What is the "Right Size" for your Tarot Collection? Are you there?

[Misterei]

@stephanelli suggested this might make its own topic from discussion on another thread.

It's been on my mind lately. Curious what others think and feel around this.

 

We jokingly have the tarot enabling thread and de-enabling thread.

But the fact is ... we come on this forum, or social media, or YouTubes, and see decks, desire them, buy them.

 

When I lived in a small house I was a minimalist and pretty judgy about deck collecting.

Prolly it was jealousy. I had limited space and budget.
Over the course of 7 months my life utterly transformed and I suddenly had a big house and money.

My collection blossomed into 57 Tarots, 9 Oracles, 6 LeNormands, and 2 "other" decks. Plus about 4-5 tarots at my office (2nd copies of "workhorse" decks)

 

This is actually more decks than I want.

 

But how many do I really want?

 

And why do I sometimes think ... I'm going to quit buying decks now ... but then I see a deck I want and buy it.

 

What about your experience?

 

How many decks do you have?

How many do you authentically and really want to have? What is your ideal right sized collection?

 

Do you have all your decks on display? Or are they packed away in boxes?

 

Do you ever watch YouTubers do "1 year NO BUY" or "declutter" videos?

 

Have you ever done a Tarot No Buy ? or similar process?

Edited January 15, 2023 by Misterei

[stephanelli]

🎉 Awesome topic 😉

I'm looking forward to seeing the replies.  You've asked some interesting questions that requires a little bit of thought.

I have some thoughts but I'm too tired to put pen to paper right now. (Well, fingers to keyboard...) Thoughts will be incoming tomorrow

[Grandma]

Great topic, @Misterei!

 

To answer your questions, I have 147 decks with a commitment to buy a deck at the end of each month of 2023 in which I have been fiscally responsible by my own standards.

 

I authentically and really want to have many more, with no ideal right sized collection in mind. If I ever win Powerball I will become an enthusiastic collector. (I will also stock up on earrings, nose studs, rabbits for my rabbit collection, and tattoos until I run out of skin. (None on my face though.))

 

Some of my decks are in boxes, and those boxes are decorative and are on display along with my freestanding decks.

 

I have never watched the YouTube videos you mentioned and I have never done a formal Anything No Buy. I just don't spend money I can't afford to spend, at least in theory...

 

 

[Misterei]

3 hours ago, Grandma said:

To answer your questions, I have 147 decks with a commitment to buy a deck at the end of each month of 2023 ...

I'm curious as to how this arose? Why one deck per month for 2023?

 

Funny, isn't it? You have a commitment to buy 12 decks this year ... and i'm considering whether or not I should do a Tarot "No Buy".

To add insult to injury ... for the first time in my life II'm genuinely tempted by a "personal holy grail" deck that cost $293 b/c rare oop. A year ago it wouldn't have registered as temptation ... just a hard NO.

 

But I'm curious about your process as it seems intentional. My deck collecting has been willy-nilly.

[Grandma]

4 minutes ago, Misterei said:

But I'm curious about your process as it seems intentional.

I'm not entirely certain myself. I mean it is intentional for sure, but the process was more of an aha moment, a spontaneous integration of various bits of information. Social Security benefits have gone way up, I just paid my car loan off considerably early, and my rent is only increasing a small amount when my lease renews in May. I am passionate about Tarot again in a way that I hadn't been for a few years. I'm turning seventy five in March. That's a milestone birthday, probably the last milestone birthday I'll have, and I want to celebrate it. It's a good incentive and reward for financial responsibility. And maybe et cetera!

 

What is your holy grail deck?

 

[Guest]

I have dozens of decks, a huge chunk of which are Tarots. For me though, around ten should be enough. It's the relentless search for the ideal deck, for the holy grail that will fire up my divinatory faculties like no other, that fueled this collection. 

 

Last year, I decided to begin cutting it down to a more manageable size. The good news is that I was able to rehome eighteen decks, along with some spiritual books, to good people who would appreciate them more. The bad news is that, with some of that money, I bought around fifteen more Tarots. 😅

 

This 2023, I still aim to reduce my collection. But this time, I'm placing a strict limit of six decks max that I can buy, no matter how many of my current holdings I'm able to rehome. 

