Connecting and resonating with a deck?

[Dain]

We often hear these words. "I feel so connected with XYZ deck", "It does/doesn't resonate with me" etc. But what does that mean exactly for everyone?

For me personally there is nothing supernatural, no "deep calling" that draws me to a deck. I connect or resonate with a deck, when there is:

Appreciation for the art (elaborate paintings or stick figures.. It doesn't matter as long as I like it)

Appreciation of the theme

Appreciation of the particular symbolism (if any)

Relevance to other spiritual interests I have

Historicity (for historical decks, of course)

And an indefinable "something" that makes me feel comfortable with a deck.

So, nothing metaphysical, no consciousness-shaking sensations (although tarot in general has produced that inside myself), no deepest, irresistible "soul calling" for a deck (although my enabler self uses that trick often when he wants me to spend money I can't afford for a deck I don't need, the little demon!)

 

[Alta]

But what does that mean exactly for everyone?

For me it means does the reading flow quickly and smoothly into my mind, or do I stare at the cards and get silence or a whisper at best.

Which is odd, because I am not primarily an intuitive reader, but rather more of a 'rules' reader. But apparently the images do influence me.

 

[Barleywine]

I agree with Alta. If the cards seem "chatty" and instantly fill my mind with imaginative and inspired impressions on first glance, I know they are right for me. This is especially true of the minor arcana; even if they are only pips or semi-pips, the colors used and the overall feel of the images and arrangements can seem either evocative or bland and stilted.

 

[Dain]

I agree with Alta. If the cards seem "chatty" and instantly fill my mind with imaginative and inspired impressions on first glance, I know they are right for me. This is especially true of the minor arcana; even if they are only pips or semi-pips, the colors used and the overall feel of the images and arrangements can seem either evocative or bland and stilted.

I liked the expression "chatty" and certainly even with pips the overall feel is important to me. They are art too although I do prefer fully illustrated cards.

I agree with Alta too but I've found I can't feel the flow of a reading using a deck I didn't like at all. Perhaps it has to do with me being still rather inexperienced in reading (especially for other people) and masterful readers may feel a connection and resonance even with blank cards with card names written with a pencil on them.

Then again, tarot and art are inextricably connected. Even simple line drawings can be very evocative that a connection and resonance is established easily and a reading will flow nicely.

 

[direwolf336]

For me, it's a feeling of ease and being comfertable when studing and reading the cards and the attraction towards the artwork. It just seems to flow the right way for me. An example would be The Legacy Of The Divine. From the very start, that deck was just perfect for me. I related to all the imagery and felt very much "at home" with the set. The same with Bohemian Gothic and Rider-Waite Radiant.

 

[Cenozoic]

If the deck has struck a chord in my heart, and I can't eat, sleep, or breathe without thinking about it, and whenever I see it I'm so excited, and picture it is lovingly in my hands, then it's the right deck for me. lol

It's something about seeing each card... like you're getting hit by a flow of inspiration that almost drowns you. It pulls you into it so easily and almost effortlessly, that you just end up staring at it like time just stopped. And for those moments, it's just you and it.

That was how my first deck, the Shadowscapes tarot, felt like to me. I fell so so badly for it...

 

[Dain]

Wow! You people described it so beautifully! And both direwolf336 and Cenozoic mentioned three decks I've felt connected to - Radiant WS, Legacy of the Divine, and Shadowscapes.

I've experienced the stopping of time too, that sense of timelesness that tarot can give!

 

[BeyondtheVeil]

For me it means does the reading flow quickly and smoothly into my mind, or do I stare at the cards and get silence or a whisper at best.

Which is odd, because I am not primarily an intuitive reader, but rather more of a 'rules' reader. But apparently the images do influence me.

This is how it is for me also.

I have bought decks that I thought I would like because of themes, the artwork, etc but when trying to do a reading... I just couldn't read with them. I do intuitively read mostly, but it is nice to feel a 'connection" with the cards. It feels to me like they are talking.. I can just look at them and the readings just come very easily. I don't even look at the LWB or the companion book in those cases.

The other decks, I try to practice with and it can be hit or miss. I have had several decks like that and really tried memorizing the meanings, etc. It was just too hard and no connection like I like. I think a connection is when I can just look at them and the reading just flows. LOTS of things just naturally come without effort. I find the more I have to "think" about what my cards mean.. the less accurate I am.


BeyondtheVeil

 

[Chronata]

There are some superficial things that make me connect right away with a deck. Usually it's the art style, or a theme that I love.

But I have also connected with decks where the art is really awful, and I really hated it at first.

And there are some decks, where the theme and style would be a natural fit for me...are ones that I absolutely struggle with.

So I don't really know...deep down... what makes a deck resonate with me.

Although I do think sometimes desperation comes into play.
I like to say that I can read with anything...and it's been proven to be true, on those occasions where I have to do readings and don't have my usual tools.

I have discovered that in times like these, stuck with a deck that I dislike, and find that our mutual distaste for each other transforms into something almost magical when we are forced to grudgingly perform together.

It's like in times of crisis, you end up respecting those you wouldn't normally get along with.
There are a few decks like this for me...that only resonated deeply because they had to step up to the occasion.
And now, I can still sometimes read with them, with that remembrance of those times when we first connected out of necessity.

 

[Dain]

There are some superficial things that make me connect right away with a deck. Usually it's the art style, or a theme that I love.

But I have also connected with decks where the art is really awful, and I really hated it at first.

And there are some decks, where the theme and style would be a natural fit for me...are ones that I absolutely struggle with.

So I don't really know...deep down... what makes a deck resonate with me.

Although I do think sometimes desperation comes into play.
I like to say that I can read with anything...and it's been proven to be true, on those occasions where I have to do readings and don't have my usual tools.

I have discovered that in times like these, stuck with a deck that I dislike, and find that our mutual distaste for each other transforms into something almost magical when we are forced to grudgingly perform together.

It's like in times of crisis, you end up respecting those you wouldn't normally get along with.
There are a few decks like this for me...that only resonated deeply because they had to step up to the occasion.
And now, I can still sometimes read with them, with that remembrance of those times when we first connected out of necessity.

Very well put, Chronata (Incidentally, I love your user name). I'm not sure I'd say feeling connected to the art is superficial though. Art is paramount to tarot. It's how we can see the symbolism, the ideas behind the artist's conception, the details that often hold the keys to understanding a card etc.

That said, I see your point. There have been decks I bought because I loved the art or the theme and I couldn't connect with them at all in a reading. Perhaps it's a matter of actually being forced, in a sense, to use a deck in order for the connection to jumpstart, like you described.

Still, if I feel bothered by the art in a deck (which is a very subjective thing of course), if I find it "offensive" somehow, I doubt I'd be able to connect with a deck. I might be able to use it as a generic tarot deck but I'd never "hear its own voice", so to speak.

I don't want to offend anyone and as we know it's all subjective but there have been two decks which I definitely know I could never really read with or like: The Manara and the Witchy. No connection, no resonance, nothing whatsoever. I'm not sure I'd describe them as "offensive" or anything, but I know if I had to read with them I'd rely only on the card titles. The art etc would not enter the equation at all, as if the cards were blank and I'd be hard-pressed not to start analyzing what I didn't like about these decks which would make a reading with them even more difficult.

On the other hand, a friend of mine uses the Manara constantly because he finds the erotic imagery "makes his juices flow" which, he claims, has a positive effect on his readings!