Which Tarot deck?

Question

I used to have The Witches Tarot deck but found it very difficult to learn with due to the minor arcana portion being very generic (like a deck of playing cards).

Can anyone recomend a more illustrative deck that I could use to learn the art more easily?

Answer 1

I like the Hanson Roberts deck, the Robin Wood Tarot and the Connolly Tarot Deck. Because their imagery works well for my readings. I don’t like the darker cards like Crowley’s Thoth Tarot, but each to their own.

The many different tarot decks available will all portray symbolic imagery which must then pass through your psychic senses and, given the context of the questions asked, bring forth a tarot card meaning that significantly answers your question.

You can use this four minute video as a brief meditation on the tarot that, repeatedly viewed, will help you learn how to read tarot cards psychically. http://www.psychic-junkie.com/tarotvision.html

If you are using Tarot cards as an oracle, you may be more inclined to read card meanings and spreads. But if using Tarot Cards as a tool for Psychic Ability you would be less likely to hold to any hard and fast guide lines. I’m a profession psychic and use Tarot Cards in a random way. In 25 years of professional readings I’ve never used any ‘meanings or spreads’ of tarot cards from any books.

So if you want to develop ‘Psychic Ability’ throw the books and guidelines away and let the images inspire you. But you may need to try the Rider Waite or another imaged deck.

I believe we are all psychic, but for the majority the gift or the belief has been long knocked out of them. Educated out is another way of looking at it. Many professional psychics have grown up in a psychic friendly environment. Perhaps a grand-parent or parent with the knowledge has helped bring the extra sense out in the open and encouraged its use. But there are as many practicing psychics who have not had the benefit of caring psychic guidance and who have still managed to develop and hone this natural extra sense. The Psychic Sense.

To tap in to it more you can go to my free develop-psychic-ability page here: http://www.psychic-junkie.com/develop-psychic-ability.html

But on the other hand, if you want to use the Tarot as an oracle, a form of divination that needs no real ‘psychic ability’, then keep the books and use the meanings and spreads if you prefer.

Here is a free download demo for a great Tarot program. To keep the size of the demo manageable it contains the Rider/Waite deck, the actual program will have 10 complete decks. This Demo version of Tarot is a full working copy for 30 days. So you get 30 days to study meanings and spreads! http://www.free-tarot-download-demo.wotsnext.com

Answer 2

I like the Medieval Scapini Deck, honestly. It's got a lot of great symbolism. The Rider-Waite deck is the best to learn with, I've found. It really depends on how you feel about the decks. The Thoth deck just leaves me cold, but I have the Fairy Tale Deck and it's been great for me. I also have the Celtic Dragon Tarot, which is a good deck, and I have the Shakespearean Tarot, but I'm not wild about that one. I bought the Vampire deck thinking it would be cool, but the energy was REALLY off so I ended up giving it to my sister.

Start with Rider-Waite and go from there. It really depends on the vibes you get from the deck personally.

Answer 3

That's odd. The Tarot, and in particular the minor arcana, is as much about your own interpretation of the cards you draw as it is of those of your predecessors. The idea of a playing-card Tarot deck seems to miss that entirely. Or maybe, it says a lot about the reader as one prepared to rely entirely on past observations...

The Rider-Waite deck art is pretty close to the underlying idea, since there're lots of subtleties in every picture that are open to flexible analysis of your own. I think, though, that it's really whatever suits your tastes. Your emotional and rational responses to the cards will be different depending on the art, so picking a style where your initial response suits the level of evaluation you're prepared to put in to your own studies is a good way to go.

Answer 4

BEWARE!

These are the original Egyptian Tarot cards from which so many other Tarot decks derived.

http://www.vopus.org/en/content/view/345/132/

They are sacred and we are not allowed to ask any unserious question(like "how will be the weather tomorrow", "am I beautiful or not", yes-no questions,etc.); the question must be serious(for example "why don't I get a job yet?", "what can I do to solve my family problem?","why I still can't find my soulmate",etc.). Also they must be sanctified before use, not letting others touch them(they'll lose accuracy since they will be charged with your energy), make some prayers before asking the Tarot, asking our Inner Father(the Divine within us to answer our question through the cards- the cards don't give an answer on their own, it's our inner Being that gives the answer through them), we must cense them before asking, sitting in a protective circle and so on.

Tarot cards are very attacked by Demons that is why we need to be careful not to use Tarot cards that you can find at any store, that are just derived from the originals and need to perform some protection stuff before using them. Cards being attacked by Demons=> attacking us too, our minds of course(I remember 2 dreams where one made incantations to my mind and I had to burn the cards).

Answer 5

I use the Sacred Rose tarot deck myself because I love the imagery and it feels good, but the Rider-Waite deck is usually recommended for beginners and lots of Tarot 'How to' books use it for reference and illustrations. The best way to find a deck that is suitable for you is to go in person to a New Age/ Occult shop and ask a member of staff for advice - in my experience they have always been willing to help.

Answer 6

Aleister Crowley's "Book of Thoth" deck...

Illustrative doesn't even begin to describe it. Each of the cards is perfectly illustrated in particularly deep ways.... and you could be searching for years and still not see all the various implications that are expressed in the images.... yet see something new and thought-provoking every time.

Answer 7

I always found the Rider-Waite deck very good. It is really nice to look at. The minor arcana have pictures on, which is helpful and A.E. Waite was an extremely accomplished esotericist.

Answer 8

Goddess Tarot cards and the basic Begginners Tarot!

Answer 9

I have Aleistair Crowley's Book of Thoth tarot cards.
They are very decorative & I personally think they are easy to translate because the pictures speak for themselves. You could probably have a look at sample cards on the net somewhere to see what you think of them.

Answer 10

I use the Diamond deck, it is a Rider-Waite variation and is a good one to learn with.