Excited Newbie Deck Suggestions...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 May 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

CircuitsOpen	19 May 2005
Hi all, New to the world of Tarot and realize the potential it has to help me figure out myself (and others too.) I swiped a Thoth deck and book (salesperson advice,) quickly returned both of them after getting deluged with imagery and symbols, and nabbed a Universal Waite deck and also three books on Tarot (Idiot's Guide, Guide to Tarot Reversals, Learning Tarot Reversals and Power Tarot.) The Idiot's Guide got me pretty charged and excited about this new world of divination. Anyway, I have a deck question. I think I'm not that responsive visually to the Universal Waite Deck. The readings come out pretty clear (especially for me being new) but feel a lack of inspiration when playing with them. So I'm looking for a new deck. I did some research here on AT (awesome site!) and pegged three possible choices: Gilded, Quest and Robin Wood. I checked all three out at my local bookstore and veto'd Quest pretty quickly. I loved the vibrance of the Gilded deck but knew it was a little off from my Universal Waite so I was hesitatant. The Robin Wood deck was pretty glorious, adding dimension to the Waite deck I had. My problem with that deck was the nudity -- can you believe it?! Somehow I was put off by seeing all the hairy naughty zones in the Lovers, the Star and Judgement. I walked out with the Golden Tarot thinking it really would work for me. I came home, and could not do a single quality reading with it. I think it is too far a jump from my Universal Waite starting point. The artwork is great but I can't make sense of it at all in a reading. So, I need a new deck. A deck that really could work for a beginner (like less than 2 weeks!) I could continue with the Universal, but I'm now eyeing: 1) The Robin Wood deck (again) -- wondering if I could get over the nudity issue. 2) Gilded Tarot -- the vibrance with that deck is pretty attracting and evocative (I just can't get over the High Priestess representation.) 3) Morgan-Greer (looks like it could be a winner, but the colors seem washed.) 4) Old English Tarot (seems interesting) 5) Hanson-Roberts (just wish the card size matched other Tarot decks) 6) Sharman-Caselli (looks pretty upbeat and fun) A couple of things also that are germane here: -- I'm new to and a bit resistant to Pagan imagery -- seeing a Magician with antlers is strange to me -- also nudity goes with that. I may be more open in the future but it doesn't match me now (coming from a past Christian perspective, now more New Age.) -- I love a terrific Sun card. The Sun card should make me feel WARM and HAPPY if possible. The Sun, for example, in the Gilded deck is lacking in this visual department for me. I like a picture of total contentment if possible. =) -- The Golden deck that I'm having major trouble reading did have one thing that the Universal deck had -- a sense of power and organicness to it -- like they were plugged into the Universe a bit more readily than other decks. So any advice here would be greatly appreciated (of the decks I mentioned or other suggestions)---I'm am SO WANTING to have the best, most compatible deck for me so I can do quality, fun readings and learn much more about the Tarot and myself. "Pentacles" are a bit of an issue right now so I can't go out and buy all the decks at the moment. Maybe two, but I was hoping to narrow it to one since I am so new. Thanks in advance for any deck advice, Circuits P.S. Also, if anyone could reccomend a good book that may mention a daily Tarot spread or helpful exercise I would check that out.

Eco74	19 May 2005
Since the Hanson-Roberts and the Robin Wood are both decks I have, here's a voice for either of them. Though the Hanson-Roberts is less "in-your-face" and has a friendlier look about it. The size doesn't really bother me a lot either, even when comparing with the Phantasmagoric Theatre deck I have which is absolutely huge compared to the Hanson-Roberts. The Morgan-Greer is nice too, and simplistic while still holding enough action and color to make the images come to life. And if you're judging by the scans online, you can be pretty sure that the colors will be stronger and more vibrant on the actual deck. I've yet to see a deck with the same "washy" colorscheme as on the scans. As for book, Tarot Tips is a good source since it holds lots and lots of answers to both the standardised myths and other parts of how to use ones deck and what its good for. Can't recall just now whether there are any actual layouts presented in it, but you can find a lot in the forums under Tarot Spreads so you won't be lacking inspiration in that area anyhow.

