Earth decks, Air decks, Water decks and Fire decks

I have thought again of this thread, and I have dug into my collection (and into my more recently aquired decks), and I have found a few that I wish to add to my first selection :

- The Rosetta as a fire deck. Eventhough all the elements are represented in the suits, the element that readily jumps out at me when I handle this deck is FIRE !
- The Starchild as an air deck. I do not own this one, but it is very high on my wishlist, and I spend some time looking at it on the net... and it gives me a strong AIR feeling.
- The Chemoneitte tarot, and tarot Nautical 78, for water. These are two more recent aquisitions of mine, and they are water ! The Nautical tarot due to its theme, and the Cheimonette due to its art style and watercolors.

If you have any more ideas, I would love to hear them !

Thank you !

After thought : i meant to include the Spiral tarot in my airy selection earlier, but forgot. It is done now !
This is because I find the art to have a light, transparent grace to it ; and also because in some cards, the characters appear to float in the air.
Several people pointed at the Celestial tarot as an airy deck, and judging from what I see on the net, it certainly is.
I do not own the Celestial, but I have the Spiral from the same author (I think ?) and this breezy quality is still there.
Thank you !

What an interesting thread, Carojulie, I love your lists - very thougth provoking and a really nice way to approach decks, I'll be revisiting and thinking about this idea.

I'd probably differ in my categorisation of the Spiral - it was my first deck and much beloved; I'd call it water, because I find it highly emotional. While the wind is visible, to me there's a fluidity - and there's certainly a lot of water in the deck too.

What about the Tarot of the Distant Past? I don't own this deck YET. It seems rather ethereal and I think air? There's water there, but it has a slightly more restrained, intellectual feel to it I think. http://www.jeritottendesigns.com/item_127/The-Distant-Past-Tarot.htm

euripides said:

What an interesting thread, Carojulie, I love your lists - very thougth provoking and a really nice way to approach decks, I'll be revisiting and thinking about this idea.

I'd probably differ in my categorisation of the Spiral - it was my first deck and much beloved; I'd call it water, because I find it highly emotional. While the wind is visible, to me there's a fluidity - and there's certainly a lot of water in the deck too.

What about the Tarot of the Distant Past? I don't own this deck YET. It seems rather ethereal and I think air? There's water there, but it has a slightly more restrained, intellectual feel to it I think. http://www.jeritottendesigns.com/item_127/The-Distant-Past-Tarot.htm

Click to expand...

Thank you Euripides !

I see what you mean with the Spiral. I can sense the water in it too, though for me the air dominates, but I understand what you mean.
Often, a deck evoques two or more elements, but one element is stronger so I decide that this deck is representative of that element for me.
And often, I cannot make up which element is stronger for me, so I decide that a deck is representative of two elements.
It is the case for the Tarot of the Distant Past. I have this deck and love it, and for me the water element is as strong as the air element in this deck. It is under "WATER and AIR" section in my list in the first post !

But this manner of classifying decks will of course differ from person to person !
Actually, I am curious to revisit my own list in a few years, to see if I have evolved myself in the manner I see my decks !

euripides said:

What an interesting thread, Carojulie, I love your lists - very thougth provoking and a really nice way to approach decks, I'll be revisiting and thinking about this idea.

I'd probably differ in my categorisation of the Spiral - it was my first deck and much beloved; I'd call it water, because I find it highly emotional. While the wind is visible, to me there's a fluidity - and there's certainly a lot of water in the deck too.

What about the Tarot of the Distant Past? I don't own this deck YET. It seems rather ethereal and I think air? There's water there, but it has a slightly more restrained, intellectual feel to it I think. http://www.jeritottendesigns.com/item_127/The-Distant-Past-Tarot.htm

Click to expand...

ANd a short PS about the tarot of the Distant Past : I have first bought this deck when it was only available in small size, and then not long ago I bought the large version as well. I love both, the small one for its practicality, and the large one, whow ! the images are really something in the large format. If you love this deck, you might love the new large version of the cards (sorry I did not mean to enable ! but we have to admit that this subforum "tarot deck" is a big enabler )

My Aquarian deck gives me a very airy vibe. Morgan-Greer seems more earthy but I could be wrong.

I find the Morgan Greer to be very earthy. The Hanson-Roberts feels airy. The difference is the intensity of the colors.

I also find the Morgan Greer earthy. I see the Dreaming Way as watery and I wonder if anyone else feels that way?

I think, as an earth sign, I'm drawn to more earthy decks as a whole, and while I sit here and think about my collection, I realize that earth dominates! I'm gonna go with my most used/recent interest decks.

The Wild Unknown - Earthy (nature + animals)
Chrysalis Tarot - Earthy but has a definite Fiery energy
Pagan Cats - Earthy with a bit of Air
Animal Wisdom - Earthy with a dreamy Water
Animal Totem - Earthy with a hint of Fire
Mystical Cats - Earthy water
Linestrider - Moreso Airy

When I first saw this thread I didn't reply because I was struggling to put my decks in a specific element, now I realize most my decks have two dominant elements to me instead of one.

For instance...

Fountain Tarot - Air and Earth. Practical and astute, but with a kind feel.
Wild Unknown - Earth and Fire. It's got nature sure, but all the subtle colors are so energetic to me.
Slow Holler - Fire and Earth. Makes sense for a deck based in the American South, all muggy heat and thick pine forests. Very passionate, yet grounded.
Animal Wisdom - Earth and Water. Again, the nature element is there, but the colors and the hug-in-a-deck quality makes it super watery to me.
Spirit Speak/Divina Tarot - Fire and Water. All of her decks are just super passionate and emotional to me.
Wooden Tarot - Actually, this one is all Earth. The fire suit is stones! The water suit is flowers! Can't get much earthier than that.