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What deck do you use? I prefer the Times New Roman of tarot, the Rider Waite (designed by Pamela Coleman-Smith as any fule kno) but the Thoth, Marseilles, witches and Haindl decks are very good IMO. I tend to prefer older decks but there are exceptions.
The Haindl is a good example of new decks to start with actually, developed by Rachel pollack (who's great, the best Tarot commentator I've come across) and Hermann Haindl the artist, here's a link and here's some pics-
(temperance)
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Here's a minor to give you a flavour-
The cards have a corresponding rune, hexagram, element etc. and the suits are each a different tradition, Native American, Celtic, Indian and Egyptian, and the book to go with it is excellent and goes into plenty of detail.
Not a deck for beginners but you can stare at a single card for hours and keep finding more. -
Oh, and by contrast there are hundreds of novelty decks, almost all themed on the Coleman-Smith images and almost all rubbish, here's the Gummy Bear Tarot as an example-
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CommentAuthorApophatic Anarchos
- CommentTimeJan 16th 2009
I Own The Dragons Tarot, The Babylonian Tarot, The Enochian Scrying Tarot, Liber T, Thoth and Angel Voices deck, I work with the The Dragons tarot and the Babylonian Tarot mainly, Occasionally delving into the Enochian Scrying Tarot which is more suited for ritual work imo.
Babylonian Tarot -
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Why do you prefer those decks?
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CommentAuthorApophatic Anarchos
- CommentTimeJan 16th 2009
The Babylonian Tarot because i have read around the Babylonian myths since about 1996 and i find that the cards while not representing some of the mythic characters bring the myths to life for me, especially since they focus on the story of Marduk. Also they employ kabbalistic correspondence which i am familiar with from the thoth deck which gives them a wider use within a ritualistic context.
The Dragon deck because, well there dragons ! , but also because it uses the minors to represent dragon and serpent like beings from across 4 continents and the cards present a narrative like structure, great for story telling, which i think is mainly how i read the cards, i see them as presenting a story with characters from the cards in which i am following the narrative.
So each card while a part is not as important as what all the cards say together, together they are a narrative they relate a sequence of events that reflect into the past present and possible future.
I guess i find some card sets easier to self identify with, i can give myself over to them when i read and then allow the cards to inhabit me and still remain important after the reading, because i have a context for serpents and dragon and ouroboros like symbols in my own altar and ritual work, they fit into my working environment. They also make a simple reading into a more cultural affair, sometimes providing a detail in pictures that leads to more research to be included in altar work and also why i find those details important.
You can tell i read mainly for myself. For me they have to have a functional use in the practice as a whole, much like the candles and incense burner, pictures and other objects they have to represent and provide a meaningful narrative to the experience and provide a dialogue between my work and actions and my sense of self in relation to the archetypes/entities i am working with. -
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Times New Roman. I'm generic like that.
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CommentAuthorMiss Twist
- CommentTimeJan 19th 2009 edited
I have the Vampire Tarot and the Deviant Moon Tarot deck. The former is my preffered.
I originally had the Rider Waite which I hated with a passion. It didn't speak to me at all.
The Vampire Tarot just called to me. I was 16, identified as goth and I've always had a thing for the blood suckers. As an adult I guess it's kind of like an old friend. I get precise and clear readings from it (most the time anyway).
Pictures over here.
The Deviant Moon I bought for the art. I'm learning to like it but I find the art unsettling, it feels almost sinister to me.
Pictures here. -
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The deck I've had for the longest is the Norse Tarot. I thought I was looking for a Celtic deck, but none of the "Celtic" decks I could find felt like what I was looking for, and this did. It happens that now I am far better versed in Norse mythology, and Runes, this deck is a little bit off, but I still like it. These days I only bring this deck out when I am specifically asked for a reading regarding a Norse power, or else she (that is the deck - yes, I'm animistic) demands to come out. I call my Norse Deck my "Yoda" deck, because she's the one most likely to say "Know this already you do." if a querant asks an unnecessary question. I've had people offer to buy her off me. Apparently they're out of print.