 

I've already ordered two - The Dark Side of Tarot and the Magickal Botanical Oracle. I'm reserving two slots for twin copies of the Minchiate Al Cigno later this year. That means I still have two wildcards I can still play for the rest of 2023, all 349 days of them, which suddenly seems like a daunting prospect now lol. 

[Flaxen]

Good questions! I have a lot of decks…so many I’ve lost count and my deck list here is out of date. Over 200…

 

I went through a collecting phase which I really enjoyed. I loved exploring different interpretations of tarot. 
 

Now…well I’m going to be downsizing my collection. I have so many decks I never read with and it makes me feel I shouldn’t buy any more because space is at a premium in our small house.

 

I’m not sure what my ideal number is. I could easily get by with just a couple of decks (I only had 2 for the first decade or so of my tarot reading) but I do enjoy a bit of variety in styles. As a bare minimum, I’d want a Thoth, RWS, TdM, Il Meneghello’s Soprafino, Vandenborre Bacchus, Visconti, Tabula Mundi, Spirit Keeper’s and one that fits more easily with my Druidry. That’s at least 10 already. 

[gregory]

I have - a lot. I don't think in terms of size; I buy the decks that interest me.

[DanielJUK]

I guess there are many factors here, finances when collecting, space you have for your collection and also how you feel about having many decks around the place? Being okay with clutter or being minimalist.

 

Personally I am a bit of a maximalist in design and home, so I am happy with my collection. I think I became an accidental tarot collector (haha we probably all will say the same! 😉), I didn't intend this but you get one deck and then you think, maybe if I have 5, there is a little choice! Then you have 20! I have just over 100 now. I am happy with my collection and happy to keep adding to it. It's important to me that it's not a museum, decks in glass cases and not touched, I use them for reading, they could be picked up any any time. I much prefer having a lot of choice when choosing a deck for a reading than when I had about 5. There is a different deck for a different reading and situation.

 

There was a time when I think my collecting got unhealthy, I would order a new deck, feel a rush waiting for it and then when it arrived I would just put it with the rest, sometimes I didn't even unwrap or explore it. I have tried to not let this happen again and so I do always try to use and explore and read with my decks, one at a time. I don't just buy decks in an unhealthy way to fulfil something missing with me at that time. I have slowed down my buying but I still buy about 4 to 6 decks a year. There isn't a right size for me, tarot and divination is my hobby and personal interest and so I invest in the tools for it and it's also like collecting art or maybe books. But I can recognise when it's not working well for me. My long-term dream is to have a tarot room and to put them all in and have a permanent reading space! 🙂

 

I haven't felt like I wanted to declutter and get rid of my most unused decks yet, maybe that will happen one day but not yet. I am happy with it right now and going to keep slowly adding to it 🙂 . I have an attachment to them.

It doesn't concern me how many decks my friends have got, just whatever works for you in number terms. You can do readings well with just one deck or have a 1000 with a lot of choice. I don't think I have a maximum size in my mind personally but I don't want to just buy for the sake of it, I am more discerning with my buying these days. I have to really love the artwork and want it!

[Raggydoll]

I’m a minimalist, or at least striving to be. I have downsized my collection for these past years and I still feel it could be smaller. I don’t know exactly how many I own, I can count them later just for fun. I store almost all of them in a drawer and a few special ones tucked away more safely from my kids (but still easy to fetch!). I haven’t bought a deck in a long time and I don’t plan on buying any this year. If I feel driven towards something new, I’ll make a deck or craft an oracle. But there is something really nice about mainly desiring what you already own, and not thinking about new and shiny things all the time. 
 

I have also found that the more creative I get in general, the less stuff I desire overall. For me, that equals peace of mind! I am happier with less and I like a simplified life 🙂
 

If you do decide to do a no buy, best of luck! You can absolutely do it! 

[Chariot]

I have 21 tarot decks that I use (a few are duplicates.)  I also have 5 decks I keep just because they are interesting, but I don't read with them.  I have 5 Lenormand decks and one Kipper deck, but I'm just learning Lenormand, and I will probably get rid of a few of these at some point, once I know what I want to do with Lenormand/Kipper.  (I've combined one of my two Ciro Marchetti Gilded Reverie decks with his Fin de Siecle Kipper deck, and use them together ...which has proved a lot of fun.  More options.  I think I'm a tarot reader at heart.) 

