1 deck vs. many

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 25 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

mermaiden	25 Jul 2002
I've read somewhere on the net that readers should just use one deck to read with to prevent dividing their energy but I realize that many of you experenced readers (/tarotholics *LOL*) use several decks so my question is, how do you feel about this "one deck theory"? (thanks for the name, Tarotphelia *lol*) Do you see some truth to this theory? For example, do you find that your decks run out of energy often (if you use more than 1 deck)? Does anyone on this forum just use one deck (beside me because I just bought my first deck *grins*)?

Phoenix	25 Jul 2002
Some people just get comfortable with using one deck, and thee is nothing wrong with this. Others just like to collect decks for the art work. I have over 20 decks in my personal collection, but I only read with three or four. That's it. I just love to collect.

wavebreaker	25 Jul 2002
Same for me: I like collecting decks (although I didn't know there was such a thing as "collecting decks" before I joined Aeclectic :D ), so I sometimes buy decks for the artwork, but never read with them. I currently have 3 decks that I read with regularly, the rest I don't use for readings (I have 13 decks, I think... ;) ). I don't believe that the energy will be divided between my reading decks. I've never felt that any of my decks had run out of energy and if it would, I would just reiki it to "recharge" it.

Liliana	25 Jul 2002
Yeah I collect for art and study purposes mostly, the only deck I own i feel I can read with is my beloved Rohrig deck, tho I can do readings with World Spirit too with some book help. Others ones in my collection are there because of art, a subject im interested in, belong to my husband, were gifts, whatever :) :THP

Maan	25 Jul 2002
There are just four decks i use for readings and of those decks there is one a use the most ( robin Wood) The rest of my collection is for the artwork, study, meditation and because i love to see how artist all have there own version of the archetypes.

mermaiden	25 Jul 2002
Wow! One thing I kinda picked up on before I created this thread was the fact that people only use 3-4 decks, I find it interesting that most people coincidentally (sp?) usually use 3 as opposed to 4. I know it probably just happens that way (as opposed to planning it *LOL*) but weirdly enough, I feel that if I do choose to get anymore decks in the future, I'd only stick to reading w/2 more decks (which for course, would mean I would be reading w/3 decks). I'm not planning it, I just feel that, you know?

Jewel	25 Jul 2002
I am one of the charter members of taro-holics ~giggles~ and own around 80 decks or more. Granted my favorite thing to do with tarot decks is studying and pathworking, I only read occassionally but when I do I primarily use my beloved Cosmic Tribe. Other decks I use for reading are my trusty Robin Wood, Tarot of the Old Path and the Osho-Zen. Is there vailidity in the one deck theory? As long as someone believes in it then I say yes. Like most things dealing with tarot it is a personal preference and choice. Since I got my Cosmic Tribe I pretty much read with it exclusively. But that will not keep me from reading with other decks once I am comfortable with them.

mermaiden	25 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel ...Is there vailidity in the one deck theory? As long as someone believes in it then I say yes. Like most things dealing with tarot it is a personal preference and choice. Since I got my Cosmic Tribe I pretty much read with it exclusively. But that will not keep me from reading with other decks once I am comfortable with them. I guess the moral of the story is: to each, their own. :)

dolphingirl	25 Jul 2002
Hi Everyone I have over 100 decks and although I have a couple of favorites for readiing I read with them all. Just depends on what mood I am in at the time. For me the energy isn't in the cards but more in me and the world and I can use that energy with any deck. Dolphingirl

Laurel	25 Jul 2002
I'm starting to collect decks again, but I prefer to have a primary deck which is the center of my focus at a time. I love to study the symbolism of each card, reading and thinking about what each image means, and what patterns exist within cards, within suits, etc. I'm a big believer in the "to each their own" philosophy. Laurel

Sorceress_Jade	25 Jul 2002
I own many decks. I have two that I use mainly, and 2 that I can't use at all. The others I'm still getting to know but they work well enough. I feel as though I'm splitting my attention between the decks, but not my energy. And I don't feel as though I'm neglecting my two main decks, but the others. It's strange. I perfer to have more than one deck because it depends on whome I'm reading for and what vibes I'm getting about the question, which deck I will use. Some decks are easier to read about some aspects than others. I can't read about careers and jobs with my Thoth deck so I tend more toward the Rider for that, Thoth does better than Rider for emotional and psychological matters, and I can't read about monetary manners with Ancestral Path. I'm not saying go out and buy every deck under the sun, but if you find yourself drawn to another deck, I say by all means get it and see how it makes you feel. Each of my decks is like a different tool because the images on each is different, and their 'personality' and usefullness is attributed to that. :) Congratulations on making Citizen, welcom welcom!

