Reading Deck v. Collecting decks?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Ceit	08 Jan 2005
I had thought that I would only collect decks that I would use. I recieved the Tarot of Oz deck for Christmas. I thought that I might like the deck because I love the wizard of Oz. When I opened them and started to flip thew the cards I noticed that I didn't connect with any of the cards. Sure, they are pretty but there was something missing, and they didn't speak to me at all. I tried to do a reading withthem but I didn't even turn the cards over because I just didn't connect with them. I also bought the Witchy Tarot cards last week. I thought the images where cool and mordern. However when I flipped threw them I didn't connect with that deck. I am into Celtic Paganism so I picked up the Celtic Tarot, there is something about them that I am not sure I like, but I might do a reading for them. However When I picked up The Gothic Tarot of Vampires and The Gothic Tarot -- both spoke to me. I also use the Secret Tarot and the Faery Wicca Tarot. So my question is do people collect decks because they are pretty and you like them or do you collect because they call you?

Cerulean	08 Jan 2005
I was playing for the first time in a long time with my Alchemical Tarot by Robert Place Minchiate by Brian Williams and Minchiate Etruria (Lo Scarabeo) All those were pretty and what I wanted to look into, but it took some time before I got to what art history references and mood for such things. I kept those decks for sentiment, art and interest...and I play with the older Minchiate Etruria every now and again. I like the decks above, just takes awhile... Some tarots take time. But some decks I don't match with and even after trying them for awhile, I never do anything. The artist of the Winged Spirit and Oz have great images, but those decks didn't work for me at all. I have the light-background Jane Lyle Lovers Tarot (78 cards) and Millenium (Dorothy Krause) and the Lovers Path (Kris Waldherr). Because of sentiment and preference, I work with the Lovers Tarot with happiness, but find the yellow Millenium just a pretty face for now. The Millenium may become a trade or gifting to someone else soon. The newer Lovers Path is the best match, but I'm working with the older Jane Lyle so I could do a simple comparison for an interesting question... I don't know if I answered your question, but I'm sympathetic to your tarot talk of pretty-faced decks that may or may not turn a good reading for you! Cerulean

Rosanne	09 Jan 2005
Ceit, you posed a question that has made me take pause. Why do I collect decks? I have always been a symbols person.Right from when I was a child I saw things as symbolic. Example: Take the Witch from the fairy story Snow White. As a child a red shiny apple was a thrill, a scare, a brave thing to eat.All because in my mind it was the Wicked Queens symbol.As an adult Tarot resonated with me and I started collecting. I also learned to read with one deck(Rider Waite) with illustrations in a book that used a Maiseilles Deck. I stayed that way for years, collecting cards with a collecters mindset, for their Art,their oddity, their beauty or just their poularity. Popular meant I could get a set here in New Zealand; and reading from the Rider Waite for myself ,and others finally.Now I didnt really like the Art of Rider Waite or the yellowness of the cards but they were what I used. A friend one day asked me why I did'nt use the deck collection to read with and I could'nt answer him. He told me I was too Virgo like in my skills, so having no argument against it ,I started using different decks from my collection. Some 'spoke to me' some did'nt, some went with my mood, some were just beautiful to handle.What felt good one day, did'nt the next. I let other people choose the Deck for a reading and I have never had a 'block' about the Deck. Mind you I don't think I have an ugly deck in my collection. So keep your Oz Deck one day you may love to use it. Regards Rosanne

Ravenswing	09 Jan 2005
I'm still in process of creating a tarot deck, and this question rises its head every now and then. I wonder if I'm creating a Tarot deck, or if I'm drawing 78 little pretty pictures. It's hard to say sometimes. I think many "decks" are little more than those pretty little pictures. There's something elusive that tells you the difference. fly well Raven

jmd	09 Jan 2005
I personally don't collect decks, but I have a number of them for study and teaching purposes. If I lost most of them, as long as my main study ones remained, I would be content.

April	09 Jan 2005
I also bought the Witchy Tarot because I thought it was cool and hip. It also remnided me of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch", the comic not the TV show. Upon looking through it, it didn't do much for me. But I'm gonna keep it because I think it will be neat to look back on in ten years when halter tops and hip huggers are out of style (or back in style, whatever the case may be). I've kept the Wonderland Tarot not because I use it very often but because I loooove the books. I have different decks for different reasons, but I guess I do collect some just because I think they're pretty. But if that's wrong I don't wanna be right. :D Peace, April

