Tips for de-enabling / decluttering tarot collecting

[Chariot]

There are so many tarot people on YouTube, for example, showing off their massive collections, doing videos on clearing the clutter and/or getting rid of old decks to make way for new ones, etc. It's obvious many people out there don't just own one or two decks!    And certainly a few whose collecting habit may have got out of hand a bit. 

I certainly have collector tendencies myself, so I've kept mine under control using a few tricks.

To start with, my current stash is 23 tarot decks that I actually use. I also have 8 decks that I don't use but keep because they are interesting or out of print— like my two prized Walter Wegmüller decks that I got in the 1970s (still incredibly interesting to look at, in my view!) and a few decks with pip cards instead of RWS-style minor arcana cards—like the Sola Busca and the Marseilles-Wirth type of traditional cards.  I keep these for interest, but I don't use them in readings.  

I also have—within my 23 current decks in use—a few duplicates.  I have three miniature decks suitable for carrying with me, but also have full-sized versions of these included in my 23 total.  Also within those 23 decks I have duplicates of a few others that I bought in order to modify them, to bring them down in size so they are easier to use. (Like the Anna K Tarot and the Druidcraft Tarot.)  I still have one copy of these in the original size as well. So, all in all, I probably 'only' have and use about 17-18 different decks.

First of all, a huge thank-you to the people who take the time to 'unbox' and show all the cards in a deck on YouTube.  It saves a lot of buying mistakes!  I always check these videos before buying a new deck.  

Here are the issues I personally consider, when deciding whether to buy and/or keep a deck:

 

1) Is it RWS-based?  I no longer buy decks that aren't.  Some of these are beautiful indeed, but I just can't be bothered learning other systems.

2) Am I attracted to the deck?  Do I like all the cards well enough, after looking for it on the YouTube site, to still want it?  Is it different enough from the decks I already have to make owning it a good idea?

If the answer to the above two questions is yes, and the deck is affordable, I'm likely to buy it. Then:

3) Is the deck easy to handle and shuffle?  I do modify decks, on occasion, but this can be a deal-breaker as to whether I keep a deck or not.  I've just got rid of a gorgeous self-produced deck, but the cards actually stick together!  Not usable, so it went in the discard pile.

4) Are the card images easy to SEE?  I tend to do readings in low light (candle, salt lamps, etc) and there is nothing more annoying than not actually being able to see the cards well enough to determine what they are.  I've got rid of several decks over the years simply because they are too ornate or too 'muddy' to see them very well in actual use.  It's very annoying to assume a card is something it turns out not to be—which really throws a reading off.

This can be especially problematic with court cards, or not being able to distinguish between a sword or a wand.  Or worse yet, when there is no label on the card other than a squinty little picture of a crown, or some such.  (The Pictorial Key tarot is particularly bad for this.  I struggle with the court cards all the time with The PIctorial Key, although I like it otherwise and do use it.)

I really love the Anna K Tarot, the Druidcraft Tarot, the Ciro Manchetti Tarot Grand Luxe deck, and a few others ...including the traditional RWS deck and the Hanson-Roberts Tarot deck.  The pictures on all of these are clear and easy to distinguish, even when reversed.  A strong use of colour as well as a close-up view of the subject matter—the Tarot Grand Luxe deck is superb for this—really helps.

The worst deck I own in this category is The Crow Tarot. DAMN.  I have to be in a particular mood to use The Crow Tarot—and certainly not in any hurry—but I still love it, and still do use it.  It is one of the few I'm not tempted to dump because of this 'can't see' flaw.  I just love it for no good reason.  Subjective, but hey....

5) I always do a 'deck interview' with a new deck to give me an  idea of its strengths, weaknesses, and how it will relate to me.  I keep a journal of these findings, which helps me to choose a deck for a particular subject or question.

and 6) Do I actually use the deck?  This is the main gauge for whether I keep or discard a deck.  I make it a point to use all of my current decks.  I don't quite 'rotate' them, but I try to ensure that every one gets used fairly often.  If I find myself rejecting a deck more often than choosing it, I get rid of it.

I have probably got rid of twice as many decks as I've kept, over the years.  Usually I just give them to charity shops, or occasionally offer them to friends. But I don't keep them if I don't use them, for whatever reason.  (Except the 8 special decks I mentioned at the start.)  
 