My main deck for quite some time has been the Robin Wood Tarot, which is basically a variation on Rider-Waite-Smith, but with some of the more overtly Abrahamic symbols replaced with more Pagan symbols, and more powerful feminine depictions (without registering out of balance to me, but perhaps it might to others, I don't know). I agree with the common assessment that this is a good deck for beginners. My copy is particularly chatty, and somewhat prone to giving me a reading about whoever in the room has the loudest problems before she'll let me answer the Querant. She's easy to have divination conversations with, though, which is nice. I've named my Robin Wood deck "Regina" for somewhat humorous reasons. Only "Regina" and "Yoda" have nicknames. My other decks have not yet shown me quite so much personality.
More recently, since my "Yoda" deck is mostly retired, I've been using another deck which feels similar to me in vibe, which is the Legend Arthurian Tarot. Unfortunately I'm nowhere near as well-versed in the applicable legends, and every single card is a specific reference. And yet, I do find that if it matters much, I can read fairly well with this deck. I just can't pick up any slack if the Querant isn't seriously pushing for answers.
Even more recently, my "Regina" deck is halfway through cleaning - I had to stop and haven't had the time to pick it back up again, which I'm aware is kind of lazy of me, but the side effects have been fruitful, so I'm okay with it. The main side-effect is that I've taken up with the Universal Waite deck, and find it reads almost the same. I prefer this recoloring to other RWS decks, as it seems very crisp without being harsh or blocky, as other colorings sometimes do. I'm appreciating getting into the clarity of symbolism the grand old Waite has in it, which gives me greater appreciation for the symbolism in more abstract decks that I have ordinarily avoided. I'm of a storytelling bent, myself, so abstract decks are usually more annoying than helpful in my style.
I've also finally sucked it up and gotten a copy of Crowley's Thoth deck for study, but I still can't stand to read it or get readings from it. I only use it for reference.
I also have a New Orleans Voodoo Tarot which is also more for study than reading, but less for studying the Tarot and more for using the Tarot to help me study the Loa.
My Wonderland Tarot (which I'll probably just call "Alice" if I keep using it seriously) works amazingly well, but more because I'm incredibly familiar with the reference text - it ends up a weird form of indirect bibliomancy, rather than Tarot, when I'm done.
I own many, many more decks, some of which I've done a reading or two from, but most of what I own is primarily for the artwork, rather than any need for Divination.
--Ember-- -
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CommentAuthorelectric monk
- CommentTimeJan 20th 2009
I tipped my hand over here, and I must say I absolutely agree with quantum's assessment of Rachel Pollack. The book that accompanies the Vertigo Tarot is very informative and user-friendly. I got a lot out of it when I started to read seriously, and it was my Tarot reference guide for a fair few years before that. I'm also a huge Dave McKean fan, so this really was a must-have deck for me. The symbolism of some of the Vertigo characters is meshed with most of the Major Arcana, which can be helpful in reading for certain people. The artwork is also vague enough that the Vertigo elements can be ignored if so desired. The Minor Arcana are left to be their own beautiful selves and contain some elegant surprises. There's a wonderful site for viewing the cards here, and I recommend a close-up look at the Eight of Swords for one of these surprises.
After 13(!) years of use, the edges of the cards are worn and yellowed, while the imagery remains fresh (thank gawd for clear matte finishes). The corners of the hardcover book are tattering, the dust jacket was destroyed long ago, and notes are scribbled into the generous margins. The binding has held up extraordinarily well, and the quality paper stock means no rips or tears in the pages thus far. Still, this is really not the way a limited-edition first print is used to being treated.
I feel incredibly close to this deck, and am not sure I could read with another one. It feels...personable. Like an old affable friend I can always talk to who can be relied upon to tell me how it is if I'm willing to listen. It also helps me to feel confident when I read, as odd as that is to admit. Because the artwork can be so captivating up close and because the deck itself is somewhat rare, querents seem to me to be somewhat surprised by them. They want to look at them and unlock what's hiding there, and that brings them that much further into the reading. Which makes my job a little easier. -
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I'm currently doing most of my work with the Transformational Tarot by Arnell Ando. She's fantastic. I love the art on many of the cards though a few don't speak to me as loudly as the others. I did readings with this deck last night and loved how bold the images are.
My sister who taught me the tarot suggested this deck as my long time deck The Fanastical Tarot wasn't doing it for me any more after a really long time of use.