similia	19 May 2005
Are you sure you can't love the Golden? I really do :) I guess you want to stay with something fairly close to the Rider-Waite's, but a bit more visually interesting. Have you seen this one? http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/sharman-caselli/ It is quite close to RWS, and comes with its own book with explanations of the pictures (and advantage some of the other decks you've looked at don't have). The Connolly is Christian based, and fairly close to the RWS's. http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/connolly/ Are you really sure you don't want to stick with the Golden :D

huredriel	19 May 2005
I have the UW and feel exactly the same way, I'm using it for a beginners course and then I'm sure it will stay in the box forever! However, you say you're a bit resistant to Pagan imagery but have you looked at Tarot of the Old Path, there is a review here at AT and the deck itself is a lot better than when viewed online. It's my main deck and I don't seem to have had any trouble connecting to it (so far), and here in the UK it is pretty cheap too. Best of luck x Huredriel

Khatruman	19 May 2005
How about the Radiant Rider Waite? Many who find the Universal Waite falls flat for them like the vibrancy of color in the Radiant. It still uses the original Pamela Smith Coleman imagery, but it isn't as "tame" as the Universal.

similia	19 May 2005
Yeah maybe another RWS clone. Although the Universal Waite is my favorite version. The radiant is similar, but stronger colors, slightly smaller images, and a thick white border. The backs are a bit cartoony. http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/radiant-rider-waite/ http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/golden-rider/ http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/albano-waite/ http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/rider-waite/ Again this might be a little on the pagan side, but have you looked at the Mythic. It's an excellent beginning deck based on Greek mythology. Most illustrations are fairly similar to the RWS, and it comes with its own book that is very useful. http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/mythic/

Emily	19 May 2005
The Sharman-Caselli is a very good beginners deck - the book goes into great detail pointing out different aspects of the imagery and the artwork and cardstock of the deck is amazing for a lower-end of the market deck and book set. But as a user of the Morgan Greer I find this deck has all the aspects of the Rider Waite and more. The colours are washed out in the online scans, the deck in real life is brightly coloured but not garish or vibrant. The images are universal, pretty much follow the RWS except in the Sun and Devil cards, there might be others too but they won't come to mind. This deck can be used with any book for the RWS until you get used to the artwork. Hope you find what you are looking for. :)

Annabelle	19 May 2005
Hi Circuits, Of the decks you mentioned, I'd recommend the Sharman-Caselli. It is newbie-friendly and the art is good. Regarding the other decks you listed, the Old English is great but probably not if you are brand-new to tarot reading, as the pips aren't fully illustrated in the Rider-Waite-Smith sense. The Hanson-Roberts and Morgan-Greer are well-known standards, but to tell the truth, I don't really like either one of them. The Hanson-Roberts is a smaller deck than most, and many of the human figures in the cards seem out of proportion. The Morgan-Greer is better, in my opinion, but looks dated to me, and I've never found it easy to read with. (I'm sure many here will disagree with me about both of these decks though...) As for the Robin Wood and the Gilded, I can't really comment...I've seen them both and opted not to buy either one. But anyway, I think the Sharman-Caselli would be a pretty safe choice. Or, perhaps the Tarot of Prague? It's a little more expensive than some other decks, but well worth the price. And it's very similar to the Rider-Waite-Smith. Good luck!

sunflowr	19 May 2005
Khatruman wrote: How about the Radiant Rider Waite? Many who find the Universal Waite falls flat for them like the vibrancy of color in the Radiant. It still uses the original Pamela Smith Coleman imagery, but it isn't as "tame" as the Universal. I LOVE the Radiant! I would suggest that deck too! After all these decks that I have tried, I've gone back to RWS and am using the Radiant for most of my readings. :)

