Your first deck?

[shiresun]

The first deck I worked with for over 20 years was The Power Deck by Lynn Andrews, and then I got the Medicine Cards deck. My work, obviously was very different from working with Tarot which I'm just learning. I actually had gotten two Tarot specific decks previous to my current deck, which truth be told, I think of as my first deck because I am actually working with it. The two other decks were the Greenwood Tarot, which I got through a Mark Ryan specific connection when it was released, but I never took it out of the box. The other deck, which I believe is The Prediction deck, I have no memory of where or why I picked it up, or if I was the one who actually picked it up, but also have never used it, so again, I don't regard it as my first deck.

That makes my current Robin Wood deck the deck with which I am actually working, and the one I really think of as my first. I recently got, but am waiting to open for now, The Legacy of the Divine Tarot (thanks to Nisaba's most persuasive guidance ).

 

[TarotbyRachel]

My first deck was the Crowley/Thoth deck and I still use it as my primary deck of choice to this very day. A friend of mine gave it to me and as odd luck would have it, I had also purchased a RW deck for her that very same day. We studied our decks together and practiced with one another and though I felt no connection to the RW deck, my bond with the Thoth continued to grow and continues to grow to this day. I've been reading privately and professionally for nearly twenty years and I'm still discovering new depths within these cards. I'll admit I've been a Thoth snob for much of my Tarot experience, but in more recent years I've begun opening myself up to other decks and appreciating their strengths as well. Still haven't warmed up to the RW though.

 

[alannavol]

My first deck was the Thoth, and like you Rachel, I admit I used to be a Thoth snob for a while, too. But then I grew out of it.

Later on, the Anna.K had an equally huge impact on me, as it was the very first RWS-like deck I bought.


The story began when a friend of mine introduced me to Tarot. She brought her Thoth deck and an accompanying book with her and let me experiment with her cards. The readings were so accurate I was totally blown away - even though I kept reminding myself, "Forer effect, forer effect, forer effect..." - so of course I wanted a deck to call my own.

The artwork on Thoth also blew me away. I had no idea a Tarot deck could look so beautiful! I thought all Tarot decks looked either like the RWS or the Marseille - the ones I had seen in movies and such. I was baffled to realize there were literally thousands of different Tarot decks out there, all of them with unique - and often very beautiful - artwork.

Before buying my very first deck, I did a lot of research about the different decks. I wanted to get my choice absolutely right. That's how I stumbled upon the AT. I literally spent hours trying to find a deck whose artwork would speak to me. No, it certainly wasn't the Rider-Waite, I thought it was fugly. (Yeppers, I based my decision mostly on the artwork! Go me! ) I was hesitant to begin with the Thoth because I learned it wasn't really recommended for newbies, but no matter what, it kept calling for me. So, Thoth it was.

For a long time (ok, like two years, but it felt like a long time) I stayed away from the RWS-based decks, buying Thoth-based or Thothy ones instead. As a newbie, I didn't want to confuse myself with yet another system... and even though I didn't want to admit it to myself, I had also become a little bit of a Thoth snob, feeling somehow more "special" because the Rider-Waite was the most popular deck. (The same has happened to me with computers as well: for years, I used to be a Linux snob, totally loathing the more popular Windows operating system. But I grew out of it, too. That, or Microsoft began making better OS's. )


Then I came across a thread here on the forums about Anna.K (the 1st edition), and WOW! It was so pretty I just had to get it, even though it was very much RWS-like. It was wonderfully, fantastically easy to read with, much easier and way more accurate than any of my previous decks. Maybe it was because the artwork and Anna's explanations just clicked, or maybe it was because of the fully illustrated minors. To understand the Anna.K better, I began studying the Rider-Waite system as well. This opened the doors to the RWS world.

As a result, the ye olde RWS began calling for me. Suddenly I began to appreciate the images I used to hate so much. I realized they were full of symbolism and meaning. Actually, the images didn't even seem so ugly anymore, in fact they seemed pretty cute. At some point, I felt so drawn toward the Rider-Waite, I felt if I didn't get the deck NOW, my development as a Tarot reader would be seriously hindered. I scraped together my last cents and bought a copy.


