Tarot for Beginners--Why Do People Have More Than One Deck? Which One(s) Should I Buy?
This is the first in a series of posts for those interested in learning the tarot.
Some people who are interested in studying the tarot don't know where to start. New tarot enthusiasts receive or buy a deck and become enchanted with all the possibilities of tarot. When they discover the plethora of unique and different decks available to them, some are like children in a candy store, wanting to taste each one. Some tarot readers have bonded with their original deck and can't understand why anyone would want to use any other.
Here are my thoughts on the subject.
Many new tarot readers are advised to being with the Rider-Waite Smith Tarot (RWS) because many tarot books use the RWS as their default deck. The card descriptions align to the imagery on the RWS. In addition, the Majors of the RWS were specifically "designed" by A.E. Waite, a man well-versed in mystical schools, and the symbolism adds profound meaning to the cards.
I agree with this to a large degree, although I didn't begin with the RWS. I think the most important thing a new reader should seek in a deck is the desire to look at the images A LOT. Otherwise, when learning becomes more of a challenge, you need an incentive to keep going, and loving the images provides that. But we all resonate differently with colors and imagery. The good news is that there are many tarot decks that follow the structure of the RWS, but have different coloring and slightly different imagery, so that pretty much any reader will find something they love or, at least, respond to with interest.
Some of those decks include, but are not limited to:
The Rider Waite Tarot
The Original Rider Waite Tarot
The Universal Rider Waite Tarot
The Albano-Waite Tarot
(You can see comparisons of these four decks here: http://www.tarotpassages.com/waite.htm)
The Illuminated RWS Tarot by Carol Herzer (this is handmade and psychedelic): http://www.tarotpassages.com/illum-pg.htm
The Radiant Tarot: http://www.tarotpassages.com/radiant-mmc.htm
The Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative set: https://www.usgamesinc.com/The-Pamela-Colman-Smith-Commemorative-Set/
The Universal Tarot by Lo Scarabeo: http://www.tarotpassages.com/universal-dw.htm
There is also a gold-foil version of this tarot deck, if you are attracted to the shiny.
All of the above decks use identical imagery to the RWS.
There are also many decks that are similar to but not identical to the RWS:
Aquarian Tarot/New Palladini Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/bursten2.htm
Connolly Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/connolly.htm
Enchanted Tarot/Zerner-Farber Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/bursten4.htm
Gilded Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/Pages2/gilded.htm
Golden Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/goldenkat.htm
Hanson Roberts Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/hanson.htm
Hudes Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/hudesset.htm
Morgan Greer Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/bursten23.htm
Robin Wood Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/bursten8.htm
But as you can see by this no-means-exhaustive list, the beginning tarot reader has a multitude of choices even within the constraints of "Start with the Rider-Waite."
Now, there are exceptions to this suggestion. If you are a young person interested in ceremonial magic, you might prefer to work with the Thoth Tarot or the Ceremonial Magick Tarot, for that matter. If you are steeped in Tolkien's literature, there is at least one deck based on that theme. If that will keep you working with your deck, go for it! Just remember it's not necessarily the standard and buy a book that is not solely focused on the RWS. I always recommend Tarot for Your Self by Mary Greer to beginners, and it is not solely RWS-based.
Whichever deck the new reader chooses, I do advise for the first year that you stick with one deck that you love to look at and learn it well. It will serve you better to develop a deeper understanding of one deck than to use a panoply of decks that may be dissimilar. You want those neurons firing to create new connections, but you don't want to blow all your circuits .
One year will seem a lifetime to some who are feeling deprived--and a day to others who can't imagine using more than one deck. As usual, I'm applying my own form of Temperance. To me, if you don't learn what balance is, you'll miss a vital tarot message.
After that glorious year of bonding with your deck, you may wish to explore others. They're out there, just waiting for you.
There are those who think that's shallow or pointless, though. You may be labelled a dilettante, lol.
Why might people wish to buy more than one tarot deck--who are they and what are their motivations:
a) those with an aesthetic appreciation of tarot wish to have more to appreciate
b) image-based readers who seek to expand their understanding of the cards and add to their metaphoric mental warehouse for themselves and others
c) people who are searching for a deck that synchs with them in an artistic or spiritual way, but who have yet to find "the one"
You don't have to ever buy more than one deck. But I will say that exposure to the way an artist envisions a card that is different than the one(s) with which you are familiar can give you more ways to understand a card and express it more vividly to others. That's how it has worked for me, anyway.
Having said that, don't confuse the number of tarot decks a person has with their level of tarot reading ability. Many brilliant readers only have one deck; many tarot collectors don't know how to read at all. And many of them don't want to--they simply love the art.
