Looking for Deck Suggestions

[Gardener]

Hello Tarot Friends,

 

I have been thinking about how 95% of my tarot decks are either RWS based or Thoth based.  And I find it all too easy to lean on the standard RWS meanings or the Thoth keywords with those decks.  I want to get out of my cage of pre-packaged meaning and into some new symbolism, new territory.  Of course, there is always purely intuitive reading, and I am going to do more of that for sure, especially over in the ISG Reading Circle.

 

But I'm interested in deck creators who have developed their own symbolism for the cards.  Creators who have lived with the cards long enough that they've developed their own personal understanding of the cards which goes beyond RWS and Thoth.  (Also not Marseilles)

 

I've thought of three

 

Mary-El

Voyager

Ironwing

maybe Robert Place's Alchemical

maybe Wheel of Change

 

I was wondering what other people think of my suggestions, and whether you can suggest decks that are rich in unique symbolism.

 

I hope this starts a conversation!

Edited September 22, 2020 by Gardener

[katrinka]

Look no further than the Apesos.

 

Order here:

https://www.apesos.com/shop/apesos-new-tarot

The paintings are very well executed. It's an outlier, barely a Tarot at all.
Truly the strangest deck I've encountered.

[LogicalHue]

I find the Mary-El somewhat difficult to work with physically, but I do still get good results from it. It comes with a lengthy guidebook with a lot of stuff on numerology and hebrew letters.

 

Certainly not for everyone, but to fit with your idea I would suggest looking at the Wooden Tarot. No booklet with that one. Pretty different images, kind of surreal, lots of animals and plants.

[vulprix]

Some suggestions 🙂

 

Mythic Tarot - RWS but dedicated to Greek myth adherence enough to be fresh

Fairy Lights Tarot - So unique, spellbinding
Dreams of Gaia Tarot - Plays heavily with structure. Amazing readings. Heavily pagan, yet worldly in feel.

Tarot of the Silicon Dawn - I believe this one is OOP? If so, such a shame. I love this unpretentious, rebellious, joyful deck.

Gypsy Palace Tarot - Big fan of all the gorgeous red and other riotous gemmy colors. The imagery has a social aspect to it and is quite abstract—not married to any tarot “system”

I hope you find what you are seeking, @Gardener 🥳

 

[Guest]

The Mary-El is a beautiful and very unique tarot. I owned it for some time but ultimately did not make the full connection. If you are looking for a unique tarot I recommend The Elemental Tarot by Caroline Smith and John Astrop. The Greenwood by Chesca Potter, too. 

[Gardener]

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions.  I definitely need the Apesos!  I bought the Mary-El when it first came out, but that was just as I was going on tarot hiatus and I've never even taken it out of the box.  I agree its beautiful, and maybe it's time to get to know it.  Also I am lucky enough to have a Greenwood, and I am starting to get to know it.  Funny but whenever the Greenwood does a RWS scene, like the six of swords, I feel cross with her for not coming up with something unique.  I think that's why I adore the Margarete Peterson so much - so original!

 

I have a follow-up question about the Greenwood.  I have the notes on the cards written by Chesca, but I don't have a copy of the original guidebook.  Does anyone know if it's possible to find the guidebook on the internet?  I feel like there is more to each card, which remains mysterious to me.

 

I have a follow up question for alll of you, my new Tarot friends.  Do you PREFER reading with RWS symbolism, or Thoth or Marseilles?  Or do you prefer reading with cards like the Mythic or the Fairytale or the Buddha, which bring other stories into the mix?  Or cards like Tarot of the Sweet Twilight or the Phantasmagoric Theater, which seem to have their own internal story?  Or something else?  What style of tarot deck do you gravitate towards?

[TheLoracular]

The very first deck I started reading with back in the 1980s was the Voyager deck and at the time, I wouldn't have appreciated the RWS symbolism the same way.  It was exactly what 16 year old exploring the world inside and out needed.   A decade later, it was most definitely the Thoth but now I find the RWS-type decks my favorite to read for other people with because the symbolism is so easy to explain in ways they immediately see.  Its also my favorite type to teach other card readers with. 