For myself I use the William Blake Tarot deck which I'm madly in love with for helping with creative projects. Plus I dig decks that are designed for you the user to mark up and make your own.
Rachel Pollack is an amazing lovely person. She did a reading for me a few years back and it was life changing in a very gentle supportive way. I took a class with her at the same convention and her playful animistic way of interacting with the decks/cards made complete sense to me. If you ever get a chance to see her or take a class from her I highly highly recommend it.
Plus yo, DOOM PATROL!!! -
- CommentAuthorMordant Carnival
- CommentTimeJan 20th 2009 edited
The Haindl/Pollack deck looks astonishing, but anything that tries to do one-one correspondences between the Tarot and the runes makes me bite my knuckles and whimper. Generally I mislike attempts to plug NT gear into other trads. I don't see how such can be accomplished without losing some or much of the richness of either system. I mean, the numbers don't even add up! Unless you're dropping characters off the Elder Futhark (24 runes) or the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc (31), or using the Younger Futhark (16 runes) and making up numbers from other runesets, I suppose. And the order of the runes and the order of the Major Arcarna are really important, and they don't line up--you'd have to shuffle the runes around.
Oh fuck I just had a horrible thought. What rune is the Moon? PLEASE TELL ME IT IS NOT THE "BLANK RUNE." -
- CommentAuthorMordant Carnival
- CommentTimeJan 20th 2009
I just Googled the correspondances. I'm sorry, I know this is Quant's favourite deck but wut?Fool Wynn - meaning - Joy
Magician Peoh - Cattle
High Prietess Ur - Aurochs or Rain
Empress Thorn - Thorn
Emperor - Ansuz - Stag
Hierophant - Radh - Wheel
Lovers - Ken - Torch
Chariot - Hagall - Hailstone
Strength - Sigil - Sun
Hermit - Is - Ice
WOF - Jara or Ger - Year
Justice - Nyd - Neccesity
Hanged Man - Tyr - The Norse God of War
Death - Ba or Beorc - Birch Goddess
Alchemy - Laguz - Water
Devil - Eolh - Elk
Tower - Yr - Wrong
Star - Eh - Horse
Moon - Othal - Property
Sun - Gebo - Gift
Aeon - Peorth - Secret
Universe - Another form of Gebo - gift
Seriously, that's just a stack of wattage right there. -
It's fucking gorgeous to look at though. I can see why Quants would dig it for wealth of symbols to stimulate the reader's brain meats. But as a general rule I find stacking systems like that to be problematic. The runes and other symbols probably become more of a design element than a functional layer of info.
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Chariot =Hailstone? Surely the obvious would be Raido?
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- CommentAuthorMordant Carnival
- CommentTimeJan 20th 2009
Maybe take comparative divinatory systems to another thread. I just had to flag it. -
I've had the Rider Waite deck since I was 12 or so, and I'm still a complete and utter incompetent at using it (or any other deck) for divination.
I love the incredible density of symbolism in the Thoth deck (alchemy, astrology, geomancy, kabala, etc.), and probably use it the most, but it always sparks dozens of little mental comments and quibbles. ("Oh, another phallic symbol." "Right, he's reversed the attributions here." "Do the crossed legs represent sulfur or Jupiter?") And Crowley's personality and opinions shine through, for better or worse. -
- CommentAuthornatfrobinson
- CommentTimeJan 21st 2009
[Electric Monk] - I've just picked up a pack of the reprinted Vertigo Tarot, and I find the deck very pleasurable to work with. The book is of great quality, and the cards themselves... while I was initially dissapointed with them - I was expecting more obvious references to the Vertigo universe - I have come to really love them. In fact, the deck has it's own charm, and I'd be willing to say that it's much more powerful because of that; it takes a life of it's own, not necessarily bound to it's source material at all. I would almost say the Vertigo Tarot was my favourite, but ...
... my Thoth deck is a very jealous creature. It was given to me as a Christmas present from a woman who was extremely jealous of my relationship with my long-term partner, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but I just get powerful vibes of jealousy and ownership from it. Readings are good with it, and I love the deep symbolism of the cards - something I can throw myself into. It's a powerful deck, and I finbd it deeply fulfilling.
