Reading Decks

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 05 Feb 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

contrascarpe	05 Feb 2004
Hi - I have a general question to all you Tarot veterans. As I am in the middle of catching that dreaded, but oh so fun, disease of collecting decks; and as I gain confidence to read for others, I wanted to see how you choose which of your decks you use for readings. For many, many years, the only deck I owned was the Rider-Waite, but I know have quite an eclectic collection. I always felt that I would read with the deck that I felt most connected at any given time and place. Lately I have been thinking that maybe I should tailor my deck for the person, or seriousness of the question at hand. For example, if I were reading for someone who really wanted a serious question answered, maybe I would use my Thoth. Or if I were at a party with people who may not take it quite as serious as me, I may pull out my Phantasmagoric Theater. Just curious to see the reasoning of other, more gifted, readers on what decks they use and why. Thanks, Dan

Logiatrix	05 Feb 2004
Hi, Dan! When I first started out reading for others, I tried to select the deck according to what would please the querent, but that proved to be very frustrating. I realized that it's difficult to predict what deck will please who, or to find the Perfect Deck that will please everyone. My conclusion, after lots of "accidental" addititions to my collection (topping out at 180 decks), was that I am much better off selecting reading decks that please me, rather than my querent. Ultimately, what constitutes a good reading depends on whether I can read, handle and enjoy viewing my cards, so that's how I have selected my reading decks. After taking into account such things as nudity, diversity, and potentially shocking images (in terms of what my querents would see), I considered my own druthers as I selected my reading decks, one-by-one. I have four reading decks right now: Animal-Wise, Halloween, Visconti Gold, and Voyager. Each of these decks appeals to me for various reasons, but most importantly they all feel very comfortable to me when I am reading with them. I usually select from these four according to my mood; at least one will suit me at any given time. I don't worry about having to appeal to a diverse audience, because the Voyager is very multi-cultural, not to mention the Animal-Wise! :D So, from my own experience, I say read with the deck that suits you. Consider your audience, yes, but be sure to also select the deck (or decks) that you know is your trusted partner in the reading process. PEACE, Tauni :)

The Reading Decks thread was originally posted on 05 Feb 2004 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.