How have your tastes in decks evolved?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 25 Oct 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

firemaiden	25 Oct 2003
Greetings fellow addicts: How have your tastes changed since you have been collecting decks. Are you able to put it into words? (I am having a devil of a time putting it into words, myself) -- but I can see that in the beginning I went for "pretty", now I like a strong character, with a stern gaze... I like how Victoria Regina zeroes in to heart of the matter and dishes it out straight, how he Crystal Tarot cuts directly through the water with its swords. There is a lot in the Tarot of Prague that is also bold and stern. Well? and you?

Maan	25 Oct 2003
pfff its a difficult question you ask Firemaiden. My taste has changed considerably over the past few years. In my first steps in the tarot world i was a shy little kid that lived wanted to live in a fantasy world and only dared to let people see the sweet site of me. So my decks of choice were the robin wood, hanson roberts, spiral etc These decks helped me alot and were great companions during my travel to learn to know myself better. I learend of a new side of me. A more crazy and creative side. I learned my who i was insight if i did not let other people's opnions bother me. And i the end i found the decks that fitted this personality a new me that i'm still not fully unwrapped. With this true me belong the Phantasmagoric theater tarot ( ofcourse ) the cosmic tribe etc. Love Maan

Voodoo_Shaman	25 Oct 2003
Although I own a small but growing collection, usually that is where those cards go to, a collection. And hardly if ever do they get used. But yes my tastes have changed, and I will summarize it with my first deck, to the last I just purchased. Rider Waite, 1988 Golden Rider, 1994, ?? I think I got those?? Universal Waite Tarot Deck 1998 Radiant Rider Waite, just got them last Week, and I love that deck, will be used for readings. So as you can see, my tastes have changed drastically in 15 years.

firemaiden	25 Oct 2003
ROFLAO, Voodoo Shaman!

Voodoo_Shaman	25 Oct 2003
Hi firemaiden can you explain what ROFLAO, means. At 33, I have gotten old to these modern Computerized Lingos. :-)

wavebreaker	25 Oct 2003
My tastes have narrowed down from liking a lot to only liking a few decks... I have been known to buy decks like the Zerner-Farber and the Robin Wood in the past, which I've gotten rid of by now because I really can't remember what possessed me to buy them... ;) These days, there are hardly any decks that appeal to me.

Le_Corsair	25 Oct 2003
I have to side with Wavebreaker. My tolerance for highly commercial decks is fading. I got the Radiant Rider-Waite recently, but I don't know how commercial it is, since it is a century-old design. Any "fluffy bunny" element offends me, and even a deck that is too perfect gets me down. What I'd really like for myself is a Marseilles or Wirth-type deck with fully illustrated minors instead of pips. Something crude and simple, and old-looking. Having said that, one of the decks I'm anticipating most in the future is Ciro Marchetti's Gilded Tarot. So I'm not consistent. Well, remember what Emerson said: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of a small mind." Bob :THERM

firemaiden	25 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Voodoo_Shaman Hi firemaiden can you explain what ROFLAO, means. At 33, I have gotten old to these modern Computerized Lingos. :-) Rolling on floor laughing my ass off. :D (if you're old at 33, what am I at 42?)

Lee	25 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Le_Corsair What I'd really like for myself is a Marseilles or Wirth-type deck with fully illustrated minors instead of pips. Something crude and simple, and old-looking. Bob, have you checked out the Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg, and the Royal Fez Morrocan? The Russian has illustrated Minors, and Majors which lean more towards older decks like the Marseilles, and the Royal Fez has illustrated Minors and is, I find, very "old" looking. As time goes on, I find myself being more attracted to non-illustrated-minor decks, although I still haven't figured out how to read with them. I'm very excited about the Shakespeare Oracle, which has unillustrated Minors which have Shakespearean quotes on them, which offers a whole new way to read Minors. One could conceivably memorize these quotes and use them with other non-illustrated decks, thus avoiding relying on mental images of Rider-Waite to determine the cards' meanings. Suit plus number meanings alone don't seem to offer enough of a personality for each card, but the Shakespeare quotes offer lots of personality, but without needing a picture as a mnemonic. -- Lee