Still, can't get over the jealousy thing. Before I analysed just what I felt from using this deck I had my doubts concerning the belief that a Tarot deck can have a specific personality. When I received it I went out, grabbed my trust Arthur-Waite deck, and burnt the thing. That seemed fully justified then - a sacrifice to show my initiation into deeper, more meaningful mysteries - but now... I feel a little horrified. Sickened, even.
The Thoth feels cold if I pick it up after using the Vertigo deck. I often have to apologise to get an accurate reading. I have suspicions as to it ruining my once-favourite Archeon deck - candle-wax splattered all over the cards despite, to my knowledge, me not having lit a candle.
I also own a copy of the Kaos Tarot, by a local Melbourne chaote, and the Necronomicon Tarot. -
Maybe get a new Thoth deck from a loving supportive person and send that one on its way?
Most of my decks were bought for me but I had to buy the Druid Animal Oracle deck for one of the classes I'm taking and I got impatient waiting for the Transformational Tarot to show up.
They all have personalities to me. They even give me nudges about what kind of cloth/box they want to be housed in. The Blake deck ended up with a lovely silver box lined with pale blue velvet and stylized dolphins on the cover while the Transformational Tarot just wanted a piece of raw pink silk. My older deck lives in a creaky brass box.
I tried the Halloween deck many years ago but it was too theme centric for regular use. I tend to retire my decks by way of art projects and collage rather than tossing them or burning them. -
(crap, I just lost a whole post, this is the concise version)
Rider Waite is my favourite deck, the Universal misses some details (check out the hermit's feet) and is a bit too garish for me. The Haindl rune correspondences are problematic, and so are the hexagram correspondences, the names of the minor cards and the court cards (e.g. Krishna is prince of wands) but it's so pretty...the Vertigo is pretty too but I had trouble reading with it, it's in my modest reference library of decks now.
Plus yo, DOOM PATROL!!!
Hell yeah. We should invite Rachel Pollack here, she rules.
Regarding the jealousy, my first deck was the Mage tarot, a spinoff from the RPG based on the Waite;
...and when I switched to the proper Waite deck after many years, I did a parallel reading with both as a transition ceremony of sorts, and it was an interesting experiment. Both decks came out with very similar readings but the retiring deck was much darker, as though the pack was jealous of being superseded and annoyed at being retired. It's weird how strong a personality decks can have, and not just different designs but *that specific deck*. Maybe it's because I mostly do Tarot, but I find cards to have more 'will' than other tools like wands etc. and I think that also applies to rune sets, yarrow stalks etc although I've never invested enough in those forms to know.
I recommend doing two simultaneous readings with different decks though, try it out. -
Oh I meant to say, I love the Mage deck but it suffers from too much theme, as XK says of the halloween deck and like so many of the more recently invented decks.
Anybody else got the Papus tarot BTW? Ugly IMO. -
- CommentAuthornatfrobinson
- CommentTimeJan 21st 2009
Yeah, the sudden emergence of personality from my Tarot cards is one of the most amazing and thought-provoking things I'd experienced around that time. Like a whole new awakening.
I've been wanting a copy of that Mage deck for a while now... I hear White Wolf are releasing another deck based around their newest incarnation of the Mage game which I'm equally looking forward to, though no concrete details besides "We're working on it!" have been announced.
Yech. I'm not too fond of the Papus Tarot either... -
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CommentAuthorfreektemple
- CommentTimeJan 21st 2009
Moved from the "Divination Questions" Thread:
Maybe I'll try my hand at it again one day soon though. Speaking of which, I have a small collection of decks going: My first which was given to me was the 1JJ Swiss, the next was my fave, the Rider-Waite, the 3rd was the Milo Manara Erotic, my guilty-pleasure, and this spring I finally bought the oversized Thoth which I really like but am intimidated by. What does everyone else have?
Well I'm starting to see what people are using.
Time for me to unpack a bit:
My first deck, The 1JJ Swiss, was given to me by my aunt. At first I was dissapointed because I had the Rider-Waite in my mind before I knew there even were different types of decks. The minor cards are very, very simple and one only has numerology and suit-archtypes to go by: Reading them is like reading standard playing cards, which I had used to use before being given this deck. Not having any reference at this point (I was 14), I still prefered playing cards even to the point of removing the major arcana for some readings. My relationship never truly formed with this deck: It was my first serious fling, and still holds a special place in my heart, but wasn't meant to be. I still flirt with it now and then, for familiarity sake and nostalgia.
