Why do some decks speak to you and others don't?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 Aug 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Tarot_Cupcake	12 Aug 2002
Why do some decks "speak to you" and some don't? I often think about that and what I figure is that possibly the images on certain decks spark our memory from a past life (if you believe in reincarnation) that triggers off a prior lifetime of experiences that have already taken place and we can draw from that pool depending on the person we are reading for...possibly something that was important to us at a certain point in that lifetime, that the images bring to mind. Maybe not reincarnation, but just reliving the same lifetime over and over again.....all of us being one in reality, experiencing every experience anyone ever had ourselves

truthsayer	13 Aug 2002
why do some decks speak to me and some don't? i don't know. you have a very interesting theory of why we are attracted to certain decks. for me it seems that the more decks i collect and study the more i learn about myself. i even find my tastes in decks slowly changing. decks i hated 2 years ago are now decks i like. cosmic tribe is a perfect example of this. i doubt i'll get an extra copy but it definitely has it's moments. decks that i was crazy about at one time are losing their magical appeal. i remember reading somewhere about falling in love being called "hit by the thunderbolt". that's what it was like when i first held the nefertari in my hands. i was simply stunned at how incomparably beautiful they are. i have other decks i'm quite fond of but nothing will take the place of nefertari. i used to be crazy about the legend arthurian but i've been dazzled by decks far more beautiful. i know it will never be the same again even tho it shares a special place in my heart.

the hermit	13 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by truthsayer why do some decks speak to me and some don't? i don't know. you have a very interesting theory of why we are attracted to certain decks. for me it seems that the more decks i collect and study the more i learn about myself. i even find my tastes in decks slowly changing. decks i hated 2 years ago are now decks i like. truthsayer, I agree that Tarot_Cupcake (who's user name is one of the more interesting on the forum :) ) has an interesting theory. Unlike you, though, my tastes have solidified (petrified? :) ) over time. I've become more and more conservative in the decks I use for readings, though I do have lot's of different styles in my collection of 25+ decks. I really do my best reading with the Rider-Waite style decks such as the Universal Waite, Hanson-Roberts, Morgan-Greer, Robin Woods (and I'm really interested in obtaining "The illuminated Tarot" after Lee's post about it). I really like the RW style "classic" symbolisim with illustrated minors for my readings... Though I enjoy using slightly less "traditional" decks such as the Thoth, Voyager, Gill, Handl for meditation and even for tarot spell work from time to time as they're symbology is often quite fascinating as well as useful.

Pollux	13 Aug 2002
What does "virgonian" mean??? :confused: And: VR, OCD, VRT. Thank you for broadening my horizons! :D

Tarot_Cupcake	13 Aug 2002
I have found after all the decks I have owned that the more traditional seem to attract me too. Yes, it is probably the fact after years of study, we come to realize that the traditional is actually the most thought inducing after all. I also found that for me at least, simple images can be the most intuitive of all sometimes, versus the complex. Decks like RW and its clones have messages that are clearer and more precise to me than its newer cousins. At first, I went for the more "wild" decks. Wild as in colors, amount of symbolism, etc., but now, I find that the simple, straight forward seem to speak the loudest to me. I remember when I went through the Voyager phase, and thought that deck would speak to me since it had so much imagery in it, but it drove me crazy and was too "busy" for me to just sit back and let the message come through. I think once we learn the traditional symbolism, we can appreciate the decks we once thought were "too simple" much more. I never thought I would fall in love with a b/w deck, but here I am, head over heals "in love". with VR :).

Lee	13 Aug 2002
Hi, folks, these posts started out in the "Doubles and Triples" thread, but the conversation seemed to take a definite turn to a new topic, so I moved them to a new thread. Enjoy! :) -- Lee

Dark Inquisitor	13 Aug 2002
I think attraction to a deck may be based on what is already inside ourselves that the deck is mirroring back at us. If the deck is based on a myth or a culture, there may be something in our own life story that parallels it, or the solution to a problem in those stories for us. Or perhaps there is something within us that we don't even know about yet trying to emerge , and we become drawn to it in the cards or the outer world. For example, if you're a very shy person and you find yourself attracted to bold decks full of color & movement, this might be a buried outgoing part of yourself trying to communicate with you so you can ultimately gain more balance. There is probably also some psychological color theory involved. If a deck is radiating our favorite color schemes, it would naturally be more attractive. As we change inwardly, the decks we choose may change too. Tarotphelia

Liliana	13 Aug 2002
I dont know I find myself being able to read with the modern decks better than the classics, maybe I have too modern a mind but decks like Rohrig make infinately more sense to me than like the Rider Waite, since Rohrig depicts a more modern time, the time where I live. So now the top of my wishlist I think includes a large number of modern feel decks, like Navigators of the Mystic Sea, and definately the Pagan Tarot being released by Lo Scarabo next year. Its just speaks more to who I am now. :THP

Laurel	13 Aug 2002
I'm going to agree with Liliana. I read somewhere once that we only listen to what we understand. Modern decks, particularly those with very life-like images and a lot of esoteric symbology appeal to me because I can look at them and have a continual "aha!" experience. Some of it is pure sense of aesthetics, some of it is a connection to certain types of symbols. Laurel

truthsayer	13 Aug 2002
i can verbalize waite smith style decks best so i tend to stick to those when i do a reading for querents. however, for personal growth (imho) nothing can beat a more modern deck like the ananda or margarete peterson or rohrig. these decks speak volumes in a visual language i have difficulty speaking about so i reserve those decks for meditation. they are wonderful for enhancing my creativity thru art and creative writing. then there my study decks like the wheel of change. the art and book stimulate me to expand my horizons and develop a relationship w/ them as i read about their mysteries and potential.

