What would you recommend?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Jan 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Aoife	10 Jan 2003
I'm in the process of moving away from a reliance on Rider-Waite and have recently bought the Hudes and Haindl decks. I felt that the Haindl would really help me intuitvely. I just felt drawn to the Hudes. But looking back through past threads it seems I've chosen, if not dark, then decidedly melancholic decks. That seems to match my personality well but I feel if I'm to progress my tarot development I need some balance. I particularly like the review/images of World Spririt but what balancing deck would you recommend?

wavebreaker	10 Jan 2003
Well, if you like the World Spirit, get that one! ;) It's my favourite deck and I love reading with it. I find it to be a very intuitive deck, much more so than the Rider-Waite (which I started with).

Teal	11 Jan 2003
I don't consider the Haindl a dark deck at all! It's one of my favorites. It's a very profound and eloquent deck, but I wouldn't call it dark by any means.

Pollux	11 Jan 2003
Well, it's obvious you will HAVE TO take them all in the future, a tarotholic is saying that... }) *LOL* I would personally suggest the Hudes as an after-RWS, I think it won't be hard to use and atthe same time provide additional learning. Then World Spirit, though traditional it will open you up to different art styles and energies. And then Hudes when you will take the intuitive plunge. OR you could ask the cards which one would be better for you - or make a draw. ;)

Ophiel	11 Jan 2003
Hey, wait just a minute! What's wrong with dark and melancholic? Think of all the great art and literature (and of course, tarot decks) we would not have without melancholics! I say, go darker, go deeper...and if you don't use it, start reading with the Eden Gray interpretations, which seem to be a bit darker? We hardly live in light-filled times with the events in the world today, and working towards the light requires us to transform the darker side of things, to turn lead to gold, spiritually speaking. Wasn't it Lou Reed who sang, "Walk on the Dark Side"? If my whole idea does not catch your attention, perhaps you might try the Miss Kittie or Tarot of Oz. Ophiel })

Aoife	11 Jan 2003
Ophiel, you've caught my attention. Where can I find Edon Gray interpretations and are they specific to a deck or style of deck?

Khatruman	11 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Ophiel Hey, wait just a minute! What's wrong with dark and melancholic? Think of all the great art and literature (and of course, tarot decks) we would not have without melancholics! ohh, indeed nothing wrong with the exploration of the dark side in the least... I always remember a tv show with John Laraquette in the 80s where he ran a bus terminal and was a recovering alcoholic. He had a sign in his office which he had taken from a demolished amusement park. The sign signified his life: "This is a dark ride." The light has not distinction and power without the shadow. I am more of a yin/yang believer that one must have the other for completion. However, I think it is equally skewed to focus only on the darkness, as goths often do. I think aiofe was calling for something lighter as a balance to what was felt to be darker, more serious decks she had. To aiofe, perhaps something like the Osho Zen, which has a lighter feel, but is not a touchy feely deck in being cutesy. I find it to be a very accurate deck and gives an Oriental spin on tarot. Peace!

darwinia	11 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Ophiel [b] Hey, wait just a minute! What's wrong with dark and melancholic? Absolutely nothing which is why I turned into Goth Babe and bought the Secret Tarot. Quote: Wasn't it Lou Reed who sang, "Walk on the Dark Side" Yes, Walk on the Wild Side. "Come on Babe, take a walk on the wild side, I said "Hey sugar, take a walk on the wild side....." Good old Lou, I had tickets to see him once with Ian Drury and the Blockheads, but I got sick that week and had to forego. This was back in the days when you didn't need to mortgage the house to see a band. Quote: If my whole idea does not catch your attention, perhaps you might try the Miss Kittie or Tarot of Oz. Whew, catch the fire! Goth Babe

Phoenix	11 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Aoife Ophiel, you've caught my attention. Where can I find Edon Gray interpretations and are they specific to a deck or style of deck? Eden Grey is an author, and has several tarot books, I believe, but I do not know the names of them.

Sulis	11 Jan 2003
The World Spirit is a wonderful deck and as Tarotlady has said it`s very intuitive and doesn`t stray from the RWS meanings for the cards so if you`ve been used to RWS you`ll be fine with it. I say just GO AND BUY IT and then if you feel drawn to some darker decks too GO AND BUY THEM AS WELL. Love and light Crystalmynx xx

Violet Gargoyle	11 Jan 2003
You'll probably want to experiment with a few different styles to narrow down what you are looking for, or what kind of balance you would like. My suggestions for your additional paroozal: Tarot Inner Child cards. Based off of storybook characters but with a bit of edge- looking at fairy tales playing a role in the Tarotfrom an adult mind. The Amano Tarot- Japanese Artist, a little harder to find, but definately not a manga style and beautiful. Tarot of the Dead- Its a deck based off of the ideals for the Day of the Dead, in a deck where everything but one card (Major Arcana, Court cards) is "played" by skeletons, somewhere between darkly humorous and Grateful Dead. The Halloween Tarot- American Halloween Symbolism in a cartoony sort of way. The Vertigo Tarot- If you read their comic books, it is a good deck. Tarot of St Petersburg- Based off of Russian mythology and folklore, the art is beautiful, but never going into cute.

Ophiel	11 Jan 2003
Yes, Eden Gray is an author, but I do know the names of the books because they are easy to find online! lol... 1) A Complete Guide to the Tarot 2) Mastering the Tarot 3) Mastering the Tarot: Basic Lessons in an Ancient, Mystic Art 4) The Tarot Revealed Me thinks #2 and #3 may be the same... I believe #2 and #4 are the more well known books. These books were popular in the 70s and introduced quite a few people to reading the cards. Ms. Gray has been criticized by some for being a bit dark and melancholic for her interpretations of the cards, which I thought was fitting the general comments in this thread. (IF anybody is interested, sites like www.amazon.com are extremely valuable for searching in-print books. Just enter the author's name or book title in the search box (use " " if more than one word) and you will get it. I use this site all the time, and it is very useful. I'm sure there are others, too.)

tarotbear	12 Jan 2003
"Mastering the Tarot" and "The Tarot Revealed" are the two best of the (I think three) books by Edan Gray. They are concerned strictly with the symbolism of the Rider-Waite deck. They are similar yet contain different information and are written in two different styles. One deals with the cards by Suit; the other in the cards by number - i.e. a chapter on just the Aces, the Twos, etc. Either one or all three are an excellent addition to your tarot book collection.

The What would you recommend? thread was originally posted on 10 Jan 2003 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.