My second deck arrived in my life 16 years or so later: The Rider-Waite. I really don't need to say much except I suppose I'm pre-conditioned to love this deck. It always feels right. I love the turn of the century art and symbolism. I suppose that the only thing that may feel more "Authentic" for me would be a much older Italian deck or some romantic ideal of a hand drawn Romanian/Gypsy deck. It's a mental block, most probably, but I still love this deck.
Because I'm a fan of his art, I bought The Milo Manara Erotic Tarot. I suppose titilation prompted me as well as the prospect of using it in the way that the Kama Sutra can be used, but I was surprised how functional the deck has proven itself to be. The cards cover all aspects of sexuality from innocence, to being lustful, to being sinister. There is negative as much as positive and a fair share of neutral. The cards also have elemental and zodiacal correspondants. Surprising results when dealing with sexually themed questions. I bought a copy of the deck for a friend as well, and she has been quite taken by it, as well.
Finally, last April, I bought myself the Thoth deck. I love looking at it but it still intimidates me. I bought the oversized version because the art is easier to study and, guilty; because it's the copy Richard Metzger holds in the photo on the back cover of "The Book of Lies". When I bought the BoL, I noticed that I owned every book whose name I could make out in that picture and they had all greatly influenced me. When I found it was the Thoth deck he held, I decided I should own that too... I feel so compelled to work the deck, but I feel held back as well, like I'm not ready. It's waiting for me, and I'm sure it's time will come. I use it now only by pulling single cards when a question bothers me. It still sends powerful messages used in this fashion. -
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I can't remember of the spouse has the Giger deck, but that thing freaks me out.
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CommentAuthorApophatic Anarchos
- CommentTimeJan 21st 2009
I once owned that deck, sold it eventually, the novelty wore off, the author of the deck made an interesting choice of images for different cards, but it always seemed like a Taschen postcard book turned into a 22 card tarot deck, never quite felt whole, at least to me. -
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- CommentAuthornatfrobinson
- CommentTimeJan 21st 2009
I've played around a little with the Giger deck, but as much as the imagery struck me I just couldn't get a grip on divining with it. It always seemed a little weird, and I treat it as nothing more than a novelty deck now. -
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CommentAuthorCaptainFez
- CommentTimeJan 21st 2009
Miss Twist: have you seen Robert M. Place's vampire deck? I'm not particularly one for vamp decks, but I love his style:
There's some more info on this page, and he makes some interesting substitutions: Renfield instead of the Hanged Man, for instance.
His decks are really interesting, I find, as he generally gives a lot of thought to what he's creating. I've a copy of the original version of his Alchemical Tarot, which adds some alchemical depth to regular tarot imagery:
I own a Thoth, but I find it difficult, unsurprisingly. I need to learn a lot more about the deck before I feel remotely comfortable using it. Or maybe I need to buy one without a history.
I've also a regular Marseilles deck, a Victoriana-influenced one which I bought on the back of the design alone, and one called the "Renaissance", which seems to feel good for readings about everyday endeavours.
But for the most part? I use a Universal Waite, because the imagery is traditional, but the colouring is more sympathetic. It feels like my "home" deck, but I'd be happy to feel that about some of the others I have. It will take time, I suppose.
My Universal Waite is in my bag pretty much wherever I go. -
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- CommentAuthorevongvisith
- CommentTimeJan 21st 2009
I used to use the Golden Tarot but found that it didn't resonate with me so much, so I gave it away.
My favorites have been the Vampire Tarot that Miss Twist likes, and the Halloween Tarot illustrated by Kipling West. For some reason I can read fairly well with either of them. -
- CommentAuthornatfrobinson
- CommentTimeJan 21st 2009
Fez: Oh, God, what I'd do for a copy of that Alchemical Tarot...
Also, I find the Sun card for the vampire deck is strangely appealing. -
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CommentAuthorCaptainFez
- CommentTimeJan 21st 2009
Nat: the Alchemical has just been reprinted. The original one (which I have) had pillars on either side of the image. They appear to have been nixed from this edition.
