A "soulmate" deck?

Have you ever come across a deck that seemed to be your soulmate? If so, did you continue to acquire other decks? Did you instead feel satisfied and stop collecting (except for backup copies)? Also, was "your deck" one that surprised you in any way (not your usual taste in art, etc)? If so, how did you two "meet"?

Harmony Rose said:

Have you ever come across a deck that seemed to be your soulmate? If so, did you continue to acquire other decks? Did you instead feel satisfied and stop collecting (except for backup copies)? Also, was "your deck" one that surprised you in any way (not your usual taste in art, etc)? If so, how did you two "meet"?

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Hmm. My Soulmate deck is possibly the Gendron Tarot.
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/gendron/

But I never stopped collecting after it. And my collecting is not a matter of "still filling a hole - or lack of satisfaction" - but rather, of finding further delights in new artwork and interpretations that come out, which I'd like to own. I have an Aeclectic nature (Lol) - and my spirituality is eclectic.
So - I am not loyal to one style of deck (and by-the-way I don't believe in the 'Soul Mate' as it's traditionally defined as "the other half". This is erroneous thinking imo).

To date - I haven't any backup copies... yet.
Surprising art in the deck - no - just more pleasure at the details and scope of colour, as I delved further into each card.

We "met" in the basement of a building, in Camden Market, Central London - over 20 years ago. At the time I was looking for "my new deck" - having decided that the very 1st deck I owned, no longer "fit" me (early days of Tarot exploration).
I'd seen it on-line and was thinking about it. I wasn't expecting to find it there in-the-flesh.

I don't know about being a soulmate with a deck, but I recently was given the Wickwillow as a gift and I haven't been reading with any other one since then. I've been studying and reading Tarot for about 17 years now but I've never learned astrological symbols or anything in addition to the cards. I don't know a lot about numerology or elemental dignities, either. Hal Weeks used astrological symbols in the deck just in case someone wanted to use them but since I'm not into that, I just don't pay any attention to them. This deck is just so easy to read with because there's nothing to distract the eye from the images and I find that very refreshing.

It would be very hard to narrow it down to just one deck. I love them all.

I don't really believe in soulmates when it comes to love between two persons, and I'm not sure I believe in soulmates when it comes to tarot decks either.

But I can tell you that I've had decks that I've found beautiful and "perfect", but then I found them unreadable and truly felt NO connection at all to those. The Shadowscapes should be my soulmate, because looking at it it's everything I love when it comes to art style, coloring, etc. But I've never managed to read with it (despite being an RWS kind of girl!), all the readings just turn out jibberish.

So on the other hand I've also met a deck that I didn't think was THAT amazing, bought it, and then BAM! The connection is REAL. The Ludy Lescot did that for me. I wasn't too sure of the dark theme, the boobs (haha), and how it strays from the RWS in a lot of cards... But my intuition seriously fell in love with this freaking deck as soon as I shuffled it! I read so clearly with this deck and if I could only keep one single tarot deck in my collection, I do think it would be the Ludy Lescot... The connection is just beautiful. I guess someone who believes in soulmate decks would describe this as my soulmate deck?

Have I continued buying decks after buying the LL? Hell yeah haha! I'm just not monogamous, despite connecting so well with that one deck. Even if I would be happy with only owning the LL, now that I can have tons of decks, I do appreciate having options. Even though the LL can be used for all kinds of subjects and questions, I do have little preferences - like appreciating Nicoletta Ceccoli when it comes to dreams and childhood questions, or the Crystal Visions when it comes to touchy subjects...

I guess it's like food to me. I love tacos, but even I want something else every now and then.

Harmony Rose said:

Have you ever come across a deck that seemed to be your soulmate? If so, did you continue to acquire other decks? Did you instead feel satisfied and stop collecting (except for backup copies)? Also, was "your deck" one that surprised you in any way (not your usual taste in art, etc)? If so, how did you two "meet"?

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Lovely question and is a similar one to asking about having found the ONE tarot. l can honestly say that l have a very deep and profound relationship with my Roots of Asia. Since acquiring this tarot in a trade swap here l have had no wish to buy another deck, this is the first time this has happened for me. It does not stop me from viewing other tarots and admiring them but l have had no wish to buy them.

It would not have been my taste at all to buy an Asian/Eastern type deck, but it was offered as the swap and l went for it out of a sense of being curious and having nothing to lose.

l feel now it was so meant to be with me and is the complete tarot l have always wanted. By complete l mean it touched everything within me, the use of animals, the ease of reading, the spiritual feel it has, the artwork and colour. l loved it from the start, l found it totally different to any other tarot l have worked with. Suppose what l am trying to say is it speaks with a voice that l understand completely that goes beyond what l have ever learned, daily it teaches me new things. l am not a Buddhist and cannot even read the lwb as l have the German version, yet here l am totally at home with this deck.

Forgive me l will not rapture on

So in answer to your questions, I am totally satisfied, and yes l was surprised, and yes it has stemmed the flow of buying other tarots.

My credit card is very happy too

My Victorian Romantic is on my wavelength, and has never let me down. It's as close to a soul mate as anything can be.

I have a strong bond with the Vision Quest Tarot and use it almost exclusively for personal readings, and I never use it to read for others. It's *my* deck. I do use other decks for meditative purposes and occasional personal readings on certain subjects, but for daily use it's Vision Quest.

I LOVE Paul Huson's Dame Fortune's Wheel Tarot. I bought it for myself. As soon as I removed the shrink-wrap and held them in my hand, they felt electric. They felt really good to hold and they have a sense of urgency about them. It's a new deck, but it feels like it's been around forever and it wants to be recognised and used. I find it very beautiful and communicative. I have not felt that excited about a tarot deck in a long, long time.

Now, ask me this question in about six months and let's see how I answer.

Through the years, I've always bought decks that caught my attention, even if I didn't know exactly why. I used a wonky Robin Wood deck (the backs were offset from the fronts) for years, but had to really work for every reading. I continued to collect decks, reading with them occasionally. One day I was having a problem with a reading, and randomly pulled out another deck to try and figure it out. It was the Cosmic Tarot. Everything suddenly made perfect sense. I was totally shocked- I didn't really like the art on the Cosmic deck (I think I originally bought it because the King of Hearts reminded me of Sean Connery, or something stupid like that).

That was 15 years ago. Cosmic Tarot is still my go-to deck today. I still collect, and still periodically buy and try new decks. I have a cabinet full of decks I like to play with, but the Cosmic is the one I really use.

I don't think it wants to be anyone's "soul-mate" (or even "friend"), but the Thoth has let me into it's confidence and that's close enough. It's not good for everything, though. I respect my tools, and it's best to use a hammer instead of a scalpel to crack a nut; the RWS-style decks are fine for that. But I'm mostly just "on speaking terms" with those.