Help me out with my Birthday Present!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Jun 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kahlie	10 Jun 2005
Hi all, I decided this year to buy myself a Tarot Deck for my birthday. I looked through many, and it was always hard to find one I really connected with. When I finally realised I found some I did, I immediatly saw drawbacks to the Decks. So I'm asking for opinions on the Decks I picked, and any suggestions for decks. Decks I own: Thoth, Vargo's Gothic, Osho Zen and Art Nouveau (gift) Decks I saw I might like: - Revelations (Adflatus) Tarot. - Tarot of the Trance - Sakki Sakki - Archeon Tarot Pro's and Con's (Personal Opinion!): - Revelations is a nice deck, it's innovative and I love the artwork. Yet, the meanings of the Cards seem to be very narrow to me. (Maybe because of the strong Rider-Waite influence and the illustrated minors) - Tarot of the Trance caught my eye, because of it's very different artwork. Doesn't have illustrated minors, but the symbolism is mexican and so is very different from what I'm used too. - Sakki Sakki is beautiful, but again has many Rider-Waite influences, and the price is on the high side for a student. The way the art is, I would not read with this Deck for clients. And I do not have the oppertunity to see all the cards. - The Archeon is a new deck that I recently discovered and it's the only photographic deck I have ever seen that I seem to like. I haven't had time to see all the cards yet though. Help?! Suggestions for other Decks or more opinions on the Decks I have picked are very welcome. Kahlie

NightWing	10 Jun 2005
The four decks you have are all quite different from one another, so if you are starting a collection, you might want to add yet another deck that represents another approach. A photo-collage deck(like the Rohrig) or computer-generated deck(like Navigators' T. of the Mystic SEA) might then be a good choice, or a more traditional Marseille-type deck,(like the "Veritable T. de M." by Hadar). But if you really prefer one of your current four above the others, for art style or whatever, you may want to follow that path. This website and others can be used to check out a great many decks. Whatever you do, remember there is no rush.

light2000	10 Jun 2005
I think that is a very personal question. And you should find one deck that you love. I´m in love whith the druidcraft, i dont have it but i must. I´m really in love this that.

earth en lady	10 Jun 2005
Hiya Kahlie Just a suggestion but this deck popped in my head it's the Karma Tarot ,on the list here ,I have one it's a grower .. Blessings earth en lady

Cerulean	10 Jun 2005
I have used Revelations for readings and it works well for me. Book is a good read and the reversals/versatility works for me. Do you think the colorful graphics will entice you to use it quite a bit? Thankfully you can see all images on the nice website. If I gave it a season, to me it is definitely a Spring-Summer style of deck for me. Archeon is 'one man's interpretation of the tarot' and his imaginative eye is quite enjoyable--it carries the viewer to look at the world in a new way. I don't know why, but it seems to me to have a wonderful atmosphere that I would like to experience in the autumn...maybe I see it as darkly atmospheric with bright aspects. I don't remember why the others you mentioned did not appeal to me--I think it's because they weren't my style of reading decks. Good luck on your varied choices. It sounds like whatever you choose, they appeal to you in vivid ways. Happy Birthday choice! Cerulean P.S. For some reason, I'm going into soft choices for my own upcoming selection...so I'm chatting about the Harmonious, which is not so different or vivid. Secret Forest is shadowy but beautiful in being mostly about the pictures on both sides...and utterly different for me--goes with a two-sided I Ching deck that I am very happy about.

Fudugazi	10 Jun 2005
The only one I own of the four you listed is the Sakki-sakki, and I absolutely love it. It always gives me good readings, it always puts me in a good mood, even when it tells me things I don't want to hear - because it does so with a smile and with love. It isn't cheap but it's worth every penny. And it feels great. It's an artist's deck (I don't just mean an art deck - I mean a deck by an artist for artists). It gives a trememendous creative boost - like multivitamins. A truly generous-souled deck. oh... and happy birthday :D

Kahlie	11 Jun 2005
NightWing I prefer my Thoth. However, there are not many Thoth-like Decks out there. I checked the Liber T, but I don't like it. As for Marseille, I thought about it many times, but there are so much decks out there, and I haven't seen any I really feel like I want to have. light2000 I checked the Druidcraft, but it's not my kind of deck. Yes, I know, Deck choices are very personal. Thanks for the suggestion. earth en lady I checked the Karma Tarot. I assume you mean this one: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/karma/ Very different, and not my kind of deck. Thanks for the Suggestion. Cerulean Thank you for your opinions. I checked out the Secret Forest. It's lovely, but not what I'm looking for right now. (Limited funds). I checked the Harmonious but not much is online about it yet. Very soft colours. Helvetica Yes! That's exactly why I love the Sakki-Sakki. It's the Artist for Artist thing. And I love the Art! Yet, I want to do more readings for other people, and I feel that it's not the Deck for that. And for my personal Readings I am addicted to the Thoth. Thank you all for your opinions! Kahlie

