Tarot decks studied and discarded.

I was looking at my display case of tarot decks (around 40 I think) and as I re-arranged them, it made me think of how much time and effort I had spent with some of them, doing spreads, studying the cards, pouring over the accompanying book, trying to love them but then alas, putting them aside when we just didn't click. Hours spent, and well spent, as it added to my experience and knowledge, but there they sit, unused. I am sure most of us have experienced this. So, what decks have you studied and abandoned? Here's my top 5 based on effort expended.

Shining Tribe
William Blake Tarot
Alchemical Tarot
Haindl
Mythic (my learning deck)

Lawguy51

For me it was the Rider Waite and the Merryday tarot. I rarely use either one anymore, but still love the Merryday. I bought the book for the merryday and tried to learn the numerology system that she uses and decided it was much better to just use the deck intuitively.

I too tried to study the Shining Tribe, but as much as I love Rachel Pollack, I just can't jive with her deck.

A couple I did study and still enjoy are the Blue Rose and also Tarot of Prague. Still use them often for readings. Oh, and Robin Wood too. I love her Tarot book and I read so easily with her deck!

Mimi

Odd as it may seem, almost all of the decks I've disposed of are Scarabeo decks. Of the few that I have, their version of the Vachetta Tarot (Tarot of the Master) is not as nice as the Meneghello version. I use only the original majors in the DaVinci Tarot of Scarabeo's as well since they hold together better than the additional minors, which were added to the majors after the fact. Putting card interpretations directly onto the cards themselves is also a no-no.

I can not say there is any deck I've got that I've abandoned. Some are more for study and meditation than use though. I just try to be real picky before I get one, though I did immediantly trade off the Sanchez-Rhodes deck. I should have physically looked at and touched that one before buying.

I own about 50 decks and I've traded or sold at least that many more - all the Lo Scarabeo's I've owned and, perhaps surprisingly, all the U S Games decks (though I have two pre-USG versions of the RWS.) The only deck I actually use is the first one I bought three years ago when my interest in tarot was revived: the Osho Zen. The other decks I've kept (and still occasionally buy) are rare and discontinued decks like The William Blake and the Blake Majors only, the first edition of the Lovecraft, The Alchemical, the Servants of the Light, the Ukiyo-e, etc. Eventually I plan to sell them all and become a millionaire

fyreflye said:

Eventually I plan to sell them all and become a millionaire

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Excellent plan. I have a similar one .

Lawguy51

-Shakespeare

I love the deck, reading with them simply doesn't work though.

-Da Vince Enigma Tarot

Gorgeous and ingenious, but takes too much effort to get "into", a shame really.

-Dragon Tarot

Cute and well done, but somehow the cards don't do it for me.

-Akron/ Giger Baphomet Tarot

I was a bit dissapointed in this deck, I was expecting a certain experience and it didn't come. I was hoping to get some "darker" readings done, but they all came out fluffy. Still it looks awesome, but then again, so does a Giger picture book.

Robin Wood for me

When I returned to tarot around 1996 after a break away from it, I re-started with the Robin Wood. I spent countless hours with this deck, Robin's book and the Antony Louis book. I rarely use the deck now and am not sure why; doesn't doesn't seem to call my name anymore. I think I still have the images burned into my memory though!

I worked with the Rider Waite and Ancestral Paths for about two years. Then I found the Robin Wood and worked for a while with that. But since starting to read intuitively I've completely abandoned the Rider Waite (which I never liked anyway) and the Robin Wood and I rarely use Ancestral Paths. Nowadays my "regular" decks are the Rohrig, Tarot of Dreams and the Phantasmagoric Theater - all rather different from the RWS & Robin Wood!

Nocturnal Lure said:

-Da Vince Enigma Tarot

Gorgeous and ingenious, but takes too much effort to get "into", a shame really.

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Agreed. I didn't put it on my list because I recently traded it.

Lawguy51

The Rider Waite never appealed to me - I had one, but couldn't even get motivated to study it.

Others I did study but still couldn't make a "match" with were Thoth, Housewives, Decameron, Tarot of Casanova, and Celtic Dragon. They all have good homes now, with folks who love them.