tarot....?

Question

Hey guys! Does anyone here do tarot? or is able to suggest a set of cards for ME to get....I wanna learn, I was pretty good at it when my friend had them....so if ya'll could gimme a little advice, that's be AWESOME....person who gives me the BEST description of a deck or the person I think was honestly most helpful, will get all points! THANK YOU!!!....if you need to message me to find out about me or something to help get a matching card set, that'll be fine

[e-mail] (also my IM)

Answer 1

in choosing the deck its best to pick one you have an affinity for. go to a bookstore that has several decks on display or look at the images you find on google of popular card decks.
if any image makes you react with a smile or any kind of positive feeling than the deck it came from should work for you. avoid the crowley set, its skewed strongly to the darker sides which makes it a difficult deck to work with.

Answer 2

Hey and welcome to Tarot. There are so many beautiful decks out there that it's hard to say really. In fact, I own around 45 myself just because I can never make up my mind. :) Just as a start, though, here are a few that I can recommend right off the bat.

1. The Robin Wood Deck
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/robin-wood/

This deck is based on the traditional Rider Waite deck, but with a different twist. This is a gorgeous deck. The colours are beautiful and the overall feeling is very positive and empowering.

2. The Hanson Roberts Deck
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/hanson-roberts/

This was my first deck. It's smaller in size, so it's easier to shuffle. The artwork is soft and very expressive. Both this one and the above deck are done in such a way that you're left with hardly any questions about the meaning of each card.

3. The Druidcraft Tarot
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/druidcraft/index.shtml

Well, depending on what you're into this is a very nice "themed" deck. It's full of beautiful Celtic imagery and it has a mystic kind of quality to it. It has a nice warm feeling and is very down to earth, unlike a lot of other Celtic-themed decks which seem to be nearly hyper-fantasy. You won't find dragons or faeries in this one.

4. The Fey Tarot
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/fey/

Of course, if dragons and faeries are your thing, this one is probably my favourite fantasy deck. It's not really based on Rider Waite to the extent that the previous 3 are, but you can still read it just like any other RW deck if you have a good book at your disposal. This deck has a great, almost Anime quality to its artwork.

Those are my top recommendations. Happy deck hunting! :)

Answer 3

The Thoth Tarot of Aleister Crowley is my personal favorite. (that's the deck someone else warned you about ;-) ) I have been using Crowley's Thoth deck for years. It is by far my favorite. The imagery is very intense, very powerful. The cards are designed for meditation, scrying, and trance, and each card provokes an emotional response. This deck is so thick with symbolism, that one can spend a lifetime studying its beauty and complexity. It is because the deck is so potent, and perhaps also because of Crowley's reputation, that the Thoth deck gets a bad rap. It's not exactly a beginner deck, but don't let anyone scare you off of it. If that deck speaks to you, I'd say go for it. You'll also want a copy of Aliester Crowley's _Book of Thoth_, and Lon DuQuette's _Understanding Aliester Crowley's Thoth Tarot_, to help make sense of it.

The Rider-Waite deck is the most popular one to start with. The artwork isn't the prettiest -- but this is because it was one of the first mass-produced Tarot decks on the market, and they therefore used as few colors as possible to make printing easier. There are now several new versions of the Rider -Waite deck -- such as the Radiant Rider-Waite, and Universal Waite decks -- which take the original Pamela Colman-Smith art and re-color it. This makes a huge difference. My favorite is the Universal Waite, which is colored by Mary Hanson-Roberts. Another deck I really like, which takes its inspiration from the Rider-Waite deck, is the Morgan-Greer Tarot. The artwork is beautiful.

For learning the Tarot, the Mythic Tarot is a great deck. This is especially good if you know your Greek mythology, because the Major cards are all based on Gods, and the suits of the Minor Arcana are based on different myths. Relating each card to an aspect of a story really helps to understanding the cards and remembering their meanings.

As far as books go, A. E. Waite's _Pictorial Key to the Tarot_ is probably the most popular, but his writing style is a little dry. I really like _The Magical World of the Tarot: Fourfold Mirror of the Universe_, by Gareth Knight. Llewellyn also publishes a series of books called "Special Topics in Tarot," which may be worth checking out.

Now, my girlfriend really likes the Housewive's Tarot. I thought it was just a novelty at first, but she's really serious about it. She says it's only a "joke deck" on the surface. The symbolism is actually traditional, but translated into 1950's American archetypes. Weird, but it works really well for her. She does awesome readings with it.

Hope that helps.

Answer 4

I have been reading the tarot for over 20 years now. Of all the decks I have worked with ( and I have collected quite a few), the easiest to handle is the Hansen-Roberts deck. The cards are close to the size of a regular deck of playing cards and fit easily in my hand. The images are similar to the Rider_Waite deck but they have a softer look and a bit more cartoonish.

Answer 5

I read Tarot but I think what you should do to find yourself a deck is to go to a store like Barnes and Nobles or a metaphysical store and go to the Tarots. Look at them ... if they have a sample deck flip through them ... find the deck that YOU like ... the deck that calls to you. Not every deck will and you may even buy a deck, bring it home and try to use it and find that it just doesn't bond with you. That's OK. Not every deck will work for you ... it's natural. You may even buy a deck that won't bond with you for a while then one day find that it does.

I use and Egyptian deck that I knew I had to have as soon as I found it. I also bought a classic Rider Waite deck that I don't like. I tried using it once and just couldn't do it.

Bright blessings!

Answer 6

You should pick your own deck. The only string I would recommend is a good instruction pamphlet at the least or a matching book you can buy. You should find a Book store or Pagan shop, look at all the decks, and run your hand across them without actually touching them. One or more should cause a reaction.

Don't be upset if the deck you react with isn't the most beautiful or weirdest. Remember the deck is a tool not a display item of your taste.

Answer 7

Personally, I prefer the Cosmic Tarot (English Edition) designed by Norbert Losche but that's a personal preference & I've had mine for over twenty years so I don't know if they're still on the market. You should follow the advice given by the previous two answerers & get one that you feel comfortable with, one that rings a bell with you. Check out various decks at your local occult store, they should have a varied selection, I find it easier to make a connection with the cards if you actually hold them as opposed to just looking on a web site. Good Luck.

Answer 8

Check out http://www.aeclectic.net - they have descriptions, reviews, and pictures of TONS of decks.

They also have information on card interpretation, spreads, etc.

I personally use a "cheap" deck that came in a "learn to read Tarot the easy way" starter kit. I don't use the book, but I have had a really good connection with the deck. It's kind of weird. =)

Answer 9

Rider universal deck is the best deck that I have seen and used. Remember that when you buy a deck to look for the total cards. Some decks don't have the major arcana. You need 72 cards.

Answer 10

I'd suggest that you get a basic Rider-Waite deck to learn with and then branch out into a theme deck that attracts you. Looking at your avatar, you might be interested in the Joseph Vargo deck. It is vampire based and his art work is dark. But his images aren't as closely based on the meaning of the cards so it makes learning the basics about tarot harder in the beginning using his deck. When you are versed in basics then using his will bring you lots of enjoyment. I have lots of decks and Vargas' is one of them. I use different decks for different reasons. Rider-Waite is my basic that I go to when I am struggling for answers or have one of those hard to define "feelings" that I need to scope out. Spiritual path work is done with my Sacred Circle deck. Hope this info helps. Blessed Be.