Q on two decks...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 May 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

gypsy_morrigan	12 May 2003
Hello all! I am new here and had a couple of questions about two decks I just ordered. As a little background, my current reading decks are the Goddess and the Buckland Romani. I was looking for other decks that appealed to me and ordered the World Spirit and Wild Spirit decks. I liked the colorful, unusual artwork in both of these and the more non-traditional, pagan approaches. Do you think these decks are good/ easy to use/ helpful? Do they "jibe" with my current favorites? Thanks, Eleanor

Jenny-Li	12 May 2003
I can't tell you much about how you will feel about your new decks related to the ones you already have - but I can tell you, that I was amazed by the World Spirit when I got it. If you think it's colourful based on scans, let me tell you that is nothing compared to the real thing. I also found them very easy to read with, in fact to me that was the deck that allowed me to throw away the books and starting to read intuitively. But that is of course a very subjective matter, a matter of taste. The wild spirit I know nothing about, since I don't have it myself, but I wish you the best of luck with both your new decks, and am fairly certain you will be happy with the World Spirit! Jenny :)

Sulis	12 May 2003
The World Spirit is a beautiful deck, it`s just so well done. The cards stick to the standard Rider-Waite meanings but some different imagery has been used. This gives you an interesting new perspective on many cards. It`s one of those decks which is just full of suprises; every time you use these cards something new jumps out at you (can you tell it`s one of my favorite decks?) Can`t comment on the Wild Spirit as I don`t have it but from what I`ve read I think it`s quite far from traditional. Enjoy your new decks. Love and light Crystalmynx xx

Keslynn	12 May 2003
I'm another World Spirit lover. In fact, it's the deck I use most often for readings for other people. I find that the amount of color and the fab artwork is pretty popular. I also love using it for myself. As the others have already mentioned, there are a lot of symbols so it's really easy to find new things every time. I have the Wild Spirit, but unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to do a reading with it. The artwork is gorgeous. The same kind of vibrant color and attention to detail as the other decks you have and have mentioned. However, I do know that it's a little non-traditional in setup. :) Kes

Astraea	12 May 2003
I don't have the Wild Spirit or Goddess decks, but the World Spirit is one of my all-time favorites. I agree with Jenny-Li, on-line scans don't begin to do it justice. It's warm, rich, vibrant and I find that it speaks very clearly. The question of whether the two decks you ordered will jibe with those you already have, is a very individual matter -- but all are well-respected decks, and I hope that you will enjoy the new additions to your tarot family! :)

Marion	12 May 2003
The World Spirit is one of my 5 of so 'main decks' for reading. I find it totally reliable and understandable. I traded away Wild Spirit to cjtarot, and I hope she likes it. Marion

Logiatrix	12 May 2003
gypsy, sounds like you made some good choices...judging from the decks you already have, you will appreciate the good art of your newest acquisitions. no need to add to the comments on the world spirit except to second (and 3rd, and 4th...) the thumbs up for it. :D now, about the wild spirit... it is a stunningly beautiful deck of brightly colored pagan imagery. the card titles are certainly non-traditional, and sometimes difficult to parallel to traditional titles. however, it is worth it to adjust to these differences, just for the beauty of the deck. i must warn you about the book. it gives the meanings of the cards in a story-like format, from the perspective of the card. this is okay if you just want to read an interesting work on tarot--it is even well done; i found it to be quite frustrating for understanding this deck, though. look through the book if you must, but take what you read there with a very small grain of salt. i don't mean to sound harsh, but hopefully you will see what i mean. it IS useful if you take from it the barest minimum of important information (such as what-cards-are-what compared to traditional titles), and then enjoy the deck without it. i was warned about this myself, and i am very glad to have taken heed. the book, while admirable for it's efforts, is potentially confounding if you actually intend to USE the deck. again, i think you'll understand when you look at it. i hope this helps--you are sure to be pleased... :)

gypsy_morrigan	13 May 2003
Thanks for all your replies! I am very excited to get these! I'll let you know what I think when they finally arrive. Eleanor

truthsayer	16 May 2003
i think the world spirit is the most solid of the two. it corresponds well for those of us who learned tarot on rws clones. however, it is a deck in it's own right and not just a clone. there are some interesting changes to the court cards which makes them a bit easier to read than traditional rws cards. the multi-cultural aspect is well-done without feeling schizoid. i really like the wild spirit but for me it's more of an art deck than a reading deck. i think the writer has her own agenda that she is pushing in the book but some of the book really rings true. some excellent twists on how cards are changed. i wish i could remember the name of my fave one but i can't. if you enjoy creative decks made with lots of imagination then you'll love WS. if you are a conservative person who prefers for everything to be predicatable then you and WS will have troubles seeing eye to eye.

Bings	17 May 2003
I enjoy my Wild Spirit deck very much. The colors used and the artwork really caught my eye. It is non-traditional with Wandering Minstrel instead of The Fool, Cunning Man instead of The Magician and so on. Once I put the book away on a shelf to collect dust I started to really enjoy this deck. For me it is a very accurate deck when used for women who have a more personal question to ask. Dianne

wavebreaker	17 May 2003
For me, the World Spirit deck was the first deck that really spoke to me and it's still my favourite deck. You may also want to read the interview with the creators of the World Spirit.

falconwing	18 May 2003
Hi, I also started to use the Wild Spirit Tarot; I felt drawn to it due to it's very pagan background and otherworldly art displayed on the cards. However..the book...yes..some people here have already mentioned the book to be a bit "different". In fact, I am really glad to read that others share my view in that.... I find it especially difficult to work with the reversed cards...it's a hard job to pick "the shadowy" side of a card-meaning out of the monologues for each card...so it's really better to work with one's own intuition. Anyhow I must say that I would rather recommend the MerryDay Tarot by Louisa Pole, if you want to really work with a pagan inspired deck. This one is easy to read, has wonderful pics and an interesting companion-book with it. bb, Falconwing

gypsy_morrigan	19 May 2003
Well, after anxious waiting they finally came a couple days ago, and I have had a chance to look and figure out what I think of them. First, the Wild Spirit, because I don't like it quite as well :). I liked the fact that this was a pagan-centered deck, but I felt it wasn't all-encompassing enough, surprisingly. I read the book, and I felt like every other card had to do with "primal source power", offering maybe a tiny new slant on it, but not that much. I felt like it wouldn't be very good for advising on practical matters. Also, though I felt the theme of the deck was inclusive, the artwork didn't all seem harmonious, as though some cards could have come from a different deck. I liked the artwork in general but only a few of the cards really spoke to me. These were: the Healer, Mother Two Moons, Sky Dancer, 3 of Earth, 5 of Fire, 9 of Fire, Page of water, 2 of Water and 10 of Water. Other than that I didn't feel as connected as I would have liked. However, I would probably use this deck to read for my pagan friends who are more fairy-loving and, pardon the expression, "fluffy." So it will still get some use. :) The stories in the book are also rather interesting. Now, the World Spirit. I really am in love with this deck! The artwork really grabs me, it is all harmonious, and just visually arresting. I agree with all the nice things that were said about it. :) I can't think of anything bad to say about it, perhaps other than the Sun card which has already been insulted enough. I can't think of a favorite either, because there are just so many I really like. That's about it for now, I can't wait to start doing serious readings with it! Love and light

Astraea	19 May 2003
So glad you got your decks! And even though you don't like the Wild Spirit as much as you might have hoped, the fact that you love the World Spirit more than makes up for it! :)

The Q on two decks... thread was originally posted on 12 May 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.