The Voyager deck is worth adding to your collection for something "new" and so is the Haindl.  For things now classic but unique.  

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Gardener said:

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions.  I definitely need the Apesos!  I bought the Mary-El when it first came out, but that was just as I was going on tarot hiatus and I've never even taken it out of the box.  I agree its beautiful, and maybe it's time to get to know it.  Also I am lucky enough to have a Greenwood, and I am starting to get to know it.  Funny but whenever the Greenwood does a RWS scene, like the six of swords, I feel cross with her for not coming up with something unique.  I think that's why I adore the Margarete Peterson so much - so original!

 

I have a follow-up question about the Greenwood.  I have the notes on the cards written by Chesca, but I don't have a copy of the original guidebook.  Does anyone know if it's possible to find the guidebook on the internet?  I feel like there is more to each card, which remains mysterious to me.

 

I have a follow up question for alll of you, my new Tarot friends.  Do you PREFER reading with RWS symbolism, or Thoth or Marseilles?  Or do you prefer reading with cards like the Mythic or the Fairytale or the Buddha, which bring other stories into the mix?  Or cards like Tarot of the Sweet Twilight or the Phantasmagoric Theater, which seem to have their own internal story?  Or something else?  What style of tarot deck do you gravitate towards?

Ironically, the Six of Arrows is one of my favourite in the Greenwood. But I owned the deck before acquiring a Smith-Waite. It is worth noting that the association with travel is found in the Etteilla and playing card authors such as Minetta. 

 

As far as I am aware, Mr. Ryan’s writings are unavailable online and are copyright protected. Having read both Chesca’s writings are far superior to the book that accompanies the Greenwood. Her website was a godsend.  The book itself does come up from time-to-time alone at a reasonable price.

For myself I prefer the Marseille-style tarots. There is a numinous quality in these cards. I never require numerology, astrology, Qabalah or other esoteric disciplines imposed on the tarot. But that is just me. If I’m not using the Marseille, I prefer decks like the Greenwood. Nature is the oldest oracle and Chesca got that. 

[katrinka]

8 hours ago, Gardener said:

I have a follow-up question about the Greenwood.  I have the notes on the cards written by Chesca, but I don't have a copy of the original guidebook.  Does anyone know if it's possible to find the guidebook on the internet?  I feel like there is more to each card, which remains mysterious to me.

 

I won't post links here because it's a copyright violation AFAIK, but a google search just yielded 2,460,000 results, some of which appear to be the original guidebook that came with the deck.

 

The copyright still belongs to Chesca. But I do understand needing the guidebook in order to better comprehend the deck. At least you won't be using her work to turn a profit, unlike some people. *cough*markryan*cough*

 

Quote

I have a follow up question for alll of you, my new Tarot friends.  Do you PREFER reading with RWS symbolism, or Thoth or Marseilles?  Or do you prefer reading with cards like the Mythic or the Fairytale or the Buddha, which bring other stories into the mix?  Or cards like Tarot of the Sweet Twilight or the Phantasmagoric Theater, which seem to have their own internal story?  Or something else?  What style of tarot deck do you gravitate towards?

 

I tend to run around.
I use RWS because I started with that one, but I bring a lot of Thoth to it. Thoth is more incisive and RWS is full of blinds.
Sometimes I use the Thoth itself, but I'm certainly not a master at it. I wish I'd found it sooner.
I haven't touched my Marseilles decks in awhile, but I'll circle back to them when the mood strikes. I always do.
Theme Tarots are OK if they're done really well, but so many aren't. I like the Fairytale and the other Baba decks - a lot. But so many of the others seem force-fitted and not well thought-out. I'm cautious about purchasing those.
I don't think I own any decks with their own internal story, like the Phantasmagoric or the Sweet Twilight.
Something else? Well, there's the Thomson Leng I'm working through here, that's based on the writings of Eudes Picard. (There is SO MUCH MORE to Tarot than the Golden Dawn, but it tends to be ignored. And I still love my Vamp, the Majors are based on The Symbolism of the Tarot by PD Ouspensky, published in 1913. The Minors are from the 15th century Tarot poetry of Count Matteo Boiardo.

https://fennario.wordpress.com/2019/04/12/vamp-the-theda-bara-tarot-from-jook-art/

But, that said, I don't get along with all alternative systems. Papus gives me a headache: "synthesis of the antithesis", etc. 😬

 

I guess there's no rhyme or reason. I like what I like.

