Best Meditative Tarot Deck/s

Modern Ananda Tarot with book seems to be 'meditative flow'

to me.

Something about the palette of the colors and the transparency of the images superimposed upon one another. Each card allows for subtle shading of one predominant color with a lighter blend into a softer image. Somehow the coloring of each card seems harmonious with the delicate and subtle repetition of some motifs.

To me, the visuals alone did not excite the mind, they provided some restfulness. When I was able to read the book, I was quite impressed because I felt the book was written as an integration of thought and spiritual evolvement with the designs.

I did read a review that noted the writing felt 'mushy' to the reviewer. So there are others who would not agree.

Here's scans, some thoughts in the attached review:

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/ananda/index.shtml

Best regards--by the way, it's 'best' for me maybe attributed to my enjoyment of soft filmic images, quiet moods in photography. The minors do have figures sometimes, but I could see people suggesting most of the minors are 'scenic' or 'skyscapes' (as opposed to landscapes).

Best regards,

Cerulean

Osho Zen!

Tarot of Transformation
Tarot of the Spirit
Druidcraft Tarot (my all purpose deck)

I've said it before and I'll say it again--the Tarot of Transformation--without question.

Frank Hall said:

<snip>...A whole deck that is deliberately designed to put the mind into a meditative flow, helping to settle down the rushed, confused mind and emotions, providing images on a higher plane. The deck becomes a Guide to the "Higher Self"...<snip>

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Your words above made me instantly think of the
Crystal Tarot; it's not terribly recent, but its style
has that same effect on me that you speak of, every time
I look at it. To be truthful, I didn't use the deck for meditation
when I owned it, but the tarot friend who adopted it uses it for
exactly that.

That being said, I must echo RicardoLS:

I'm not sure if what is good for me could be good for you as well.

Click to expand...

...so please forgive me if my own choices totally miss the mark for
you.

Other decks I've enjoyed for meditiation are (as they come to mind):
the Sacred Circle, Celtic Wisdom, Fey, Gill, Daughters of the Moon,
Voyager, Sacred Rose, and currently, the Animal-Wise Tarot.

Probably not what you had in mind.

A "flowing" artistic style isn't nearly as important to me as what
the art is presenting. That's why my choices tend to be on the
bolder, brighter and "busy" end of the spectrum. I like doorways,
landscapes, creatures, or other worlds that are more tangible,
with bold lines and colors...but still with a strong depth of mood.

Moonbow* said:

<snip>...RWS decks don't do that in the same way as I already have pre-conceived knowledge of the meanings and this influences what I am trying to find out for myself...<snip>

Click to expand...

That's a very good point. It explains why some decks work
for meditation, but not for reading, and vice-versa. I do
realize now that the Diamond Tarot began to lose its
effectiveness for me after a long period of exclusive usage.
(That was unfortunate, because it's the best deck I've ever
had for meditation.) It was also a time when I was reading
with the standard RWS and a couple of close variations.
It makes sense that I tend to have greater success with different
themes for my meditation decks, in relation to my reading decks.
I never made the connection 'till now...

Best Meditative Tarot

Thank you for your detailed, thoughtful comments, Logiatrix. Actually, it's not so much that the deck has artistic flow to be meditative, but that it puts the mind into a meditative state, a mental meditative flow. Your bringing in the Crystal Tarot makes sense--- it's certainly one of the best meditative decks in my view, with its attention to color pattern with symbolic depth.
"Some decks work for meditation but not for reading, and vice-versa," you say. This is a remarkable distinction you make here. It's almost to say there are separate "reading Tarots" and "meditative Tarots." Certainly Robert Place's Buddha Tarot and the Roots of Asia Tarot are first and foremost the latter. The Voyager (which you mention) is designed for the Now, as is the Osho Zen Tarot, mentioned before on this thread. So, there are the Now decks and the Yet-To-Happen decks. Two different purposes, visions, directions, Eastern no-time and Western chronological time in the psyche of the Tarot. This two-path Tarot seems stronger in recent years.
Why was the Diamond Tarot so excellent for meditation?

Meditative Decks

I have to agree with WolfSpirit, and Dead Star -- The Tarot of Transformation is an incredible deck for meditation. I just got mine in the mail yesterday, and the "fit" with my personality and where I am in my life at the moment was amazing -- felt like Spirit had personally picked the deck for me.

I'm still slowiy going over and gazing at the cards, but tried a simple "get to know you" new deck reading and had good results with that too.

That said, I also own Tarot of the Spirit by Pamela Eakins, and have found that to be more meditative than predictive. Moonbow is right -- the abstract art pulls you into the cards and makes you go deeper than if you had the standard pictures we associate with RWS decks and their clones.

Blue skies, and blessings!
-FireRaven

I would have to agree that the Osho Zen is excellent for meditation, but I have also used it for daily card readings, as a "focus", and occasionally in a three-card spread to answer or gain insight into a question. However, because I view the OZ as more "non-traditional" tarot, I have not tried using it in more elaborate spreads. I think less is more with this deck.

Although I do not own them (yet), I would have to agree that the Ananda and Tarot of Transformation seem to be ideal for meditation, as well as the Margarete Petersen.

I have found the Gendron and Sacred Circle to be very easy to get lost in... even though they are "photographic" decks, they feel almost dreamlike to me.

Luna

Oh yes, the Sacred Circle, forgot about that one !
I find it a very atmospheric deck, really draws you in.

Gently beyond a dual path...

...I do understand the fragrance of the dual path tarot in terms of East and West seems strikingly unique. I also like peaceable, stilling images at times...but I was thinking meditation could be a little more durable and real-life, reflective of my thoughts and curiousity.

But if one comes from a world of whatever dual path is being shown, this becomes more a naturalistic adjustment. It makes me sigh a little, because as someone posted of something becoming so familiar...it is an agreeable feeling, but it doesn't always open my meditative self to be as open as it should. So my deck choices for reading and opening myself to meditative wisdom may be strikingly different than my regular reading for other or experimental study decks.

I just received something that strikes me as both modern, naturalistic, agreeable to me and yet more of an unknown doorway that opens my adjustments and filters in a better way. I want my tarot pictures to not be static to my creative mind, but also spark interaction--so that my meditations are not just spiritual high spots, but really interactive with my life.

I just received the larger, more vivid Tarot of Eden and it's otherworldly, yet calm depths...and I've not been disappointed with the few Urania Verlag titles that I have translated into English. Each of my titles, whether Via, Ananda and now Tarot of Eden, seems to be focused in a different, yet deep bent. The systems and art and truely felt and thought out by the authors and artists.

By the way, the first interaction I had with the first smaller version of Eden Tarot was pictures only. I made it a study project of decorating the pips and constructing a storyline that went with the majors and courts. I look forward to actually reading what the author and artist intended now and the large cards as a reading, meditative tarot deck. My old study version is more a fictional set of pictures and a storyline for creative writing examples!

Hope my meanderings are appropriate reflections on the topic.

Cerulean