My opinion on decks - Looking for suggestion.

[C.N.]

Hi,
I have lurked on this forum for some time, but have decided that I need som opinion on
my next deck.
First I have to tell that I mostly a collector, I'm also intrested in Kabbalah/Astrology etc. and sometime does a reading for myself.
I prefer decks with beutiful art in the classical sense, doesn't really like modern art and prefer either traditional symbolism or deck that have a wholly new system.
Here is my current decks and my opinion:

Robin Wood 5/5
- Nice art. The symbolism, while it is changed is quite consistent with the original. (However I feel that the Devil card is to negative compared to traditional tarots).

Hanson-Roberts 5/5
- Like the art.

The Arthuran Tarot 5/5 (Hallowquest)
- Not a traditional tarot, but I like the way it is modified for a Celtic theme and the artwork is nice.

Tarot (Original Waite? translated) 4.5/5
- I like the Waite symbolism, but this one has too bland colors. (My first deck)

The Ancient Egyptian Tarot 4/5
- I like the majors but the minor are uninspiring. Gets also points for having astrological correspondances in the booklet.

Morgan-Greer 3.5/5
- Nothing special, nice but too sombre.

The Norse Tarot 3.5/5
- Good majors bland minors like the other deck by the same author. Like the way runes are included.

Mythic Tarot 3/5
- Good booklet. Art nothing special. Hates the World card (two-headed freak).

Cosmic Tribe 3/5
- Nice try, I like half of the cards and hate the other half. (+ Cups, Circles) (- Swords, Wands)

Tarot of the Old Path 2.5/5
- Some of the cards are nice, but I can't stand those empty eyes, those stupid grins or those ridiculous claudrons.

The New Palladini Tarot 2.5/5
- Seems to me that artist lost his inspiration midway. The first majors are nice but most of the cards are sort of bland.

The Gendron Tarot 2/5
- A mistake. I bought it based on some cards I saw. Unfortunate those were the cards I liked best. My grivances: unclear, too energetic and lcks serenity.

I'm willing to trade the last three for something, I live in Finland, so that could hinder trade.

Decks I consider getting:
Universal Waite
Crowley Thoth
Medevial Scarpani
Tarot of the Stars
Stairs of Gold Tarot
Russian Tarot of St.Petersburg
Buckland Romani Tarot

So do you think those would suit my tastes? Or would getting them be a mistake? Anything else that would suit my tastes?
Tarots that are popular but I know is not for me:
Legend: The Arthurian Tarot
& Celtic Dragon Tarot
- The author of these decks are trying to switch the elements of Fire & Air. A turnoff for me.
Haindl Tarot
Vertigo Tarot
- I doesn't like the art.
Any college art tarot.

Best wishes,
-C.N.

 

[mystic]

Nice collection of Decks. Of the ones that I would recommend are certainly the Thoth deck. Avoid the US Games version as the cards have a hue of green which takes away from the beauty of this deck. Also the Dragon tarot (not Celtic) is also an amazing deck filled with wonderful imagery and design. These two deck swould be a must as a collector......

Hope this points you well.....

 

[Jewel]

Hi C.N.,

If you are looking to trade decks you might want to post the decks you want to trade and the ones you wish to aquire on the Trading Forum.

I have a strong interest in the Qabalah, but I must say that most of the decks I have found related to this are not the most beautiful per se .... Some decks with Qabalistic symbolism you might want to check out are: Thoth Deck, Witches Tarot (Cannon version - I personally find this deck beautiful), Navigators of the Mystic Sea, Spiral Tarot (Also has quite a bit of Astrology), Sephiroth Tarot, and Tree of Life Tarot (very plain you would not like this one).

I am not sure I am the right person to suggest what you may like as personally I liked several of the decks you posted as ones you did not like much or were not for you.

Happy hunting ... May you find the right decks for you.

 

[Logiatrix]

c.n.,
you should take another look at the legend deck...it's swords/air and wands/fire, and the artwork is quite lovely, even if only for your collection.
the universal waite is a must have, IMO. i think it's one of best RWS clones.
the thoth is good for any collection as well, and a necessary deck to study.
also look at haindl, spiral, gill, nigel jackson, voyager or osho zen.
for the art, the beauty or the uniqueness--whatever--i have found each of these to be rather nice additions to my own quite sizeable collection!

 

[faunabay]

Taz, my legends book and deck are swords/fire and spears(wands)/air. It's my one and only complaint about this deck. Otherwise I LOVE it!!

 

[C.N.]

Hi!,
Thanks for the replys, here are my oppinion on the suggested decks (based on the images shown here):

Suggested by mystic:
Thoth deck: Will get it soon, I think I will get a translated version if the U.S. Games System one is bad.

