Are we all Cartomaniacs ?

[TomTom]

Hallo to all.

I have a some deck I really crave for. So, I added them to my Amazon basket. Then I looked again at the cards of the decks and discovered that some looked so very similar. I canceled my basket and asked myself "Do I really need them?". "Why do I want them and would they really tell me something different than the ones I already have or would I like to have them just for the sake of having them?".

I do understand that some decks are different in symbolism etc., like "The Tarot of the Old Path" or the native american and shamanistic cards, even the Haindl Deck and Rune Cards. There are decks, of course, that are so beautiful in artwork, that we would like them as collectibles.

After we decided on our most valued and favorite deck - what do we do with all the others? Do they collect dust? Do we trade them?

I really want to give in to my cravings and I am just musing about all this.

So, are we all cartomaniacs? Greetings from Two Ravens

 

[Thirteen]

Cartomanic and proud of it!

Greetings, Two Ravens. I suppose this question would be better suited for the "Decks" section--likely, in fact, it'll get moved there.

In answer to the question, though, reading the cards is certaily what we here love to do--and exploring new decks furthers our vision and education in that direction. We see new interpetations in how new artists/creators have realized their decks. So, in apology--if we need apology--for our mania, I'd say that it helps us to better do our job.

Also, I find that one deck doesn't always suit all. When I do readings for peole, I pick out the deck that I feel suits them. Each deck has a feel, a "vibe" is you will, and matching up the right deck to the right person often inhances the reading on both side.

Finally, in that same vein, no one deck suits my vision of the perfect deck. In some decks I've found the perfect High Priestess, but not the perfect Devil. In others I've found the perfect Fool, but not the perfect Universe card.

We collect, I think, in part because we're searching for our perfect vision of the tarot--for a deck where every one of those 78 cards suits us. And as our aesthetic tastes and knowledge of tarot changes and grows with us...well, lets just say that the perfect deck may never be, not on this earth. So many decks have to suffice.

If that makes me a cartomaniac, so be it.

 

[Eco74]

I give in to cravings of different kinds..
Some of the decks I have are similar but to me, they all have differences that makes each special in its own right.

I'd hesitate to get a deck that had many similarities with another one I have though. (The marseille being somewhat of an exception, but so much is said in color, nuances and details in those decks that even the very similar hold differences.)

Sometimes I've hesitated as to which of two decks to get since they're similar in style, and I've absolutely decided against getting a deck that has too many similarities or is to similar in style to differ from another deck I have.
The reason is that I want a varied collection. A deck for every occation or for every mood in a way. As such, having two or three decks for the same kind of occation or mood would not serve the purpouse I have in mind for my collection.

 

[Flidais]

I have acquired decks that are similar in certain ways, but also different. For example, I have Tarot of the Old Path and Tarot of Northern Shadows because I like Sylvia Gainsford's art. I enjoy using both decks.

The only two decks I have that are VERY similar are the Rider-Waite-Smith and Universal Waite. That happened because I decided at one point in my tarot journey that I really should own and work with the RWS. So I bought it and worked with it. However, I found the style of the art on the Universal Waite so much more appealing, I knew I would use it more -- and that has turned out to be true.

Also, like Thirteen, I choose decks that seem to suit the querent or the issue being examined -- that's part of the fun of having more than one deck. They all have distinct "personalities" (for lack of a better word).

 

[Cerulean]

Well, there's an oldie movie saying...to tweak it a little

Forrest Gump: Momma always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

(The movie uses Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump and Sallie Field as his mother)

To a collector cartomaniac:

Pseudo Gypsy:Momma always said life was like a deck of cards. You never know what you're gonna draw.

If you use or enjoy your card decks that work for you, then enjoy them. The calories are ephemeral, the imagined taste is divine!

In a more practical vein, I do notice a tendency for me to enjoy double-ended or historical decks. I just make certain that I pull and rotate the decks that work for me. There's a few out of print and historical ones that I look at for their exploration points...Dome of Siena tarot, for instance, which is based on historical mosaics/paintings that they uncover in rotation in Siena, Italy. I rotate 'historical' interests every few weeks.

Cartomanically yours,

Cerulean

 

[le pendu]

My collection of Tarot of Marseilles decks has just topped 20! Most people would shake their head in disbelief... they all look almost exactly alike! And yet, I look at them and see differences and nuances that make each one a most valued addition.

The ultimate point to this is does it bring you joy? If so, and you are doing so without risking financial problems because of your collection then indeed... collect, learn, enjoy.

 

[Annabelle]

After we decided on our most valued and favorite deck - what do we do with all the others? Do they collect dust? Do we trade them?

Hi Two Ravens Welcome to Aeclectic!

This is a point of discussion that comes up pretty frequently here - "why have so many decks?" "Can you possibly use so many decks?" Etc. etc. etc.

Speaking just for myself (and I have a collection of over 130 decks now), I keep buying more decks because I love the art and the symbolism. Sure, a great number of the decks I own are really just thematic take-offs of some sort from the RWS or the Thoth or the Marseille, but I love them all, nonetheless.

Even though I cannot possibly hope to actively use all of my decks, none of them "collect dust." I actually look through the great majority of them with some frequency. I didn't buy them just to stick them in storage and not enjoy them.

I guess the bottom line for me is that I keep buying decks because I enjoy tarot so much. It's also an inexpensive hobby . . . even most of the rare and/or OOP decks I've bought were fairly cheap finds on eBay.

 

[la-luna]

same here for me some of my decks I bought because of there tarot importance other for there art or interesting idea behind them or yust because i find them so beautiful

some i use for reading with others to meditate or just look at

but i regularly take them and look at the or even use them every day i make sure to have at least one different deck with me than the previous one ( today the tarots that are in my bag are the Morgan-Greer , the gilded and the Russian tarot and there is the universal in my top drawer op my desk at the office)

 

[MareSaturni]

I'm a deck maniac. And not only tarot decks... for instance, i have three different Lenormand, and i love CARDS, have always loved since i was a kid. I have different playing cards decks, a spanish deck to play Truco and so on
The only reason why i don't buy more is because i have no money. Decks are expensive, specially Tarot decks. I must save some good money in order to buy one good deck. But if you are lucky to have money or live in a place where decks are cheap, then i think you should buy...decks are so much fun!

Yuko

 

[December Fairy]

I guess I have over 80 or 90 decks. I don't use them all. I buy some of them just for the art. I love them all. I love to just look at them. They are like a mini gallery in my hand.

Maybe you can read a bit more about the decks you are thinking about buying and find a few more sample cards to look at.

Sometimes I put off buying a deck for one reason or another. I keep getting pulled back to it, so I end up buying and wonder why I didn't just buy it in the first place.

Good Luck