Violet Gargoyle	25 Jul 2002
I have 30 something decks now, and I would read with most of them. There are some I got strictly for the artwork. Most of the other ones however I try to use in cinjunction with my mood and that of who is being read. For instance, some want a more emotional reading, and I may use the medicine cards for these. Some look for events and I may use the Victoria Deck. For light hearted readings I may use that Halloween or Whimsicle. etc etc

VGimlet	25 Jul 2002
I own over 40 decks, but most of them I've collected because I like the artwork, or the theme. Right now I'm reading primarily with the Universal RWS. I seem to be able to concentrate on only one deck at a time. As soon as I feel ready, I plan to study and use both the Thoth and a Marseille deck in turn as my primary deck for awhile. Hopefully, once I am comfortable with all three, I will be able to read with all (or most of) my decks. Because I feel it would be fun to be able use decks that match the personality or the likes of the person I'm reading for. :)

truthsayer	26 Jul 2002
i used only 1 deck(hoi polloi) for 10 years then i read 2 decks(rws & thoth) for 15 more years. then i discovered the internet. the end. ;) now i own around 80 decks which i acquired over the past 3 years. i no longer read w/ the decks who were my friends for so many years. i didn't intend to change but now i primarily use the hanson-roberts deck. i've tested out many of my decks but i gravitate to the HR when i'm not experimenting or pathfinding or studying for serious readings. it just feels like my HR has chosen me and i've accepted that fact. it just "feels" like my deck. i absolutely love art and studying archetypes. nothing is more perfect for such an interest than tarot. i can read most of my decks. some of my decks are intensely special to me like my templar, neferteri and ananda decks b/c i find them so beautiful and feel a bond. but i wouldn't take either w/ me to do public readings. these are my special decks. no one else touches them. of course, all my decks are quite special to me but some are more special than others.

Mermaid	26 Jul 2002
I only have one deck at the moment (a pocket sized RW) but that's more to do with my finances than anything else! :D I'm currently saving up for Songs for the Journey home tarot... Ideally I'd have about 3 decks. I think it would be great to have a choice of decks to read from, depending on my mood and the question - I find different decks can have quite different 'atmospheres' to them.

the hermit	26 Jul 2002
Like many others here I collect decks (currently have 21--got curious and counted them up :) ) Love the art, love the symbology. I read with 4 at this time (Universal Waite, Robin Wood, Morgan-Greer and Hanson-Roberts). I've used as few as one and as many as 6 at a time. Using 6 different decks, I felt that I was drained of power at times, but not the decks. Found that I can use 4 without feeling any strain, stress or power loss. I move decks in and out of 'the gang of 4' from time to time as new decks are added to my collection, or the whim strikes me to just integrate an old OR new deck into my daily routine.

fairyhedgehog	26 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by the hermit 1 tarot, 2 tarot, 3 tarot, 4 LOL (I always enjoy reading your posts, the hermit :) ) I've got 10 decks, but I only read with the Hanson-Roberts or the Whimsical, although I have used the Universal Waite once or twice. (I only read for myself, btw.) I only use one deck at a time, is anyone saying they use two decks at once? Or do you choose just one of your reading decks according to the situation?

LeoLady	26 Jul 2002
Hi Guys, Does anyone actually NOT like the R/W decks? I have to say, even as a newbie that I didn't like them at all. They were too garish and gaudy for my liking. I have the H/R deck that I'm learning with at the mo, and the pics are a bit more 'gentle' than the R/W decks. Maybe it's just me, dunno!!!!!

jema	26 Jul 2002
first a confession - i do like the rider-waite deck. i use it a lot and i even like the art. simple but effective. and a lot better with anatomy then certain other un-named decks... but on to the subject: i ow a lot of deck - something between 45-50 depending on what you count as tarot-deck. i read with a lot of them. right now i only use about 5 of them though. and the Thoth is my primary deck this month. (i try to switch primary deck now and then) i am still a bit sad that i have several decks i just cannot use and those will be traded sometime later this year (the chinese - such a pretty deck and just hopeless to read with, santa fe interesting concept but impossible, the lo scarabeo decks i am finally giving up on etc etc) i am thinking about concentrating on just a handful of decks though. put the others away for some time and don't mind them at all. yes, i do get unfocused sometimes. i started reading with just one deck at a time, the marseille, rider-waite, herbal and the hanson-roberts. then the devil got me;) and sent me all those other decks...

catlin	26 Jul 2002
I have around 50 decks among which are severals I just got because of collector's sake or they deal with Celtic/Egyptian themes, etc. I usually use 3-4 decks for my querents (RW, Egorov, Legend, sometimes Witches tarot) and some exclusively for me: Sacred Circle, World Spirit, Robin Wood and Greenwood).

