finding the right tarot deck

[Téa]

I don´t know if this is the right forum for my question so help me out moderator...

I have been working with tarot cards for many years, they are an integral part of my life. But despite the fact that I use tarot that much I haven´t yet found the tarot deck that is "right" for me. By right I mean a tarot deck that works to read with, that I find beautiful and interesting at the same time. Perhaps it´s a romantic and obsolete dream I have, much like wishing that there is a Mr or Miss Right outthere for each and everyone of us...

I work with Rider Waite, Thoth, Dalí, Golden Tarot, Mythic tarot, Lover´s tarot. I like them but not enough to not keep my eyes open and surf the web every now and then for new decks. After ten years with the rider-waite I find that my eyes are too familiar with the cards almost, causing me to not study them in detail anymore in each reading. Remedy?

I have had Sacred Circle, Gendron Tarot, English tarot, Witches´s tarot, Goddess tarot, Norse tarot, all of which I have given away to friends.

So my question to all of you outthere is...how do you find the deck that is right for you? And how do you avoid becoming a taroholic on the way, consuming deck after deck... Truly my dream is to only own one deck and give away all the others. I remember someone once told me that the best way to learn the tarot is by using several decks. I just really prefer to study one in depth. Or do I need to be more open to other ideas?

Grateful for all the input I can get...thanks.

 

[Little Baron]

Good question .. for which I don't think I know the answer. I have always looked around for the perfect deck, but I think as time goes on, for me, it doesn't exist. I have found what suits the best and I don't think I will ever be completely content until ... I make my own.

LB

 

[sharpchick]

See if you can narrow down things you would like to have in a deck if someone custom designed one for you. . .

Do you prefer borderless cards? Small borders? Black borders? Keywords turn you off/on? Illustrated pips? Cards which have a focus on animals? Crystals? Pale colors, almost like a watercolor wash? Bold, primary colors, etc.?

Then look for decks that have those qualities, and narrow down to a half dozen or so. . . Post questions to AT members about who has such-and-such a deck, if they like, why or why not, etc.

I am crazy about borderless decks, which led me to my favorite two decks - the Morgan Greer and Buckland Romani. I admit I went on a buying spree in the beginning of my love affair with tarot, but I have become much more selective these days, and have even taken a fancy to oracle decks. . .

 

[tarotbear]

Perhaps you should look at your deck(s) as 'Deck of the Month,' or 'Deck of the Year,' and not 'Deck for the rest of Eternity.' You used the Rider for ten years - no wonder you feel burned out. But perhaps you are setting your expectations too high. Are you trying to find another deck to study for another ten years? That's a tall order for a deck to fill...

 

[Little Baron]

This is going to sound completely mad but one of the things I love about the RWS is the fact that the artwork is not that wonderful. Well, that is not completely true - I do actually like Pamela Coleman Smith's drawings. But .. they are not the best peices of art that the world has ever seen. And I like that.

Why?

Because I was always looking for a deck which had perfect artwork. And I never found it. For example, 'The Rohrig' has the advantage of being painted by a very accomplished artist. However, I find some of the images too overtly sexual to work with it. Another example is a deck such as the 'Matt Myers Art Nouveau' - another accomplished and talented artist, but whether the deck is dated or not (which I believe it is), the minors, by no means, are as sophisticated as the majors, which lets the deck down for me. Another disappointment. Even some cards in the Thoth look like they have been painted by different people.

So back to the RWS.

The consistancy of the art never wanes. It may not be the best art in the world but there are no cards painted any sloppier than others, none that stand out like a sore thumb, and as symbols, they are brash and to the point, which is good for me when I am reading.

And just to stick up for Pam, since I really do appreciate her artistic abilities, I was looking at a few cards the other night - Temperance, Death, Judgement - and thought, these cards really are very beautiful - the composition, the characters and the thick trademark lines she uses.

These reasons are why I have also been attracted to the Marseille decks.

LB

 

[Little Baron]

But perhaps you are setting your expectations too high. Are you trying to find another deck to study for another ten years? That's a tall order for a deck to fill...