It helps to have a specified space to keep them—and the will not to overrun that space.  One in, one out?  Or something like that.

Hope this helps?  It's taken me a while to get to this stage.  I do admit to suffering collector mania!  I just have to keep it under control. And ultimately I do want to use my Tarot for readings, not just collect the cards. 

.........................

Note: I also own 7 Lenormand decks—or rather 6 Lenormand and one Kipper deck—but I'm just starting to learn that system.  I may cut back eventually. I'm unlikely to buy more Lenormands. 

 

[DanielJUK]

This post deserved it's own thread to discuss and maybe people can add their own ideas 🙂

This thread is split off from the De-enable thread originally

[euripides]

Great tips. I love the idea of having a second copy of a favorite. I've been wanting to trim my Druidcraft for years.

 

And how good are unboxing videos! I also like the Deck of the Week for seeing some decks - got the Forest of Enchantment based on that group(Wyyrdkiss I think??).

 

I also have some 'dealbreakers' that I look for - metallic foil is one (many others love it I know) and I don't do pip minors unless it's a historical reproduction.  Rigid gender binaries and gender imbalance (like nude females but clothed males).

 

If a deck follows an unconventional system (eg, Norse) it needs to be consistent and really use that system in a knowledgeable way  (Bit disappointed with the Norse guidebook tbh).

[Agnes]

This is very interesting to me. I’m coming back to tarot after a long hiatus. I haven’t bought decks since the 90s when I was mostly limited to what turned up in my town. So now I’m assessing the ones I’ve hung onto and eyeing the many many decks that have come on the scene since then. My hope is to move a lot of interesting decks in and then out again, keeping the ones I like. But making sure I actually move them out is the trick. 

[Chariot]

5 hours ago, Agnes said:

This is very interesting to me. I’m coming back to tarot after a long hiatus. I haven’t bought decks since the 90s when I was mostly limited to what turned up in my town. So now I’m assessing the ones I’ve hung onto and eyeing the many many decks that have come on the scene since then. My hope is to move a lot of interesting decks in and then out again, keeping the ones I like. But making sure I actually move them out is the trick. 

You sound a bit like me.  I have always read Tarot for myself and a few friends, but stuck with the Rider-Waite deck for the most part—and what I knew about the Tarot after learning it many years ago. But a little while back (just pre-lockdown) I got re-interested in learning more about Tarot ...and when I started searching the internet for things related to the topic, holy mud!  So much new stuff to take in!

Of course I started going my dinger buying new decks and books.  But then, this year, I went 'whoa...' and started reducing the volume.  A lot.  It's easy to do, once you get started.  if you don't have friends to give the unwanted decks and books to, or don't want to land your friends with decks you don't like all that much yourself ...or you don't sell on eBay and have no other place to sell them ...then just give them to charity shops/thrift stores. That way these decks can make their own way back into the world, and will either be rejected or snapped up by some lucky wannabe user.  Leave it to Fate.  

[Chariot]

7 hours ago, euripides said:

Great tips. I love the idea of having a second copy of a favorite. I've been wanting to trim my Druidcraft for years.

 

And how good are unboxing videos! I also like the Deck of the Week for seeing some decks - got the Forest of Enchantment based on that group(Wyyrdkiss I think??).

 

I also have some 'dealbreakers' that I look for - metallic foil is one (many others love it I know) and I don't do pip minors unless it's a historical reproduction.  Rigid gender binaries and gender imbalance (like nude females but clothed males).

 

If a deck follows an unconventional system (eg, Norse) it needs to be consistent and really use that system in a knowledgeable way  (Bit disappointed with the Norse guidebook tbh).

I'll check out Deck of the Week ...which I haven't done yet.  Yikes.  Does this mean I'll be tempted to buy new decks? What have you done?  Aaiiii....

Yeah, don't be afraid to cut the monster decks down a bit.  Invest in a cheap 'corner tool,' which is available on Amazon, eBay or hobby shops.  That way you can clip the corners into a round shape, after cutting. A good pair of scissors and a reasonably steady hand is all you need otherwise.