Looking back, I realize the artwork probably wasn't the only reason I liked the Thoth so much and hated the RWS. It wasn't just the art, it was the symbolism. While venturing into the world of Tarot, I was going through some major Tower-like turmoil in my life. I was healing from my past in a fundamentalist Christian sect, so I was allergic to anything and everything Christian. The Christian symbolism in the Rider-Waite put me off, while the anti-Christian attitude of the Thoth was exactly what I needed at the time. (Interestingly, about a year before getting into Tarot, I had become very interested in LaVeyan Satanism - and LaVey was, for a huge part, a Crowley rip-off! So it was no wonder the Thoth and Crowley's ideas resonated with me.)

When time took its course and my wounds began to heal, I didn't have such a strong reaction to the Christian symbolism anymore. I was able to look at the RWS from a more neutral point of view... and what's more important, I was able to appreciate the fact I knew and recognized so many of the Biblical symbols in the deck, thanks to my Christian background.

 

[Morwenna]

My first deck was the Stairs of Gold--gorgeous, but with unillustrated pips, so I never learned to read with it. I had several books by that time, most of which illustrated their concepts with RWS, though a couple used a variety of decks. So the next one I got, one which I had been ogling for some time, was the Morgan Greer, which was the first one I learned to read with. It's still one of my favorites, though I don't often use it anymore because of others I have got since. The Morgan Greer was really the opening of the gates; though sometimes I open up the Stairs of Gold, and get a little shiver of nostalgia. Oh, and that calligraphed LWB: I loved it from the start, and I really do need to read it through again!

 

[SpiritElement]

I was inspired to purchase my own deck after watching a girl in my high school choir class giving readings from a deck that she had (I believe it was the Goddess Tarot).

I had literally had little (to no) knowledge of tarot decks, or of the types that were out there, and I inadvertently picked up the Rider Waite. It came in a purple and gold box, but when I opened up was a little disappointed - I naively assumed that the cards inside would be as equally attractive as the box they came in.
I was a little disappointed, but I tried to learn them anyway.

 

[Mellaenn]

My first deck was the 1JJ and it's been sitting on the shelf for - I dunno, almost 40 years? I still have it, but it's certainly not a fave.

Later I got the Rider Waite and began to make some progress. Joined AT about five years ago and the rest is history.

 

[Libra8ca]

My first deck was the Universal RWS. I managed to learn basic meanings (using the LWB and a standard tarot book) of some cards but the real meaning of many other cards eluded me for years. Once I took the plunge and bought other decks and books, that's when things 'clicked' for me. I also had read a few books on psychic development just prior to this and I think that also helped open my mind to how the cards work.

 

[Cassandra022]

My first deck was a Rider-Waite which I bought while exploring Wicca at age 13 or so. Learned basics of tarot on that deck. Then kinda mostly stopped reading for a year or two after realizing the whole, its a nice religion but im incapable of religious faith thing, then somehow went back to it once it clicked in my mind that tarot IS for me even if a lot of the rest of the pagan/new age scene wasnt. the art had always bothered me as not really something i liked, me being a VERY anally visual/aesthetic person. My second deck, and the first I bought having a solid understanding of tarot and after a good deal of deck-browsing and deliberation was the Gilded.

Ironically enough I have neither now, having bequeathed both to a friend who is more new to tarot reading than myself. I have this OCD thing where I have to feel that I really like, connect, and can read from all of the decks in my possession. As soon as I got Gilded and then Revelations soon after I knew I wouldnt be reading the RW since I liked it so much less, and once I got Legacy of the Divine...my old Gilded just couldn't compare?

I did see my old RW while at friends' house today...it brought back a lot of nostalgia/memories, to the point of me almost wishing I'd kept it...but I know if I did I wouldnt be using it since, nostalgia value aside, I like it far less than my other decks...so its for the best this way. And that way my I can maintain the OCDness of my tarot collection, lol

 

[AprilFool]

My first deck was the Golden Tarot of Klimt - I bought a copy as a Christmas gift for my brother who was into Tarot, and when he opened the package I was mesmerized by the golden gilting on the cards. I had no idea what the images meant, but I went back to the store and bought my own copy.

Now, some 100 decks later, I STILL have no idea what the Klimt images mean, but I continue to love it! As an admitted "collector" of cards, the artwork is as important to me as the symbolism.

 

[SonOfSaturn11]

My first deck was none other than the good ole Rider-Waite. I thought it best to start with a basic classic to get a feel for the tarot experience, and then try other decks as my reading skills improved. Unfortunately, I've recently lost my deck (it was my only one), and now am biding my time until I have the opportunity to get my hands on another, preferably another RWS, just so I can own a copy, but I'm also interested in Anna K., Deviant Moon, and Abyssal.