How you choose your own tarot deck?

[nisaba]

I often read this advice in books and think "Ive never seen a shop where you could actually handle decks"...

I'm with you. Around here, only the richest shop-owners who really don't want to make a profit would do that. After all, once the shrink-wrap it removed, they have to sell it as second-hand, for a loss on the wholesale price they paid.

You only get to see the artwork on the box.

Online, you get to see *much* more of the artwork.

 

[Skylancer81]

re

Thanks everyone!

Personnally find Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot cards (Intro by Niclas, thanks! ) are nice, nice art work.

So far, i have 3 decks namely goddness deck (I forget the name), The rider deck and the golden tarot (I like the art work of the cards and it is very smooth).

However, i looking for deck cards which are as smooth as the golden tarot.

How to identify?

Hope someone can advise me on this...

 

[lovestories]

Why the 5 of Cups, just curious?

Babs

You know, I'm not really sure. I have just always been drawn to the card, particularly the RWS image of the hooded/cloaked figure. He/she always seemed so mysterious and lost in a melancholy reverie. It really hits home for me because a slight melancholy feeling can be good (to me) and usually puts me in a very thoughtful mood.
Bah, I don't know how else to explain it. :-/

 

[Grizabella]

Just my opinion...

...I wish I had started with A Rider-Waite-Smith deck and the book 78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack.

Instead of 78 Degrees, I recommend her new book, Tarot Wisdom instead. It's a wonderful book and I think it will bring you a lot more information. And 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Deck by Mary Greer is a second book I'd recommend for a beginner. Go through 21 Ways, supplement with reading Tarot Wisdom, and you can't lose. Of course, the Rider Waite deck, too. With that deck or the Universal Waite if you like the colors better (which I did) you'll have a great basis for learning the cards. After that, everything should grow from there.

 

[WalesWoman]

In the Tarot Deck section is a sticky of sites that list the whole deck.
taroteca.multiply.com is almost a library of tarot decks and you can spend hours looking at them and finding ones that appeal to you.

While you are looking just see how the cards speak to you. More than discussions about the decks, I like to see the cards used in readings and how well they work as tarot, I mean in Your Readings. Online reading places, like tarot.com or facade.com show the cards, but the meanings are standard blurbs and don't vary no matter which deck is used. Some decks are called tarot, but don't read that way. So basically when you are looking at those cards, what do they tell you (without looking at the interpretation?) What appeals to you? What in the deck turns you off? It's all individual tastes, so what some may rave over may leave you cold... visa versa. It's good to find out what other people like or dislike about a deck, but ultimately what will matter most is how you feel about, because you are going to be reading with it, not anyone else.

 

[Asbestos Mango]

Well, it's a trade off. I'd rather be in Europe any day of the week. Now I'm Las Vegas and, in a city of a million people, I have found only one shop that carries tarot. All they have is the Aquarian and Rider Waite. Of course, there are the big corporate bookstores, but the experience of buying a deck is diminished when you have only a locked case to stare at. When I go home to visit the family, I'm going back to my favorite shop to peruse the pegboard wall. I'll have to take a picture of it and post it here somewhere.

Charleston and Rainbow. Psychic Eye (IIRC, they have two locations, but I'm not sure where the other one is). Last I checked, they have an excellent selection of Tarot cards. 'Course, last time I checked was about twelve years ago...

Nah, they specialize in "New Age". They'll have plenty of decks.

 

[jcwirish]

Hi, thanks for that, but that is the store I was referring to. They only have a couple of decks at this point. Maybe they'll be getting more, or maybe one location has more than others. The Charleston location is the one I've been to. I'll check out their other location and see what I can find. They may have had a couple of other decks that I can't remember, but I know they didn't have more than 3 or 4. It's strange too because they offer readings, and have a separate reading room. It's a great store, so I'll be going back.

 

[Asbestos Mango]

Really? They used to have a whole cabinet, at the front of the store, and I never knew there were so many Tarot decks.

Maybe the economy has forced them to cut back on inventory?

I once had a reading done on me unasked for there once. I went in to sell some used books, and this woman comes up and starts chatting with me, then informs me that after my last life I got stuck between the two worlds, and ended up coming back to this one.

It was weird.

I don't believe in reincarnation, so it kind of freaked me out.

Yep, I had a non-con psychic reading.

 

[jcwirish]

Wow, that's interesting. I'm glad you got 'unstuck', ha ha. I will definitely go back and see if they have a better selection now. The cards were in a case to the right of the front desk, and it was very limited. It was too bad, because I was so excited when I found the store.

 

[Morgane_49]

Instead of 78 Degrees, I recommend her new book, Tarot Wisdom instead. It's a wonderful book and I think it will bring you a lot more information. And 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Deck by Mary Greer is a second book I'd recommend for a beginner. Go through 21 Ways, supplement with reading Tarot Wisdom, and you can't lose. Of course, the Rider Waite deck, too. With that deck or the Universal Waite if you like the colors better (which I did) you'll have a great basis for learning the cards. After that, everything should grow from there.

I second Grizabella's recommendation of Rachel Pollack's Tarot Wisdom.

It's an absolutely amazing reference book, with great wisdom readings for the entire Major Arcana and all the suits. Lots of history included for those that are interested in how tarot has evolved!