Decks You Wish You Hadn't Bought?

Tiggy-cat

Wow, catching up on this whole thread, very interesting! I wanted to mention that I *have* found a site where whole decks are shown, (every card), but it sounds as if there is no permissable way to mention it here?

Anyway, it's great to see all the cards in a deck and I've learned that although I REALLY like the imagery of the Feng Shui deck, the Empress card ruins it all for me. Having just had my experience w/that card in the "future" position for someone I hope to be with, I can't think of ANY more unappealing depiction of that card. Grandmotherly, masculine, YUCK. From what I've seen of the rest of it however, I like it a lot. I especially like the Death (called Transition) card in that one. But too bad about the Empress, just ruins it all for me!
 

Barleywine

Grandmotherly, masculine, YUCK.

What? They've got a recent picture of Steven Tyler on that card? He looks like somebody's hippie grandmother these days :)! My least favorite deck continues to be the Yaeger Tarot of Meditation, especially the pips. Boring! I think I'll make it my "timing" deck as Nisaba describes them.
 

Tiggy-cat

What? They've got a recent picture of Steven Tyler on that card? He looks like somebody's hippie grandmother these days :)!

HAHA!! Oh dear...I do like his music but I hope my Desired One doesn't see me as Steven Tyler. OR as a hippie grandmother!!

Too funny...
 

direwolf336

The Zombie Tarot

I haven't bought these, but after looking at the images, I won't be. They just don't do a thing for me, even though I am a fan of zombie flicks!
 

arya ishtar

goddess tarot.

and visconte-sforza. it's beautiful, but sad.
 

Minnie

Tarot of Marseille is horrid i could never connect with it .
 

periwinkling

Mystic dreamer, gifted it. Can't even remember why I wanted it - I think it was in the beginning, when I just didn't know what other decks were out there... And I thought I wanted a deck with real people in it. I figured out, I don't. So I guess I did learn something?

Same reason I ended up disliking the Archeon, just can't connect with it. The images seemed very magical, but there is just something I don't get.

The Fairy Tarots by Lupatelli - I Hated the pips. Traded. Also, I think I have to separate artwork I like (I love love love his illustrations!) and artwork that works for me in tarot.

...And again, that same misconception goes for the Shadowscapes Tarot. I have loved Stephanie's art for a long time, and was looking forward to this deck, but haven't connected with it. The cards look too similar to me, at least in this format!

Universal Fantasy Tarot. I actually used it for a while, but something just disappeared from it.

The jury is still out on the Carta Mundi Lenormand and Titania's Fortune cards. I'll give them some time, maybe it will be like the Piatnik lenormand, I loved it, got it, hated it, love it now for sure :)

P.S. If you're interested in Archeon, Universal Fantasy and Shadowscapes (+book), PM me, all like new. I just want to get rid of them, maybe you can get me a kindle book or two.
 

Stradust

Haindl tarot is my one regret. I really haven't connected with it and I am considering trading it. The colours and pictures are uninspiring in my opinion. The card size is large and doesn't suit me at all...such a shame as I think it was a relatively expensive purchase and I think I bought it because it looked very different from my other decks.
 

Aliceiw

...In fact, anything by Ciro Marchetti. :(

Yes, I agree Frank. Although I think Ciro Marchetti’s decks are excellent, gorgeous, and well thought out...they just don’t work for me. I did learn, however, that having real people in a deck is also something that doesn’t work for me. I don’t understand exactly why, but I get a sort of shock when I turn over a card and see someone staring back at me, LOL.
 

Naomi Ningishzidda

Super interesting and funny responses here! I particularly thought the piece about the Elf Tarot being secretly psychotic and bloody was very amusing. I definitely need to get a copy of it. I also love the OSHO tarot although three of the cards seriously creep me out - which is difficult to do...

I BURNED the Thoth tarot. It was physically attacking me. lol...I was not doing The Great Work as Crowley would put it. Yet, neither was he all of the time. Still I deserved the terrifying experience I had with it.

I now use its (nervous) replacement exclusively. It's the tarot with "the best form" hands down. At the Abrahadabra Institute we corrected a few minor mathematical problems with it but it's the finest tarot in the category of alchemical and occult form.

If one is not a professional then they should feel free to burn or redistribute it at will, unless you have dedicated your life's work to occultism and establishment of high standards in the occult, nobody should have to put up with a tarot they feel uncomfortable with.

The artist, Frieda Harris was a lovely and sweet lady, if people just have a problem with Crowley (understandable) remember that she's more in the art than Crowley is...he was just responsible for the symbology.

I really regret considering buying The Tarot of the Silicon Dawn. I had been looking forward to that deck for years. YEARS. Just a few months before it was released I read clips from the book and was very hurt and upset to find the author made some anti-semitic remarks and generally bigoted, ignorant writeups that revealed a shallow person who had no respect for the occult. I really was put off by the whole thing. Like I was literally depressed for days about it.

On the plus side, I found out Llewellyn is definately not a good publisher for tarot as their card stock is just not there. My friends have been warning me away from approaching Llewellyn for years now even though I really dig their packaging. I could be wrong about this but I was under the impression Llewellyn was new to tarot publishing. All of my decks have been US Games and off-brand...