Universal Waite

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Feb 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Emily	15 Feb 2003
After nearly a year of trying to get this deck, I've finally got it - you wouldn't think that it would be so hard but the only place that I found was selling it was Amazon and the Somerville site and they both went out of stock - But Amazon have got it in again, I waited around 5 or 6 months the first time before I cancelled it but this time round got it in 3 days :) I've very impressed with this deck, I know that there has been alot said about it and there are many pictures of it around but once you have the deck your hands it looks very different. The details on the cards are very strong, also expressions on the faces are very evident - Not so with my other Rider Waite deck The Original Rider Waite. I'm seeing things on the Universal that I've not noticed before, they are very pretty cards. I did a new deck spread and posted in in the 'Your Readings' forum, I think that the reading has caught my enthusiasm for this deck lol.

lawguy51	15 Feb 2003
I really like this deck too. It's my 'study' deck. I haven't been using it much for readings but the cards in th UW deck I use for my foundation of understanding. When I use other decks for readings, esp. the Thoth or Haindl, my mind will wander back to the UW deck card as a kind of launch pad to understanding the card I am looking at. Lawguy51

truthsayer	15 Feb 2003
i love all 3 of mary hanson roberts decks: the hanson robert, universal waite and the whimsical. she's quite a talented lady imho. congratulations on your acquisition!

Emily	16 Feb 2003
Hi lawguy51 and Truthsayer, The Original Rider Waite started out as my study deck too but I couldn't get over how dark coloured the cards were, but I love the symbolism of the R/W, most of my other decks are clones - then it hit me, i was searching for my ideal deck, but I'd already got it - it was just the wrong version - All this came to me in a flash of inspiration lol, or maybe too much coffee - I think I've made the right choice, I already really like this deck, the colours are just right. I have the Hanson Roberts too, the Universal has the same kind of feeling around it :) Edited for spelling lol :)

Khatruman	16 Feb 2003
I do like the colorization on the universal waite also. I have two RW decks. At some time I lost one of them (was in my teenage days when I had to hide them, I know some of you on the boards remember, or are even going through that), but it always came out kind of flat for me. When I saw the Universal Waite pictured here at aeclectic, I ordered it immediately. Getting it was even better, so "alive". This is not a slight to Pamela Coleman Smith. I guess the time period and such had much to do with the coloring. Anyway, I was at Borders the other night, oggling the decks they had behind the glass in a case (like a little boy looking at the pet store puppy :)), and a woman came up beside me. She asked if I read tarot cards, and we struck up a conversation. She was just beginning to explore the cards, and the first deck in there she saw was the Universal Waite. I explained to her how that was a good choice, a recoloring of the most popular. She almost got it, but opted for IGC's packaged "Tarot for Dummies" which had the RW deck included. I figured it was a good starter choice, from what they had, so I agreed with her choice. I am sure she will come back looking for that one though... s

The Universal Waite thread was originally posted on 15 Feb 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.