New member from Gresham Oregon, search for a first deck

Luna's Crone

srhkhavari said:
Hi there,

I attempted to find a deck I used once for a reading on facade.com, and after searching the site (and others) for a while I think I found it, though I'm not sure. This might be it. https://www.amazon.com/Haindl-Tarot-Deck-Hermann/dp/0880794658 Any feedback or recommendations regarding a deck, or my search for a deck would be great. If you can include some of your experience searching for a deck to inform my own that would be great.
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that is not a deck i would choose for a first deck. I would stick with copies of thr Rider-Waite-Smith system to get started. A lot of tarot readers still use such decks for their professional Readings. I have the Radiant Rider-Waite that i got to study. Many books refer to this type of deck. Its the same as the older rider-waite-smith decks but better art and color and easier to look at then yellow yellow and more yellow. its available thru here at amazon. Check thru here for any of the decks you may want. if you buy from tarot gallery link, the forum/website can benefit from it. The two urls are from the tarot gallery here. you can go to the tarot list and go thru all the decks listed at this site.

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/radiant-rider-waite/

this one is for the universal tarot mentioned

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/universal-lo-scarabeo/

i think this would be the best way to start. because it was not my first deck, but i got it to learn more and in a better way
 

Mythtaken

Luna's Crone said:
...
this one is for the universal tarot mentioned

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/universal-lo-scarabeo/

i think this would be the best way to start. because it was not my first deck, but i got it to learn more and in a better way
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I'm wondering what the differences are between the various 'Universal Waite' decks? Publisher? Artist? Subtlety?

I bought this one by US Games because it was in a local bookstore. : http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/universal-waite/

I like it just fine, but now I'm curious about others.
 

Alta

herself

Hello and welcome to the forums!

Another animal-themed deck I really like is Tarot of the Animal Lords (http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/animal-lords/). It's not for everyone but I do love the artwork. :)

I agree with what some others have said about the Haindl. It's fascinating but not the easiest to read with off the bat.

No disrespect to your friend (as they know you better than us!) but it's also important that you go with your gut and choose imagery that you enjoy and can imagine spending a lot of time with.

If you're really not interested in a traditional deck (I personally love the Pamela Coleman-Smith centenary version of the Rider Waite, as well as the classic Marseilles decks, but lots of people don't), then my only advice would be to look for decks that aren't too themed. Often these will implement new "systems" that can overly confuse.

What about a Rider-Waite "inspired" deck? http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/rider-waite-inspired.shtml

The International Icon is also a great deck to learn with: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/international-icon/. Traditional but with a twist.

The only other thing I guess I'd advise is to perhaps steer clear of decks that show facial close-ups, for a first deck I mean. While these will often have shorthand cues to the "original" decks, they can be hard to understand when you're starting out.

Good luck with your search!
 

Ron521

Mythtaken said:
I'm wondering what the differences are between the various 'Universal Waite' decks? Publisher? Artist? Subtlety?

I bought this one by US Games because it was in a local bookstore. : http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/universal-waite/

I like it just fine, but now I'm curious about others.
Click to expand...

As far as Rider-Waite decks go, there was the original, published in 1910, with images created by Pamela Coleman Smith, under instruction from Arthur Edward Waite (he wrote the book "Pictorial Key to the Tarot) ....

then over the years, and especially since 1959, various other versions using exactly the same images, but with different coloring (sometimes kind of psychedelic, but still flat and 2D) and/or labels and/or back designs...the latest may be the Pamela Coleman Smith Commemorative.

In 1990, Mary Hanson-Roberts created the "Universal Waite Tarot" using essentially the original line drawings (but with much finer lines) with her beautiful coloring and shading, which gave a soft 3D effect. In my opinion, THIS deck is what Pamela was trying for, but limitations in the printing technology of 1910 prevented her from completely achieving her goal. Mary also created her own original deck, called the "Hanson-Roberts" Tarot, which has something of a following.

Lo Scarabeo publishes their own "Universal Tarot" (note how the title does not include the name "Waite")
This version has completely new images by Roberto De Angelis, which are inspired by, but not reproductions of, the famous images created by Pamela Coleman Smith. If you are familiar with any of the earlier decks, you will feel at home with this one as well. Lo Scarabeo also publishes the "Lo Scarabeo" Tarot, which is about 75% inspired by Pamela's drawings, and 25% influenced by other, non-Pamela decks.

Juliet Sharman-Burke had already written several books on tarot ("Complete Guide to the Tarot", for example), and eventually designed her own deck, produced with artwork by Giovanni Caselli. This deck is sold under the name "Sharman-Caselli Tarot" and also in a package with her own book "Beginners Guide to the Tarot". Again, the images are inspired by, but not reproductions of, Pamela's images.

Basically, you can learn with anything, but you'll do better if the images on your cards "speak to you" on some level. I've got about 20 decks, but these mentioned are my personal favorites.
 

crystaleagle

Tarot for Life by Quinn is one of my fav books.
 
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