Starlily	11 Jun 2005
Happy birthday, Kahlie! I think the Revelations Tarot is a wonderful deck. It does follow many of the RWS meanings but the images are more abstract than most RW clones which allows a wider freedom of interpretation. I haven't found it to be limiting at all. The art work is gorgeous and yet it is far from being just a deck of pretty pictures. The Death card is one of the most striking and resonant images I've ever seen. I find it to be a very mystical deck. My readings with it have been potent and thought-provoking. Wong describes much of the symbolism in the accompanying book but as you explore the cards you will find so many additional goodies. And, of course, it is a terrific deck for using if you want to work with reversals. I stumbled upon mine quite by accident and bought it on a whim. A very happy accident indeed! Good luck with your choice. :) Starlily

Kahlie	11 Jun 2005
StarLily, Thank you very much. I guess I don't always see Reversals as the exact opposite of the Card, like many of the pictures in the Deck seem to do. Maybe it's that, that is turning me off from it. Yet it seems an excellent deck to read for others. Kahlie

Fudugazi	11 Jun 2005
Have you thought of the Ancient Egyptian? It's partly Thoth-based - in its attributions and its spirit, though the minors are scenic. It has a great "sweep" to it - and the cards please most people (so OK for reading for others). It tends to be rather uncanny in its accuracy, too. And if you happen to like mythology...that's the icing ;)

HearthCricket	11 Jun 2005
I think it depends on what you want. Do you want a deck to read from? Do you want a deck to challenge you, or do you want a deck for its uniquiness or its artwork? My recommendations: Sacred Circle-I don't have it, but it reminded me, in colours and a bit in style, of your Thoth. Revelations-Very unique and fun...I am waiting for mine to arrive. If anything, the reversals and artwork will be challenging. Harmonious-Soft and lovely looking, with artwork to die for. Not quite Art Nouveau, but similar taste. Gilded-Great deck, but it has to click with you. I love this deck for reading. I love this deck for looking at! I just love this deck in general. St. Petersburg of Russia-Only if it is something that works for you. It works for me and I get great readings. My Christian background and love of all things Orthodox probably has a lot to do with it. The Archeon-I have never seen it, I have no idea about anything of it, but in reading your post, I think you want it! Happy Birthday :)

Kahlie	13 Jun 2005
Helvatica and HearthCricket, Thank you for the suggestions. I didn't find anything I really liked, but it seemed life brought me where I needed to be. I was hesistant with the Decks I picked because of the huge shipping fees, and not being able to see the real deck. Today I went to a book fair, and one of the publishers stands had decks of Lo Scarabeo. (Also playing cards of them). For the very cheap price of 14 euro's a deck! So I got home with the Demacron (Wanted it after Simone's Readings in the competition thread made my mouth water) and the Egyptian Tarot. It's very nice and doesn't have illustrated minors. My big issue seems to be scenic minors. I feel that the scene's that for some people give so much "information" only make me think of just one interpretation and it makes me feel cramped! Thanks to all of you again for helping me! Kahlie

Cerulean	13 Jun 2005
and there is a book that goes with the deck, very interesting to read. Hope you have a great time with your new decks! Cerulean

Kahlie	14 Jun 2005
Cerulean, I saw that ordering the book seperatedly is very expensive. Can you tell me what is in it? I don't like books that give some new interpretations of the Cards, just a sort of expanded LWB. I work more with intuition. But any information on Egypt would be nice. I've studied some of it before, but I would like to start again. Kahlie

archeon	16 Jun 2005
I'd suggest you go with the Archeon Tarot, but then I might be biased... ;) Happy Birthday! -Timothy

Cerulean	21 Jun 2005
Your intuitive style sounds wonderful, with some guidelines with the LWB is really all you need. The Lo Scarabeo book is a historical discussion, but not on accurate artbook on Egyptian art and designs--it's on the use of Egyptian mythology by European occultists in tarots around the 1800s. It's descriptive of how some Europeans applied what they observed in Egyptian art to a romantic mythology. There's a small bit on each card, but the majors are discussed more as an initiate's journey through a ritualized walk through 22 different stations. I might be mistaken, but it sounds as if you prefer enjoying lovely decks...and given a choice, you'd select a deck instead of a book. And I wholeheartedly agree, decks such as the Archeon and Sakki-Sakki are quite artistically striking and individual. I've a fondness for the Archeon, which I am saving...for a sparkling season. Cerulean

similia	21 Jun 2005
I just ordered the Archeon and Revelations for myself also :) I think I'd recommend the Archeon, or the Sakki Sakki. The Archeon is more impressive in person than the online pics, and it has quite a lot of differences from other decks that will be fun to work with. (Plus I think it is a sexy deck) Sakki Sakki I would not read with personally either, but I have had readings with it and they were really excellent and the decks art opened the door for many very useful bits of information. I think it is a highly readable deck for others (just a little bit girly for me to use often :D ) Revelations although I want it, I suspect it may be difficult to read with. Someone told me they found it a dark deck. I suspect that is because the reversed images are present on the cards also. Tell us what you decide :)

The Help me out with my Birthday Present! thread was originally posted on 10 Jun 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.