I agree with this and I wonder if you will ever relax with a deck if you are continually wondering if it is going to have enough in it to last for eternity. Maybe you need to 'live in sin' with a few decks for a while, before you choose your next 'long term relationship'.

Best, LB

 

[Grizabella]

Maybe it's like with a marriage that's lasted many, many years. The initial passion may fade, but a sweetness and depth emerges that can never be matched by a new relationship. Then new facets are discover that bring a deeper passion. Like the way a wooden tool will take on a patina from years and years of use that just couldn't ever be matched by using a piece of sandpaper on the wood.

I learned that there isn't any one person who is perfect for me, and I don't think there's any deck that's absolutely perfect for me, either. I think we have to find the deck that meets most of our criteria and then learn to work with the not-so-perfect aspects, accepting them as being part of the whole package. Nothing is ever perfect, after all----or another way of looking at it is that everything is perfect in its own way, whether we can see it or not.

 

[Abrac]

Hi Tea

I can't speak for anyone but myself; and for myself, just having one deck only would probably be unrealistic. I have no interest in accumulating hundreds of decks; but I have no problem at all with having several.

I'm usually pretty particular about what decks I buy. There has to be a lot of good reasons to acquire it, not just because I might like the artwork, or the theme, or the artist, or whatever. And always I have in the back of my mind before purchasing a deck: "Is this going to be a deck I will look at once then relegate to a shelf to collect dust?" Over time, if I lose interest in a deck or it just doesn't click anymore I release it. What worked at one time may not work forever.

-fof

 

[Cerulean]

Um, I find tarot like books/pictures, different styles.

Now I like different styles of books and pictures at different times of the year because of the activities or light or serious/silly times that I'm in. If I need a sense of lift, humor and a toucheable but understanding of tarot depths, there's some specific decks that work best for me.

Sometimes a 'genre' of deck--say a nature-oriented tarot--will remind me to put my cards away and get myself outside. Not one deck though works for me all the time.

Once in awhile when that quiet retreat is because of sadness--natural sadness or tired feelings--the deck that I choose might be light or dark in my eyes to be a creative source of changing my thought pattern. Not always the same deck; because sources or reasons of my retreat happen for different reasons. Actually, I am more likely to do a workout or do some work chores than depend on tarot to lift my mood...

Also when I read for others, there are those who use Rider Waite decks so much that they've memorized every nuance and knuckle and assigned a meaning--this deck is old news and the same old story---even though my spin on their layout and conversation might bring up something else. If they've overdosed themselves on certain decks and really feel their RWS means XXX, then it's not a conversation!

Perhaps some of these ideas will help:

1. Maybe tarots alone are not the thing to do; if cards are your thing, switch to an oracle deck and mix up the reading. A Lenormand cartomancy deck with the Golden Tarot will be quite a puzzle; maybe you'd like to use a funny oracle like the Messages From Water cards for your water suit or the Doreen Virtue Mermaid Cards... and then take all the cups out of your old favorite reading deck...do a card draw from each.

2. Try a book like this:

http://www.abaxion.com/nl049.htm

Or James Ricklief's "Tarot Tells the Whole Story."

3. Mix your deck up. All the Thoth courts, Dali Pips and Golden Majors. What story do you see? What does your layout look like?

4. Don't do tarot. Let the world bring it's tarotlike images to you until you feel the call or itch for handling a deck. The decks you named keeping are 'big' in terms of theme, books, ideas and such...so when it is right, you might want to just use tarot for special times of the month (once or twice) for awhile...and just use books and other styles of cards or divination or art for relaxation. So you might feel less likely for 'tarot burnout' with what you have...and less likely to want to shop or 'consume' decks that you decide that you do not want.

I'm not certain if this helpful...but you seem to be saying you don't want to buy any more decks and you feel burned out on those that you have?

Best regards,

Cerulean

 

[Sophie]

Ah, Téa, I fear you are looking for the Eldorado, the Land of Spices, Paradise Tarot. It does not exist, but it leaves its scent and print in all great tarot packs that you will touch and read with, if you open up to it...