Best decks for connecting cards, 'story' & unity in a reading

One of my ongoing challenges in reading is to connect the various parts of a spread into a meaningful whole. I'm getting a lot better at reading individual cards, and sometimes have what feels like flashes of insight. I can sometimes see obvious connections between cards - such as common symbolism, but otherwise, my readings tend to be a bit disjointed.

I feel some decks must be better than others for this - I'm thinking of getting a trimmed deck so that there is a visual sense of flow (I'm a very visual person).

Have you found some decks particularly good for this? Suggestions most welcome!

I haven't read with it yet, but I imagine that the Dante Tarot would be very good for continuity, because each suit literally tells a story. In your collection, I'd recommend trying out some story telling with the Blake deck, it appears to have a similar effect. That might actually be a really, really fun exchange...

Marseille style decks, especially the trumps. There is clear directionality of figures, and elements reappear from card to card, although often having changed form. It all makes for flow between the cards. You could check out The Open Reading by Yoav Ben Dov and/or Marseille Tarot by Camelia Elias if you're interested.

Interesting question, euripedes

as I mostly read tarot for myself, I do one question, one card. I may wind up using three or four cards, but it is to clarify.

That's for tarot and just me.

I do three card spreads for Lenormand, which I never read for myself, but read for others, and I read that differently.

But whether tarot, Lenormand, any deck, for me it would be the deck or decks that lend themselves to creating a flow for me.

Everyone is different, so we all have our certain decks we feel we read the best with because they resonate for us. For me, it should feel effortless.

JylliM said:

Marseille style decks, especially the trumps. There is clear directionality of figures, and elements reappear from card to card, although often having changed form. It all makes for flow between the cards. You could check out The Open Reading by Joav Ben Dov and/or Marseille Tarot by Camelia Elias if you're interested.

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I quite agree! I have been finding lately that reading with the 22 majors of Tarot de Marseille decks (I favor the Grimaud but any TdM will do) results in very fluid and connected readings. I've been following a book called "Tarot Triumphs" by Cherry Gilchrist, there is a thread about it here in the Marseilles & Other Early Decks subforum.

euripides said:

One of my ongoing challenges in reading is to connect the various parts of a spread into a meaningful whole. I'm getting a lot better at reading individual cards, and sometimes have what feels like flashes of insight. I can sometimes see obvious connections between cards - such as common symbolism, but otherwise, my readings tend to be a bit disjointed.

I feel some decks must be better than others for this - I'm thinking of getting a trimmed deck so that there is a visual sense of flow (I'm a very visual person).

Have you found some decks particularly good for this? Suggestions most welcome!

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If you are a visual person, you might enjoy either the Tarot Illuminati or the Morgan Greer tarot. Both decks are vividly colorful and borderless, which might enhance your perception of getting more "flow" amongst the cards.

Some of my personal favorites for flow and storytelling are the Anna K, Druidcraft, Kitty Kahane, Witch's Tarot (Dugan), and any of the Baba Studio decks.

I agree with greatdane that all of us are different, and it is a matter of trial and error in discovering which decks will work best for you.

Tabula Mundi does that the best for me. The minors include colors and elements of the art from their related majors (eg the 8 of Disks -- Virgo (Hermit) ruled by the Sun -- has the Sun inside the Hermit's lantern, so you can't help being reminded of those influences when the 8 of Disks is in a spread). Courts include aspects of related cards too. The art usually makes it obvious (and the companion Book M is great).

Often a spread will have connections that wouldn't have jumped out at me before. That 8 of Disks shares elements of the Sun card in common with the 3 of Wands, 4 of Disks, 6 of Cups, and 10 of Swords and shares elements of the Hermit with several cards too, so the illustrations become a web of connections.

(link is to the old kickstarter, because the illustrations there make the connections clearer than I did)

I've found the Dreaming Way excellent for this. There's so much movement and directionality in the cards, it's like reading pictures in a storybook. In fact, I have to keep reminding myself to not *just* rely on the pictures, and remember other layers of meaning as well!

There's a Dante Tarot !!!!!!!!? Why did I not know this? Ok so I need that deck lol. I do have the Blake... I basically never read with it. It's kind of daunting... it's all a bit you know, fire and brimstone and stuff...

Lee said:

I quite agree! I have been finding lately that reading with the 22 majors of Tarot de Marseille decks ...

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Hmm I do love the TdM, though I don't read with it as regularly as I ought. Perhaps this explains part of the attraction.

Rose Lalonde said:

Tabula Mundi does that the best for me.

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oh interesting. I'd perhaps not have considered this deck but there really is some interesting imagery going on there. I like it when images are complex enough to *allow* you to really dig into them. It's different again to the TdM, where the *absence* of imagery allows room for the imagination.

Pipistrelle I hadn't heard of the Dreaming Way. The images remind me of the artwork in a fairytale book I'd had as a child.

Pipistrelle I hadn't heard of the Dreaming Way. The images remind me of the artwork in a fairytale book I'd had as a child.

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I was put off using this deck for a long time because I felt it was too 'quirky' and 'Wonderlandy' (not my thing). But as soon as I tried reading with it, I quickly realised how good it was. Side-by-side cards work together so well. In my opinion, it speaks very clearly and it doesn't mince its words. Like a 'proper' fairytale