Helruna	26 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Sorceress_Jade I perfer to have more than one deck because it depends on whome I'm reading for and what vibes I'm getting about the question, which deck I will use. Some decks are easier to read about some aspects than others. I can't read about careers and jobs with my Thoth deck so I tend more toward the Rider for that, Thoth does better than Rider for emotional and psychological matters, and I can't read about monetary manners with Ancestral Path. I'm not saying go out and buy every deck under the sun, but if you find yourself drawn to another deck, I say by all means get it and see how it makes you feel. Each of my decks is like a different tool because the images on each is different, and their 'personality' and usefullness is attributed to that. I agree on the points about picking a deck for a reading. I too sometimes get different vibes from questions, and then I just pick the deck that I feel is "right" for this reading. Therefore, I am glad I have more then the RWS i started out with nowadays (after discovering the Internet - evil Internet temptations! *G*) As I already mentioned, I own about 13 - 14 decks, and I don't feel that my energy is being split up or that my cards loose energy or something like that. I think it is more my attention that gets divided, and I feel that I "neglect" the decks that I don't read that often with too, so I can relate to this feeling. Some decks I have, they are for studying the symbols more, some I use more for myself and meditation, but mainly I use all of my decks but 2 or 3 that I somehow don't like for readings but other personal things. BB, Helruna

Liliana	26 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by smuttyangel Hi Guys, Does anyone actually NOT like the R/W decks? I have to say, even as a newbie that I didn't like them at all. They were too garish and gaudy for my liking. I have the H/R deck that I'm learning with at the mo, and the pics are a bit more 'gentle' than the R/W decks. Maybe it's just me, dunno!!!!! I despise most Rider Waite for the colors and the thick, blocky lines, but I do like the Universal Waite, which thins out the lines and is colored very nicely by Mary Hanson Roberts, same artists of the Hanson Roberts deck. I also sort of like the Golden Rider (oooh shiny lol) and I also really like a version called the Aquatic Tarot done in watercolors but alas not in a buyable deck format. But I doubt Id ever use any of these Waite decks as my primary reading deck, they'd more be used for study, meditaion, and maybe magick working. I find for reading I need a more modern deck, one that speaks to my time not Medieval times. A deck that understands stuff like computer crashes lol. :THP

catboxer	26 Jul 2002
I don't like the R/W decks, or any others with illustrated pips, which are a recent innovation. I much prefer what are now thought of as the "historical" decks, in which the trumps are presented in a standardized form and the numbered suited cards simply show the requisite number of sticks, swords, cups, or coins. I guess I'm what you'd have to call a traditionalist.

Diana	26 Jul 2002
edited

amyel	26 Jul 2002
Years ago, a good friend of mine said she thought it would be fun to collect Tarot (she didn't read, but she knew I enjoyed Tarot). I coudl not understand what the point was, as I had a deck that worked well for me. Gradually, I wanted to evolve and thought another deck would assist me in that regard, so I bought a different deck. And that one didn't work out for me, so I tried another one. And gave it away. And then I tried another, and thought if I was drawn to these other decks that maybe there was a reason for it and I started to collect decks and buy books. Lots of books! I have no where near the collection of decks that others on this forum have, but I try to read at least three times with any new deck I get. I find, as others have said, that each deck gives a different perspective. Some I never advance past the three tries and just keep for their beauty. So, I'm somewhere between the "one deck" and the "multiple deck" group.

Sorceress_Jade	26 Jul 2002
I love my Universal Waite, but not the Rider waite. The colors are FAR more pleasant, and I feel that the imagery is very clear and has good cues, isn't too sparten, without being over bearing. If you don't like the original Rider deck, then check out this bad boy. http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/colmansmith/index.html A BOTA by Timothy Leary, i swear. It makes me queezy just looking at it.

catboxer	26 Jul 2002
Whoa! That's an overdose of day-glo. The background of the Strength card hurts my eyes.

purplelady	26 Jul 2002
There's nothing wrong with using only one deck. I'm sure it would make things simpler! I have many decks because I LOVE collecting them! ( I never knew there was such a thing as tarot deck collecting 'til I discovered sites like this one on the internet either!) Currently I use Daughters of the moon for self-readings. I also feel drawn to the Halloween deck lately to read for others or myself. Occasionally I use the Cosmic deck. For a tarot spell I would use the Robin Wood deck. A few months back I used the Cosmic Tribe to draw a card a day (Really enjoyed this! I thought I'd only been doing it for a month or two, when I reveiwed my journal , I found I had been doing this for 4 months!) And I use the Nigel Jackson deck for meditations on the majors! Then I may pull out and use another deck at any time!