truthsayer	13 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Pollux What does "virgonian" mean??? :confused: And: VR, OCD, VRT. Thank you for broadening my horizons! :D a virgonian is someone born in the astrological sign of virgo. for example, like i'm a piscean for pisces, etc. (i understand your confusion, pollux. when i first saw it, i thought he meant virginian but then i saw he's from california not virginia. VR or VRT stand for victoria regina tarot. i don't know what OCD stands for. the only thing that comes to mind is obsessive compulsive disorder which most tarot-holics have to some degree. ;)

Alissa	13 Aug 2002
I have only one deck, the Universal Waite, at this point and for now just learning my cards is enough (soooo green at this you know). But I remember the day I bought them well. It was about 5 years ago and I was *complelled* to go and get a deck of Tarot cards that day. I could inwardly see the hazy remembered images of the Unviersal Waite, which I had seen somewhere in my past -- who knows when (movies, friends, one of my sister's various decks?) I had to find some, for me. I had to find them, that day! I held them like a jewel once found. Mission accomplished. I also agree the color scheme was part of what I could visualize while searching them out.

Helruna	13 Aug 2002
Interesting question indeed. I do not own that many decks yet - 16 now that my Vision Quest arrived (I love it!) and what does attracked me to a deck? Hmmm- I have different styles of decks - some quite traditional, some others could be considered modern, I guess. I like the thought about connecting with something from the past. It is an interestin theory and might explain why I like the "old fashioned" decks - decks that depict a certain period of time - like the Celtic and Arthurian area. But this could be simply a personal taste I have, and nothing related to a past life. I like the more playful and "fantasy" like looking decks - like the Shapeshifter, World Spirit, Wild Spirit (love that deck!). A lot of the decks I have are good for meditation. I agree with Truthsayer, for readings I tend to use the "traditional" decks like Robin Wood. In my collection I have the Gendron, for example, and first time I had a real look at it when it arrived at my home - I was deeply diappointed about the computer graphics on the Minors and some Majors. Darn it - that was not what I expected (one more reason why I now tend to have a good search on the web to see as many cards from the deck that I am interested in as I can). Nowadays, I find myself opening up to it, and I used it a bit more within the last couple of weeks. However, it still has this "yeah - all right" feeling to me. I try to have a kind of variety to not get stuck in one "kind" of deck-type - like the RWS based ones but to stimulate myself with various symbols and types of images. One reason I bought the Wild Spirit back then or now the Vision Quest. There are deck though, that I simply do not like right now. But like Truthsayer already mentioned, it is possible that my taste will shift a bit within time. Therefore, I guess, my point is, that some decks speak to us on a deeper level and to our Inner Child as well - and if our Inner Child likes this kind of deck "yuuuhuuuu!", you simply love it, if it hates it "yuck!" - leave it alone. :D :P BB, Helruna

VGimlet	13 Aug 2002
I don't really have an answer for that. I like decks that have a lot of detail, and are colorful and not too dark. The theme can be dark, but I seem to be more drawn toward light or bright colors in my decks. I also like decks that are drawn rather than photographs. The decks I love that are exceptions to those things have a strong connection to other aspects of my life, either containing symbols or images that I strongly relate to, or a theme that matches my interests and ideas no matter if they are traditional, like the RWS, or modern, like the Rohrig.

Jewel	13 Aug 2002
Like many have responded already I do not have a definete answer for this one, but I find that more and more I am connecting with Thoth based decks. Like Truthsayers' experience with the Nefertari mine was with the Cosmic Tribe. This deck requires no real effort on my part to understand what it is communicating. My guess is that the imagery connects with the psyche which in turn results in the 'click'. As we grow our tastes can change (or solidify) which would then guide our choices.

Tarot_Cupcake	13 Aug 2002
I find myself attracted to "dark" decks, and the VR was a surprise. I loved the Haindl, but never could form a relationship with it for the two years I had it. I loved the feeling of it, but couldn't connect with it. I also love the Rohrig, if it was smaller in size.......it would be my deck, even though it is more modern than traditional. The Ananda (?) is a german deck. isn't it? Beautiful imagery.

Jewel	14 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Tarot_Cupcake I find myself attracted to "dark" decks Do you have the Mage the Ascencion deck? if not you may want to check it out. Yes the Ananda is a gorgeous German deck. Great for intiuitive readers (IMHO).

fairyhedgehog	15 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by truthsayer i don't know what OCD stands for. the only thing that comes to mind is obsessive compulsive disorder which most tarot-holics have to some degree. ;) Not true, truthsayer. I haven't put a pack back in order for weeks now, and I've only made one little bag to keep a deck happy this week, and I can give it up any time I want to. ROFLMHO Love and light, FH

Emily	15 Aug 2002
The first deck I was attracted to was the Rider Waite, but I do think tastes change. I tried for months to get a Universal Waite, I wanted a R/W clone to study with. Ater much soul searching and waiting, around 5 months I think, I cancelled my order from Amazon - then a couple of weeks later I see this deck in a bookshop- I didn't want it. I'd already bought a Spiral deck, Robin Wood, Celtic Cross, Victoria Regina, Thoth and a couple of others - all of which are very different and all call to me in different ways. As new decks come out, they all contain the essence of a 'traditional deck', or there is something I can relate to and the artwork is usually what attracts me. I don't actually like saying what I don't like because as soon as I say it a deck comes out like that and I like it - eg, I didn't like black and white collage decks or large decks - I have the V/R and Thoth. I don't like overly feminine decks - I like the Zerner Farber ( not got it yet though). So yes I do think tastes change - well mine are lol :)

The Why do some decks speak to you and others don't? thread was originally posted on 12 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.