The Druidcraft is ripe for cutting down, because it is SO BIG.  I actually own three copies—one original and two that I cut down. One I only cut partially, leaving the names of the cards still visible. Then, because I'm familiar with the deck, and the imagery is so identifiable, I went whole-hog and cut my second copy down to JUST the pictures.  And that's actually the deck I use the most now.

I have reduced a few other decks as well, once I got confident!  I tend to reduce the size of the borders ...either into borderless, or at least removing the borders that don't interfere with the design.  It's a bit like cutting a hedge.  Once I start, I can't stop, and start looking around for other things to 'trim.'  (Snick, snip, evil grin....thank goodness I never decided to become a hairdresser....)

I'm with you on the nude female/clothed male thing as well.  Very irritating.  (I tend to dislike the Star card in so many decks for that reason.  Such an excuse to produce a Baywatch-y female figure, minus the bikini.)  I am also turned off by images that are overly dramatic (back-of-hand-to-forehead sort of dramatic) as well.  This overuse of drama is one of Ciro Manchetti's faults, although I can forgive him because the overall usability of the Tarot Grand Luxe is—for me—perfection.  The more down-to-earth the images are, however, the better I like them.  (The Anna K Tarot is a great example of the kind of deck I mean.)  I wouldn't refuse to buy a deck because of gilding, but I do prefer just plain edging.  Which is achievable if you trim the decks.  😀 (Yikes!!!)

Edited August 16, 2022 by Chariot
just added a thought at the start

[Agnes]

6 hours ago, Chariot said:

'll check out Deck of the Week ...which I haven't done yet.  Yikes.  Does this mean I'll be tempted to buy new decks?

I’ve just started in Deck of the Week — mostly as a way to assess the decks I have and help me decide whether or not to keep them. But it’s also very interesting to watch other people work with whatever deck they’ve chosen. It’s even better than a review. So while I might find decks there that I really really want, I think for most of them the first flush of enthusiasm will pass by the middle of the week and I’ll see the deck more clearly. That’s my plan anyways. 

[Chariot]

20 minutes ago, Agnes said:

I’ve just started in Deck of the Week — mostly as a way to assess the decks I have and help me decide whether or not to keep them. But it’s also very interesting to watch other people work with whatever deck they’ve chosen. It’s even better than a review. So while I might find decks there that I really really want, I think for most of them the first flush of enthusiasm will pass by the middle of the week and I’ll see the deck more clearly. That’s my plan anyways. 

That's a great strategy.  If they continue to prey on your mind then maybe give them a go. But otherwise, you've dodged the temptation while enjoying it at the same time. 😀  I'm planning to look at Deck of the Week myself.  Resistance is futile....

[Nemia]

I'm easily enabled, and calling myself a sort-of-collector, only poor!, has lowered the barriers even more. "Yeah, I'm a collector so why not buy a dozen more decks from money I don't have?" 

 

At some point some years ago, I sorted my collection according to topics, and that helped me find out what I like, what I'm attracted to: Renaissance style, modern and abstract art, animal decks... (I use these collections for my tarot calendar). Then I asked myself: why do I keep buying animal decks? I love them but I never read with them successfully. So by now I know to avoid animal decks and won't buy another one. So that was useful. Yeah, I'm a fast learner, it took my only ca. 12 purchases of animal decks to discover I just look at the nice pictures.... 🥺

 

I also have implemented the rule to buy decks ONLY with money earned with tarot. Otherwise I'll go overboard and blow my budget. 

 

Then I have the rule never to buy a deck spontaneously. I have a wishlist in my Evernote tarot notebook, and from time to time, I go through it and jot down my changing perceptions. there are decks I really CRAVED some months or years ago, but the craving has passed and I'm glad I didn't buy them. I don't miss them. 

 

Of course, I could buy and re-home it but that also means hassle, loss of money and has ecological impact (transport). As a rule,  I want to buy only stuff that I wish to keep and enjoy. This whole decluttering movement, not only in tarot, can lead to even more buying, spending, consumerism, because you have the illusion that you can opt out of it by moving the stuff on. I don't want to get into that loop at all! Although of course I love watching decluttering videos 😉 

 

I have also decided for myself that I'll focus on decks connected in some way or other to the topic of art. I'm an Art Historian so that makes sense. 