It's on sale through his site for $30 US though that's without postage. According to bookfinder.com, which allows you to set your home country and currency - and include postage in the quotes returned - you can buy it from Amazon for $57 Australian, mailed to you. (Which gives the cards as $30 anyway - so why not buy from the bloke?)
I like the Sun image, too. The writeup on his page is pretty interesting, also; it seems to have a basis in logic, not just in "that looks hellacool". -
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- CommentAuthornatfrobinson
- CommentTimeJan 22nd 2009
Fez: Thanks for the information. I'm most certainly going to be grabbing a copy of that deck. -
- CommentAuthorMordant Carnival
- CommentTimeJan 22nd 2009
I love the style, but I don't like vampire decks. How can you have a The Sun, with all of that nice tarot-Sun stuff, if it makes you go on fire? -
That alchemical Tarot looks awesome. I really want one, but might have to save some funds first. Something about alchemical imagery really speaks to me. There's something so poetic and erotic about it, but in a really sound psychological way. It was funny to be thinking that and then scroll down and see Nat loving it too.
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OOOOoooooooOOOOO! WANT!!!!
Ah Fez that's a gorgeous and useful looking deck right there. I love the online reading options as a way of seeing the cards in action as well.
I know some folks dislike online card generators but as I've worked with web servers everyday for the last 12 years, I like 'em fine in a pinch. Sure it's best to have a physical deck but I've gotten consistent results using generated throws as have some of my more advanced tarot using pals. -
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CommentAuthorLiger Null
- CommentTimeJan 22nd 2009
I have a small collection of tarot decks, but only three that I use with any regularity.
The one I use most is, of course, RWS. I like that Time New Roman comparison, by the way. Does that make the Thoth Deck Helvetica or Arial?
My Tarot of a Moon Garden deck holds a very special place in my heart, and I use it for all my personal readings. The imagery is very hippie-trippy, and non-threatening, but with a certain elegance. It also has what's probably the prettiest Devil Card I've ever seen:
I also love, love, LOVE my William Blake Deck, but I got all precious about it since it went out of print, and I don't use it as much anymore. I do have a big problem with the author's seeming implication that "science=swords=negativity=TEH EVAL".
That Deviant Moon Deck looks mega-creepy-awesome. Very Hieronymus Bosch. -
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a Victoriana-influenced one which I bought on the back of the design alone
Ooh, I like that a lot... what's it called? -
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CommentAuthorCaptainFez
- CommentTimeJan 22nd 2009
Quantum: it's called the Victoria Regina deck, and its homepage is here.
XK: I like online readings in that it gives you something completely cold. Of course, the interpretations can be a bit off, so I sometimes use them to read for myself - so the cards aren't drawn but me, but the interpretations are my own doing. Kind of a mixture, I guess.
Mardol: I know precisely what you mean! However, I find myself really at sea with alchemical symbols some of the time. It's certainly something that requires, it seems, a lot of assumed knowledge in order to unlock the messages. That sounds like a thread in itself, methinks...
Mordant - here's what Place says about The Sun. It's an interesting take, but then his thing seems to be adding different brushstrokes to tarot; I'm interested in seeing his Buddha tarot and his Tarot of the Saints purely because of the different slants that the subjects would give the cards:The Sun
The Vampire is mythologically connected to ancient gods of death and the moon and therefore his natural enemy is the sun. The vampire and the moon symbolize the unconscious and intuition, an indistinct area where symbols flow from one to another as in a dream. The sun symbolizes consciousness, logic, and clarity. The sun destroys a vampire in the same way that a dream may be forgotten when one wakes at sunrise.
Again, I can dig some of his variance - but like you, I'm not a vampire deck fan. It makes my skin crawl a little, for some reason.
Liger: More to the point, I wonder which deck would be Comic Sans? *Shudder* Actually, I suspect it may be my Renaissance deck.
I imagine there'd be some really wonderful correspondences with a Blake deck. I am somewhat curious now. What's interesting about the Victoria Regina is that unlike the Blake's anti-science slant that you mention, the suits are represented by sciencey devices - mason jars, revolvers, watches and pens. It fits in with that whole explosion in tech, I suppose, but it's refreshing to note.
A question: how have people found their tarot cards? Do you prefer to be given them, or to buy them yourself?