Kellinator	26 Jul 2002
Since I started reading with multiple decks, I've actually found the opposite to be true -- if one of my decks is tired, I can "rest" it. It's especially nice if I don't want to tick one of my decks off by asking it too many questions. Right now I have four decks that I read with regularly -- the Rohrig, Myers Art Noveau, Legend Arthurian, and Gendron. I only read for myself with the Art Nouveau, but the others are pretty flexible. I also have the Victoria Regina but haven't tried to read with it yet. I have a couple of others which I may trade -- to tell the truth, right now I'm too poor to keep a deck I can't read with, even if I like the art. I'd rather trade it to someone who can use it for a deck that will work with me. Also, I tend to like a few decks a lot -- I doubt I could think of eighty decks I'd really want! Maybe one of these days when I have disposable income, I'll get to be a true tarotholic ;)

Starfish	26 Jul 2002
I have about 11 decks but these are the decks that I've been using the most lately: Old English Robin Wood Hanson Roberts :TKIP :TKIC :TAW Starfish

VGimlet	29 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by LeoLady Does anyone actually NOT like the R/W decks? I have to add, I don't like the traditionally colored RWS decks. I got one for study purposes, before I discovered the Universal, which, as Liliana and Sorceress_Jade say, is much more nicely colored. I think the coloring brings out the details and symbolism in the cards much better, at least for me.

LeoLady	29 Jul 2002
Perhaps I should take a look at that deck more closely! Esp the Universal R/W deck

Jenny-Li	29 Jul 2002
No, seriously. I had this discussion the other day with a tarot reader here in Stockholm that I am just getting to know, she has been reading for years but only has one deck and a firm belief that "thou shalt not have several". Me on the other hand was going on and on and on about my growing collection...! :D In the end we agreed that this is all up to you and the relation you have with your cards. If I had been reading exclusively with ONE deck for 10 years or whatever, then I'd probably a) not see the point of getting other decks b) worry about the distraction factor. As it is now, I love getting new decks because I think they all add to what I know, about the cards and about life. It's like the Tarot helps me pin down abstract events and energies that occur in our lives, and that makes them easier to understand as well as handle/relate to. I don't know, maybe this is just me? Anyway, that's why I feel enriched by getting new decks, even though there will alway be just a few that I use for readings. Part from that I'm with Dolphingirl - the power isn't mainly in the cards, it's in me, the cards are tools. About the RiderWaite - I can't stand the original coloring, but the more I read of 78 Degrees of Wisdom, the more drawn I am to my Universal Waite...! It was my first deck, and I studied it for those first couple of months but never clicked. Now... no matter what deck I read with I get Universal Waite images popping up in my head! Jenny :)

mermaiden	01 Aug 2002
Due to unforseen circumstances, my obsession with collecting things, my love for art and a immense generosity of a wonderful relative, I am actually throwing this 1 deck theory to the wind (for myself) and am getting the Shapeshifter Tarot. *LOL* Who knows how many decks I will get overtime (hey, I'm going for a part-time job interview on Mon. and we all know what that means....money!). I'll probably end up w/approx. 5 (the Legend deck is STILL calling me...) and all of a sudden I don't know how I was able to believe the 1-deck theory, go fig! *LOL* I mean, after working w/my Thoth deck (which I really love), I do realize that what a lot of you are saying is true: many decks have strengths in certain readings. :)

Umbrae	08 Sep 2002
I read with one deck for 30 years. Now I have 10 decks. I usually only use three decks for most readings. For me, it is a matter of focus, nothing more.

Emily	08 Sep 2002
Although my deck collection seems to be growing, and always another deck to add to my wishlist but I still seem to be using the Spiral as my primary. No matter what other decks I see and sometimes end up buying none of them once used can compare to the feelings I get when I use the Spiral. The only other deck I have that comes close is the Robin Wood but I had a lot of problems with that in the beginning. I use the other decks in my collection, they are all working decks, but not as often as I reach for the Spiral. I suppose I must be too fussy but with other decks there always seems to be something not quite right, cards too big to shuffle properly, card stock thin, not liking some of the cards, cards not giving me anything to work with when I look at them - I can't pick one fault with the Spiral - I suppose deep down I'm a one deck woman :D Edited to say:- I'm not overkeen on the colouring of the Original Rider Waite either, the one in the blue box, infact when I first saw it out of the box I thought I'd been sent a deck that hadn't been coloured right lol But I did get used to it, couldn't make it my primary deck though even if it was my study deck for a while .