Myrrha	09 Jan 2005
Isn't it funny how it is not always the decks you expect to like best that really get under your skin and into your deep mind, inspire your dreams? I had that experience with the Vargo Gothic. It is a great deck for me. I expected to really like the Sacred Circle but it just didn't seem to seep into my consciousness in that special way. Some of it seems to be seasonal. Sometimes decks that didn't "click" in the winter started screaming at me the following summer or fall. The Vargo Gothic and Gothic Tarot of the Vampires both seem like winter decks so it is not surprising that you feel drawn to them now. The Oz tarot might feel more appealing at another time of year. If you practise Celtic Paganism you know how much the seasons affect our internal selves. I don't want to collect decks I don't use, they take up too much space in my mind and heart. Still, there are a few decks I don't use very much right now but will keep because I know I'll want to use them again in the future, like the Buckland Romani. --Myrrha

DollieAnna	09 Jan 2005
I collected decks for awhile. I had 40. To many of you that is not alot. Why, I don't know. I don't use any of them and I am now in the process of selling them off. I never used them. I don't need them. sniff, sniff *sorry decks*

mzoltarp	09 Jan 2005
I have a number of decks, but tend to use only 2-3 of them on a regular basis: RWS, RWS reversed, Mythic. The others I was drawn to by the artwork but do not have a great connection with when I use them. The problems with buying decks is that it's rarely possible to see the cards, other than a few, on which to make a decision about the purchase.

Gerbear	09 Jan 2005
I have a medium sized collection, which I'm trying to expand. I have no problem using any of them. I keep an open mind, which means that I can move my viewpoint to see what the artist intended. Decks that "call" or "don't call" have merely run into the barriers we erect in our minds. I have preferences, but I don't let those preferences rule. It's hard for me to imagine trying to grow as a person, while trying to bend the universe to fit into a set of ingrained, or preconceived notions. Just my viewpoint.

Ceit	09 Jan 2005
Thanks everyone for responding. It's interesting how everyone views their Tarot cards.

tao51	09 Jan 2005
I am not a collector. I find decks of cards that appeal to me. I use them in the many readings that I may do. I still use the very first tarot that I owned. I use the many that I have acqired since that time. If I lost any one of them it would be like losing a key to a secret room. As did my ancestors, I hold the Tarot in high esteem. I give them the reverence they are due. It is acceptable to be a collector. Certain decks may be conducive to a particular reading. I do not acquire a deck that does not speak to me.--Tao

Ceit	09 Jan 2005
Rosanne-- That's really interesting. I guess I didn't start with just one deck. When I started I picked up the Mythic Tarot because it was the only one with a thick book with it. I had thought that I didn't need to get another book and just study the cards. But I didn't connect to it like I thought. I ordered the Gothic Tarot and bought a couple of books on the subject and areally just used the Gothic Tarot for a while. But other cards called to me as well. Quote: Gerbear Said: I have a medium sized collection, which I'm trying to expand. I have no problem using any of them. I keep an open mind, which means that I can move my viewpoint to see what the artist intended. Decks that "call" or "don't call" have merely run into the barriers we erect in our minds. I have preferences, but I don't let those preferences rule. It's hard for me to imagine trying to grow as a person, while trying to bend the universe to fit into a set of ingrained, or preconceived notions. Just my viewpoint. Neat viewpoint. I guess call wasn't the right word, maybe I should have said Connect with. I just had trouble connecting to the cards. The Tarot of Oz is a pretty deck but I have trouble connecting to the images. Myrrha wrote: Isn't it funny how it is not always the decks you expect to like best that really get under your skin and into your deep mind, inspire your dreams? I had that experience with the Vargo Gothic. It is a great deck for me. I expected to really like the Sacred Circle but it just didn't seem to seep into my consciousness in that special way. The Gothic Tarot just seems to call me. I know how you feel. Quote: Some of it seems to be seasonal. Sometimes decks that didn't "click" in the winter started screaming at me the following summer or fall. The Vargo Gothic and Gothic Tarot of the Vampires both seem like winter decks so it is not surprising that you feel drawn to them now. The Oz tarot might feel more appealing at another time of year. If you practise Celtic Paganism you know how much the seasons affect our internal selves. That could be But I agree the Gothic and Vampire decks are both winter decks. I use the Secret Tarot as well. And the Faery Wicca Tarot as well. (Although the Faery Wicca Tarot takes some getting use to.) Quote: I don't want to collect decks I don't use, they take up too much space in my mind and heart. Still, there are a few decks I don't use very much right now but will keep because I know I'll want to use them again in the future, like the Buckland Romani. --Myrrha I know what you feel. I gave away the Gendron and Mythic Tarot because I didn't connect with them. Quote: I also bought the Witchy Tarot because I thought it was cool and hip. It also remnided me of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch", the comic not the TV show. Upon looking through it, it didn't do much for me. But I'm gonna keep it because I think it will be neat to look back on in ten years when halter tops and hip huggers are out of style (or back in style, whatever the case may be). I've kept the Wonderland Tarot not because I use it very often but because I loooove the books. I have different decks for different reasons, but I guess I do collect some just because I think they're pretty. But if that's wrong I don't wanna be right. Peace, April I thought that of the Witchy deck too. I think if any of my younger family members wanted a reading I would use this deck. I liked the images and will most likely keep it. I know-- Some decks are nice but I wouldn't want to read from them. Ironicly, I have the Decameron Tarot which is highly erotic, I have done readings from this deck and they are very accurate. People that I know who I would think wouldn't want a reading from this deck did, which I found amusing. Quote: I'm still in process of creating a tarot deck, and this question rises its head every now and then. I wonder if I'm creating a Tarot deck, or if I'm drawing 78 little pretty pictures. It's hard to say sometimes. I think many "decks" are little more than those pretty little pictures. There's something elusive that tells you the difference. fly well Raven Wow, that take dedication. I have always wanted to do a deck for Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, but I am not an artist. I have ideas of what I want on the cards but I can't draw. Now give me a camera! Thanks for the insite.