My first (and staple) deck had been eyed off for many years. I'd always wanted a tarot deck (a Rider Waite - at that point I didn't even know there were other types of deck out there) but had been put off buying one because of the expense. This was pre-Amazon, and imported decks to Australia were expensive.
Anyway, a bookshop near where I worked used to have a big deck section, but they were always out of my price range. I was studying and all that sort of stuff, so money was tight. It happened that, after a good while of me eyeing off the deck, the business decided it wasn't viable any more, and a closing sale was had. The decks had all disappeared, so I was a little gutted, and started looking through the big throw-out bins to see if there were any novels that were cheap that might be worth picking up.
At the very bottom of a box of crappy airport-lit and diet books, I found the very deck (and book) that I'd been looking for. It felt as if it'd been placed there just for me.
Needless to say, I bought it. Then, years later, I actually learned how to read it.
I don't know - I'm just curious to know whether people have had the feeling that some of their decks have been waiting for them or not? -
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CommentAuthorMiss Twist
- CommentTimeJan 22nd 2009
Ooo thats purty CaptainFez. It feels, just looking at those cards, a little static for me. Part of the appeal of the vampire deck is how dynamic a lot of the imagery is.
How I came about having it. Saw it in thehaunted bookshop went ooooo, but nah. I am a horrible procrastinator and knew I'd never learn to use it properly (to this day I don't have the meanings of the cards memorised). I'd never seen the deck before. Everytime I was anywhere from that point on it was there. This all accumulated in one deck falling off a shelf and literally smacking me in the side of the head... I gave up and bought it at that point. :)
it was my first introduction to things choosing me.
My second deck I was just interested in. I was looking for a more "grown up" deck... FAIL. I have no objections to people buying me decks but whether I'd use them really depends on who (ie. whether they know me well enough to pick something that will feel right) -
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Do you prefer to be given them, or to buy them yourself?
I buy my own. There's a common belief (superstition?) that you have to be given them, but I've never noticed a drawback to using ones I've chased down.
What do people do to enchant or bless their decks? Obviously there's choosing what cloth to wrap the beggars in or what sort of box, but do you have any sort of ritual with a new deck?
I tend to take mine places and read for people (on top of the well head in the Red Lion in Avebury on the solstice, between the sphinx's forepaws at Cleopatra's needle at dawn, that sort of thing) and gradually 'charge them up' over the years, as well as simple opening and closing rituals when I read. -
I don't have a single ritual, but I definitely find that taking the time to do something to initiate the deck seems to make a fairly big difference in my... well, relationship... with the deck.
I no longer remember what I did when I first got my Robin Wood, but I know that when I got my Norse deck I sat out in the sun and took each card and held it out in the sun and let the sunlight "clean" each side of each card in turn, and that worked nicely.
--Ember-- -
quantum:Oh, and by contrast there are hundreds of novelty decks, almost all themed on the Coleman-Smith images and almost all rubbish, here's the Gummy Bear Tarot as an example-
I used to think a majority of those are just plainly for novelty value but I have learnt things about tarot from people who like them and use them so this just comes down to taste and preference in my view.
Having said that I own and use the Ferret Tarot which I enjoy using which is different in style to my other deck which is the Thoth. I enjoy studying the cards, noticing little details in the Thoth I haven't picked up, the Ferret is more simple but there is always something there to notice. When using them I haven't noticed a direct difference yet that others notice between different decks though.
The buying or being given the decks debate has always just raised the point that for myself I may find a deck given to me special but that is because of the person who has given it to me not the deck it's self. For example my Ferret Tarot is special because it was brought and given to me by my Fiance, who I know spent a lot of time choosing it for me as an anniversary gift for our engagement, when I use the cards I notice no other difference than that. -
My main port of call for big readings and incorporation into ritual work is still the Thoth deck but for smaller day to day stuff i mostly use the Book Of Doors deck by Athon Veggi and Alison Davidson...
It's not really a Tarot deck but an Egyptian themed deck of 65 cards. There's obviously a huge amount of work gone into them and i find them incredibly intuitive and pretty much had great readings from day one. There is a lot of Schwaller de Lubicz influence in them which isn't really my thing and the numbering is based on Pythagorus stuff but i don't tend to pay much attention to that and just use my own spread as opposed to the one they detail in the book.