dolphingirl	25 Oct 2003
When I first started out I was pretty lost and bought several different types of deck. Then I went to the Robin Wood and Rider Waite and now I find myself drifting towards the fun and theme decks although I find that there just don't seem to be as many decks out there with a sense of humor. As I get older I find myself buying less decks for "reading" and more for fun and just plain neat artwork. :)

magpie9	25 Oct 2003
Interesting question, interesting timing... I was just thinking about this this morning. I started out with the Rider pack, and went through lots of pretty decks., and then the feminist decks and strange decks (Morgans Tarot, for one) and, as they became available Pagan and Celtic decks. The just-pretty (to me) decks never hold me for long, and the thoth based with moody,numerogical minors don't do a thing for me, never have. I love the charming humerous decks, like the Halloween, the Nova and Tarot for Cats, tho I don't read with them as often as more "serious" decks. The last few years I find myself more and more into decks I see as deep clear wells of wisdom and/or spirituality...osho zen, Shining Tribe, Greenwood, Celtic Wisdom, Arthurian Hallowquest. which some might not considar to be Tarot decks at all. My real sticking place is the quality of the art work. I have a really hard time getting past bad artwork, and decks drawn by people who really can't draw. I used to think that this was a lack of tolerance in me, but now, being older and more stubborn, I have reverted to believing that people who can't draw should find an artist to illustrate the decks they dream and design. ..........and now I've probably put my foot in it! ;) :0 :)

truthsayer	26 Oct 2003
when i got my first deck(hoi polloi) in 1977 or so, i didn't know any other deck existed until 1985. out of the few around then, i chose the thoth and the rws. at the time i knew nothing around aleister crowley or a.e. waite. i bought the 2 decks simply b/c i liked them better than the other decks. i never bought another deck until 1999 when i bought the legend arthurian. then one here or there until the spring of 2002 when the floodgates opened. why did the floodgates open, you might ask? i blame it entirely on discovering AT. }) without the love and support of my fellow tarot-holics, i doubt i'd have more than 5 or 6. ;)

lunalafey	26 Oct 2003
almost the same exact story- just a bit condensed. I knew there where other decks out there, I picked from a small batch of decks my friend had. I picked it based on it's theme, not it's art. My second deck, Legends- came 7 years later. Then came AT-- the rest is history! I have gotten unexpected decks, ones that I might not have chosen if it sat among others, but having them has be a wonderful experience, and they are well used.. Of all my favorites, they are all quite different when you compare them.

zagone	26 Oct 2003
I've only been reading a little over a year, so I don't have the depth of experience to answer this from a long-term perspective. But when I get interested in something , I get obsessive, so I've put ALOT of effort into Tarot over this time period. Being obsessive, when I first decided to buy a deck I looked at EVERY SINGLE PICTURED DECK on Aeclectic. The winners were Hudes Tarot and Robin Woods. A year later I still happily read with Hudes -- it has far more going on than being a mere RWS clone -- its not given the respect it deserves. I find I have not picked up my Robin Woods deck in a while, although I used to be happy with it. Lately I've paid more attention to: -- Tarot of the Old Path: A powerful deck. I studeid it for some months before daring to read with it. -- Secret Tarot: A clearly flawed and warped deck -- but its weaknesses are its strengths too and its supposed to be the way it is. I like how it twists cards to make you think about them from a new angle and I can get good readings from it. -- Tarot of Prague: My newest item. I'm currently reading the book and studying it with interest. Zagone

WolfSpirit	26 Oct 2003
I started with the rws, but that was not really personal choice, it was the only deck in the shop. When I rediscovered tarot years later I started collecting decks, mostly with rws meanings, full scenes on the minors and a sense of humour. Although I still like decks with humour I am now beginning to lean to decks with no scenes on the minors and I also now own and love the Thoth, which I had never expected when I started with tarot - I did not like it at all.