I have just got rid of over 20 tarot decks that I did not use, and that was the second purge I've had.  It's easier now that YouTube has the flip through feature.  In my earlier years, I bought decks sight unseen, and many turned out to be decks I actually didn't like. So I gave them away.

I'm actually fairly picky about my tarot decks.  If they don't speak to me and become usable really quickly, I'm really not interested in owning them.  At the moment I'm not looking to get any more.

[Misterei]

11 hours ago, Akhilleus said:

I have dozens of decks, a huge chunk of which are Tarots. For me though, around ten should be enough. It's the relentless search for the ideal deck, for the holy grail that will fire up my divinatory faculties like no other, that fueled this collection. 

Yes, I've found my "working group" is always a core group of 7-10 decks that I actually READ with at any given time. I rotate ... it's not always the SAME 7-10 decks ... but it's interesting that we both have a similar number (if I understood your post correctly)

11 hours ago, Akhilleus said:

Last year, I decided to begin cutting it down to a more manageable size. The good news is that I was able to rehome eighteen decks, along with some spiritual books, to good people who would appreciate them more. The bad news is that, with some of that money, I bought around fifteen more Tarots. 😅

UGH!. Well at least it was a net reduction of 3 decks. I have a "purgatory" area of decks I'm considering to "rehome". I can't quite pull the trigger yet. Still attached in some way.

11 hours ago, Akhilleus said:

This 2023, I still aim to reduce my collection. But this time, I'm placing a strict limit of six decks max that I can buy, no matter how many of my current holdings I'm able to rehome. 

Great idea. Not exactly a "No Buy" but still a reasonable limit.

10 hours ago, Flaxen said:

Good questions! I have a lot of decks…so many I’ve lost count and my deck list here is out of date. Over 200…

I went through a collecting phase which I really enjoyed. I loved exploring different interpretations of tarot ... I’m going to be downsizing my collection. I have so many decks I never read with and it makes me feel I shouldn’t buy any more because space is at a premium in our small house.

Living in a 620 sf house with my partner ... I had ONE small shelf unit ... and all the decks had to fit on it. Spatially my collection was capped at around 40 decks. Full stop. I like your wording "collecting phase". For me it's not so much different interpretations ... more like searching for resonance with the imagery. And also a genuine love of historic or unique decks.

10 hours ago, Flaxen said:

I’m not sure what my ideal number is. I could easily get by with just a couple of decks (I only had 2 for the first decade or so of my tarot reading) but I do enjoy a bit of variety in styles. As a bare minimum, I’d want a Thoth, RWS, TdM, Il Meneghello’s Soprafino, Vandenborre Bacchus, Visconti, Tabula Mundi, Spirit Keeper’s and one that fits more easily with my Druidry. That’s at least 10 already. 

I have no idea what is my ideal number either. Maybe I'll discover it with everyone's exploration on this thread };>

Like you I also had ONLY 2 decks (RWS and Thoth) for the first 25 years of my relationship with Tarot.

10 seems to be a number that keeps popping-up as a workable minimum or core group. I know my ideal collection is larger than 10 ... but I find I only read with 7-10 decks at any given time.

[Misterei]

6 hours ago, DanielJUK said:

There was a time when I think my collecting got unhealthy, I would order a new deck, feel a rush waiting for it and then when it arrived I would just put it with the rest, sometimes I didn't even unwrap or explore it. I have tried to not let this happen again and so I do always try to use and explore and read with my decks, one at a time. I don't just buy decks in an unhealthy way to fulfil something missing with me at that time. I have slowed down my buying but I still buy about 4 to 6 decks a year. There isn't a right size for me ...  But I can recognise when it's not working well for me. My long-term dream is to have a tarot room and to put them all in and have a permanent reading space!

Thanks for bringing-up this topic. I also fell prey to that dopamine-rush of addictive consumerism. Like you I thought to myself "no ... I need to integrate this deck and experience it otherwise what was the point?"

