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

[RexMalaki]

The ONLY time I went to a "brick and mortar" fortune telling shop...she read with the Thoth...they were large and well worn..I loved them...

...the reading: mostly trying to get me to spend large sums of money to have my aura cleansed! I didn't go back...

...but it was the Thoth Tarot.

 

[MsRed]

Some observations of mine which should not be generalized:
The RWS is very common in Germany. It is easily available, there are many different sizes available in bookstores that have Cartomancy things in store. The Thoth is also present but in most cases combined with a book (not Crowley's but something by Banzhaf or Akron). Some also have a TDM deck but I have the feeling they are not as prominently presented as the RWS. And then, there are lots of Lenormand or other oracle decks available at the moment, far more than Tarot decks. I know of one single bookstore that has the German versions of Shadowscapes and Wildwood in store but that's very much it when it comes to more modern decks. Again, this refers only to the region I live in and the stores I frequently visit, maybe this is different in other parts of the country.
Similar to this TV channel in Spain, there is also one Tarot-Oracle-Astrology-call-in TV channel here. But whenever I switch to there they are reading with Lenormand cards. I have never seen a Tarot deck being used there ... but I don't watch it that often.

 

[frac_ture]

I've had two readings given to me as presents in the last few months. They were both with the same reader, which may somewhat skew any statistical impact of this report, but in the first reading, she used the large-sized Thoth deck, and in the second one, she used the regular-sized Thoth. So, in my limited experience, Thoth does happen (in fact, in my limited experience, Thoth is the only thing that happens)...

 

[caridwen]

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?

It really varies. From the events I have done I have seen a variety of decks used. Thoth, Druidcraft(me), Robin Wood and I saw someone reading with the Major Tom TdM (actually it was Major Tom )

Strangely not the RWS

eta and I have sometimes given readings with my Bohemian Gothic Silver so yup, variety

 

[Lokismile]

I dont consider myself a professional but i do get paid for readings. The Thoth is one of three decks i use
Exclusively, with the Thoth encompassing half of my sessions.

 

[Mi-Shell]

My maternal gran was a professional reader from ~~ 1888 to 1946, when she turned blind.
She used handmade cards - and the Soprafino deck. I also read professionally but do not use the TdM

 

[kisou]

I haven't had others read for me professionally before, but my initial impression would be that just in the nature of the Thoth, it's a very much more personal deck! I don't know why I have that impression of it, but I've always assumed and had a feeling of the Thoth being SERIOUS BUSINESS and something kept at home and studied a little more meticulously because of it's nature. Weird, I know

 

[sapienza]

Not weird kisou. While we can't generalise about decks and who uses them and why, the Thoth does give that impression. From what I understand it was never designed as a tool for divination, but rather as a system of spiritual study and personal development. Nothing to say it has to be used that way now, but that is perhaps why it is perceived to be a more 'serious' or 'studious' type of deck. I must say it does work very well for divination though.

 

[nisaba]

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. ...
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?

Not really. I don't watch shows like that on TV (if there are such things here I wouldn't even know about them, such is the depth of my passionate interest in TV as a medium). The broadest extent of my experience is as a reader, with a long-term pattern of having a RW, a Thoth, one of the Marseilles decks, a Visconti and one other rotating contemporary deck on the table, and seeing which people are drawn to, and which they pick for me to read with.

A lot of people choose the Thoth, certainly in recent months. A lot of people choose whichever Marseilles I have there at the time. Quite a few are attracted to the LoS gold-foil Visconti. Many choose whatever modern deck I have on the table at the time.

But you know what I notice? The ONLY people who ever choose the RW are those who fancy themselves as a reader, and contradict how you read every card based on the keywords that they've memorised from the LWB! <laughter>

Oh well. At least they leave feeling empowered, feeling superior to the "stupid" reader who didn't know the cards as well as they did! Empowerment is good, right?

 

[Pet Jeffery]

I'm not a professional tarot reader, but -- if I were -- a major objective would be to have my clients return for further readings, and tell their friends (in a good way). To that end, I'd wish to use a tarot pack that looked impressive... and probably one short on images that look too scary.

One reason I wouldn't use the RWS is that some of the cards look quite scary when they shouldn't. I think especially of the Seven of Cups which (judged solely on the image) has always looked to me as though it should mean something very bad. Another reason I wouldn't use it is that it doesn't look (or no longer looks) sufficiently impressive. It's imagery has grown overly familiar (used, for example, in the "Bitter Suite" episode of "Xena").

The Crowley/Harris pack has the advantage of less ubiquitous imagery -- and, I think, looks suitably impressive. I may be forgetting something important, but I don't recall it containing any images that would frighten clients overmuch.

I don't think I'd use the Marseille tarot... or, if I did, only use the majors. The cards from ace to ten might (from their appearance) mean almost anything. Clients might think that I was making it up as I went along... Or, at least, that's what I'd expect clients to think.

I think that, were I professional reader, I might opt for one of Kat Black's tarots: either the Touchstone or the Golden.