Looking for a Deck that made you think about Tarot or about Things in a New Way

[euripides]

I find that I'm not connecting with Tarot like I used to, for a range of reasons that I won't clutter the post with, other than to say that in a sense I don't think the Tarot - or at least my decks, and I have many - have much to say about my life at the moment. (I mostly read just for myself). Have you encountered a deck that gave you a really fresh perspective on Tarot, or opened up your mind to new ideas or new questions, that got you out of a malaise?

 

 

[DanielJUK]

What about shaking things up, get a different type of deck than your usual or usual collection? Why not try a historic deck or TdM if you always use a RWS type. Learn a new tarot type of system. What about changing to oracles or Lenormands and other cartomancy, go off on a different path? What about using them in a different way? Different spreads or shaking up your usual usage of them?

 

Thinking of decks specifically, some suggestions....

 

The Wild Unknown, it's sort of RWS based but it's so different and has no humans in the cards. It gives me a different perspective when I use it. It's minimalist but has surprising optical illusions

Osho Zen, this deck is controversial today with the stories about the Osho organisation. But the deck itself is a tarot deck that is the closest to an oracle than any other deck. Great for meditation and healing type readings

Deviant Moon it gives everyone the creeps but it's great for shadow work and getting to the root of your fears. It's beautiful yet unnerving, something different to the norm

 

I think these decks are really different to most decks and each have a great reading ability

[euripides]

Hmm, liking those ideas. I've always focused on very RWS-based decks, so Thoth or an oracle sounds good. I've looked at Wild Unknown and found it hard to read, but something along those lines might be good - less people-focused. The Deviant Moon definitely creeps me out! 

[Rose Lalonde]

I'm a broken record about this deck, but Tabula Mundi was the one that rekindled my love for tarot, and it's still my go-to years later. It's Thoth inspired. Its accompanying Book M is amazing too.  -- Of course the deck for you will depend on your own preferences, but I agree with @DanielJUK's advice that something different from your usual can help. 

[fire cat pickles]

Of course I'm going to suggest a Minchiate 😈

 

97 cards! Dive into the deep end head first!

[euripides]

33 minutes ago, Rose Lalonde said:

 Tabula Mundi was the one that rekindled my love for tarot, 

 

oh there are some really interesting cards in this deck. I wonder why I haven't considered it before?

Do you have the color or black&white? I'm leaning toward color but sometimes monochrome can leave some space for the imagination and be a little calmer.

Edited May 2, 2022 by euripides

[euripides]

1 hour ago, fire cat pickles said:

Of course I'm going to suggest a Minchiate 😈

 

97 cards! Dive into the deep end head first!

 

Ehhhh the question is do I need the historical rabbit-hole of research that I know that deck will lead me on? Hmm?

[Rose Lalonde]

1 hour ago, euripides said:

 

oh there are some really interesting cards in this deck. I wonder why I haven't considered it before?

Do you have the color or black&white? I'm leaning toward color but sometimes monochrome can leave some space for the imagination and be a little calmer.

I have the color ed. with black borders, with silver borders, in mini size... Yeah.   But no black and white - I think just because the deck creator faithfully rendered the golden dawn color scheme.  (I do agree with you that b&w can be good; I enjoy the first ed. SKT deck.)

[Niobium]

Tabula Mundi is an excellent suggestion, and I'd add SKT to that as well (not as easy to come by, maybe).

 

The Zillich Tarot is also Thoth, so if you'd like something in that watercolor art style it might be a good fit.

 

Terra Volatile is another one that I've been enjoying lately; truly wonderful art with a lot of intriguing symbolism. It comes with an extra suit (Vessels, the element of Aether) and has an expansion pack available which lets you swap out some cards or make an oracle deck.

 

 

 

[Flaxen]

There are brilliant suggestions here already. I’ve also found when in a bit of a tarot funk, that a deck which allows me to explore deeper kickstarts my enthusiasm again. 
 

Along with the above recommendations, the Alchemical Tarot by Robert Place or the Arthurian Tarot by the Matthews are worth looking at. Alchemy is a really interesting study in its own right and the ideas and philosophy behind it can be augment reading with historical decks. 
The Arthurian delves deeply into myth and personal transformation - the books that accompany it are excellent for self-study. 

[DanielJUK]

9 hours ago, euripides said:

Hmm, liking those ideas. I've always focused on very RWS-based decks, so Thoth or an oracle sounds good. I've looked at Wild Unknown and found it hard to read, but something along those lines might be good - less people-focused. The Deviant Moon definitely creeps me out! 

 

I tend to get a bit bored by one system after many months and switch to a different one. The nice thing about different tarot branches or cartomancy or oracles is that you learn a new way of doing it and using it. Oracles can be just a simple nice break from a standard system. Look for oracles that you have interests in but read the reviews first about what it is like. As a good oracle recommendation, I like the Psycards, they are Jungian and basically a deck of archetypes, great for psychological reading. They are also close to Tarot but a whole different system 🙂

 

9 hours ago, Rose Lalonde said:

I'm a broken record about this deck, but Tabula Mundi was the one that rekindled my love for tarot, and it's still my go-to years later. It's Thoth inspired. Its accompanying Book M is amazing too.  -- Of course the deck for you will depend on your own preferences, but I agree with @DanielJUK's advice that something different from your usual can help. 

