Are some decks better than others?

ivanna

And I think some of you would say yes, so I would like to know about your opinions. Is the fairy lights tarot deck worst than the Rws? I saw here people saying that there are decks.that doesnt have much from tarot. Are they worse than others? I think the fans of Thoth for example will say yes. Do the thoth or the Rws offer more insight or give better readings than the Mary-El or the Fairy Lights? Or just they give different readings, one is more erudite the other is more intuitive?
I would like to hear your opinions. I have been reading with the Fairy lights and the mary el with pretty decent results to be happy.
But I never tryed the Thoth even when I have a nice green box because I think I read more based on a Rws system and The Thoth will ask me for some study before using it.
 

greatdane

Ivanna

I don't think there is better or worse, it's what the reader resonates with. Some decks FOLLOW certain tarot structure more, but as far as being better or worse decks? I think it's what the reader feels is better or worse for them.
 

RavenDarkWind

I'd say yes, mostly because there's a possibility for a deck to be totally bereft of spiritual meaning. Just my idea, though.
 

Zephyros

In my opinion, yes. Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, one could say that there are better and worse Tarot decks just as there are good books or films and bad ones. I very much enjoy action flicks, but I couldn't say that they are "quality" films. In the case of Tarot decks, you can see the difference between one that is well thought out, planned and executed and one that is slapped together by an incompetent artist who began working with a basic premise that is either dull, childish, racist or merely stupid, and then ran out of ideas in the middle. Originality is also a factor, as some decks have low expectations of themselves, merely regurgitating the same old RWS scenes.

As to actual comparisons, I would, indeed say that something as monumental as the Thoth does have the potential to give more insights, because it was designed with that in mind and its creators had very high standards and expectations. It can be just as intuitive, but in a different way, and does pose a challenge.

I would also say, however, that anyone can read with anything. I could, in fact, do a reading with the Hello Kitty, but to compare it to the Thoth is like comparing "The Little Engine that Could" to "War and Peace."
 

greatdane

Better/Worse?

Those terms just sound so subjective to me. I can see some decks can seem to go deeper than others, but some decks that look simple hold insight. In who is reading them. So I think there are decks that can seem more complex or more simple, but what one gets out of them is the what the individual reader gets.

Who can say is one is "better" or "worse"? Like Closrapexa said, he can read with Hello Kitty.

Even if one is looking for what is considered a more esoteric deck, it doesn't mean readers will all see it as deeper or get more from it spiritually. I think decks ARE in the mind of the beholder.
 

Zephyros

But the same can be said of anything. Food does not necessarily taste better if I eat it with a gold fork or a plastic one, but the gold fork really is objectively better than the plastic one. It is prettier, more durable, more comfortable and weighs more. Usage doesn't have anything to do with the essence.
 

ivanna

closrapexa said:
In my opinion, yes. Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, one could say that there are better and worse Tarot decks just as there are good books or films and bad ones. I very much enjoy action flicks, but I couldn't say that they are "quality" films. In the case of Tarot decks, you can see the difference between one that is well thought out, planned and executed and one that is slapped together by an incompetent artist who began working with a basic premise that is either dull, childish, racist or merely stupid, and then ran out of ideas in the middle. Originality is also a factor, as some decks have low expectations of themselves, merely regurgitating the same old RWS scenes.

As to actual comparisons, I would, indeed say that something as monumental as the Thoth does have the potential to give more insights, because it was designed with that in mind and its creators had very high standards and expectations. It can be just as intuitive, but in a different way, and does pose a challenge.

I would also say, however, that anyone can read with anything. I could, in fact, do a reading with the Hello Kitty, but to compare it to the Thoth is like comparing "The Little Engine that Could" to "War and Peace."
Click to expand...

Thanks.
 

ivanna

closrapexa said:
But the same can be said of anything. Food does not necessarily taste better if I eat it with a gold fork or a plastic one, but the gold fork really is objectively better than the plastic one. It is prettier, more durable, more comfortable and weighs more. Usage doesn't have anything to do with the essence.
Click to expand...

But with a gold fork maybe you can pick more food each time. Maybe a thoth works like a gold fork and the kitty like the plastic fork. Both are forks but one allows you to catch more info each time?
 

Zephyros

ivanna said:
But with a gold fork maybe you can pick more food each time. Maybe a thoth works like a gold fork and the kitty like the plastic fork. Both are forks but one allows you to catch more info each time?
Click to expand...

Possibly, but I am not a better reader just because I use the Thoth. I don't think anyone is. However, a deck that has that much thought and work put into it (five years in the making and based on a forty year magickal career) merely has the potential to deliver more bang for your buck. If one can be a good reader with a bad deck, how much better will they be with a great one?
 

Sar

I recently got Fairly Lights Tarot and almost scared people up since my readings became so acurate with it. It is quite RWS structured.
 
The Final Rites of AnnonyMouse What do you think about tarot reader that promise dates?