Good sites/decks

Queen of Cups 714 said:

I may just stumble upon a recommendation that I had not considered previously but may actually find a connection to.

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I asked a similar question about art decks and got some lovely suggestions. The broadness of your request made me smile... and it's always a welcome question because we love to talk about the decks we love

I did see the 'Shadowscapes' deck and the illustrations are really nice, going over them though I'm not sure if I'd be able to interpret them correctly or as easily

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that was my concern, too. I didn't see enough variation in 'feel' to capture the full range of Tarot.

Do take a look at Kat Black's Touchstone Tarot if you like art - I love the art history basis, and the imagery is complete and rich.

The local bookstores tend to hold popular oracles, like Doreen Virtue. Sadly our esoteric store has closed.

Many Fantastic Decks

I kind of think that tarot decks are similar to wands in the Wizarding World in Harry Potter: The deck chooses you, well it least calls you: This makes the deck you resonate most with your perfect deck.
Yet, for a total novice; given the big numbers of resources, I would recommend going for either Rider-Waite, Gilded Tarot or better, Tarot Illuminati. I am personally not a fan of the second one, although it was my first deck, I find it unappealing, at least for my aesthetic perception.

I would say, consider becoming a subscriber. Some of my favorite decks have come from the trading thread here on AT.

Other than that, I most frequently purchase decks from Ebay, Etsy, and private websites from individual artists. Occasionally, I purchase decks from Amazon or Tarot Garden.

Hmm, I don't have the Chrysalis deck myself, but I have heard that it doesn't strictly follow the RWS tradition. I remember reading a thread that described the deck as nontraditional, and more like an oracle. Again, I don't own the deck, so I'm not sure about that.

Thinking of decks that are colorful and generally follow the RWS tradition, you might consider: Tarot Mucha, Morgan Greer, Tarot Illuminati, Tarot of Trees, or possibly one of Ciro Marchetti's decks.

anilu said:

I kind of think that tarot decks are similar to wands in the Wizarding World in Harry Potter: The deck chooses you, well it least calls you: This makes the deck you resonate most with your perfect deck.

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Thats an awesome way of viewing it

Book Depository is great for mainstream deck since shipping is free. I'm not an Amazon Prime customer so Amazon shipping is quite a factor. For independent decks, I either buy at the artists' site (e.g. Daniloff, Masa September, Dame Darcy) or at Etsy (e.g. Nakisha, Stretch).

Since I have a special fondness for used things, I appreciate the swaps and trades I made here on AT especially. I feel then that a deck is on a kind of journey until it finds a nice home here ;-)

There is one real life bookstore where I used to buy decks but it has deteriorated lately and offers mostly kitschy jewelry and kitschy statues... and for cards, always the same tired five "most popular" decks. It's a real pity I don't have a good source for decks in my area - or is it a blessing for my purse...?

I mostly buy from Amazon, Book Depository, Wordery, Ebay, Etsy directly from artist websites, Facebook (occasionally), and sometimes I have found decks physically in shops but there aren't many shops round here and they tend to be limited in stock. I have bought from ATers in the trading thread too.

I've gone a bit nuts with deck buying because I just love looking at the hugely varied art available in Tarot, the feel of different decks and the completely different energy and style of reading they give.

I started preferring Rider Waite clones or variations because I was much more comfortable with the familiar symbols and imagery. My favourite by far in this category is Anna K. It has a wonderfully warm feeling to it but it has depth and a bit of bite too and reads fantastically. I also really like Morgan Greer - another clear reader and the energy with this one for me is very neutral so suits a variety of purposes. I'm just getting to know the Druidcraft deck and am liking it a lot. A lovely deck that sticks to RWS is the Distant Past from Jeri Totten on Etsy. It's a collage deck but it's really well done and is very beautiful as well as reading well.

There are lots of decks that do more their own thing and have their own systems, and nothing to say you can't dive in with whatever appeals to you. I'm finding decks that are slightly unsettling to be the most effective to work with personally. If the imagery is slightly perplexing or intriguing it gives me more to work with. Some days I want comforting and beautiful and a deck that's like a warm hug. Other days I want to be challenged a bit. These are all questions you can ask yourself when looking at decks.

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another vote for bookdepository!^^ my fav bookstore!^^)
then etsy and artists web sites like this
http://www.infinitevisionstarot.com/
http://www.ellistrations.net/
http://www.basilikon.com/ltarot/
http://www.cathymcclelland.com/html/tarot.htm
http://lightgreyartlab.com/tarot-mystics-and-the-occult
and gamecrafter is on my wish list but not popular outside US for shipping rates n import tax!x,x )

and my fav decks are standard and radiant RWS and DV decks!^^and some selfpublished including my!^^)

I don't suppose that you need another person saying the same thing, but, amazon.ca works well for me. Also like others I have purchased decks directly from the artists and via Kickstarter. The local big chain bookstore here has a surprisingly good selection in their main downtown store. We used to have a fabulous independent one here, but... time marches on.

As for what deck, whew! I gather you want to keep to Rider Waite Smith clones for the while? If you have any Pagan leanings at all and don't mind a couple of jarring cards (Wheel of Fortune, Judgment and Lovers) the Robin Wood is excellent as she plants a ton of visual clues on the cards to help the reader. Her Court cards are especially useful.

I've also bought some of my favorite decks from small presses, creators' websites and Etsy.

Love Baba decks, Robert Place, Ciro Marchetti, Nakisha.

Queen of Cups 714 said:

Thanks UniversesCollide I saw that Gilded Deck and was considering getting that one. I haven't heard of the Robin Wood one. I'm still pretty new to the site and am still exploring the other parts of it. Just a moment ago I saw the portion of the site that shows different Decks. I'll look through that a bit more closely looks like I can get a good idea of what's out there.

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I'm glad you're finding your way around. Others and YMMV but I do suggest sticking to one deck for a while to get a good foundation of skills going. If the one you have now is working for you then that's great, I'm sure it has a lot to teach you. That will also give you time to figure out what deck would be best as your next choice. If not, I completely understand, I couldn't really connect with the R-W until after I'd found a different deck that really spoke to me. If you're in that situation, it would help to know a bit about your interests and perhaps a bit about your ways of thinking.