L'Etoile	09 Jan 2005
I'm not sure if I could answer your question just as it's read, so I'll use an old mathematician's trick and try to prove the opposite: Could you read well with decks that you don't think are pretty or call you in any aesthetic way? Answer: I can. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don' think the RWS is very good to look at at all. But I've done some phenominal readings with it. The Thoth deck sometimes makes me a bit upset, but it's good for readings too. I think the answer is that some decks you'll collect just to have or to study, some decks you'll collect because you like them and can read with them, and some decks you'll collect just because they read well, whether you really 'like' them or not. Hope that helped. LA

L'Etoile	09 Jan 2005
Ceit wrote: I have always wanted to do a deck for Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, but I am not an artist. I have ideas of what I want on the cards but I can't draw. Now give me a camera! Please do!!

WolfyJames	10 Jan 2005
Personaly, I think all my decks are pretty (including the ugly Sola-Busca). I'm very sensitive to beauty. It's important for me to be surrounded by it. It makes me feel happy and harmonious. Decks have to appeal to me estheticaly. Yet, I want a collection of decks that I use for readings, not a collection of decks I keep in a display cabinet or in their boxes. So far, all my decks correspond to that ideal, beautiful and readable. I collect decks for their esthetic appeal and because I can use them for readings. I like variety and I'm an eclectic person, I think my collection shows that.

annik	10 Jan 2005
Me too, as Wolfy James, I think that the aesthetic and beauty of a deck is very important. But as we can say: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have indulged in a few decks with some odd beauty (isn't Beaudelaire who was saying that beauty is bizarre?). I also have a few (oh, a very few) decks who are more collectible than usable. And there is some, like the Xultun, that I like the picture too much than I am unable to use them. I am in too much awe to go forth with a reading (lol!) But for the rest, I start of plan to start studing them a bit further. My list is long, so it will take a little while to go thru that list (lol!)

Athara	12 Jan 2005
L'Etoile wrote: I'm not sure if I could answer your question just as it's read, so I'll use an old mathematician's trick and try to prove the opposite: Could you read well with decks that you don't think are pretty or call you in any aesthetic way? Answer: I can. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don' think the RWS is very good to look at at all. But I've done some phenominal readings with it. The Thoth deck sometimes makes me a bit upset, but it's good for readings too. I have a question about that. I could agree with being able to read with a deck that isn't really beautiful. Maybe you can connect better with them than with other, aesthetically perfect decks. But: I, for one, won't buy a deck if I find some ugly pictures in it. So how do you find out?

Ceit	12 Jan 2005
L'Etoile wrote: Please do!! I did start about 7 months aog listing who I thought would be on each card but then I started to re-think my ideas. I had main of the main characters as Majors, but I am not sure they should go there anymore. So I am starting from new. I wouldn't mind working withs someone who could draw ---- Ceit.

tarotbear	14 Jan 2005
I collect decks because I am a collector. That is why if a deck doesn't "speak' to me, but it has interesting cards or interpretations on a different slant that I keep them. It is also fun to bring different decks to my classes and show my students how different artists have appraoched the same card. I always bring the Devil card from the St. Petersburg Tarot in -- Joe Stalin is the perfect devil! Collecting decks has made me more tolerant of some of the vast differences in them. Once upon a time I had the Tarot of a Moon Garden and disliked it and sold it to a student. Now I wish I had it back, but I won't be going out and buying a second one! I thought the pictures were all too similar and too cutesy. This is why I recommend trying to view a possible future deck purchase online and seeing what your reaction is before you shell out $20-$35 for something you will possibly not like when you get a close examination. I also agree with other posters who said that you should always keep it around if you don't like it, for some day it just might grow on you! FYI - of the 40-ish decks I have, I only use the Robin Wood and the Rider for readings, but now Lee's Gay Tarot gives me another option. (You mean you don't carry two or three different decks with you when you go out to do a reading????)

The Reading Deck v. Collecting decks? thread was originally posted on 08 Jan 2005 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.