Choosing a deck

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 11 Dec 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Star Spirit	11 Dec 2003
Hi all, I am soon going to have a second deck to add to my collection, and, becoming a new member of a large group of deck collecters, I am wondering, as always: How do you go about choosing a particular deck for a reading? Especially when you have so many! I'd be interested to know. I know sometimes people let the querent choose the deck, but in cases where you choose for yourself, or for others, does this make things much more confusing for anyone? Or do certain decks just 'call out' to you?

Rusty Neon	11 Dec 2003
Some people use a die to pick a deck. Of course there are the six-sided variety, but you can get all sorts of different dice for use in various games, that you can get at the store. For example, a 20-sided die can be used to choose from among 20 decks.

Star Spirit	11 Dec 2003
That is a very interesting idea, Rusty Neon! That thought never even crossed my mind. Thank you.

Emily	11 Dec 2003
Hi Dead Star, I usually find that I get drawn to a particular deck, I can see all my decks, even sitting here on the pc, so I might look up and the Tarot of the Spirit catches my eye or the Hanson Roberts and I'll end up doing a reading with them but my main reading deck is the Morgan Greer, now this is an allrounder, suitable for every question and spread you can throw at it. I am loyal to one deck even though I have a little collection, its took me a long time to find the 'one' but in the Morgan Greer I have - I still use the other decks because most of them are very beautiful and its nice to have the challenge of using a difficult deck but at the end of the day it's my Morgan Greer that I find the most comfortable, fun and easy to use. :)

mercenary30	11 Dec 2003
If you go for the dice idea, you will eventually need to get two ten sided dice. Each one should be a different color. Once chosen to represent the 10 position and the other for the single digit. Then you can randomly chose up to one hundred different decks!!!! :D

Majecot	11 Dec 2003
Hi Dead Star, Usually the deck calls to ME.... and it calls and calls and calls... till I finally break down and buy it :D. I wondered how long you could hang out with us tarotholics and not be drawn in too.... LOL

firestorm	11 Dec 2003
Largely, it depends on what you want the particular deck for. Right now I'm studying the iconography of the Marseille deck, but I prefer reading with decks that appeal to me art wise. I have some decks to study with, some to read with, and a few to just look at.

raeanne	11 Dec 2003
Hi Dead Star, Each deck I have has a particular personality. I try to match the deck to the person. Both of my sons are grown but my older son still loves the middle ages. He is very much the ‘knight’. When I read for him, I usually use one of the Arthurian decks, it fits his personality. My younger son is a bit of a free spirit. For him, the Cosmic Tribe deck is a good match. For myself it is usually the RWS or Spiral. For other people, it is just a gut feeling of what deck will work best for them. Sometimes I will grab a different deck for my boys or myself without really knowing why. By the time I finish the reading, I usually know why my intuition directed me to that deck. So, sometimes it is matching the person to the deck and sometimes it is matching the question to the deck.

Star Spirit	11 Dec 2003
Thanks guys, very helpful.

destinyawaitsme	11 Dec 2003
I guess I'm kind of different from everyone else. I have a deck I use all the time because I'm so familiar with it. It's like a comfortable old pair of shoes. Sometimes I'll use other decks...but most of my other decks just sit on the shelf and collect dust. I'll get them out from time to time for a reading, but I mostly just stick with the one.

Star Spirit	11 Dec 2003
I suppose everyone is different and I'll find my own best way of choosing a deck.

Shadow Wolf	19 Dec 2003
I rarely buy a deck the first time I see it. I wait, and only when I can't wait any longer will I buy it !!!! I've always been happy with decks I've purchased in this way !!!

Jewel-ry	19 Dec 2003
Hi Dead Star, Like Emily, I have found the deck I feel most comfortable with in the Morgan Greer and I use this mostly for myself but in the seekers thread, I look at the question and pick a deck that I think will suit it. For instance in the last question about the band I picked the Rohrig because it has a more modern feel to it. I just go with my gut instinct. Its nice to have the choice really, although if I had many more decks it could start getting confusing! lol J :OS

WolfSpirit	19 Dec 2003
Choosing to buy a deck: when I have seen pictures of the deck and really like it, or sometimes when I heard a lot of good about a deck which made me have a closer look. I will never get a deck of which the artwork does not appeal to me. I don't buy straight away, but let it rest a while - sometimes it was just a short-lived infatuation, no love. choosing a deck to read with: I have all-round decks and decks that give a more spiritual answer, so I have to choose between those. Otherwise it does not matter so much, sometimes I just use the deck that is closest to me.

The Choosing a deck thread was originally posted on 11 Dec 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.