As always, my message is find the approach that works best for you, and don't spend a lot of time judging what works best for others.
Some people who are interested in studying the tarot don't know where to start. New tarot enthusiasts receive or buy a deck and become enchanted with all the possibilities of tarot. When they discover the plethora of unique and different decks available to them, some are like children in a candy store, wanting to taste each one. Some tarot readers have bonded with their original deck and can't understand why anyone would want to use any other.
Here are my thoughts on the subject.
Many new tarot readers are advised to being with the Rider-Waite Smith Tarot (RWS) because many tarot books use the RWS as their default deck. The card descriptions align to the imagery on the RWS. In addition, the Majors of the RWS were specifically "designed" by A.E. Waite, a man well-versed in mystical schools, and the symbolism adds profound meaning to the cards.
I agree with this to a large degree, although I didn't begin with the RWS. I think the most important thing a new reader should seek in a deck is the desire to look at the images A LOT. Otherwise, when learning becomes more of a challenge, you need an incentive to keep going, and loving the images provides that. But we all resonate differently with colors and imagery. The good news is that there are many tarot decks that follow the structure of the RWS, but have different coloring and slightly different imagery, so that pretty much any reader will find something they love or, at least, respond to with interest.
Some of those decks include, but are not limited to:
The Rider Waite Tarot
The Original Rider Waite Tarot
The Universal Rider Waite Tarot
The Albano-Waite Tarot
(You can see comparisons of these four decks here: http://www.tarotpassages.com/waite.htm)
The Illuminated RWS Tarot by Carol Herzer (this is handmade and psychedelic): http://www.tarotpassages.com/illum-pg.htm
The Radiant Tarot: http://www.tarotpassages.com/radiant-mmc.htm
The Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative set: https://www.usgamesinc.com/The-Pamela-Colman-Smith-Commemorative-Set/
The Universal Tarot by Lo Scarabeo: http://www.tarotpassages.com/universal-dw.htm
There is also a gold-foil version of this tarot deck, if you are attracted to the shiny.
All of the above decks use identical imagery to the RWS.
There are also many decks that are similar to but not identical to the RWS:
Aquarian Tarot/New Palladini Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/bursten2.htm
Connolly Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/connolly.htm
Enchanted Tarot/Zerner-Farber Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/bursten4.htm
Gilded Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/Pages2/gilded.htm
Golden Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/goldenkat.htm
Hanson Roberts Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/hanson.htm
Hudes Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/hudesset.htm
Morgan Greer Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/bursten23.htm
Robin Wood Tarot - http://www.tarotpassages.com/bursten8.htm
But as you can see by this no-means-exhaustive list, the beginning tarot reader has a multitude of choices even within the constraints of "Start with the Rider-Waite."
Now, there are exceptions to this suggestion. If you are a young person interested in ceremonial magic, you might prefer to work with the Thoth Tarot or the Ceremonial Magick Tarot, for that matter. If you are steeped in Tolkien's literature, there is at least one deck based on that theme. If that will keep you working with your deck, go for it! Just remember it's not necessarily the standard and buy a book that is not solely focused on the RWS. I always recommend Tarot for Your Self by Mary Greer to beginners, and it is not solely RWS-based.
Whichever deck the new reader chooses, I do advise for the first year that you stick with one deck that you love to look at and learn it well. It will serve you better to develop a deeper understanding of one deck than to use a panoply of decks that may be dissimilar. You want those neurons firing to create new connections, but you don't want to blow all your circuits .
One year will seem a lifetime to some who are feeling deprived--and a day to others who can't imagine using more than one deck. As usual, I'm applying my own form of Temperance. To me, if you don't learn what balance is, you'll miss a vital tarot message.
After that glorious year of bonding with your deck, you may wish to explore others. They're out there, just waiting for you.
There are those who think that's shallow or pointless, though. You may be labelled a dilettante, lol.
Why might people wish to buy more than one tarot deck--who are they and what are their motivations:
a) those with an aesthetic appreciation of tarot wish to have more to appreciate
b) image-based readers who seek to expand their understanding of the cards and add to their metaphoric mental warehouse for themselves and others
c) people who are searching for a deck that synchs with them in an artistic or spiritual way, but who have yet to find "the one"
You don't have to ever buy more than one deck. But I will say that exposure to the way an artist envisions a card that is different than the one(s) with which you are familiar can give you more ways to understand a card and express it more vividly to others. That's how it has worked for me, anyway.
Having said that, don't confuse the number of tarot decks a person has with their level of tarot reading ability. Many brilliant readers only have one deck; many tarot collectors don't know how to read at all. And many of them don't want to--they simply love the art.
As always, my message is find the approach that works best for you, and don't spend a lot of time judging what works best for others.