How popular are the Thoth and Tarot of Marseilles with professional tarot readers?

I've been tuning in to a t.v. program of late (I shall not mention the name here .... I don't know if this is allowed) where professional readers give psychic readings live, using tarot and oracles but also other mediumship skills. These are just snap shot readings of course, but I like to watch – when I remember and have time - just to see how each of the readers use their tarot cards and more so what cards they use. One thing I have noticed is the popularity of the Rider Waite tarot, and the Mythic 1st edition (which sadly I do not own). I've also seen standard playing cards used and many other oracles (including DV decks, to the horror of some here perhaps). Not once though have I seen the Thoth tarot or Tarot of Marseilles used. This may be just coincidental, but I'm a little surprised by this given the level of discussion on these 2 systems in this forum. Does anyone here have any thoughts on why this might be?

I’ve also had a handful of readings in real life and no-one has ever read for me with the Thoth or Marseilles tarot. Has this been anyone else's experience?

I've heard that in France the Marseille is popular, but they often remove the pips. The Rider-Waite has scenes on the pips cards which facilitates intuitive (i.e., imaginative, free association) reading. I'm not familiar with the Mythic.

Melia said:

One thing I have noticed is the popularity of the Rider Waite tarot, and the Mythic 1st edition (which sadly I do not own). I've also seen standard playing cards used and many other oracles (including DV decks, to the horror of some here perhaps). Not once though have I seen the Thoth tarot or Tarot of Marseilles used. This may be just coincidental, but I'm a little surprised by this given the level of discussion on these 2 systems in this forum. Does anyone here have any thoughts on why this might be?

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There is a TV channel in Spain which is only tarot reading phone-ins with different clairvoyants/card-readers at different times of the day. Last time I was watching it in a hotel room the only decks I saw were Marseilles decks. I also know that many, many readers use the Thoth too. It had never crossed my mind to think that it was only ever RWS.

Worst of all are those readers who describe themselves as "professional Tarot Readers" but only use/have heard of Doreen Virtue decks (I met one last week; she gave me her card which I tossed in the bin). Apologies to all and sundry but if someone says they read tarot and doesn't know what a tarot deck is and proclaims to read them, then I'd give them a wide berth. All the intuition in the world wouldn't make up for "not-having-a-clue-what-you're-talking-about". It doesn't take much brainpower to discover what a tarot deck actually is.

I read with the TdM whether reading for myself or professionally.

Of course LRichard, it makes perfect sense that the Marseilles would be more popular in France (and Europe) than here. I never thought to associate popularity of a deck with its country of origin, just because these days with the web everyone seems much more connected.

Melia said:

Of course LRichard, it makes perfect sense that the Marseilles would be more popular in France (and Europe) than here

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I kind of doubt this now.

I would say overall the RWS/contemporary "transmutations" of it are more popular in Europe nowadays. Plus there is quite an upsurge of interest in the historic decks in the USA and the rest of the world I think (can't speak with any authority about Australia). The Thoth is popular (perhaps not as much as the RWS) everywhere. I always think that the Thoth always had a very strng presence in Germany. But these are mere generalisations...

Le Fanu said:

All the intuition in the world wouldn't make up for "not-having-a-clue-what-you're-talking-about". It doesn't take much brainpower to discover what a tarot deck actually is.

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Very true, and very funny.

I do agree that it depends where you are which deck/s are most popular. Overall, and unfortunately in my opinion, the RWS does seem to be considered the 'standard' by many these days. Also, in my experience, the people I know who read with the Thoth tend to approach it with a different style and I can't imagine many of them going on a psychic reading TV show, not that I'm saying that is either a good or bad thing, just an observation.

Le Fanu said:

There is a TV channel in Spain which is only tarot reading phone-ins with different clairvoyants/card-readers at different times of the day. Last time I was watching it in a hotel room the only decks I saw were Marseilles decks. I also know that many, many readers use the Thoth too. It had never crossed my mind to think that it was only ever RWS.

Worst of all are those readers who describe themselves as "professional Tarot Readers" but only use/have heard of Doreen Virtue decks (I met one last week; she gave me her card which I tossed in the bin). Apologies to all and sundry but if someone says they read tarot and doesn't know what a tarot deck is and proclaims to read them, then I'd give them a wide berth. All the intuition in the world wouldn't make up for "not-having-a-clue-what-you're-talking-about". It doesn't take much brainpower to discover what a tarot deck actually is.

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Well the Marseilles being popular in Spain would make sense, Spain being a European country. I just thought that here in Australia I would see more 'professional' readers using the Marseilles or Thoth, but I've not come across this myself.

'Professional' is a term that I used to describe these readers Le Fanu, and the readers who participate in this program don't claim to read tarot decks if they are using oracle [and I know the difference]. It's a psychic program and the word tarot does not get a mention in the program title. All the readers on this program read for a living, some have been doing this for 20, 30 years. But, I was surprised to see a number of these long-time readers using DV decks; and almost all of the readers I've seen on this program use clairvoyancy skills in addition to reading the cards whether it be tarot, oracle, playing cards etc.

Oops, I cross posted with Le Fanu.

It's hard to find a TdM for sale in a shop here in Australia but that's not to say people here are not using them.

Oops again, this time I cross posted with Melia.

Ultimately, you can read with anything I suppose, any tarot deck, playing cards, postcards, stones, bones, entrails, whatever suits you. I've never had a 'professional' reading here in Australia with a Thoth or TdM either, but then I've also never actually had a reading I didn't regret wasting my money on.