Dragon tarot: Cosidering, but this is a deck I'm not certain about. Would like to browse one before I decides.

Suggested by Jewel:
Thoth: See above.

Witches Tarot: Fine artwork, but looks quite grim and dark. Are the rest of the cards also that sober? I will consider it.

Navigators of the Mystic Sea: This is not in my taste, the colors are too clashing, it lacks a sothing quality.

Spiral Tarot: This one is a bit better, but probably not really in my taste.

Sephiroth Tarot: Well, could be ok, a bit flat however.

Tree of Life Tarot: Hey, I could make one like this on my own and save money.

Suggested by taz:

Haindl: No, it is modern art doesn't suit my tastes.

Spiral: See above.

Gill: This is under serious consideration. I like that Devil card, however some of the cards seems too bright. How are the minors?

Nigel Jackson: I like this one! It will be added to my list.

Voyager: Hmm, I didn't really like the Gendron tarot, and this I would call worse.

Osho Zen: I'm considering this one also.

Added by myself:
Merlin Tarot: Looks good, does anyone have it, opinions?

Blessed be,
C.N.

 

[Jewel]

CN,
The Witches Tarot is not a dark deck in my opinion. If you get a chance you may want to look at the entire deck. As I noted in my post I was not real sure how you would like the decks that have strong qabalistic elements (which was the premise used to mention them to you).

The Nigel Jackson is great!

 

[Logiatrix]

faunabay, c.n....
you're sooo right....it's wands/air, etc. on the legend deck! i used this deck for almost a year straight and never noticed! whatta dork!
any-hoo, i still think it's beautiful...

 

[truthsayer]

if you like the thoth deck you might want to also take a look at the tarot of the spirit by beverly eakley(?). tos is supposed to have used thoth as a guide. the book is really good and heavy kabalah. i'm not too hot on the spiral tarot. i love both decks by caitlin matthews(even tho i haven't managed to get a copy of the hallowquest yet i do have celtic wisdom). i like the robin wood and hanson-roberts, too. i don't particularly like the ones you aren't crazy about either. of your wish list, sorry but none of those decks are to my tastes. i dearly love the legend arthurian and vertigo. i don't like dark decks but for some reason i find the vertigo fascinatingly nontraditional tarot. i love arthurian legends and watercolor paintings so the LAD is a natural for me. i traded the celtic dragon b/c i just couldn't relate to it at all. due to my experience w/ disliking the celtic dragon, i decided that the dragon tarot would be a poor choice for me. the CD is a light, happy deck in comparison to the dragon deck. mind you just my opinion. i agree that i find the witches tarot to be light. the art is clear and pagan oriented. hated tarot of the witches aka the james bond deck. i don't care for the haindl or the gill deck.gill is pretty and has lots of kabalah. i'm more into symbolism other than the kabalah. haven't developed a taste for learning the kabalah. maybe one day. in haindl, the minor arcana cards are just too plain or abstract or dark for me. they're okay for part of my collection but not for reading. osho zen is okay--certainly an intense deck. just be aware of the master card. imho, the man bhagwan who is the master or osho, wasn't the icon of spiritual perfection the author of the osho zen thinks he was. personally, i have taken osho out of my deck b/c he gives me the creeps. the voyager deck doesn't fit exactly as my idea of a tarot deck. he uses jungianism and other psychological devices. to me it's more of a pyschological tool than a tarot deck. dr. wanless is bent on this one being so positive that all negative connatations are taken out. i like it okay tho. i generally like collage decks--maybe b/c i like to make them! the jury is still out on the nigel jackson deck. i really don't like traditional decks that much. his use of pastels is pretty tho. i hate his death card but maybe if i saw the whole deck. shouldn't let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch. i wouldn't mind adding the aquarian or new palladini but i doubt navigators of the mystic sea will ever belong to my collection. just has no appeal. i haven't seen the merlin deck yet so i can't give you an opinion. you might want to check out the sacred circle. some ppl here speak highly of it. it's one of those decks you either relate to it or you don't. i don't but it's still a well done deck. the sacred rose has some nice art but i don't like the empty eyes. tarot of a moon garden is gorgeous if unsophisticated. the hudes deck is also nice. i have found the art nouveau to be a great reading deck. it doesn't intimidate querents and the art is outstanding. imho it's a great beginner's deck.

hope this helps a little. as a general rule i think most tarot-holics are pretty picky about their fav decks even tho we're generally willing to add just about any deck to our collections! we are all amazingly diverse in our likes and dislikes!

 

[truthsayer]

i know you said you don't like any collage tarot decks but you still ought to consider looking at the rohrig deck. it's quite beautiful and powerful. it's a little like the vertigo but much lighter. it's also a very sensual deck. you might want to look at the arcus arcanum. some many decks! so little time!