Barleywine
I'm curious whether anyone has thoughts about where the middle ground lies between decks with deep esoteric symbolism (Thoth, the various Golden-Dawn-based decks) and those that are - even if only nominally - RWS-based but mainly just pretty pictures with titles (Mystic Dreamer comes to mind). Regarding the Waite-Smith deck itself, even though Waite withheld much of the arcane symbolism, the contribution that Smith made with the scenic minor cards has become the de facto standard for what I think of as "middle-of-the-road" interpretation (regardless of what you think of that; personally I'm ambivalent and tend to resist it, going more with various correspondences - numerological, elemental and astrological chief among them).
Although the symbolically complex decks are my personal preference for private use, for public reading I'm always on the look-out for decks that offer something "just a little bit more" than stock RWS-style imagery but - short of going full-in with Tarot de Marseille or Etteilla and exploring oracle decks - I've come up a bit empty except for options like the Chrysalis Tarot. This lack of variety is probably what pushed me into Lenormand.
Suggestions, anyone?
Although the symbolically complex decks are my personal preference for private use, for public reading I'm always on the look-out for decks that offer something "just a little bit more" than stock RWS-style imagery but - short of going full-in with Tarot de Marseille or Etteilla and exploring oracle decks - I've come up a bit empty except for options like the Chrysalis Tarot. This lack of variety is probably what pushed me into Lenormand.
Suggestions, anyone?