The cards are divided into 8 sets (or Doors) of 8 cards.
Tepi-Aui-Un (Family of the 8 Primordials)
Pet (Heaven)
Aakhut (Fire)
Aah (Moon)
Ra (Sun
Nef (Wind)
Ta (Earth)
Duat
With the various Neteru as the cards, the more well known such as Djehuti, Set, Auser, Auset, Nut, Ptah etc along with lesser known Neteru and concepts such as Amsu, Kematef,Meskhenet etc. There are some things i'm not too happy with, the translation of Pet as Heaven doesn't really ring true (Pt is translated as Sky and doesn't have the connotations of Heaven at all) and i think there could have been better choices for this 'Door' title. But apart from that and a couple of other minor niggles its a beautifully drawn deck with a lot of thought behind it. -
Also used the Vertigo deck for quite a while but don't anymore. I love Dave Mckean and it was a lovely looking deck but not hugely great for readings i found. I did use them a lot though until they were pretty tatty. They weren't the sturdiest of decks. I also set fire to a few of them by accident so that didn't help.
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Liger Null
I do have a big problem with the author's seeming implication that "science=swords=negativity=TEH EVAL".
Liger Null, you can still get the Blake direct from the author. I didn't pick up on the science evil thing at all with mine. I rather like the correspondences he's set up. It's got a fantastic energy to read with but I still find it troublesome for pinning down time based events. It's the kind of deck that works best in a combined reading with another deck.
As for working with a new deck I was encouraged by Rachel Pollack's course to interact with them like new coworkers. So no formal ritual but welcomed and introduced to the other decks and special ritual tools. I tend to ask them if they want to do a reading.
I got the Druid Animal Oracle deck as part of one of my courses. It's very pretty but it does on occasion make me cringe over some of the modern gender role stuff being cast back onto 'teh ancients'. It did present me with the new ritual greeting for Swans so that was nice. -
- CommentAuthorpsychopompous
- CommentTimeJan 26th 2009
I haven't used cards in ages and ages, but the sheer enthusiasm (and pretty pictures!) of this thread has inspired me to order a copy of Palladini's Aquarian Tarot. Decades ago I was quite comfortable with it, but in a fit of negative pique I gave them away. I'm curious to see if I can remake their acquaintance. -
My parents and Aunt all use the Aquarian Tarot as their primary deck - well, Mom stopped using hers as primary, but Dad and my Aunt still do. They tell me that when they started, it was that, Thoth, and Rider Waite, and they all chose Aquarian for being the warmest of the three. Dad also has a Thoth deck, but mostly as a study deck.
The generation gap is probably why I just can't use the Aquarian. Something about it feels like an obstruction to my understanding - like being told "You don't get to know". I'm sure it's all psychological for just me. Perhaps because they were all so emphatic when I was a kid that I NOT try to read the cards yet, so I trained myself out of being able to catch messages from those images? I've never pondered the question long enough to find answers.
--Ember-- -
- CommentAuthorZ. deScathach
- CommentTimeJan 26th 2009
The Elemental Tarot. I like it's archetypical imagery, and the use of natural forces to describe many cards in the minor acana. -
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CommentAuthorJoshua Chance
- CommentTimeJan 26th 2009
I got stuck on the Thoth deck many years ago, but there was this kick ass deck in black and white called the Gnostic deck-I believe--that I got alot of really great use out of. The Voodoo Tarot by Sally Ann is really great but doesn't function as a "normal tarot deck"; I really like people who use just a regular deck of playing cards and let their minds go to the real stuff. Most of reading for other people is just using your own intuition and letting the clients stare at the cards, from my years reading cards on Burbon st in Orleans where most were too wasted to care one way or another. Yes the cards help but it comes down to the reader not the deck used. -
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I had been wanting a deck that felt queer, and at the suggestion of a pretty knowledgeable shop owner, I got the Cosmic Tribe tarot deck. The symbolism works for me whereas it might not for a great many other people. I like photomanip decks if they're done well, and I think the images on this deck are done well. I like that I feel like I can see myself and people I know in the cards with people in them. I think the symbolic system probably colors my readings, but so far it hasn't interfered that I can tell.