 

Does it really work for me? No, I still buy too many decks but since they all appear over the course of a year on my tarot calendar next to my desk and I look at them... even though I don't read with most of them often.... but then again, I see tarot decks like art galleries, 78 works of art in one little package along with wisdom, the opportunity to change my perspective and some other additions...

 

I found that sometimes a deck needs time until I discover it. That incubation period between purchasing a deck and starting to understand it can take years. That's why I don't declutter anymore. I look at the decks I let go over the years and think: maybe by now I'd have loved them... 

 

But going slowly, watching a lot of walk through videos and keeping to a budget have helped me free myself from buyer's obsession lately. 

 

 

[gregory]

I put a set amount into my tarot account every month. I allow myself to steal from it for an emergency in other areas (brakes, heating oil...) and I do sometimes add any extra cash I happen to get out of the blue - if I sell something (not tarot, don't even ask...) but I do not allow myself to borrow from other budgets to top it up.

[Guest]

Sometimes, a good bit of reverse psychology works. When I'm especially enamored of a deck but am not exactly sure if it would be a keeper, I'd immerse myself in its internet presence. I'd watch all the video reviews/walkthroughs that I can find on it, sometimes watching them multiple times, until I begin to see flaws. I'd read all the reviews I can get my hands on. By the time I'm through, I'd usually be so thoroughly inured to it that I won't care to buy it at all. They say familiarity breeds contempt, but in my case it's mostly disinterest. Of course, a real soul deck would withstand all this.

 

That said, if I'm so busy that I shan't have time for all that, I just buy the deck as a sort of reward for all my hard work and leave it all to fate. 🙃

[FindYourSovereignty]

3 hours ago, Akhilleus said:

Sometimes, a good bit of reverse psychology works. When I'm especially enamored of a deck but am not exactly sure if it would be a keeper, I'd immerse myself in its internet presence. I'd watch all the video reviews/walkthroughs that I can find on it, sometimes watching them multiple times, until I begin to see flaws. I'd read all the reviews I can get my hands on. By the time I'm through, I'd usually be so thoroughly inured to it that I won't care to buy it at all. They say familiarity breeds contempt, but in my case it's mostly disinterest. Of course, a real soul deck would withstand all this.

 

That said, if I'm so busy that I shan't have time for all that, I just buy the deck as a sort of reward for all my hard work and leave it all to fate. 🙃

I really like this. I lean into the rewarding myself paragraph, but am going to try the top one next time “I have to have that deck” energy comes over me. Thank you for sharing. 

[ilweran]

I'm trying to off load tarot decks, and have a one in three out rule currently. I'm also being picky about decks, the only impulse purchase has been the Tarot aux Ramures étranges. The two other decks I received (that I remember getting!) in the last year were The Phantomwise (and I waited a looong time for that deck) and the Gentle Tarot mini deck.

 

This year I'm only planning on getting the Thea's reprint, and I've been considering that for quite a while.

Edited July 11, 2023 by ilweran
Autocorrect error on deck name

[BlackKat76]

I consider myself to be a collector of Tarot decks and always on the look out for new ones. I spend time going round boot fairs and quite often people are selling decks for £1 or so. I have picked up some unusual decks this way.

 

One deck I bought off a woman at a boot fair and after she passed me the box, she wiped her hands off on her jeans likes she was wiping grease off her hands and the look on her face like she had just touched something evil 🤔.

[gregory]

On 2/5/2023 at 8:37 AM, ilweran said:

I'm trying to off load tarot decks, and have a one in three out rule currently. I'm also being picky about decks, the only impulse purchase has been the Tarot aux Ramures Estranged. The two other decks I received (that I remember getting!) in the last year were The Phantomwise (and I waited a looong time for that deck) and the Gentle Tarot mini deck.

 

This year I'm only planning on getting the Thea's reprint, and I've been considering that for quite a while.

 

This post did not deenable anything for me - au contraire, when I get back to the UK.....

[Chariot]

10 hours ago, BlackKat76 said:

 

 

One deck I bought off a woman at a boot fair and after she passed me the box, she wiped her hands off on her jeans likes she was wiping grease off her hands and the look on her face like she had just touched something evil 🤔.

So, have you used that deck yourself?  Did the experience seem strange?  

