What kind of things should someone consider when trying to choose the perfect tarot deck?
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Back to the post…
I know there are others out there who, like me, admittedly start squeeling when one of our favorite artists announces a new deck – tarot or oracle, or we find out about a deck that we simply MUST. HAVE. That is the easiest way to choose a tarot deck!
I am currently waiting for the Tarot Apokalypsis by Erik C. Dunne and Kimberly Huggins, a favorite tarot creation duo of mine. You can see many of the cards as they are released on the Tarot Apokalypsis Facebook page. I love the artwork that Erik does; I love the prose that Kimberly uses to describe the meanings of the cards; I love the presentation that they use: a gorgeous box with rich colors and elements of gold. The cards are just the right size in my hands, and the card stock is quite nice – not too thick, not to thin… just right! Their Tarot Illuminati deck is one of my FAVORITE decks! It is stunning, full of detail, and the deck is easy to understand because it is based on the Rider Waite system (you can see it on their Pinterest page). All in all, a great deck to work with – and that makes me want more decks from them!
When I am not waiting with baited breath for a deck, then it is something of exposure to certain tarot artists and their work. For example, I love most of the oracle and tarot decks from Doreen Virtue, and I choose to pick those up when the mood strikes. Angels, Ascended Masters, Goddesses… they all speak to me, the decks help me with my Shamballa Reiki sessions, and I love having a variety of different sources to call upon for guidance for myself and for my clients. Not only does Doreen release cards that can allow you to connect with different deities, she also covers a variety of different topics like Romance, Life Purpose, and Healing. She also co-creates decks with Radleigh Valentine and other experts, like Robert Reeves, ND.
I became more familiar with Robert Reeves, ND’s work when I was volunteering for Doreen Virtue and Radleigh Valentine in Zurich, Switzerland this year. Actually, I had the privilege of working quite closely with Robert, as I was helping translate his one card readings from English to German for his German speaking fans who were there! After getting such an up close and personal and very thorough introduction to the Flower Therapy deck, to Robert, and to his philosophies, I had to have the deck. I love it’s gorgeous pictures and its simple, but very striking messages! And, he is a super nice guy, so I was happy to support him by buying his cards and book!
Another great reason to choose a tarot deck is because of a feature specific to a deck. For example, I heard about the Psychic Tarot‘s Chakra cards, which allow a reader to either lay out a card for each of the different energetic centers in the body or shuffle the Chakra cards into the deck, allowing for energetic influences to show for different happenings in a person’s life. Those go so well with Reiki and energy therapy sessions, and I LOVE using them to get a little more information about what a person might be storing in a particular Chakra. Please be aware, though, that the Psychic’s Tarot isn’t a standard tarot deck.
There are also oracle card decks being released by fabulous spiritual and wellness authors like Louis Hays and Dr. Wayne Dyer. These decks make excellent additions to your collection, and can add more information, cues, and clues into a reading!
And then there are themes, like Ancient Egypt, Angels, Halloween, dragons, fairies, cats… you name it and there is likely a tarot deck that is based on it! Personally, I have the Isis Oracle deck and there is an Ancient Egyptian tarot deck I have my eye on, along with the Art Nouveau deck and a Jungian deck as well… (Yes, I am a little addicted to decks… Just a little…)
Of course, when choosing tarot decks for your collection, you have to also consider the classic decks. I don’t feel that any tarot collection is complete without the Rider Waite deck and the Thoth deck. Both are foundational decks that many, many other decks are based on or refer back to. The first deck I ever bought was the Thoth deck, and I find it to be one of the most trustworthy, open, and humanly honest decks that I have worked with. I learned so much from that deck – and I also learn from the Rider Waite deck every time I use it!
There are going to be decks that you love the imagery from, but that just don’t resonate or work well with your energy. For example, I have the Shadowscapes Tarot deck from Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and it is phenomenal. The artwork is stunning – dreamy, light, airy – simply beautiful… but that deck and I haven’t been able to work well together. I just can’t get the same level of messages from it as I do from other decks I work with. Maybe I will work with it more because I think it is such a beautiful deck and I WANT to connect with it! I do! I do!!
And there are also decks that I just don’t like, no matter what others think of them. Well, I like them, but they are just not ‘my style’ – like some of the darker, heavier decks, and cutsy themed decks. No thank you; they aren’t for me.
Bottom line is that your tastes should drive your tarot and oracle deck choices. You don’t need to work with a particular deck because it is what everyone else is working with. But, there is such a wide variety of tarot decks to choose from that there is bound to be something that fits your specific taste and needs.
Some great resources for checking out new decks are:
Your local bookstore or metaphysical shop. They will likely have at least a few different decks for you to look at. If you have the chance, take a look at the cover art and the booklet. If you can get your hands on a sample that they have, make sure to shield yourself before you touch it, tap out the old energy in the deck, and then leaf through the deck to see how the imagery and artwork strike you and what the energy of the deck feels like. Even if you can’t hold the deck, holding the box and concentrating on it should give you an indication of how that deck would feel to work with.
AclecticTarot.com has a wide variety of decks listed. They show a variety of the cards in the deck, all of the stats, and also have several reviews to peruse.
Lisa Frideborg’s blog – Lisa interviews the decks as she gets them! You can check her work out here: Lisa Frideborg
You can check out my deck selection here: My Decks. If you’d like to schedule a reading with me, click here.