Choosing a deck for a friend

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 23 Mar 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

january	23 Mar 2005
Hello everyone! I'd like to purchase a Tarot deck for a friend as a birthday gift and thought some of you could offer a few suggestions. She's a professional astrologer, gourmet caterer and art teacher. She also has a fascination with China and all things Asian. My first thought was the Spiral Tarot as the Majors contain elemental symbols and planetary glyphs, a perfect aid for an astrologer learning Tarot. Then I took a look at the Chinese Tarot thinking she could connect to its imagery. And I'm sure there are many suitable decks published of which I've never heard. Any ideas would be welcome! Cheers and thanks ~ January

Elektra	23 Mar 2005
The Celestial Tarot (fairly new) is by the same creator as the Spiral Tarot (Kay Steventon) and it has even more pronounced astrological assocations, I think. The scans I've seen are really beautiful. I'm not familiar with the Asian tarots, but the Osho Zen is gorgeous.

peridot	23 Mar 2005
The Journey to the Orient deck is kind of cool. :)

Keslynn	23 Mar 2005
I would say that the Spiral would be a good way to go if your friend is new to tarot. Usually, it's recommended that a new student start with a Rider-Waite based deck because that's what all the books are about. Spiral is in that family (though not a clone). I love my Spiral and often use it in readings for clients. It's a good deck. I unfortunately don't know much about the Chinese Tarot. As Elektra recommended, the Celestial is entirely based on constellations. However, as far as I know, it's a little further from RW than the Spiral. It might be harder for your friend to learn with. :) Kes

january	23 Mar 2005
Wow! Elektra, Peridot and Keslynn... we're in the same corner of the globe. I'm in CT but go to NYU. Small planet! I looked at the Celestial deck and it may be a win. She already has Rider-Waite and I wanted to give her something that may marry her interests. Steventon's Spiral is my everyday deck so I have faith that the Celestial images may inspire her as well as make astrological connections with the cards' meanings. So many layers to reading! Osho-Zen is a deck that is perpetually on my wish list... it is indeed beautiful! Unfortunately I couldn't find images of Journey to the Orient but I suppose I'll have to "Google" a bit more. Thank you dearly! Cheers ~ January

Elektra	23 Mar 2005
Very small world! I went to Yale for undergrad and am now at NYU as well. Nice to "meet" you! :) Good luck with choosing a deck for your friend! Please let us know how it goes!

souljourney	24 Mar 2005
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/journey-to-the-orient/ Here's a link to pics of the Journey to the Orient deck... also look at The Tarot Garden and www.tarotpassages.com SJ

january	05 Apr 2005
Souljourney - Thank you for the link to the Orient Deck. Hmmm... this makes for a difficult decision! Her birthday isn't until June 1st so I have a few weeks to decide. Thank you all for your suggestions. Whichever deck I choose as a gift (the toss is between Celestial and Orient) will be well-received. As a by-product of this gift research I've found a couple of decks I wouldn't mind buying for myself! Cheers ~ January

muteswan	05 Apr 2005
I have the Feng Shui Tarot, and it's absolutely gorgeous. It has rich colours and a bold, but very classic feel. http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/feng-shui/ http://home.comcast.net/~loveoftarot/DeckImages/FengShui.jpg http://www.alltarot.com/FengShuiTarotnfo.html

Starlily	06 Apr 2005
A bit off topic but I just had to say hello to all of the east coasters on this thread and chime in!! Good luck choosing a deck for your friend. The Thoth deck also has astrological symbolism embedded in its imagery. If she likes modern art, she may like the abstract art on this deck.

Ahria	06 Apr 2005
Just my two cents - Roots of Asia It is a beautiful deck, stunning colours and pictures.

lelandra	06 Apr 2005
january wrote: Hello everyone! She's a professional astrologer, gourmet caterer and art teacher. She also has a fascination with China and all things Asian. My first thought was the Spiral Tarot as the Majors contain elemental symbols and planetary glyphs, a perfect aid for an astrologer learning Tarot. Then I took a look at the Chinese Tarot thinking she could connect to its imagery. And I'm sure there are many suitable decks published of which I've never heard. Well, the Chinese Tarot doesn't have astrological glyphs, but honestly, someone who has learned astrology first (and gotten to pro level) before learning tarot might find the associations made by the GD very strange and offputting - and those are the ones shown on most decks (including the Spiral, with three exceptions where a change was made). Honestly, it might make learning Tarot *harder* not easier for such a person. I don't know the Journey to the Orient deck to comment on it, having only seen scans, though it is tempting from that basis. But I would make a pitch for the older Chinese Tarot by Jui Guoliang. I really like the art on it. (my review here: http://www.tarotpassages.com/chinese-jc.htm ) While the Feng Shui by Connelly is pretty, I find the correspondence scheme it uses extremely strange from the standpoint of element assignment. Just my opinion, Lelandra (Joan Cole)

The Choosing a deck for a friend thread was originally posted on 23 Mar 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.