the Nightmare of choosing the first deck..

[DamePoplar]

astrology, for tarot, seems deeply interesting and I do want to learn this one day.
I know only a few associations and it is quite accurate. I am amazed at my teacher's knowledge, you feel that this kind of person, a professional reader, understands so much more than what we, poor beginners, can see in cards. She sees the assocations, the details etc..
It makes me look forward to learning!
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[caridwen]

astrology, for tarot, seems deeply interesting and I do want to learn this one day.
I know only a few associations and it is quite accurate. I am amazed at my teacher's knowledge, you feel that this kind of person, a professional reader, understands so much more than what we, poor beginners, can see in cards. She sees the assocations, the details etc..
It makes me look forward to learning!
-

I think astrology is essential as well as elementals if you want to study Tarot.

Once you have an idea of astrological associations you don't even have to intuit from the pictures, you can see how the planets etc work for or against each other. They have aeons of association.

I once experimented with just using planets alone and came up with the most accurate readings. It's the same with elemental dignities which I am on the verge of taking up again.

You can then add numerology, Kabbalah, colour etc and build up your knowledge. It's why I suggest that for a first deck, you choose one of the three main originals and study as much as you can.

You will then be able to pick up any deck and read.

I'm not entirely sure why people suggest buying deck after deck...it doesn't make a lot of sense to me if you want to study Tarot. However, each to their own

 

[Le Fanu]

I'm not entirely sure why people suggest buying deck after deck...it doesn't make a lot of sense to me if you want to study Tarot. However, each to their own

Just to get a sense of different decks. But so many decks look lovely on screen but in the hand aren't quite right. As librraies don't have decks on loan (now that would be nice!), we sometimes have to buy and then discover what we like/don't like and it often takes a few purchases. Scans essentially mean nothing, something I find odd (but true).

I wanted to ask about elemental dignities but so as not to derail the thread, I shall ask elsewhere...

 

[caridwen]

Just to get a sense of different decks. But so many decks look lovely on screen but in the hand aren't quite right. As librraies don't have decks on loan (now that would be nice!), we sometimes have to buy and then discover what we like/don't like and it often takes a few purchases. Scans essentially mean nothing, something I find odd (but true).

I wanted to ask about elemental dignities but so as not to derail the thread, I shall ask elsewhere...

I obviously misinterpreted the question. I thought the poster wanted to find a deck that they could study in depth.

As for elemental dignities, check out Mathers' Book T
http://www.tarot.org.il/Library/Mathers/Book-T.html

 

[RexMalaki]

no worries...follow your heart

The Alchemical Tarot and BOTA kind of defy the clone categorization model.

They are probably both somewhere between Rider/Coleman-Smith and the Historical decks like Visconti-Sforza and TdM.

The Alchemical Tarot is like a TdM with illustrated minors though it does lean heavily on the Rider/Coleman-Smith symbolism. The BOTA is a Rider/Coleman-Smith with unillustrated minors, and it's only line-work so you can color it if you like.

Ultimately, it's a personal choice thing and you are allowed to change your mind. (trades even allow you to get a deck for a deck and no money is lost!).

Every deck you study will add to the meaning/feeling you have for Tarot. That's when you start going beyond systems.

The Tarology DVD teaser is awesome in this way, as Enrique Enriquez reads the graffiti on the walls in NYC like they are a Tarot:
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=155248

So I agree with the outlook, "No worries!" and follow your heart...

btw, not that it really matters, my main is the Ancient Italian...but it hasn't always been!

 

[linnie]

Hi all,

I am new to Tarot, and I am studying it with great joy but I now want to choose a deck with which I can learn in depth and with which I can really relate to.
And I am overwhelemed by all those decks...
I already have a Visconti-Sforza that I don't use, and a RWS with which I am learning the basics. But I want something that I will really like.
I find myself unable to choose!! It seems I like many of them but none of them is perfect, and when I love the artwork, like the Tarot of the Sidhe, I wonder if I'll be able to really work with them...and now I am looking at the Anna K, some of the cards amaze me and others disturb me deeply....
I love the the Old Path but the minors are quite boring...

Have you ever had a similar experience when you started? what can we do in this situation?