I have bought used decks quite a number of times, to no ill effect.  But I can understand that there might be that occasional deck that gives you the creeps.  However, probably most used decks offered for sale or re-use are probably just decks somebody lost interest in, or it didn't meet their needs.  I know I've never given away any decks I felt bad about.  Just ones I feel I don't need or use.

Edited July 10, 2023 by Chariot

[ilweran]

19 hours ago, gregory said:

 

This post did not deenable anything for me - au contraire, when I get back to the UK.....

Oops 😳

 

But - one in , three out is very effective at reducing deck numbers/reducing deck buying, so everyone just read that bit and ignore the rest.

 

(Though I would like to know someone else who owns the Le Tarot aux ramures étranges, as not many people even seem to know about it)

[gregory]

You will soon....

[euripides]

I'm struggling a bit with downsizing my collection. It's really not large at all, but I'm trying to prune a bit from every category of things I own. And there are a few decks I don't particularly like or use. It's kind of awkward when you see big asking prices on Ebay and Etsy and you think, oh this is worth something, but then you look at the actual 'sold' prices and (if there are any) they aren't so high. So then there's that dilemma of whether it's worth going to the effort of trying to sell it. TBH I kind of wish I'd never bought some of these things. I mostly use a few old favorites.

[Tanga]

I liked the "1 IN, 3 Out" idea...👍   I will ruminate on implementing this.

And I also really liked having a Tarot account idea. That's cool too... Hmmmmm. 

 

I generally do an "if in doubt, throw it out" thing.

I have a collection of about 80 decks... including a lot of things that I just like looking at, though they're unreadable decks for me.

I am restricted by space though, as I have 4 places/sections where Tarot cards reside - and they must not crowd out these places.

If so - time to declutter.

I'm quite happy to put them in a charity shop bag. Someone somewhere, can be wonderfully surprised to discover a Tarot deck in a thrift shop. I think that's a good thing - just as I have sometimes discovered rather interesting occult/other things in thrift or charity shops at a wonderful price.

 

After a long period of Tarot inactivity for more than a year - I "woke up" and bought 8 decks in the last 3 months. LOL.

(Maybe this means I should seriously sit through the collection again and see if I can throw at least 8 out...24...will never happen 🙃).

RIGHT.  So now I'm not allowed anymore again for quite some time! - I have to get through familiarising myself with all these anyway - which will take me a loooong time.

 

Before my long period of Tarot inactivity, I did actually do a good deck declutter on the "if in doubt, throw it out" principle - and they all went to a lady that runs a Tarot group I used to frequent. To either be sold or given away to participants as they attend. 

Interestingly in that original batch - was my 1st copy of Barbara G Walker. Barbara was returned to me with the information, that she was an original and is selling for £600 on Ebay.  So... I still have this deck - as well as maybe about 9 other OOP or other decks that I may eventually attempt selling.

 

Another thing I do - is take decks to the Tarot conference - and leave them on the "Swap Table" (London Tarot Conference).

Put what you don't want on there - someone enthusiastic will snap it up and you know it's gone to a good home.

 

 

[Misterei]

22 hours ago, euripides said:

I'm struggling a bit with downsizing my collection. It's really not large at all, but I'm trying to prune a bit from every category of things I own. And there are a few decks I don't particularly like or use. It's kind of awkward when you see big asking prices on Ebay and Etsy and you think, oh this is worth something, but then you look at the actual 'sold' prices and (if there are any) they aren't so high. So then there's that dilemma of whether it's worth going to the effort of trying to sell it. TBH I kind of wish I'd never bought some of these things. I mostly use a few old favorites.

I’m in the midst of 60th year Death cleaning … so yes pruning every category of my life😉

Tarots are one of the few things I give myself permission to collect … to have more than what I need just for the joy of it.

Still, I’ve moved into a very small cottage so even the Tarots had to get pruned.

What I found for EVERYTHING is to not allow myself to think of the money.

If I had a deck I know I could sell for $300 b/c it’s desirable / rare / oop … then of course I will sell it.

Meanwhile I’ve donated about 10 decks to thrift store over the past few months. One fellow that works there says his gf is into tarot … so I make sure he gets the donation box first in case he wants them for his gf.

In short … I had to stop worrying about selling things -tarots and everything else - and just give them away [or burn them but that’s a whole other topic]

It freed me to actually do the purging with less stress and more joy.