Emily	26 Oct 2003
I too started out with the Original Rider Waite, not the prettiest of Rider Waites but the only one I could get - I didn't know about the joy of online shopping and all the different types of deck until I joined this site. :) I used the Rider Waite exlusively until the Spiral caught my eye, a sort of Rider Waite clone, it seemed a natural step forward - duing this time I was also trying other decks too - Hanson Roberts and Robin Wood for two. It didn't take me long to step onto theme decks - After that its seemed like I haven't really stopped with one deck, some like the Spiral, Tarot of the Spirit and Rohrig will always hold a special place in my heart others I have but don't/can't use. But during all of this I haven't strayed too far from Rider Waite, a few months ago I posted on here that I thought I'd found my special decks in the Universal Waite and the Thoth - well the Waite symbolism has and always will be with me so I thought why fight it, I have very pretty and intense decks in my collection but they stray from the traditional and I can't read them, I can use them for meditation or just to study the artwork but I can't use them in the way I want. The Haindl a deck that called out to me, well it just wants to be used for meditation but reading with it - nope. I've been posting on a deck I first saw 15 months ago, the Morgan Greer - I've only just got around to getting this deck and now this deck seems to be all I want, the Rider Waite associations, slightly different images on the cards, very pretty and colourful - Is this the deck I've been searching for? - Only time will tell :D

Kaz	26 Oct 2003
my first deck was a waite/smith, which i didnt like then and still dont. i send it to someone here on AT, i think holmes has it now. the 2nd i got was the osho zen, i like that one a lot, to read with and artwise, i still have it. jmd got me hooked on the marseille decks, that started me to collect a few historical ones, like the oswald wirth, eteilla, etc. i dont think my taste has evolved, i have decks i like for their art and dont use for reading, i have decks for historical interest, i have decks i read with. there are some historical decks i would like to have, but there are no modern decks that catch my interests now. i should get rid of some art decks.

Strange2	26 Oct 2003
Over the last 3 years of studying and collecting tarot decks (96 decks at last count), my tastes and interests in decks has gone through several waves or themes (just like life!). There was an Egyptian themed wave, a magickal/occult wave, an historical wave, a world culture wave, and currently an ancient/primitive wave. The beauty and magic of Tarot to me is reflected in the diverse perpectives of the artists who have been inspired to create their unique decks. One deck quality that I find myself most attracted and in tune with is decks with non-illustrated minors. I prefer the symbolic / geometric / abstract presentation of the minor arcana symbols, as opposed to illustrated scenes. The symbolic engenders deeper and wider reflections when I meditate on these cards, as opposed to a somwehat limited predefined scene. Examples of the symbolic decks I prefer include the Masonic, the Crowley/Harris Thoth, El Gran Tarot Esoterico, Tarot of the Sephiroth, Tarot of the Spirit, Eclectic, and of course the Marseilles.

Ironwing	26 Oct 2003
Magpie9 wrote: "moody,numerogical minors don't do a thing for me, never have." Ha! What a great description. Fits my own deck perfectly! :-) "Illustrated" minors (those that have a human figure on every card) are OK if you can distinguish them from the court cards. My first deck was a Giant Rider that someone gave me. I didn't like it, so I bought Tarot of the Cat People (I still like this for the art). Thoth was my main reading deck for a couple of years, later I added Motherpeace. I use a few others (Thea's Tarot, Celtic Wisdom, New Orleans Voodoo, Tarot of the Origins etc.) for comparative readings. I have to like the art. It must be honest, and it doesn't have to be perfect or polished to be effective and powerful. I can appreciate a wider range of styles and themes if the deck is black and white. If it's full color, I like the colors to be varied and reflect the meaning of the card. Although I can appreciate individual cards that are photos, collage, or computer art, these don't work for me in a whole deck for reading. Lorena/Ironwing

