Changing Decks?

[Dragon-Capricorn]

Newbie ... I feel like I have to start all of my posts like that ... LOL!

I started with the Gilded about a month ago - was at Barnes & Nobles, was suddenly "drawn" to the new age section, and found a shelf on tarot. They had 5 or 6 different styles of decks (can't tell you now what they were), but I was definitely drawn to the Gilded.

But my question ... what makes someone change decks? If you are comfortable/happy with one deck, why change? I don't see myself changing anytime soon ... but I won't speak for down the road.

Also, is one deck considered "better" (more usable) than another? Or are they just different? It seems everyone on this forum uses a different deck, or one they made themselves!!!

 

[Sulis]

I know that my deck collecting came from a desire to find 'the one'... That being the one deck that really clicked with me, the deck that 'sings'.

I flitted from deck to deck for ages and if the I did a reading and didn't 'get it' I'd ask myself if a different deck would make it easier.

Eventually I decided to stick to one deck for 6 months and really get to know that deck.. My reading skills improved greatly from doing this and now that's what I do. I choose a deck and I use it exclusively for readings.. I don't deck flit and I end up really knowing a deck.
From doing this I now have 5 or 6 decks which are my 'working decks'.. These are decks that I know speak to me, I can relate to them and I know that I can read well with them.

If you have found a deck that you click with and you don't feel like changing any time soon then I would advise you to stick to your deck and really get to know it.. It will stand you in good stead for the day you do decide to learn another deck, especially since The Gilded Tarot is a Rider-Waite-Smith based deck.. You'll find that you'll probably be able to pick up any Rider-Waite-Smith based deck and read with it.

Many people change decks just because there are loads of decks out there and it's easy to get addicted to buying.. That's fine if you want to build up a collection but if you just want to learn to read well and you're getting on OK with your Gilded then I'd stick with just that one.

Another reason for changing decks is if you wanted to learn a different tarot tradition; Tarot de Marseilles or the Aleister Crowely Thoth deck for example.

 

[Gavriela]

Some of us are old enough to remember when your choices were:

TdM
Waite
and eventually, the
1JJ Swiss

Depending on where you lived - one of them might be available.

Back in the Dark Ages, you didn't have much choice, in other words. I suppose that's good because I read with the Waite exclusively for over 20 years, and taught with it for 12 years (almost every week) without ever repeating myself. I know the deck pretty well, in other words

But I also like the Marseille tradition, or more often, funky Italian things that are kind of Marseille. I adore JJ Grandville (father of surrealism, draftsman of the Sibylle des Salons), and Magic Realist was good enough to put out a deck based on Grandville's work a couple years ago - the Fantastic Menagerie. And some decks I've bought because they're pretty, and some I buy because they're useable (hey, I paid my dues - it's not that I won't read with the Waite anymore, I will, but - I do like a change of scenery every now and again).

Most of my professional reading is with Lenormand (a type of oracle that uses a Euchre deck - a playing card deck of 36 cards) and I do like collecting Lenormand and Lenormand-related decks (though there aren't nearly as many of those as there are tarots!). Some of them, like Le Tarot d'Eltynne, are supremely readable - and Lenormand itself is the same, regardless of the art, though there's been a resurgence in Lenormand in Europe lately, so there are some very pretty decks out there. The pride of the collection is a 100-year old Lenormand that a friend gave me.

I have a pretty small collection compared to most folks here. I can read with just about everything I own. But when it comes to tarot - I definitely would advise sticking with one deck (preferably Waite, Thoth, or TdM - something that's got a definable system) for five years, at least. If you start switching decks too soon when you start out that you'll end up owning a bunch of them and not knowing how to read any of them - and it takes time to learn this reading thing. Of course, if somebody gives you a fairy deck and you HATE fairies, by all means go out and buy something you can live with - that is the nice thing about the choices around today.

 

[Dragon-Capricorn]

Wow, Gavriela ... I just read your post and realized I know NOTHING!!! I mean, I thought I had read some stuff, at least ... but when it comes to different decks, and oracle decks, and decks with less than the standard number of major & minor arcana that I'm used to ... I have no clue!!! LOL

It should be a fun journey ...!!!

 

[ethan_greer]

I started out with a Robin Wood (RWS-style) and got a Crowley Thoth after a couple months. A bit after that I picked up a Tarot de Marseille. I read with any of these decks as the mood strikes me. They each have their own "voice," so to speak. That is to say, reading from each of the decks feels a little different to the others. It's worked okay for me.

