Decisions, Decisions … or a Challenge

OK, here’s a bit of a challenge for you…
I have been reading Tarot for about 16 yrs – mostly for friends and family. But I have always read in an intuitive fashion – you know, look at the cards and then simply open my mouth and say what comes.
However, in the last 12 months or so, I have found myself wanting to know more about Tarot, about the esoteric traditions behind it, and how it actually functions, etc. To really study it. And while I have collected a lot of Tarot decks in the last 10 yrs, I am finding the decision of which deck to use for my studies, REALLY, REALLY difficult.
So here is the challenge – I have narrowed my collection down to 8 decks. Now I know many people would say that for an in-depth study of Tarot one should probably start with a Marseilles, RWS or Thoth, but the fact is I don’t really like any of them. So I have decided that my study will use these three as comparisons – although I still need to get a decent Marseilles (I only have the 1JJ). So my challenge to all of you is to help me narrow my list down to one or two decks.
In alphabetical order my list is:

Bright Ideas
Druidcraft
Greenwood (although I suspect this one deserves an independent study)
Hallowquest Arthurian
Legend Arthurian
Llewellyn
Osho Zen
Shapeshifter

Oh and if anyone can suggest a decent Marseilles, which is likely to be readily available in Australia (I don’t have a credit card to order online) I would be doubly happy.

Faolainn Storm

The only ones I can give you feedback are Druidcraft and Osho Zen.

Druidcraft follows the RWS system, but if you feel connected to nature, witchcraft, and Druids, you can take a look at this deck.

Osho Zen seems to me a more spiritual deck and there are a lot of conversations about the card, especially the Master. There are many different views of this card, and it's a deck that you will either love it or hate it. This deck is the next one I would like to study because it is different compared to RWS based decks.

Good luck!

In that respect the Osho Ze would also get my vote. I found the other book you can buy for this deck which does not come with the original set is really good, and adds a little more depth. My copy also came with a miniature set of the Majors from the deck which is small enough for any handbag or purse

Davina

I would vote for the Druidcraft. The lay-out of the book follows numerology so if you study this one you get both a basic study of RWS and numerology, plus the artwork is evocative enough for your own interpretation as well so you get a combination of all.
The deck is based on the druidic tradition but you don't have to be a druid, if you have affinity to nature and earth-based traditions you can feel connected to this deck.

As for a Marseilles deck - maybe you get better response if you put this question in the Marseilles forum. You could also ask jmd who is both Australian and lover of Marseilles decks - he will know.

The Bright Idea deck and the Osho are probably the most removed from traditional tarot on your list.

The Bright Idea changes just about everything you can change, card names, suit names - it uses colours and the images are so far removed from anything traditionally tarot that it will take a while to actually work out what the card is trying to say to you and by then you'll be reading it intuitively anyway.

The Osho always seems to come over as an oracle not a tarot, the cards are beautiful and pull you in but again it seems to follow its own system.

The DruidCraft and Llewellyn are RWS clone decks - I was a little disappointed with the Llewellyn because the Minors are done is a different style to the Majors, which are beautiful, but the Minors look like they were rushed and just don't have the detail of the Majors - it spoils what would have been a potentially stunning and usable deck.

I don't have the other decks you mention but I think my vote would go to the DruidCraft also. Its a deck that follows RWS symbology with a Wiccan/Celtic theme and it has a very good companion book.