Kiama	26 Oct 2003
I began my collection looking for beautiful decks: I didn't really care how readable they were, how deep, or whatever. If they were pretty, I wanted them. I then progressed to looking for decks that were more readable, such as the World Spirit, Robin Wood, and Nigel Jackson. Now, I look for decks that are deep... really deep, and that give me new insights into the cards. Decks like the Thoth, for instance. I also go for rare, OOP, hard to find, and unusual decks, and I get really bored of Rider-Waite clones. The more a deck differs from the tradition, the better! Kiama

Cocobird55	26 Oct 2003
I started reading Tarot about 35 years ago. My first and only deck was an JJSwiss (or something like that). I also got some tarot software as a gift a few years ago, which was fun to play with. What brought me back to tarot was the Artist's Inner Vision deck. It is a crossover deck for me, from art stamping and collage point of view. After that, I went a little crazy in an obbsessive-compulsive way (don't ask me how many rubber stamps I have). I bought any deck that appealed to me, or that got great reviews here, just to see what they were like. I have narrowed my focus quite a bit since then. Now I try to choose decks that either have great artwork, or that do something for me in a spiritual way. I've also become interested in privately-printed decks, because some of the art is wonderful. I have recently bought two 2004 Tarot Calendars, both privately published. I love them both. Arnell Ando did one of them, and (I believe) Major Tom did the other. There are lots of quotes and spreads from Aeclectic folk, and that is pretty cool. Sue Sue

Galiana	26 Oct 2003
I generally buy decks either because a) I like the artwork or b) the deck has the potential to offer me something spiritual. I'm a big fan of Art Nouveau and religious artwork, so I have the Castelli Art Nouveau and Golden Tarot of the Tsar decks. Recently I bought the Golden Dawn Magical Tarot and Arthurian Tarot because I am leaning more toward more spiritual things, so I expect that will play a huge part in any future purchases.

Majecot	28 Oct 2003
I got my first deck over 6 years ago from a friend, The Enchanted Tarot. I tend to lean towards the larger sized cards. Although I thought they were beautiful I didn't enjoy reading them. ( I just recently gave them to my sister in law who absolutely loves them, and they are her first deck also.) My Best friend introduced me to Rohig, which I think are my fave. ones, but I don't own a deck. The deck that I read with was Arthurian, that I find has too dark of a theme for me now. I also owned Shapeshifter (because I love fantasy creatures) and Osho Zen. My two newest decks are Haindl, which I find slightly distrubing and The Quest , which I ABSOLUTLEY Love!! Perhaps my new fave. I think I am drawn towards differnt style decks depending on my mood. I happened to have bought Haindl on the 12th anniversary of my brothers crossing over. My friend suggested that perhaps that was was reason I was drawn to that deck, unconciously.

Logiatrix	28 Oct 2003
When I first began collecting, my only requirement for acquisition was the word "tarot" on the box! I finally narrowed it down to anything OOP. The next evolution was multicultural and feminist decks. After that, I became focused on foreign decks. Then I evolved to historical decks, which I blame on Diana. }) The trouble is that each of these evolutions did not see much "downsizing," so the collection began to take over my living space. I stopped collecting for a while and sold/traded at least half of it. *sigh* Now, I trade decks off before I move on to another "evolution." :D I'm currently digging into books and kits on playing card divination. I'm also looking at a serious study of the classic RWS. That's the deck that taught me tarot, so I guess it makes sense. So my evolution is at The World card, with The Fool eagerly waitng to start the Journey all over again...hopefully with Temperance keeping a watchful eye this time! :)

Logiatrix	28 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Majecot ...I happened to have bought Haindl on the 12th anniversary of my brothers crossing over... What a beautiful tribute, Majecot! I would like to adopt that idea, if I may... May I? :)

Majecot	29 Oct 2003
Tauni Thank you. But of course you may! Isn't that what it is all about... Sharing? ;)

The How have your tastes in decks evolved? thread was originally posted on 25 Oct 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.