Have you ever been a deck snob?

What I mean is have you ever rolled your eyes at the deck that someone pulls out to read with. If someone with their big Spencer's Pentacle on pulls out the Happy Unicorn of Light and Love deck to read with have you ever inwardly just done a 'oh no you didn't' kind of thing. If so which decks make you kind of roll your eyes? Also on the flip side have you ever been really impressed with the deck someone pulls out?

Knowing the mores of the forum, it is going to be difficult identifying all the decks I roll my eyes at..

But there are quite a few...

Oh yeah.
I once had a reading done by a stranger using the Hello Tarot which was colored by her 6 year old.
I wasn't so impressed at first...but that was one of the best and most insightful readings I have ever had...so I learned that day, ya can't judge a reader by the deck!

On the other hand...someone who didn't know much about tarot,and had only done a few readings before me...once pulled out a CaryYale. Don't know how his reading style was,or if he could even read with them, because I was too busy drooling over the pretty cards, and we ran out of time!

oh..and I admit to being a deck snob when someone claims they are a tarot reader and then pulls out any Doreen Virtue deck. Again...I have had good readings with them...but not many.

Not in the sence you mention, that of what other people choose to read with, but I am certainly guilty of being a deck snob in terms of how I have critized decks. As my intuition muscles have been exercised and improved I have not realized what a snob I was. I am still judgemental of some decks, but now at least I try to make the effort to really get to know them, and actually try reading with them before I slam them. I am very pleased to see that I am changing in that regard. Now I enjoy many more decks than I ever have before.

The Celtic Dragon was the last deck I unfairly criticized, all because I got stuck on what a waste of paper the book is. Once I finally decided that the book was good for kidling, but would give the deck one last chance and read intuitively with it I was very surprised at how much I really enjoyed it and at what a good reading I got from it. I read for someone else to make sure I did not put my own personal bias into the quality of the reading.

I don't consider myself a deck snob. At least I haven't encountered any situation where I would have had the chance to roll my eyes on the decks others used, as there simply weren't that many situation.

But I know I'm surrounded by deck snobs whenever I go to Tarot meet ups. The vast majority of Tarot readers I know are purist, endlessly drooling over their RWS, Crowleys, Röhrigs and Lenormands (yepp, we're pretty open-minded to oracles as well). So whenever I bring a few of my precious ones with me to show them around I get weird looks. Bohemian Gothic, Deviant Moon, Archeon, Secret, Tarocchi I Gatti Buffi, Tarot For Cats, Cosmopolitan Märchen, Halloween, Gnomes. Bohemian Gothic was the worst, they were constantly asking me how on earth I could read with these, that they are too dark and frightening, and how I could commit to the IDS I did with them. Same with Deviant Moon and Archeon, although not quite that harsh. I know they don't mean it but, you know, they don't know my quirky mind.

Still, there are decks I find outrageously silly, like the Hello Kitty or Stick Figure. Don't know what I'd do if anyone tried to give me a reading with them.

Astraea Aurora

I have.

So silly of me because it isn't about the deck - it is all about the person and their abilities and they could use power rangers cards for all I should care - just as long as they get the desired result. I have seen people use all sorts of decks and read phenomenally well and awesome decks and read very poorly... but yes I have been a snob.... sad to admit.

Yeah, I have once, a few years ago.

A friend and I once went to a spiritualist church, it was a first for both of us. Our reason for going was because the teacher was having a Tarot evening... great! I couldn't hide my disappointment when the oracles came out. Of about 15 decks there was one Tarot. The 'teacher' didn't know the difference between the decks herself but was the resident 'expert'. It was clear that I knew more about Tarot than she did so I guess that made me a snob.

Well, there are decks I wouldn't be seen dead with...so I guess that makes me a tarot snob. What other readers choose to use, as long as they use them well if they are reading for me - I don't really care. I've seen some pretty odd decks in my time. In Francophone culture, anything oracle-y on cards is called "Tarot", and lots of people have weird decks that have only a passing ressemblance to what I recognise as tarot, unless they use the Marseille. In divination - and in most shops - no difference is made between oracles and tarot.

Mermaids, unicorns, angels and crosses are not unknown - this is a paganistic Catholic culture. In metaphysical shops they sell spells using saints candles and holy water (recently I saw a spell incense called "Our Lady of Miracles"...), and "tarot" (oracles) with images of saints, the Virgin or Angels. On top of that, the New Age has crossed the cultural barrier, and been acclimatised. Some of these oracles are OK, some good, some...tacky

Le Fanu said:

... it is going to be difficult identifying all the decks I roll my eyes at..

But there are quite a few...

Click to expand...

Me too, so guess I'm a real Tarot snob. But with so much dreck out there, I find it hard not to be. And to be absolutely honest, there are a couple of the awful ones that are even in my collection, and I still roll my eyes at them! At one time, I was buying anything and everything...I am much more discriminating now.

Asher

A deck snob?

Oh, no not me.
I'm a come one, come all kinda gal.

I want to see their beautiful faces and their pretty backsides...

Besides, I really don't know anyone else here that reads cards, except my aunt did for awhile, not sure if she still does or not, haven't seen her in a few years.
She used the Hanson Deck.

i figure if someone can read with them and be on spot that's great, even if they want to use toothpicks.