[euripides]

1 hour ago, Misterei said:

I’m in the midst of 60th year Death cleaning … so yes pruning every category of my life😉

Tarots are one of the few things I give myself permission to collect … to have more than what I need just for the joy of it.

What I found for EVERYTHING is to not allow myself to think of the money.

If I had a deck I know I could sell for $300 b/c it’s desirable / rare / oop … then of course I will sell it.

Meanwhile I’ve donated about 10 decks to thrift store over the past few months.

 

I've been trying and failing to declutter for years, but the 'death cleaning' idea is becoming increasingly salient as I approach sixty. I've seen many friends dealing with the downsizing or passing of elders, and for some it's really been a drawn-out ordeal, and I don't want to do that to others. I also feel very weighed down by stuff. I hadn't intended to collect Tarot - it just sort of happened. I think it's the sort of thing where it's small so you can certainly indulge in a few just to enjoy them, enjoy the art, or even if you have quite lot, it's still not going to be a huge volume. What I'm finding is that I have too much of everything, and it's overwhelming. So when I go to my decks, I don't want to feel swamped, or to forget what I have. The same with my music, books, everything - focusing in on things I particularly enjoy and pruning the rest.

 

I increasingly have the same view with money and the value of items. It's better just to pass it on. Sometimes I've gotten some use from a thing, sometimes not. Let it go.

 

Interesting to hear that a few people have given them to thrift stores. I donate a lot of things, but our local thrift stores are run by religion-based organizations, and I was worried that volunteers might throw them away, which would be a pity. I guess I could always ask.

 

Edited January 15, 2024 by euripides

[PathWalker]

Some of what folks are talking about here would, in economics, be "sunk cost" fallacy I think. The idea that because you invested a lot in it previously, you must hold on to it now, even when you're not getting your money back, and it's creating some kind of issue (space/guilt or whatever in tarot terms)

 

I am doing a year-long cull of my decks (I have too many for "deck of the week" to be helpful- I should be able to handle/use every deck in a year, and if it doesn't make me glad, into the big box it goes. At the end of the year I will see what I wanted to keep, know if I've missed any of the ones in the big box! and if not, well away they can all go.

 

Do what makes YOU feel right.

PathWalker

[Misterei]

On 1/14/2024 at 4:49 PM, euripides said:

I've been trying and failing to declutter for years, but the 'death cleaning' idea is becoming increasingly salient as I approach sixty. I've seen many friends dealing with the downsizing or passing of elders, and for some it's really been a drawn-out ordeal, and I don't want to do that to others. I also feel very weighed down by stuff. 

Yes. This was part of it for me. Seeing death come unexpectedly and the massive mess left for others to clean up. 

And yes, weighted down. I feel lighter the more I release.

 

Getting ready to do a bon fire with a couple of friends. Some things are impossible to donate or sell and they get burnt. It’s one of the ways I gave myself permission to not worry about the stuff once it leaves me. Let the gods have it. 

 

It’s easy for me to donate tarots b/c my local thrift isn’t religious and this is a neighborhood where some shopper will feel lucky to find them.

But I’ve also burnt old tarots in the past when they were worn ragged. Not burning any tarots in Pyrofest 2024 … but I prolly would if I had no way to donate or gift them.

 

On 1/15/2024 at 10:04 AM, PathWalker said:

Some of what folks are talking about here would, in economics, be "sunk cost" fallacy I think. The idea that because you invested a lot in it previously, you must hold on to it now …

Sunk cost fallacy. Exactly. HUGE struggle emotionally … hence the donations and burns.

When I donate stuff I think: ' I’m getting my money’s worth in good karma.

When I burn stuff I think: I’m getting my money’s worth in catharsis and therapeutic release 😂

 

 

[ilweran]

Well I nearly succeeded in only getting Thea's Tarot last year. But I had the Motherwitch Oracle for Christmas from my husband - it's by Natasha Khan, aka Bat for Lashes, who we saw supporting Sigur Ros in the summer. Gifts don't count for the one in three out though.

 

This year I will carry on getting rid of decks, and the one purchase I'm planning is The Witch Sister as I love The Hidden Realm. Picking the three out is getting harder now though!