For those just starting out in Tarot, choosing the right deck is a well-established problem, as there are so much choice. Most people working with Tarot will tell you to ‘follow your intuition’ when picking your deck. This is an excellent piece of advice that makes good sense. Reading Tarot is about accessing your intuition, so finding a deck that speaks to your intuition is vital. But, ‘following your intuition’, especially when you are just starting out, is easier said than done. Here are some practical tips to consider when choosing a Tarot deck.
Enjoy the Research Process
It is hard to know whether it was a blessing or a scourge for our predecessors to have had so few Tarot deck options available to them. They had to go with what was available where they were, whether the imagery and style were aligned to their intuition or not. Within the last decade, there has been a surge in new decks on the market, and this has made choosing the right one a daunting task.
I prefer to think of the wide range of Tarot decks available as a blessing, especially since there are so many Tarot reviews online that you can become quite familiar with a deck before committing to buy. This doesn’t mean that researching the right deck isn’t challenging, but embrace the challenge, and think of it as part of the experience of discovering Tarot.
Learning about the different decks and what makes them unique will help deepen and expand your understanding of Tarot, which will ultimately improve your readings. Try not to get frustrated by information overload, and instead take your time and enjoy the process.
Remember why you were drawn to Tarot
When thinking about what Tarot deck might suit you, think about what it was that drew you to Tarot in the first place. This can help point you in the right direction.
Did you find yourself having a professional Tarot reading that drew you into the practice? Did the cards of your reader inspire you? Think about asking your reader what deck they have and use that as the starting point for your research.
Was it interest in a related field such as Astrology, Kabballah or Wicca that pointed you towards Tarot? If so, start your research with decks that integrate related symbolism.
Was it your belief system that brought Tarot into your life? Are your beliefs Christian, Buddhist, Druidic? Start your search with decks that have been developed within these belief systems and feature related imagery.
Think about how you will learn
How are you planning to learn to read Tarot? Are you fortunate enough to have an experienced friend to show you the way? Have you been following Tarot blogs and have you identified a few voices that speak to you? Or are you planning to learn on your own? This can be a crucial factor in your decision-making process. If you are planning to learn from someone else, in person or online, while you do not need to have identical Tarot decks, you will need to have related Tarot decks. It will be difficult to learn from someone if the Tarot decks you are using are fundamentally different.
Take for example the Rider-Waite deck and the Thoth deck. While both decks were created by members of the occult group known as the Hermetic Order for the Golden Dawn in the early 20th century, they are fundamentally different. Both are based on older Tarot decks which featured the 22 Major Arcana, and the 58 Minor Arcana, though the Minor Arcana resembled ordinary playing cards, using pips rather than imagery. While the Thoth deck kept the order of the Major Arcana and the use of pips on the Minor Arcana, the Rider-Waite deck reorders the Major Arcana and replaced the Minor Arcana pips with vignettes of people. That is not to say that the Thoth deck didn’t make any changes; some of the Major Arcana are completely renamed within this deck.
As well as this difference, the Rider-Waite deck and the Thoth deck are read in fundamentally different ways. With the Rider-Waite deck, the reader decides whether to give a card its straight or inverted reading depending on whether it is dealt upright or reversed. In the Thoth system, there is no upright and reversed, and the reader needs to decide how the card should be read based on where it sits in relation to other cards, and whether the adjacent suits are matched or opposing.
It is easy to see that if you choose a Tarot deck that is from a fundamentally different family of Tarot to your teacher, the learning process will be challenging.
If you are thinking of learning by yourself, you probably want to avoid selecting an overly obscure deck that has been designed for experienced Tarot readers. Instead, pick a more popular deck for which there are lots of resources available and people to give you advice. If in doubt, the Rider-Waite deck is the most commonly used Tarot deck, and there are lots of resources available. Some resources include my deck reviews section and Numerology Sign. Fortunately, there are also lots of decks that are based on the Rider-Waite approach, so you can find a different deck from the Rider-Waite family that speaks to your intuition and still benefits from all the available resources.
After you have Chosen
Hopefully using your intuition, and following these tips, you manage to find a deck that you think is right for you and you can start reading. The key point in that sentence was to start reading! While you do need to learn the deck, the quickest way to learn is to use your deck, doing readings, at least for yourself. It is no problem to consult your resources during a reading. Not only will you learn faster, but using the cards is the only way to verify that you have found a deck that is right for you. Finding your Tarot deck can be a game of trial and error, and it is also a game that doesn’t end. As you develop your understanding and experience with Tarot, you will find yourself evolving and wanting new and different things from your deck. Accept that you will probably go through several decks in the course of your relationship with Tarot.
This article is a guest post by Christine Hirlehey. You can find more articles by her at www.numerologysign.com.