 

Tabula Mundi is on my wishlist already to get as my first Thoth one day, due to your influence 😉🙂

[euripides]

19 hours ago, Rose Lalonde said:

 I enjoy the first ed. SKT deck.)

Hmm two votes for the SKT. I do like Benebell Wen's insights as a rule. I'm not in love with the drawings - the linework could use a little finesse, I feel - but there's a lot going on in those cards which might be useful. I tend to need complex imagery to give me some hooks, you know.

[Rose Lalonde]

On 5/2/2022 at 7:36 PM, euripides said:

Hmm two votes for the SKT. I do like Benebell Wen's insights as a rule. I'm not in love with the drawings - the linework could use a little finesse, I feel - but there's a lot going on in those cards which might be useful. I tend to need complex imagery to give me some hooks, you know.

I mostly like my 1st ed. SKT (not a huge fan of the current ed. personally) for the mix of Thoth and RWS influences and the GD astrological associations on the cards. An earlier deck that has those same 2 traits with a different art style is the Asherah Tarot if that's of interest. (I have the gamecrafter ed., which is still available, but it looks like Wheatley's site links to another seller.)

[euripides]

On 5/2/2022 at 6:33 PM, Flaxen said:

 the Alchemical Tarot by Robert Place or the Arthurian Tarot by the Matthews are worth looking at. A
The Arthurian delves deeply into myth and personal transformation

 

I do own two Arthurian decks that I haven't spent enough time with, though I'm always a bit conflicted about spending more time with the literature of the British Isles ... I have enough melancholy for our lack of green hills and castles as it is 🙂 

 

Alchemy is a really interesting idea... I'm not sure why I've never quite gone down that rabbithole - the complexity I think? - and that's a nice looking deck. I like the combination of historical images with crisp modern rendering. Alchemy is really interesting but there seems to be endless potential to get the wrong end of the stick, and I wonder how much study is needed to get to grips with its systems. The Place Alchemical sounds *really* interesting... with a companion book that includes attention to hermiticism and Platonism...

Edited May 5, 2022 by euripides

[AlbaTross]

It may be unconventional, but Tarot in Wonderland has often spoken to me in ways that no other deck can.  To be fair, the same can be said of other decks I own, hence why I like having a variety of them.   What makes this one special though is it has a way of contextualizing its message, as presented through a passage of at least one of the Alice books.  For example, its Chariot card presents the scene where Alice tries to play Croquet with a flamingo and hedgehog, and has difficulty because she's attempting to use them as a mallet and ball without accounting for the agency each creature has.  Likewise, while I can't say I explicitly think of the individuals I work with as "tools of the trade", it's possible I sometimes fall into the trap of feeling that way on a subconscious level.  Had I chosen any other deck and gotten its Chariot card, I can guarantee I wouldn't have had remotely the same takeaway.  

[Pierre]

I've been looking closely at the Venetian Tarot deck lately, but it's a bit pricey for me to pull the trigger, but soon I think. Just beautiful artwork, close enough to RW without being a slave to it, some really insightful interpretations. Benebell Wen does an excellent review on it if you're interested. 

[Bodhiseed]

Tarot de St. Croix

https://lisadestcroix.com/35-2/

 

[euripides]

On 5/17/2022 at 12:30 PM, AlbaTross said:

It may be unconventional, but Tarot in Wonderland has often spoken to me in ways that no other deck can.  

 

Interesting. I've never really been able to get into Lewis Carroll, even though I love the 'idea'. I'll check it out, though. I use the rabbit-hole metaphor such a lot. This might be the perfect deck for others investigating this thread, too. 

  

11 minutes ago, Bodhiseed said:

Tarot de St. Croix

https://lisadestcroix.com/35-2/

 

 

I've never seen the St Croix before and it's lovely. I really enjoy painterly images.

[AlbaTross]

17 hours ago, euripides said:

 

Interesting. I've never really been able to get into Lewis Carroll, even though I love the 'idea'. I'll check it out, though. I use the rabbit-hole metaphor such a lot. This might be the perfect deck for others investigating this thread, too. 

I was skeptical about it too, but it’s an example of a deck that really effectively incorporates its theme while staying true to the Tarot.  

 

If anything the deck has helped me understand the Alice books on a deeper level too.  Now I understand that the lack of logic in those worlds is precisely how Alice learns the value of logic, and the lessons she learns in the real world.  It’s about contextualizing real life through the absence of some normal conventions of the real world.  Tarot in Wonderland taps into that in a surprisingly effective way.  

 

Speaking of, the deck has a Rabbit Hole spread in its excellent, full-colour guidebook (along with a Looking Glass one).  It’s a Llewelyn deck, so it comes in a nice box to boot.  

Edited May 30, 2022 by AlbaTross