So to answer your original question, "What makes someone change decks," I would say that you change decks if you want to. The reason for wanting to change will vary from person to person. For me it was the curiosity of exploring the different traditions. If you don't want to change decks or get additional decks, then don't. Bottom line, if you're happy with your current deck, there's really no need to change. Besides, decks are expensive. Sticking with your Gilded for now is more economical.

 

[Le Fanu]

if you are comfortable or happy with one deck then you´re very lucky.

Enjoy it and wallow in it. No need to look around and compare yourself to others...

 

[wytchwood]

Lucky indeed! Like Sulis, I spent a lot of time and money trying to find the ideal deck for me as I didn't really click with the first ones I bought, but realized after a little while that it was distracting me from improving my reading skills. After various exercises and experiments to tackle the issue, and a lot of reading practice, I have since got things more in perspective and although I still enjoy getting new decks from time to time and appreciate beautiful or inspiring decks, it's not all about that, and these days I most love to read with 'modest' decks, such as old RWS decks, the Morgan Greer and the Aquarian.

If you can avoid these distractions from the start and keep your focus on reading you will thank yourself later. Decks are great, but at some point we all have to decide whether we want to collect decks for the beauty etc, or read with them. I can relate to the collectors here, they are a fascinating thing to collect, but I have neither the money nor the space to collect decks, so I try to be ruthless, only keeping hold of decks I use regularly and trading those that sit on the shelf, even if they are very beautiful.

Zoe xx

 

[Crescent]

Eventually I decided to stick to one deck for 6 months and really get to know that deck.. My reading skills improved greatly from doing this and now that's what I do. I choose a deck and I use it exclusively for readings.. I don't deck flit and I end up really knowing a deck.
From doing this I now have 5 or 6 decks which are my 'working decks'.. These are decks that I know speak to me, I can relate to them and I know that I can read well with them.

If you have found a deck that you click with and you don't feel like changing any time soon then I would advise you to stick to your deck and really get to know it.. It will stand you in good stead for the day you do decide to learn another deck, especially since The Gilded Tarot is a Rider-Waite-Smith based deck.. You'll find that you'll probably be able to pick up any Rider-Waite-Smith based deck and read with it.

Many people change decks just because there are loads of decks out there and it's easy to get addicted to buying.. That's fine if you want to build up a collection but if you just want to learn to read well and you're getting on OK with your Gilded then I'd stick with just that one.

Another reason for changing decks is if you wanted to learn a different tarot tradition; Tarot de Marseilles or the Aleister Crowely Thoth deck for example.

My first deck was the Rider-Waite, and for some reason, altho I was studying, I felt nothing was 'coming' to me.... so, then, I wound up buying quite a few more decks.

The one that has hit me was the Harmonious Tarot, and I love it..... Believe it or not, it has opened up my learning of Rider-Waite.

Now, I am understanding it a bit more. I also agree that when you start with one deck, as long as it resonates with you, stick with it, till you gain some knowledge and experience.

 

[ilweran]

Part of the reason people switch decks is because we all change over time. My first reading decks were the Cat People, Courtney Davis' Celtic and the Ancient Egyptian. Then I stopped reading and started collecting.

Now I'm trying to balance the two, my current reading decks being the Mystic Faerie, Llewellyn and Bohemian Gothic, with occasional input from the Greenwood.

 

[DeaconBlues]

I just changed decks last week. As in, I probably won't be using my previous deck at all anymore. I don't think it was ever a good fit for me, and it was like pulling teeth for me to interpret it. That's not anything against the deck - it was the Sacred Circle, which I know a lot of people really like, and I still love one or two particular cards in it (the Death card is lovely, and Initiation really pulls me in). I just don't think it was necessarily a good choice for a beginner, especially one like myself, who isn't knowledgeable at all about Celtic symbolism. I also need a lot more illustration in the Minor Arcana than the Sacred Circle provides. So I bought the Gilded Tarot last week, and I'm absolutely loving it. I've heard it said that the Gilded Tarot, while beautiful, lacks nuance, but for now, I'm ok with that. I need to get my brain around the basic meanings of the cards before I start worrying about subtleties. Maybe I'll grow out of it eventually and need to change decks again. Maybe not. Who knows?