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2020 by katrinka

[LogicalHue]

I wouldn't say I have a preference over one kind of deck or another. I like to have some variety. I don't know that I've used Thoth or Mersailles (I do try to avoid pips), but I've got the Wooden Tarot, Mary-El, and Phantasmagoric Theater and I read well with all of them. I also read well with the Happy Tarot which is a very close RWS clone, but I don't do so well with Tarot of the Magical Forest which is maybe even more of a RWS clone.

[katrinka]

1 hour ago, LogicalHue said:

I don't know that I've used Thoth or Mersailles (I do try to avoid pips)

You might be pleasantly surprised by the Thoth. The pips are super expressive:

 

Some are bright, some are murky, and there's a title at the bottom of every card. Yes, they're a lifetime study, but you can start reading them almost out of the box.

As for Marseilles, most of us just memorize the number and suit, and embellish with our impressions of the flowers, color pooling, etc. It's actually much simpler and straightforward than the RWS.

Never, ever be intimidated by pips. 😁

[LogicalHue]

On 9/28/2020 at 12:38 AM, katrinka said:

You might be pleasantly surprised by the Thoth. The pips are super expressive:

 

I actually was referring to just Mersailles with the pips comment, I'm not even familiar enough with Thoth to say anything about it really 😅

[ImaginaryFriend]

I like to read with a deck that fits my question.  For example, a dark deck like Dark Angels for a question like "why have I been feeling down lately", or a positive deck like the Happy Tarot if I want to find the blessing the day has to offer.  In general, I prefer decks that have their own theme, symbolism, and personality - it helps me look past the cards' traditional meanings and find my own, more personal ones.

[testpattern]

On 9/29/2020 at 9:29 AM, LogicalHue said:

 

I actually was referring to just Mersailles with the pips comment, I'm not even familiar enough with Thoth to say anything about it really 😅

I found moving to Marseille so freeing. For me, reading with pips is the difference between visiting a city with a map and just riding a tour bus. 

[LogicalHue]

2 hours ago, testpattern said:

I found moving to Marseille so freeing. For me, reading with pips is the difference between visiting a city with a map and just riding a tour bus. 

I feel just the opposite, essentially. For me, if its a pip all I can do is look up the definition - this amount of dots means this thing. But if I've got an image to work off of, there's more to explore, its more flexible and open, there are more possibilities and potential visual connections to other cards. There's just more.

 

And as far as the acquisition of new decks, given the context of the original post, pips just feel like they didn't do the whole job. Back to your original metaphor, a new deck is like getting a guided tour from a local. Seeing the whole system from someone else's perspective. I don't want that only for the majors as the minors are equally, if not more important to me.

[testpattern]

On 12/2/2020 at 1:22 PM, LogicalHue said:

I feel just the opposite, essentially. For me, if its a pip all I can do is look up the definition - this amount of dots means this thing. But if I've got an image to work off of, there's more to explore, its more flexible and open, there are more possibilities and potential visual connections to other cards. There's just more.

 

 

I feel like the illustrated minors force certain moods and meanings on cards that should be allowed to be more flexible. You have to have a comfortable handle on whatever numeric symbolism you want to work with, and you need to really study your deck. The X of Batons is very different between a Dodal Marseille and a 19th century Italian. It's certainly different from the RWS, but the way that cards blend is quite satisfying. 

[IntuitiveAffinity]

The muse tarot! The pictures are beautiful and trigger my intuition.

[Ekati]

On 9/23/2020 at 3:02 AM, katrinka said:

Look no further than the Apesos.

 

Order here:

https://www.apesos.com/shop/apesos-new-tarot

The paintings are very well executed. It's an outlier, barely a Tarot at all.
Truly the strangest deck I've encountered.

This is so beautiful i ve just ordered it😉