napaea	14 Sep 2002
mermaiden: usually i read through all the posts, but don't have time to do that for this thread. i will later though! so, sorry if i repeat what someone else has said. for me, i read really intuitively. i look at the cards, and take into account what the traditional meaning is, and encorporate that into the reading. but from there i try to pull out whatever else i think the card is telling me. and i have found, i do tend to use one deck more than others. but there are certainly times where i feel eiher my "typical" deck is "tired" or wants a break, or just doesn't have anything to say to me. the other day i did a reading with it, and immediately after that reading, i knew i needed to use another deck to give this one a chance to "recharge" or something. so i do feel there are times it is good to change the deck you are using. also, i think if you are reading for sitting clients, it is nice to have a variety of options, and maybe choose the deck according to the person that comes to see you. but i do know readers who use the same deck for months and months, and then switch to a different deck for another long period of time. i think switching helps keep your mind open and alert to the possibilities in tarot.

Phoenix	14 Sep 2002
Hmm. I actually love the Rider-Waite....moreso than my Universal Waite Tarot. I am not up to 27 decks, and have three...no six more on the way to me!

Alex	18 Sep 2002
and my son has another. Sometimes I use his to read for people because it's fun. I feel no need for more than one deck, and with everything else in life I try to keep at a minimal. One deck, one car, one child, one man etc. That may change when I get a decent salary but for now I'm about sparing the environment and living with the minimum possible amount of stuff.

darwinia	18 Sep 2002
Originally posted by LeoLady <> No, it's not just you, I never liked them. Then I read the extensive biography of Pamela Colman Smith in The Encyclopedia of Tarot VIII by Stuart Kaplan. I felt bad, she was a wonderful illustrator. Then I got the book Tarot and the Tree of Life by Isabel Radow Kliegman which uses the Universal Waite. Slightly softer, nicer colouring with subtle gradations rather than pure colours. Still I thought, "I don't care for this." Then I started reading the book and looking deeper at the symbolism and hearing about the details. The cards became a bit friendlier and bit more familiar to me, like getting a new pet and finding out about its personality. So I bought the Universal Waite. I like it now. It is often referred to it in study, and books, it is a valuable additon to a collection. I'm very happy with mine and pleased that my mind slowly came to accept it. Come on, you could buy one......come on.....sure you could.....you could find the perfect bag or tin with nice bright colours to keep it in, maybe decorate a cigar box for it. Sure........ Svengali Jude ;-0))))

Alex	18 Sep 2002
I must say that, even though I did not buy this deck, it's a good one for reading with (for) another because many of the images of people are very good when it comes to having the querent identifying himself/herself with them. You can ask "do you feel like this guy here laughing with a sword in his hand, or like that one on the background pitying himself?". The people in the UW are sort of genderless and sort of ageless yet they are all pale, if you get where I'm tryting to get here. They are pretty fine for caucasian men and women between 18 and 55 to identify themselves with. That's the advantage of the universal waite. Projection and projective identification come handy sometimes and some people believe that's all the Tarot is about. I only have the Mythic deck and I give a damn for the Universal Waite. Yet again, it has its advantages. Quote: Originally posted by freesiaskye Originally posted by LeoLady Then I got the book Tarot and the Tree of Life by Isabel Radow Kliegman which uses the Universal Waite. Slightly softer, nicer colouring with subtle gradations rather than pure colours. Still I thought, "I don't care for this." Then I started reading the book and looking deeper at the symbolism and hearing about the details. The cards became a bit friendlier and bit more familiar to me, like getting a new pet and finding out about its personality. So I bought the Universal Waite. I like it now. It is often referred to it in study, and books, it is a valuable additon to a collection. I'm very happy with mine and pleased that my mind slowly came to accept it. ;-0))))

faunabay	18 Sep 2002
I have alot of decks (haven't counted them lately - maybe 55??). And I find that I go for one over another more because of where my head is at the moment not for the type of question asked. I really can't explain why I want my Robin Wood over my Egyptian one time. Or my Cosmic Tribe over my Halloween the next. I just completely go by my intuition. Which kind of tells you how I read too doesn't it? LOL And I tend to get really bored easily, so it's almost imperative that I have more than one deck! :D Got to have more than one (or 10 LOL) to keep me interested.

The 1 deck vs. many thread was originally posted on 25 Jul 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.