 

Another poster mentioned purchasing 6 decks per year as a limit. This is an interesting variation on the "No Buy". Healthy limits.

 

I am fortunate now (after many years of suffering through enforced tiny-house minimalism ... so please don't think I'm bragging) to have a dedicated space in my home AND a separate office where I see clients. The office only has about 5 decks which are my "workhorse decks" and most are 2nd copies of decks I also keep at home.

 

Anyway it's a joy to have card collection and books on one set of built-in shelves which surrounds a reading nook. I feel like a plant blossoming after being transplanted from a pot that was too small. I wish you also to have the blessing of the dedicated space you want.

[Misterei]

3 hours ago, Chariot said:

I have just got rid of over 20 tarot decks that I did not use, and that was the second purge I've had.  It's easier now that YouTube has the flip through feature.  In my earlier years, I bought decks sight unseen, and many turned out to be decks I actually didn't like.

WOW. Good for you. And yep, the flip throughs have saved me from "mistake" purchases.

3 hours ago, Chariot said:

I'm actually fairly picky about my tarot decks.  If they don't speak to me and become usable really quickly, I'm really not interested in owning them.  At the moment I'm not looking to get any more.

This is exactly how I used to feel. I've changed into more of a collector ... I have some decks I don't read with but still want for the "eye candy" or historic research. Yet I don't want to lose sight of this essentialism that you describe.

[Misterei]

5 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

I’m a minimalist, or at least striving to be. ... If I feel driven towards something new, I’ll make a deck or craft an oracle. But there is something really nice about mainly desiring what you already own, and not thinking about new and shiny things all the time.

What a lovely sentiment. Thank you for posting. I aspire to get there };>

[legendaryelement]

I don’t number my deck lists, so I can’t say with certainty what size my collection is now.

 

I spent 3 years making up a schedule to use each & every deck (at the time) based on differing lengths of time - weeks, month/signs, decans. For my Crazy Collector brain, I am going to say my ideal number would be 252

36 x 7 (years)

 

2+5+2 = 9

 

252 divided by 52 goes 4 times

252 - 208 = 44, solar value of the 5

Jupiter in Water

Active Work - Internal Base

”I believe in labor for spirit.”

Aspects: conjunction, trine

 

 

 

252 divided by 22 goes 11 times

252 - 242 = 10, the Wheel of Fortune

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by legendaryelement
pic links

[Scarlet Woodland]

I think I have around a hundred tarot decks ferreted away around the place, which feels slightly ridiculous but I'm okay with it. I would like to move along the ones I really don't click with but I'll no doubt replace them with decks that suit me better. I've sold on some more valuable ones but it never seems worth the fuss to rehome cheap decks.

 

I'm over my collecting phase now but if an affordable deck comes along that really interests me, I'm happy to spend my disposable income on it.

[Nemia]

I'm happy with the 143 tarot decks I have right now, and I guess my collection will continue to grow. It feels right. I'm an art historian so even decks that I don't work with are of interest to me. And every deck in my collection will appear on my tarot calendar over the course of one year, at least four cards of it. I enjoy the whole process of building sub-collections, comparing etc. 

 

I watch decluttering videos and follow the discussion about consumerism in tarot with interest. For each of us, the point of saturation is different. I had times when I decided not to buy anything (for financial reasons) and by now I have the rule that I can only buy tarot with money using money that I earned with tarot. Works for me. 

 

It would break my greedy little heart to give up even the decks I don't use! I'm glad I have them. Their time will come. 

 

And I agree, the flipthroughs have saved me more than once from investing in a deck that I wouldn't like... but they also have enabled me. 

 

I also collect and read tarot books pretty constantly. I enjoy seeing the tarot through many different eyes. It's fascinating. 

 

Yes, I collect tarot decks and books. That's it. No expensive hobbies. I don't spend money on myself. Wear old clothes, simple shoes, only basic make up, no luxuries. My only luxury is tarot. And I'm totally fine with that. 

[Guest]

17 hours ago, Misterei said:

UGH!. Well at least it was a net reduction of 3 decks. I have a "purgatory" area of decks I'm considering to "rehome". I can't quite pull the trigger yet. Still attached in some way.

 

Lol yeah it's a start. My collection is still three-figure, but with a judicious bout of rehoming I should make serious progress. 

