Deck shopping!

Citrin

A few weeks ago I decided that I have three decks that I must have; Fantastical, Gill, and Thoth.

The Thoth has been on my mind constantly for days, and since I had some extra money I planned to buy it today. I found it, and I must say I was a little surprised that it's a bit on the small side. I saw the large version on the shelf too, looked at it and decided that one was just too big for me! I could never shuffle that. I grabbed the standard Thoth, was about to buy it and... My dream came into my mind. I don't remember if I was reading cards in it, or if someone read for me, but the Fantastical Tarot was a part of it. I grabbed that one too (thx god it was a little cheaper!) and headed home.

I've started to work with the Thoth (looked at some cards I had a hard time understanding and read about them in Ziegler's book) and I absolutely love it. I had no idea that the colours were so vivid and alive! More purple than I expected, which is a good thing... Now, Thoth users, can you recommend something I should do? I have a brand new notebook for it that I already started to use to note my thoughts about certain cards, I have Ziegler's book to look at, and... What else is there that you found important when you started with this deck?

And oooh, the Fantastical looks AMAZING. The golden borders adds so much to the cards. It's less RWS than I thought, so it will take some study in the future (Thoth is taking my time!), but I'm very excited about this deck. Any thoughts? :)

Just wanted to share my little shopping happiness.:D I love new decks hehe...
 

Nina*

Hi Citrin

I would recommend you read Crowleys own book on the Thoth and also DuQuettes (which is easier to understand, I think).
They will give you a good (and different from Zieglers) understanding of the cards.

And congratulations on your new decks :)

xxx
Nina
 

Annabelle

Hi Citrin :)

I have the Fantastical, the Gill, and the Thoth, and of those three, the Thoth is definitely my favorite. I know what you mean about the cards being a little on the small side; I started with the "standard" (i.e. smaller) Thoth, but then bought one of the larger copies on eBay later on. The artwork really pops on the larger cards, but it is much easier to use the smaller copy for readings.

I also enjoy Gerd Ziegler's book, and in fact it remains the only book I have for the Thoth. I've heard that Lon Milo DuQuette's book is excellent, though. As for Crowley's book on the Thoth, you might try borrowing it from your local library rather than buying it right off . . . Crowley is not a terrific writer, in my opinion, and is a bit difficult to follow at times.

So far I haven't spent much time with the Fantastical, although I love the rich colors and the sheer boldness and weirdness of the art. It will take some getting used to, though, if I ever intend to read with it.

And as for the Gill - it is a lovely deck, but I had real difficulty using it until I bought the companion book. If you haven't yet bought the Gill, I'd advise buying it as a set with the book. Before I read the book, I couldn't just get past the big numbers on the pip cards.

Hope you enjoy your new decks!
Annabelle4
 

Citrin

Thank you both for your replies! :)

Yes, I know the library has The Book of Thoth so I'm planning to look through it. Hmm I've heard that Crowley has an odd way of writing, so we'll see if I can get something out of it hehe. Never heard of DuQuette, but I'll see if I can find it.

Annabelle4, the Fantastical does seem a little vague when I think of reading with it. I feel like some cards are so taken over by the one character on it. I'm gonna look for the details though, and try it out in a reading before I worry about that. :)
 

Zephyros

The Book of Thoth can be found online. I'll try to find the link and post it tomorrow. Its a great book, but it is a difficult book to unerstand, because of its heavy allegorical language. In this sense, it is more of treatise on the deck, rahter than a guidebook. But it does make for some great reading, in small doese, card by card.
 

Citrin

Yeah, that's what I thought...

I'm a believer in using own interpretations with tarot, ignoring books and someone else's meanings, but how is the Thoth with that? Should I study Crowley's and Ziegler's books carefully before I use it? Geez, I feel like such an insecure newbie with this deck. :)
 

Eco74

About the Fantastical. It's the only one out of the three I have so I can't really comment on the others.

What struck me about it when I got it was the eyes, the presense as you put it. Some cards are just overwhelming through these characters and they steal the focus, but when one can tune in to what they have to say that's just an advantage.
It's a bit of a different world though so do let it take whatever time it needs.
 

Citrin

Yes, I'm definitely looking to give it the time it deserves when my Thoth has warmed up to me. :)

I love the eyes! They stand out so much, and the boney cheeks and elbows... It really draws me into the images.
 

Eco74

Yes, I agree about the eyes.
One thing that gets me every time I use the deck. Are the eyes open or closed this time? ;)
 

Alta

And just slide on over to the Thoth Forum and join in the discussions and glance through a few older threads. :D