 3 lovers cards ... I mean what kind of taro-holic would I be if I did not order it, right? Well then the day came when it arrived. I absconded the package to my room, sat at my desk and set to the task of opening my package just knowing I was going to kick myself for having ordered the deck ... then reminded myself that I had ordered it because it had 3 lovers cards, and as long as all 3 were there I had nothing to be dissapointed about. The box came out of the package, then the plastic wrapping off the box. I looked at the images on the box and found myself getting excited about unveiling the cards in larger size. I carefully opened the box, pulled out the book, looked at its cover, smiled and set it aside. THEN I picket up the cards. Very slowly I looked through them ... finding myself more mesmerized by each one. Things just kept popping out at me, it is as if they danced in my hands. By time I was half-way through the deck I was in love with it. When I finished going through the cards I also realized I had 2 extra cards ~giggles~ an extra lovers card (so I had 4) and an extra Ace of swords. My Fool had a small printing flaw in the bottom margin, but there was something so incredibly special about this deck, including its oddities. I did connect with the publisher about my marred card per Stevee Postman's advice - he gave me the info after looking through his personal cards and sadly not having an extra Fool. Well the publisher did not send me an extra card ... they sent me a WHOLE BRAND SPANKING NEW SET! ~giggles with glee~ ... so now I have 2!!!! and no I will never part with them. The second set was "normal" and resides as an untouched collectible. I decided that my marred Fool was speacial afterall and that I would continue to use him :). In the 8 years that I have been involved with Tarot I have never been as impacted by a deck as I have been by the CT. Truthsayer, I am glad to hear you had a good experience with the CT! You are right on about it. Personally I like that style of info so perhaps that is why I now exclusively read with the CT. Plus it just requires no effort on my part it just starts talking as soon as the cards are layed out (sometimes even before).

All Is One	08 Aug 2002
*All is rushing in a mad dash from the thread to go look up and probaly drool over, the ' Cosmic Tribe Tarot Deck* (sound of little claws skittering across the tiles)

Jewel	08 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by All Is One *All is rushing in a mad dash from the thread to go look up and probaly drool over, the ' Cosmic Tribe Tarot Deck* (sound of little claws skittering across the tiles) *ROFLMAO* you are just too funny! *LOL* ... if you have a chance go see the cards in person, my personal experience has been that the computer just do not do them justice. There are certain visual effects created within this deck that you cannot readily observe online.

amyel	08 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by All Is One *All is rushing in a mad dash from the thread to go look up and probaly drool over, the ' Cosmic Tribe Tarot Deck* (sound of little claws skittering across the tiles) Aaaahhhh...so I'm not the only one who does this, eh? [teehee]

raeanne	09 Aug 2002
Hi all, Well, I have say the Cosmic Tribe Tarot was a surprise for me. This is actually a rather funny story. I had been looking through the decks here at Aeclectic and I saw the Cosmic Tarot and I liked it very much. So, a few weeks later I was at the local Borders book store and I saw the Cosmic Tribe Tarot. At the time, all I could remember was that I had seen a deck on Aeclectic with the word “Cosmic” in it that I really liked. I was in hurry so I just bought it and left. When I got in the car and looked through the cards I was in a state of shock. I don’t have any aversion to nudity but I don’t usually go looking for it either. As I was driving home I just kept thinking “this is NOT the deck I saw on Aeclectic”. Well, I did finally get the Cosmic Tarot but I also found that I really like the Cosmic Tribe Tarot! The vitality and youthful energy of this deck is contagious!

WolfSpirit	09 Aug 2002
A deck that did not appeal to me at all in the beginning is the halloween deck. I do like decks with a sense of humour, I just had to get used to the artwork of this one.

Maan	09 Aug 2002
For me the marseille tarot i got today...when i first started out tarot and looked at decks online i really did not like this deck. The study group here on aeclectic made me appreciate this deck. And now i even LIKE it! The strange world of a tarotholic ;)

wavebreaker	09 Aug 2002
For me it's the Glastonbury. I didn't particularly like the artwork at first, so I wasn't sure whether I wanted it or not. But as it was really my very first deck (the online version that is), I wanted to have it. The artwork looked a lot better IRL, but it wasn't until I started reading the book that explained the stories and the symbolism behind the cards that I really started to appreciate it. It's now one of my favourites...

Lee	09 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Maan For me the marseille tarot i got today...when i first started out tarot and looked at decks online i really did not like this deck. The study group here on aeclectic made me appreciate this deck. And now i even LIKE it! JMD will be pleased. :) -- Lee

jmd	09 Aug 2002
Hmmm Lee.... don't see why anyone would have thought they'd hate the Marseilles (;)), but I fully understand how each can end up loving it :)! Congratulations, Maan. I hope it brings you many wonderful years of appreciation for life's wondrous plethora of gifts!

Kellinator	13 Aug 2002
One deck that I never thought I'd like but loved once I finally picked it up was the Halloween Tarot. One of my favorite clerks at the metaphysical shop kept raving about it, but I never looked at it because it just didn't appeal to me. Finally one day she got me to look at it and I fell in love. The book is so well-done, and I think it's probably *the* best RWS clone. The cards are playful yet profound. For example, the Four of Ghosts/Cups is basically the same as in the RWS, except there are four ghosts trying to console the stubborn mourner and show him all the good things in life. And the black cat is so cute! I don't think I could have fully appreciated this deck if I had looked at it when the clerk first mentioned it, because I didn't know enough about tarot then, but as I learn more I see the genius of this deck. I want it!! Another deck I've recently come to like is the Celtic Dragon. I love all things Celtic, but I'm not extremely into dragons, so it took me a long time to pick this one up, but I was just blown away by its beauty. It's made me much more interested in dragons ;) Kellinator

The decks you thought you'd hate but ending up loving? thread was originally posted on 06 Aug 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.