Perhaps, you could think through what it is about the V-S deck which is, in your eyes, lacking... Is there a lack of visual/symbolic clues to kick off your intuition/memory? What is it about RWT that led you to work with it rather than the alternative... and what additions would improve it further. If you look at the Top Ten lists of decks, for either year-by-year or of all time, you'll very likely find that there may be one or two you wouldn't mind owning, and another you quite like, and a couple that are ho-hum, and then one or two that just don't excite your admiration at all, or... um... erk... Sooooo, our taste is unique... If you create a checklist with keypoints on it re what you imagine would assist you in your readings, then perhaps that would give you a starting point. That's a last ditch effort, though... I personally couldn't choose a deck that way as I can't be that technical. For me, it is imagery first and foremost, because if it doesn't offer both aesthetic appeal and a platform for imaginative soaring, I won't enjoy it's company... It needs to sing!!!

Le Fanu ... thank you for the reminder re profiles... I looked at saw your favourites list... interesting... I noticed a couple I hadn't paid attention to before!

ETA: I am a slow typist, and refer back to deck images etc a lot which takes even more time, so I missed the post below mine...

Interesting.... my post just now re Le Fanu's 'favourites list' directing my attention to an overlooked deck was actually in reference to the Alchemical... I must have looked at one of the variations of this deck and found that the artwork just didn't quite pull me in, although I enjoy other aspects of it more than the alterante variation... and then the reverse is true a moment later... Whatever the reason, I spent many moments flicking back and forth and thought, "Hmmmmmm..."

 

[Egypt]

Choosing your first tarot deck

I was just asking a similar question the other day ,as i was choosing a new deck as well. I choose the gilded deck for its beautiful imaging and meanings. The best way to choose a tarot deck, or at least the best way for me. Was to look up all of the decks online, and type in your fav, subject. ex(Herbal,Fairy's) and so forth. If you are still having a hard time , then i would say to actually go to the store and look at all of the tarot decks. Touch them ,review them, and eventually one of the decks will call you. You will be drawn to that deck and maybe even feel a good energy coming from it. If you enjoy it ! That is what matters.

 

[DamePoplar]

Thanks for your answer Linnie, well the Visconti-Sforza is a bit too Italian for me..nothing wrong there just that it is not really me ( I didn't really choose it), and there's nothing on the minors really but I must admit the majors are really beautiful.
And the RWS well, that's the one that was recommended to me by my Tarot teacher when I asked her what deck I should choose to start studying.

I am making some lists and trying to imagine what it is liek to have them in hands and to really read from them, but I'll just buy I fancy at the moment and then if it doesn'r work out I'll sell it and buy another one!

 

[GryffinSong]

...I'm not entirely sure why people suggest buying deck after deck...it doesn't make a lot of sense to me if you want to study Tarot. However, each to their own

Because many of us don't study tarot. We use tarot. Big difference, although of course the two support each other. I read intuitively for the most part. I respond to the image itself. The numbers, planets, etc., are irrelevant to me. And since I'm a conceptual, intuitive, artsy-fartsy type, this may always be true for me. Too much study tilts me totally into my left-brain logical side, and at that point I lose what I love about tarot.

For someone like me, each deck brings its own depth, richness, and personal voice. Each has something different to say. And that's a beautiful thing.

To each their own!

 

[Egypt]

Adventure {deck}

Because many of us don't study tarot. We use tarot. Big difference, although of course the two support each other. I read intuitively for the most part. I respond to the image itself. The numbers, planets, etc., are irrelevant to me. And since I'm a conceptual, intuitive, artsy-fartsy type, this may always be true for me. Too much study tilts me totally into my left-brain logical side, and at that point I lose what I love about tarot.

For someone like me, each deck brings its own depth, richness, and personal voice. Each has something different to say. And that's a beautiful thing.

To each their own!

Wow that was a perfect answer gryffin I would say you nailed it. Each deck means something different, and can be used for different occasions as well. I really believe that if you already have 2 decks of which you do not use, there must be a reason you are not using them? They are not detailed enough for you, or maybe they are in a different laguage and very hard to memorize. If that is the case then i wouls say to start out with a deck that has the most symbols and significators on it as possible. Also should get a deck that is in your own language lol. I tried to do that with the De Marseilles deck and let me tell you it dd not work out so well. I had to go online and look up the meqanings for everything in french. So sometimes it is easier to get the deck that you most feel comfortable with. Hope i help you a little bit on yuor quest for your new deck lol. No matter what anyone says , it is definitally a challange picks your first deck lol.