Separating deck?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 20 Jan 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Tarot_Cupcake	20 Jan 2003
Hi, Do any of you separate out the majors, minors and courts, and use them within a reading for different questions?

lupo138	21 Jan 2003
no, I donīt. But I know people that use just the Majors for some readings.

Major Tom	21 Jan 2003
R.T.Kaser does this in his Tarot in 10 Minutes using a single suit and 10 majors to answer specific questions. He also uses the courts to explore personalities. It is an interesting technique. :)

lawguy51	21 Jan 2003
There's a spread that Rachael Pollack developed specifically for the Haindl deck called the Hagall Spread. It requires the reader to separate the deck into Majors, Court and Suit cards. Other than that, I can't think of a reason to do it unless you just want to do readings with the Majors. Lawguy51

tarotbear	21 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Major Tom R.T.Kaser does this in his Tarot in 10 Minutes using a single suit and 10 majors to answer specific questions. He also uses the courts to explore personalities. It is an interesting technique. :) Yes, but Kaser (don't forget- he's my collaborator!) also did that to 'stack the deck' (his phrase, not mine) so that if you asked a work question you use the Wands and not get a reading cluttered up with Cups cards. However, his book has been in print for ten years...so his system does work! {Shameless self-promotion: Tarotbear and Kaser should have a new book out in late 2004}

Thirteen	21 Jan 2003
I separate out majors or others only for certain spreads. For example, Konraad's Past Life Spread is for Majors and the Aces only--although I usually toss in the court cards as well. There are other spreads like that. Oddly, I can't think of one that uses only minors, but I have seen ones that use only Majors--especially if the question involved has something to do with dates and time--and I think there are some that make use of court cards. 99% of the time, however, I use the whole deck.

WolfSpirit	21 Jan 2003
I sometimes do a 3-card spread with only majors if the question is about an important issue and I want no minors to distract me. I don't use bigger spreads with just majors because I don't want half the deck to end up in the spread. I don't separate the majors from a deck though, i use the lovely tarot for cats for this. This is a majors-only deck and one of the reasons i enjoy readings with majors only - good excuse to get my cats out ;)

Trogon	22 Jan 2003
About the only time I separate out the Majors, or any cards for that matter, is when I'm using them for study or meditation purposes. I haven't tried doing a reading with only the Majors....

patter	23 Jan 2003
I always use the whole deck -- I think the suits get neglected when there messages are just as important as the more 'famous' majors.

Hedera	23 Jan 2003
There is an interesting method (not sure if you can call it a spread) in the little book that comes with the Nigel Jackson Tarot, that uses only the minors. Take out the majors. Shuffle Minors. Now, recite the numbers of the cards out loud, while you turn them over. I start with the ace and go up from there, I think the book does it the other way around. Any time the card you turn over is the same number as what you said while you turn it over (so you count 'Two' as you get the two of wands, or pentacles), you put that card on the table. Go through the whole (minor) deck once. The cards you have taken out are about the issues that you deal with that day, or that week, or whatever, depending on what you set out to explore. There can be a lot of cards or not very many, which makes it pretty interesting. You could also have no cards show up - I'm not sure what that means, maybe that you are a perfectly balanced, happy, welladjusted and boring person! Hedera.

The Separating deck? thread was originally posted on 20 Jan 2003 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.