Finding Just The Right Deck?

Le Fanu said:

Just a tip - you say you like gothy type stuff and pretty men. I like fine art and renaissance painting - and pretty men - none of which feature in my best reading decks. We think we like one thing but to think a good reading deck should have that might be a bit of a red herring.

Try going for what you don't think you'd like. It sometimes works. It did for me. That's the fun of tarot; the exploration, the breaking down of personal convictions, the irrationality.

I have so many wonderful reading decks that theoretically don't jive with what I think my tastes are...

I don't like overly feminine decks - I think I like balanced representation, but like you I love the Cecolli Tarot. The list is endless. My advice would be don't be led by what you think your tastes are in other fields, in other aspects of your life.

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barefootlife said:

Agreeing with this. I look at a lot of decks and go 'ooh, pretty', but when I look at the individual cards, they don't really speak to me as a deck that would...speak to me, I guess. I adore techniques in art that just don't mean much to me when translated into a card. Look at the cards that are your favorites and wait for that 'ah ha, yes, this is $CARD!' or 'ooh, I never thought about $CARD that way, how interesting!' moment as opposed to a certain aesthetic. For example, I bought the Raven's Prophesy tarot because I liked the books, the art style, and the general lack of people in the cards, but as a deck they only give me childish, overly simplistic readings that I can't dig into.

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FLizarraga said:

The Tarot of Vampyres seems to fit the bill to a T, methinks...


P.S. Caitlin Kiernan and Poppy Z. Brite ROCK --though I'm more of a diehard Kiernan fan. Oscar Wilde is probably (and sadly) the most underrated writer of all time.

ETA: Darn! I just saw Hedera's post. And I also just checked your profile and saw that you ALREADY own the Tarot of Vampyres. Though I should have seen that one coming...

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nisaba said:

Don't expect miracles quickly. I started reading in the seventies, and it took until the early nineties to find "just the right deck". Ironically, I started seriously collecting after that, knowing I'd never find anything to match it let alone surpass it, and I have loved and enjoyed every deck I've bought since.

It's like motherhood: if your first baby is a good baby, it encourages you to have more babies. And if your first is not so good, it encourages you to have more to get it right next time <cackle>.

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MadeiraDarling said:

I'd like a deck that's... feminine, but not in a nature-y way if that makes sense. I prefer things to be more vampy, less wholesome. I'd like something with illustrated minor arcana cards, and a sort of decadent/rock n' roll feel to it (that said I don't like it when cards seem to be trying too hard to be current).

I like Oscar Wilde and Weimar Berlin, I like glam rock and glam metal.

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