Should I start with a new deck?

It really depends on what you want to do. I learned on what would be considered traditional decks and grew from there, but I was also never really involved with the traditional interpretations as I always read with customized interpretations that work with myself and my decks. The symbolism i would pull from the cards would often be different from what newbie books would say and I gave up on them in all honesty. No matter how you study or what you study, you can still be successful at reading.
If you do choose to study a more traditional deck though, don't limit yourself on traditional meanings. Those are more suggestions, in my opinion, than concrete, and often the symbolism can speak to you in different ways.
I would do what you feel most comfortable with is the bottom line, but you can still find a traditional deck that may speak to you even if the first one did not.

Thanks for all the advice from everyone! All my books do seem to follow the RWS and I like the images on the universal deck so I think that will be a good one to learn on. My plan is to do some comparisons between what I'm seeing on the Botticelli and my other deck.

I learned with the Deviant Moon. I tried another deck or two first but couldn't get into them. Once I really could use it, I eventually went back to RWS because I wanted those basics. Now I love both decks!

suivezmoi said:

I was thinking of getting the golden universal deck (I have a thing for gold ), but I wouldn't mind saving the money and waiting until I feel the need to get a new one.
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I think Golden Universal is a lovely deck, and you obviously are drawn to it and would love working with it. Plus it's got enough symbolic structure'n'substance to be a good learning deck for you, yet will still be a solid 'classic' in 20 years time

It's been a while since I was here and even though I can basically only chime in with what some of the others have already said I felt like responding anyway.

suivezmoi said:

So I am a pretty big newbie, just started about a month ago. I had bought a deck awhile ago (Marseilles deck) but I didn't really like it and never actually used it. Recently I bought the golden botticelli deck, which I really like and it has inspired me to get books and really start trying to learn.

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First I think its very nice to see a bit of proof that Tarot really is timeless, your post is just one of the many which proof that. But knowing and actually seeing that, that's two different things

If you got inspired by your deck then that's really all that matters the most. After all; you're the one who does the reading therefor you should feel comfortable and familiar, at peace I'd say, with whatever deck you're using.

suivezmoi said:

However, a couple of the beginner books I have been reading have said that it's good to get to know the cards by looking at the symbolism in the pictures and really studying what it means to you. Since the botticelli deck uses actual paintings, I feel like it can be a bit sparse on the symbolism of some of the other decks. If I really feel connected with this deck should I just work with it?

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Absolutely.

I just looked up your deck and first of all I have to say that it really looks fascinating. Leave it to Aeclectic to have it in their database

So, although the symbols could be a little sparse (I'm a little in between there) the paintings as a whole most certainly don't seem to be. It's not just symbols here in my opinion, it's basically the entire scenery on the card which represents / symbolizes a certain meaning and/or message. And although it's not easy to tell from using the database it seems to me as if there's quite a lot to 'read' (and discover) in their facial expressions alone. Which I think can also really have their own meaning here. Considering that Tarot mostly deals with human matters I'd think it's quite fitting too.

And well, sparse or detailed - to me - all boils down to personal choice. Take the Rider-Waite, its cards are a little sparse on details when you'd compare this to, say, Druidcraft or Tarot of Dreams / Gilded. But for me that has never been much of an issue. Although the experience could be different all work quite good for me.

As some of the others already said: In the end it all boils down to your connection and your feeling with cards. I started out, years ago, with a deck which wasn't even 'officially' recognized as a deck. As in: the included booklet would say several times "This is not a real tarot deck" and "don't use it as such". I eventually did use it and even though the start was a little rough (the used suits were different yet did match that of those used in Tarot) it actually worked out very well for me. And it were mainly those cards which, more or less, aroused my curiosity and made me discover so much more about Tarot (including these forums).

SO yah...

Definitely go with whatever appeals to you. But always remember that there really isn't something like a "better deck". Better really goes so far as your own personal feeling for the deck.

And well, having more decks can sometimes also be a very pleasant experience. I can still lose myself for hours with just going over my Druidcraft tarot, even though I hardly use it for full readings.

So yah, there you have it, my 2 cents on this