 

And yes, you can do it! On my part, I just thought its a pity that all those decks that I was quite confident that I really won't be using much again would just be gathering dust in their boxes. At least when I hand them to a more appreciative owner, they'll be happy that they will be able to fulfill their raison d'etre once more. 

[Misterei]

On 1/16/2023 at 10:14 AM, Scarlet Woodland said:

I think I have around a hundred tarot decks ferreted away around the place, ... I would like to move along the ones I really don't click with but I'll no doubt replace them with decks that suit me better. I've sold on some more valuable ones but it never seems worth the fuss to rehome cheap decks.

Yes, I'm pretty happy to just donate decks to the Thrift store. I know it will make *someone's* day to find a deck whilst thrifting.

On 1/16/2023 at 10:21 AM, Nemia said:

... I'm an art historian so even decks that I don't work with are of interest to me.

When I lived in the small house of enforced minimalism ... that was the only thing I allowed myself to collect ... historic decks I wanted to show the art and history to my students.

On 1/16/2023 at 10:21 AM, Nemia said:

And every deck in my collection will appear on my tarot calendar over the course of one year, at least four cards of it. I enjoy the whole process of building sub-collections, comparing etc. 

This is fascinating. I'm not that crafty. I just read with them or show them to students };> Virgo Moon ... I have them sorted into RWS shelf and Tarocchi / TdM shelf ... so i guess that's a sub-collection.

On 1/16/2023 at 10:21 AM, Nemia said:

I watch decluttering videos and follow the discussion about consumerism in tarot with interest. For each of us, the point of saturation is different. I had times when I decided not to buy anything ... now I have the rule that I can only buy tarot with money using money that I earned with tarot ...

This seems to be an emerging theme. Some of us find ways to limit the aquisition so it doesn't feel icky or addictive.

 

13 hours ago, Akhilleus said:

... My collection is still three-figure, but with a judicious bout of rehoming I should make serious progress. 

Where is your goal? What number are you progressing toward?

 

I have just under 60 now ... with a couple on order ... but I'm getting to a place where they look nice on the shelves and more would seem cramped. So I'm thinking my ideal might be around 65-70 decks. Full stop. Not sure yet.

13 hours ago, Akhilleus said:

... On my part, I just thought its a pity that all those decks that I was quite confident that I really won't be using much again would just be gathering dust in their boxes. At least when I hand them to a more appreciative owner, they'll ... be able to fulfill their raison d'etre once more. 

Yes. I feel things have a dharma. A soul if you will. I count hoarding or greed as a sin. This is the underlying spiritual question for me. I want only decks that are doing some good. Fulfilling their dharma of either being read or being demonstrated in classes. If a deck cant fulfill its dharma ... if its gathering dust on my shelf ... better to release it into the hands of someone who will use it.

Edited January 18, 2023 by Misterei

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Misterei said:

Where is your goal? What number are you progressing toward?

 

I think reducing my collection to just 40 or 44 decks would be my personal sweet spot. 

 

3 hours ago, Misterei said:

I count hoarding or greed as a sin. This is the underlying spiritual question for me.

 

Hoo-boy, you were able to read the exact concern on my mind.

 

And it's the same regarding what you wrote about dharma. Yeah it sounds a bit animistic ascribing it to non-living objects, but regardless of my religious convictions, that's exactly what I feel too. 

[gregory]

Oh dear. I am going to hell.....

[Guest]

2 hours ago, gregory said:

Oh dear. I am going to hell.....

 

I hearted your comment because I found your deadpan reply hilarious, not because I want you to go to hell. And now I feel awkward for explaining this. 😅

[Eric13]

I wonder if there's any irony in using a deck to answer the question of "getting" another deck.

I have the RWS borderless deck and that's it. If I ever buy more decks it would probably be from a a small type of maker. I would also buy a vintage deck of some type, like TDM type or another RWS. But I have no plans to do. that. 

[gregory]

4 hours ago, Akhilleus said:

 

I hearted your comment because I found your deadpan reply hilarious, not because I want you to go to hell. And now I feel awkward for explaining this. 😅

 

No worries - I don't like the like button so I would never have noticed !