Is it a Must to own a Rider Waite Tarot Deck?

there's no reason that you would have to have one
i had one a while back but it never read well for me. i've gotten some decks that have different artwork but are based off the RWS deck and those have read fine for me.
it's really just a matter of preference.

Zephyros said:

Nothing in Tarot is obligatory

However, it is a good idea to own one each of the "Big Three," Thoth, RWS, Marseilles as they form the basis of almost all modern decks.

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THIS.

Many Tarot books have been written based on the RWS deck, so it is good to have the deck if one is studying the tarot.

Also many decks produced after the RWS deck are based on the RWS deck, so it could be said that it is the mother of the all the rws type deck.

Good enough reasons to own one, if one is into Tarot. I have 3x

Good points. Also, it really isn't that big of a dilemma. The generic yellow-box US Games version is so commonplace that if you do want one just for the sake of having it, you can get it for next to nothing, especially used. The new versions like the Centennial are rather more expensive but still at median Tarot-deck prices.

I have three but mostly by chance, the things just drop in my lap occasionally. Two mini versions one of which is in Turkish and one Centennial which I got as a gift after asking for it. In the past I had several normal-sized ones which I received then later gave away. Later, like Job, I not only received one back but lots, and that's after deciding I didn't need one. All in all I think I've owned about ten in my life, while actually paying for only two.


At some point you'll just have it, it's impossible to avoid.

This is always a great question for any Tarot enthusiast to be asking.

My own take on it says first of all that no, you don't have to own a copy of the RWS. If you want to advance in your Tarot practice, you almost certainly have to own *a* deck -- I can't imagine just studying scans of cards online, and using deck apps on your phone as your only interactions with the cards and their images.

But after resolving to buy an actual, physical deck...more important than "Which deck is the most popular?" or "Which deck came first?" is the question of "Which deck will keep me the most engaged?" If you buy a deck because everyone else says you should buy it, or because the one you pick seems like it's "scholarly" or whatever, you might end up feeling bored by it, and obligated to use it, like a kid resentfully slogging through homework. You won't enjoy it, and your enthusiasm for Tarot may get rather chilled...and how does that help anyone?

Personally, I think you (the editorial you -- anyone!) should get the deck that most excites you, and that will have you not just working with Tarot, but devouring it.

But then here's the second part... As mentioned up-thread, most decks are based on the RWS, the Thoth, or the TdM. Figure out which one serves as the template for the deck you got that excites you, and as you get familiar with your deck, start holding it up against the blueprint. That is, if your deck is RWS-based, study it and play with it and read with it...and also begin to slowly compare it with the RWS (you can do this entirely online if you want -- the RWS cards are scanned all over the place, and discussed just as widely). How are the two decks' versions of the same card similar? How are they different? What's the "generally accepted" meaning for the card that you see most often out on the internet, and how well does each of the two versions (your deck's and the RWS') embody that meaning? What meanings do you see in the card that no one else seems to talk about, and why?

Examining the deck against its source is an incredible tool for learning about your deck, for learning about the original that gave rise to it, and for learning about yourself (as a reader, and as a human).

And as lots of people have also said, working with one of the "Big Three" decks gives you a common language. It allows you to go and reality-check your understandings with other people, it makes tons of free resources available to you, and it can help you to feel connected to a community of sorts if that matters to you. It can also connect you more powerfully to the phenomenon of Tarot in its entirety -- its history, its evolution, its possibilities.

But even just practically speaking, consider that if you ask the population of a message board like this one why the person in the RWS 2 of Swords is blindfolded, versus why the person in the RWS 8 of Swords is also blindfolded, you'll get a flood of answers to consider. But if you ask why, say, there are black and white objects offsetting each other on opposite sides of both the Royal Maze card and the Citadel card in the I Am One Tarot, you're likely to hear only the chirping of distant crickets in reply...

laurenhuang said:

I think i will go for a RW clone that resonate with me.. as the RW don't really resonate with me.

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I don't think any deck is a must. But as for the RWS and wether ir resonates with you. My very first deck was the Hanson-Roberts. Another RWS clone. Because I really didn't feel attracted to the RWS.

However, these days I am the biggest fan of the RWS. What changed? Well, I needed to get a RWS for a tarot course. This course caused me to really delve deep into the deck, see it's beauty and the many layers the deck has. Now I really love the RWS. Just something to think about.

laurenhuang said:

Is it a Must to own a Rider Waite Tarot Deck?
Since it is the Most basic and earliest Tarot Deck, and Most of the Tarot decks in market had a foundation from this Deck.

I didn't have one. But I do have the Tiny Universal Waite Deck.
Now I am thinking if I should buy one?

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I have been following this discussion carefully and I feel I need to add a bit to it besides saying no.

I don't think you need to own ANY special deck, but really you DO own a Rider Waite deck, since the Universal Waite IS RWS redrawn very slightly and recolored MUCH nicer. The point would be to understand the basis for most decks created in the last 100 years--since the RWS came out. The Thoth is total different and a TdM is of course, a pips only on the minor acana style deck. (and TdM--NOT RWS is closest to the oldest tarot deck design) To know what they look like, approximately, is always a good idea but as others have said, ultimately just pick a deck that calls to you, one that when you look at it (without the book) you seem to understand what at least some of the pictures are telling you.

And never apologize and never explain.
barb

hi Everyone

thanks for all the replies and feedbacks

i find that at first glance, i don't really like the RW deck.
But surprisingly as I look at the images more and more whilst studying about it online, it simply grow on me, and i feel that i must have it all of the sudden. Anyone have the same amazing feeling as me?

After reading your replies and doing some research, I bought the Centennial Edition in a Tin.
Very cute and cool !!! now waiting for it to arrive in my house.

I don't own a rws deck and often wonder if I should. But I have the Sharman caselli, that's what I'm learning with and is a rws based deck

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

I thought an RWS was too boring when I first started reading, but now several of the ones I own are go to decks. I recommend spending time with an RWS deck especially for study.

PS - I'm talking about a Pamela Colman Smith illustrated deck not RWS inspired.