In the beginning...
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| Paradox |
12 Jul 2004 |
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Ok, I'm brand new. I've never owned a tarot deck, but I'm going to. I'd like some help because I'm clueless.
I read Thirteen's tarot card meanings. I want to know what deck I should get, how I should use it, etc. etc. I tried searching for a similar topic as mine, but I didn't find any from someone as in the dark as me. So sorry if this has been said a million times (I'll figure out that search engine soon enough lol), and thanks in advance
Oh, and if more information is needed, I'd be happy to provide it.
Thanks.
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| TaranRavenfrost |
13 Jul 2004 |
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First, search this sites library for a deck that speaks to you. By speak, i mean the one that compells you to study, the one that amazes you.
When you find it, buy it. Then come back here and join a study group. I suggest buying a Rider Waite deck, or a clone. But, if the Thoth deck speaks, BUY IT! It is the best deck ever! (Just my opinion)
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| Thirteen |
13 Jul 2004 |
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Hey, Paradox. I hope the basics helped you a bit.
Here's my recommendation--and it's the usual recommendation I give for this question:
1) You want to get a version of the Rider-Waite deck. This is going to be your deck for BASIC learning of the cards. It's the Deck my basics refer to and that's what you're going to use it for: to learn the basics. To memorize the Majors (Fool, Magician, High Priestess....), get an idea of what they mean (Fool = New beginnings), and get familiar with the minors (Cups = emotions. 2/Cups = emotional response to another person...). This deck is going to be like an ABC book for learning to read. And this means you can get the cheapest, most unlovely version of this deck. Luckily, Rider-Waite decks come in all sizes (pocket-sized to giant) and prices, even used.
P.S. don't bother to read the little white book that comes with the deck. Most such books are useless. We can recommend plenty of excellent books and websites if you need more material to help you along.
Why do you want Rider-Waite? Not because it is necessarily the best, nor is it the first and original tarot deck. What it is is the MOST COMMON deck. That means that about 80% of all decks out there base their images and ideas on the Rider-Waite deck. So if you're familiar with Rider, you'll be familiar with 80% of the decks out there. As for the remaining 20%, they're going to be either Thoth-based (Rider-Waite's competitor in interpetation) or Marseilles (arguably the oldest and most "original" deck)--either of which is pretty easy to adapt to after getting to know Rider.
2) AFTER you've gotten to know Rider-Waite a bit, go back to the store (or just browse the many decks on this website) and give those other decks a second look. By now you'll have some favorite cards--maybe you really like The Magician, or the Star. Look at how your favorites are portrayed. Consider also where your interest in tarot is leading you--are you fascinated by its history? (Check out Marseilles). Or do you want to delve deeper into the magical aspects of it? (Check out Thoth!). And what about your artistic tastes and sensibilities? Do you like modern art or classical? Do you want the cards "lighter" or "darker"?
All this and your raw responce to each deck you examine will direct you to the one which is right FOR YOU. You'll look at, perhaps, the Vertigo deck and say, "What a cool way to portray the Fool!" This deck is for me! Or you'll think, "I don't like the suit of swords--" and maybe go for the Moongarden Deck where swords are dragonflies. Or maybe you're deeply into Celtic art and you'll want any deck that's very Celtic. You get the idea.
First, get familiar with the tarot. Then, when you're ready, find YOUR deck. If you know something about the cards, which ones you like, what they mean, you'll now how to appreciate or critique how different artists have envisioned those cards. You'll know what you want in a deck--and what you don't.
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| Brandaluna |
13 Jul 2004 |
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I'm new to the tarot myself, but choosing a deck seems like a very individual thing. I like looking at a lot of decks to see which ones call to me.
People suggested Rider-Waite to me as my first deck, but I ended up with the Sharman-Caselli (forum thread), a deck that is very similar to the RW in terms of imagery. The Sharman-Caselli can only be bought with a book called Beginner's Guide to Tarot, but the total price is less than a lot of decks ($14 at Amazon for example). I really like the book itself and even without the deck, it's something I would keep on my shelf. The deck isn't made from the sturdiest stock I've ever seen, but my deck seems to be holding up well after frequent use. I like the washes of color on the cards, and the drawings just seemed to fit me better than other similar decks to which I had access.
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| Le_Corsair |
13 Jul 2004 |
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Welcome to Aeclectic Tarot!
Brandaluna gives good advice in the Sharman-Casselli tarot, although it may not be readily available in your local bookstore; you may have to order it online. The images are nicer than the traditional Rider-Waite deck.
If you choose a Rider-Waite deck (and it's a good choice), you have several variants of it to choose from: the standard version, which is called simply the Rider-Waite Tarot; the Universal Waite, which is redrawn and tinted with colored pencil; the Radiant Rider-Waite, with very bright colors; the Albano-Waite, which was released in the late 1960's and has a "mod" color scheme; and the Golden Rider, which colors the original images utilizing oil paint. My personal favorite is the Universal Waite.
It's important for a beginner to have a good book; one good choice is called Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning. Her book is readily available, and can also be found at Joan Bunning's website as a free online course of study.
Good luck with whatever you choose. :)
Bob :THERM
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| jmd |
13 Jul 2004 |
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Not to confuse, but to rather add to the variety of voices and views...
Generally, I tend to make two recommendations. The first is to obtain a deck which initially appeals to you. This is (initially) important, as you need to want to have a look at the deck.
