Which deck should I take?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Apr 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

fairyhedgehog	30 Apr 2003
On Friday I'm off to see an old friend that I've known for about 17 or 18 years. She is one of my few friends who know and accept that I'm now into Tarot but she doesn't really share my interest, although she has had a Tarot reading done with her partner. I want to take a deck with me because I'm desperate to share Tarot with someone in real life. She's already seen my Hanson-Roberts, so the choices are: Universal Waite Whimsical Ancestral Path Moongarden Cosmic Tarot Nova Renaissance (Lo Scarabeo) Hallowquest Mythic Glastonbury Any thoughts anyone?

Diana	30 Apr 2003
Ancestral Path. It is so beautiful. And peaceful.

Astraea	30 Apr 2003
I agree with Diana. This is my favorite deck -- it is warm and real and accessible, and its images are so lovely that querents respond favorably to it, even when they are unfamiliar with tarot.

jema	30 Apr 2003
yep, i think so too. it is both beautiful, accessable and serious. and it is one of them "Aha!" decks:) too bad you don't have the spiral though:P

Yami Yugi	30 Apr 2003
I've got a plan bring them all if you can. i mean tarot decks arent that big.

Mimers	30 Apr 2003
My first pick is the Ancestral Path Tarot also. :)

Rusty Neon	30 Apr 2003
fairyhedgehog ... The way your friend responded to the deck you did show her (Hanson-Roberts) may give you some aid in regard to your deck choice question.

Melvis	30 Apr 2003
Uh oh...I'm gonna have to go against the tide here, but my first pick would be the Mythic. I think this deck is also pretty accessible. But don't get me wrong! The AP is an excellent choice, too! (Whew, dodged that bullet!) :D Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

Wildchild	30 Apr 2003
I say bring them all too! :D If your friend is interested in tarot, she might like to look at all the different decks. I know I would.

divinerguy	01 May 2003
Take the Cosmic. You can always talk about the Hollywood stars depicted on the cards.

Faerie Lin	01 May 2003
Last year when I went back home to Texas to visit, I took ALL of my decks. Both my older sisters loved looking through them all! Lots of "ooohh's" and "aaahhh's"! But if you want to take only one.. I'd say the Ancestral Path!

fairyhedgehog	01 May 2003
Wow! Thank you all for your replies, I didn't expect so many responses. I had been thinking about taking the Ancestral Path as it is my current favourite deck but I wasn't sure how accessible it would be to someone who isn't familiar with tarot. I think I've had my answer ;) I'm not sure about the Mythic Tarot as I'm not really familiar with it yet but I think my friend would like the Pandora's box card so maybe I'll take that too. And she might enjoy guessing the film star on the Cosmic .... But three has to be enough. Although I love the idea of taking all of them, it just feels too overwhelming to me. Thank you all for your advice and suggestions :)

Kiama	01 May 2003
Hey, let's not forget the Whimsical: A deck for the young at heart! Not only is it easily accessible and fun to look at, but you can spend hours guessing what nursery stories/rhymes are represented in each card... Every single person I've shown this deck to has been delighted, as it has bought back so many memories of wonderful childhood stories... :D Kiama

Pollux	01 May 2003
Mh... of all of them I think Whimsical or Tarot Nova would be the best picks. I seem to remember they are the ones you are most familiar with, right? This wuld be a plus. :) I think there's lots of Ahah cards in the Whimsical too (really!!!). Like the 5 of Pentacles (it made me cringe!) and the6 of Cups, and the Lovers, and lors of others... I don't have Tarot Nova, but I think it would be great as well for it's original simple design andits immediateness. They both are whimsical and not very hard on first impact, just sweet, peaceful and pretty. I say take either or both. Cosmic .... I greww to dislike it, it's sort of self-bent, too much a world of its own - and I never managed nor actually bothered with focus to discover it, it just isn't appealing )even though some cards are the BEST, like the High Piestess and the Lovers). Ancestral PAth, even though beautiful, possibly the most graphically appealing among the list, is too harsh and... important a deck to me. There's too much symbolism, too much of personal views of the creator (The Fool, the Hanged Man and so on...). I don't think it would be the best choice, as it also tends to be too clattered and dense with colours and things... You might also consider Glastonbury if your friend is familiar a bit with its tales, and also cos I see it as a very simple and friendly deck. The artwork is just so neat. (I just got it Kiama, thanks! :*)

paradoxx	02 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by fairyhedgehog On Friday I'm off to see an old friend that I've known for about 17 or 18 years. She is one of my few friends who know and accept that I'm now into Tarot but she doesn't really share my interest, although she has had a Tarot reading done with her partner. I want to take a deck with me because I'm desperate to share Tarot with someone in real life. She's already seen my Hanson-Roberts, so the choices are: Universal Waite Whimsical Ancestral Path Moongarden Cosmic Tarot Nova Renaissance (Lo Scarabeo) Hallowquest Mythic Glastonbury Any thoughts anyone? Of the decks i have i would recommend the Cosmic Tarot first, its unusal and modern symbols include cars, tanks, planes, jeans, and t-shirts. I also have a similar visage to the princes of cups and pentacles. Next would be the Tarot Nova, this unique little deck and its even littler stamp sized deck are perfect for a new interpretation of the tarot. With images invocotive of modern litriture and age-old sayings. ex. justice is balancing apples and oranges, temprence has the tortise and the hare, the 5 of swords is "Of mice and men" The Universal Waite Tarot is a nice return to the orignal 20th century tarot with new coloring, the intuitions recieved are strong but like any waite tarot it is limited to what you get out of it. The Mythic Tarot is a very sleek deck. It provides information on ancient myths and incorperates the messages into the tarot, although i am not partial to this deck it is one i reccomend for those who can use it. Once again, the Cosmic tarot is a blend of the ancient and modern in sometimes whimisical sometimes disturbing ways. The Tarot nova is a departure from what one woudl consider a traditional tarot, but thats the whole point behind calling it Tarot NOVA The Univ Waite is a recoloration of the original with some interesting readings as a result. The mythic comes with a silk layout cloth but (for me) is hard to read and deal with. more of a collectors item (again, thats me)

fairyhedgehog	03 May 2003
Well, I saw my friend and took with me the Cosmic, Whimsical and the Ancestral Path. The Ancestral Path was far and away the most popular, followed by the Whimsical. The Cosmic was too dark - too many people being attacked by swords. Three decks was definitely enough, in fact I might have done better to take just the one. I'm left feeling a bit deflated although I don't know what I expected. I suppose I'd had a vague fantasy of reading for my friend but as I don't believe in the cards showing the future I feel real hesitant about that and didn't suggest it. We really just looked through the cards and didn't do anything with them. My friend's daugher asked if you can tell the future with them and I said 'no' (because that's what I believe) but somehow I feel there was scope for more than we did. Anyway, thank you all of you for your suggestions.

Astraea	03 May 2003
Fairyhedgehog, even though you are feeling somewhat deflated, progress has been made -- just the right amount, in all probability. Your friend has now been introduced to the cards in a non-threatening and casual way, and the groundwork for further exploration has been laid. I'm glad that the Ancestral Path was a hit!

WolfSpirit	03 May 2003
O dear, I was just reading this thread and had to check out this Ancestral Path deck everyone was raving about. How can I have missed this deck ? I think I must have got it confused with another deck...can't remember having seen this one before, but it's really gorgeous. Sooner or later, I'm gonna have to have this deck.

The Which deck should I take? thread was originally posted on 30 Apr 2003 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.