mike gorth	19 May 2005
I just ordered the Sharman-Caselli and the Nigel Jackson which also seems like a good choice to look into. I have the Hanson-Roberts and yes it's small but isn't a hindrance at all. Yes the people are a little out of proportion but who cares? the RWS decks have people that look like they were made out of clay! I strongly recommend the Hanson-Roberts because it has a lot of the same imagery as the Universal Waite so what you've learned with the Waite will be easy to transfer to the Hanson-Roberts. I got the Universal Waite for my first and didn't connect with it at all. Then I got the thoth which I didn't connect with and the same happened with the witches tarot, the fairy tarot, and the quick and easy tarot. Then I got the Hanson Roberts. It is so good. I do ALL of my readings with it. I was confused about tarot when I got it and now everything that I've studied with the Universal Waite was EASILY applied to the Hanson-Roberts. I recommend against the Morgan Greer strictly out of color and appearance but if you like it, try it. It was my mentor's first deck. Once you get aquainted with the beginner decks and the meanings, then you can go back to the golden which, as you said, is a little tricky. Personnaly, I love the beginner RWS clones. they are easy to connect with and have the easy to understand pictures. Even though I don't need the beginner decks, they are so easy on the eyes and easy to understand but I don't like the RWS or the universal waite in the least. Again, I STRONGLY recommend the Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck. Mike Gorth

mike gorth	19 May 2005
Also once you're a little more experienced, like once you know the general meanings, the tarot of the new vision looks good and the tarot of mermaids is also very good. Both have a lot of RWS symbolism but is completely different!

mike gorth	19 May 2005
Oh, and about books, the Tarot Workbook helped me out a lot. It's by................................................Nevill Drury. Also, here's a link that will help you to a lot of other books too. http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=33296 Mike Gorth

rota	19 May 2005
Try Lelandra's site for the comparison of RWS clones: http://www.advancenet.net/~jscole/tarot1000words.htm Very well-presented and clear!

Cerulean	19 May 2005
http://www.tarot.com/about-tarot/decks/browsedecks.php?newdeck=20 This site also offers free readings and exploration. If you just want to study the majors first (the 22 major arcana), I see that the Old English has very pretty cards and the Sun does give you that 'happy feeling'. I had the deck some years ago and gave it away...but it might be a nice travel companion and you are right, it has a lovely feel. I also chose my first tarot decks based on costumes because I adore the opportunity to see fabulous dress and decorative enhancement in my tarot characters. After awhile, the costume or lack of it, the bareness of a character matters less to me--I do want decent expressions on the faces though and am picky about the art. Best regards and happy hunting for your first 'friendly' deck. Cerulean

Asenath	19 May 2005
I'm 2 weeks new and I have the Golden Tarot. I really like it and for the most part the images are pretty similar to the RW. The books that I've been using to study from use the RW deck as their illustrated examples and after laying out the Golden Tarot and compairing them image for image, I think that there were maybe 3 or 4 cards that ended up appearing very different to me. As for the Gilded, it's very beautiful and very vivid (I love images that are super-saturated in colour.) A friend of mine ordered that deck and we looked through it together. That was going to be my second choice, but I'm glad I didn't use it as a starter deck because I would be too focused on the colours to even want to look at the images and I didn't click very well with them. I may visit them in the future, though, when I've got a better grasp of things.

CircuitsOpen	19 May 2005
Thanks for the replies so far all... I still haven't made up my mind. I may hold onto the Golden Tarot for later when I'm more comfortable. I'm leaning Morgan-Greer actually. I have to play around with an open deck at the store first.... Ugh I can't make up my mind...maybe radiant Raite...

CircuitsOpen	19 May 2005
Just an update...I bought both the Morgan-Greer and the Radiant Universal Waite.... I think I'll start by trying the Morgan....I'll keep ya posted :)

HudsonGray	20 May 2005
It looks like you're on the way to being a collector, if nothing else! The Hanson Roberts was going to be my suggestion too, it's 'friendly' and non-naked except for the Star I believe. Mary Hanson Roberts does independant comics so her art has a bit of 'kid feel' to it, the characters on the cards have features that are soft & young, she doesn't do old & textured. If you have a problem with the Robin Wood's nudity, set it aside for now. It's a great beginner deck, and works really smoothly, but no sense having a road block there for you till you pass that hurdle. I didn't think it was really all that pagan, though. After all there is a Bishop and an angel in the deck (Hierophant & Temperance) and everything is so squeeky clean. The Devil card is one of the better variations on the theme that I've seen. Usually people have trouble with it looking too Barbie doll-ish.

The Excited Newbie Deck Suggestions... thread was originally posted on 19 May 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.