The second is to get a Marseilles deck. All Tarot decks are ultimately based on this type of deck, so a good familiarity with it will give you access to not only the varieties found in such important variations as the Waite Colman Smith deck (often referred to by its US Games registered name as the 'Rider Waite'), but to numerous others.
At times, some will say that the lack of scenic imagery on the Marseilles's pips makes it more difficult. Not so. It is a different faculty which one uses when interpreting the pips, and not one based solely on its visual scenic depiction. By having the pips illustrated principally by the number of implements (as it is on the Marseilles), what emerges in a spread - especially for the beginner - is the incredible difference between these and the courts and Major Arcana (or 'Atouts').
It should also be noted that in the Waite Colman Smith deck the eighth and eleventh cards have been interchanged, and a zero has been added to the un-numbered Fool (as it also has on the Crowley-Harris 'Thoth' deck).
By all means - choose, initially, the deck which appeals most.
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| Paradox |
13 Jul 2004 |
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Thanks, that all sounds like a good plan. I think I'm going to go with the Rider-Waite deck to start, but I first have a question. I am a young'en (14), as thus I'd like to make sure that my tarot deck shows the people clothed. I know, it sounds immature of me, but my parents think this is satanic enough, without it showing nude people.
Thanks.
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| Le_Corsair |
13 Jul 2004 |
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Originally posted by Paradox
Thanks, that all sounds like a good plan. I think I'm going to go with the Rider-Waite deck to start, but I first have a question. I am a young'en (14), as thus I'd like to make sure that my tarot deck shows the people clothed. I know, it sounds immature of me, but my parents think this is satanic enough, without it showing nude people.
Thanks.
In that case, please take a look at the International Icon Tarot, which uses semi-abstract pictures of people; technically a few cards are nude, but done in such an abstract fashion that no...ah....details are visible.
Bob :THERM
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| SongDeva |
13 Jul 2004 |
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Originally posted by Paradox
I know, it sounds immature of me, but my parents think this is satanic enough, without it showing nude people.
Thanks.
Avoid the Robin Wood, at all costs. heheheh
I think the Star is naked on the RW, but can't think of any others..wait...Judgement...and a nude baby on the Sun...anyone?
Edited to add, they look like classical drawings, as opposed to ...entertainment.
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| Thirteen |
13 Jul 2004 |
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Le_Cosair's suggestion on the Icon Tarot for a learning deck is great--though that deck is a bit pricy. The usual Waite deck has descreetly naked people (Lovers, The Devil, a naked little boy in The Sun and a naked lady in The Star)--that is, they look like they're out of Victorian paintings. There are also some cards that parents sometimes find objectionable, like "The Devil" and "Death."
Which brings us to the deck you might want for yourself: If your parent's feelings are an issue, then a deck you might consider for yourself, as compared to a learning deck, is the Connolly. I recommend it to all readers who have religious worries. The images are LOVELY, like stained glass, the "objectionable" cards like "The Devil" and "Death" have been changed to "Materialism" and "Transformation" respectively. Finally, the images have a modest, Christian influence.
Here:
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/connolly/
This and some other...um, sweeter decks like the Moongarden can ease parental fears and objections, yet give you a deck that you can really love and enjoy.
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| Paradox |
13 Jul 2004 |
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I'm an atheist and my parents aren't what one would call 'devout' lol, but its just the nudity thing. Wow, our culture is horrible. We don't care about violence or any of that, but we make our own bodies into objects of evil...sorry, i digress. Oh, but I can't find moongarden on the deck lists.
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| Paradox |
13 Jul 2004 |
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Whoops, scratch that last statement. I found it. I'm kinda put off by all the purple, but something similar is what I'm looking for. Any other ideas?
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| Kath |
13 Jul 2004 |
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If you’re worried about nudity, a good deck is the Hanson-Roberts.
There are only three cards with nudity, but you can’t really see anything. In Judgement the people are covered by a banner, in the Devil the people are bending over and you can’t see much of their bodies, and the lady in the Star is covered by her long hair.
Also, this deck is based on the Rider Waite Smith, making it compatible with the majority of tarot books.
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| Paradox |
13 Jul 2004 |
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I'm leaning towards the Tarot of the Animal Lords. I have a dog who is my life and god. Yeah, I'm checking into Animal Lords in-depthly right now, and it looks up my alley. I'll go read a thread about it and be back.
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| Paradox |
13 Jul 2004 |
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Its a match. I'm gonna buy it off amazon in the morning.
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| Thirteen |
14 Jul 2004 |
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Originally posted by Paradox
Its a match. I'm gonna buy it off amazon in the morning.
Good choice. I think you're going to like that deck. A few folk have done readings with it recently (reading exchange I believe) and it proved to be not only easy to read, but very on-target.
That's important. You'll hear of people liking a deck's imagry, buying it, but then finding it unresponsive. No matter how much they appreciate the pictures, they just can't connect with the deck, just can't read it. On the other hand, you also hear about decks that are, well, magic. The person gets them and the cards just talk and talk and talk to them. The answers the reader is looking for are so evident in the cards that the reader can hardly believe it's "this easy!"
So far, Animal Lord Deck has consistently proven to be one of these "conversational" types of decks--it really speaks to its readers, and it has a lot of personality and warmth.
Enjoy! And let us know what you think of those cards when the deck arrives.
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| Paradox |
14 Jul 2004 |
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Well, its been ordered :), 5-9 days away supposedly, so any thoughts on immediate things I will need to do?
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The In the beginning... thread was originally posted on 12 Jul 2004 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.
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