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

[Jewel]

On 3/10/2023 at 4:10 PM, Misterei said:

@Jewel thanks for sharing. Interesting that you love an oracle as much as a tarot.

I have oracle decks ... but I'm not attached to any of them. My Tarots are a different matter, though. I love them waaay too much };>

I don't know if I can say I have a holy grail deck. I have contextual favorites and one that is my "artistic" holy grail.

 

@Misterei I am way more a Tarot person than an Oracle person, and often prefer to use oracles in conjunction with Tarot or for one card draws.  If want a reading I always default to Tarot, but the Faeries Oracle is something special to me, no other oracle has had that impact.

 

What is your artistic holy grail deck?  Inquiring minds want to know! 😊

[akiva]

3 hours ago, Misterei said:

TOTALLY. I got into all the shows and magazines for the design tips ... I've remodeled every space I lived-in ... including the trailers and the 600 sf house ... but having lived in an 18' trailer ... I had no illusions about how great it is.

Nope. 600 sf all on one level. The size of the closets really shows how LITTLE clothing working ppl had back in the 1920s .... before fast fashion and throw-away clothes became a thing.

Wow misterei, that must of taught you so much, not only about the value of items and what we own and buy, but also the value of the space it takes up in our lives! I take my hat off to you 😊

3 hours ago, Misterei said:

Exactly. During an extended stay in an ashram in India ... I had very little stuff ... and was completely happy. Back in the USA? It all gets so complex again.  LOL and I'm close to minimalist by normal USA standards. I'm shocked on the DAILY by how much STUFF people have.

I was reading a summary of a book that I'll be buying by Martin Buber called I and thou, and this kind of makes me think about that.

He seemed to think we were on a path to alienating ourselves from the deeper meaning of life and ultimately feeling unfulfilled. Mostly because we view everything as an "It" rather than a "You". This can be seen in modern day consumerism, where nothing has any value anymore. 

3 hours ago, Misterei said:

And I can tell you MOST of those ppl have the rest of their shizz in storage somewhere. I am proud that I never put my personal stuff in storage ... it all fit in the house. We did build a shed for tools and whatnot since there's no garage.

Now that is disillusioning. It should be so obvious that they do that too!

It must of taken some work to keep things down to a minimum like that, unless you just didn't want for more? You should be proud 😊 

3 hours ago, Misterei said:

It was fine. I had one deck from 1979 until the mid 90s. I worked the phone lines and wore-out my decks ... so I would burn it an buy another just like it. Then I only had 2-3 decks until about 2018.

I wish I had done this. I jumped from system to system until I settled with marseille/pip decks and by that time had a mini collection. So the buying bug had bit me! 😂

[Chariot]

On 3/11/2023 at 3:11 AM, Misterei said:

Oh! Sad. I donated decks to my local thrift store ... but this is very convenient for me b/c they're just down the street. Maybe you don't have a thrift store close by. 

I donated a bunch of mine to thrift/charity shops a few years ago—but who knows if they were sold or just got dumped.

I just got quite lucky recently, though.  A new shop opened up down the street from me that sells occult paraphernalia.  Run by a very nice young couple, just getting started.  I rounded up 14 of my decks I didn't want to keep, and a few books that were in perfect condition but I don't really use, and took them all down to that shop and donated them to the owners.

The owners were really pleased to get them, and we had a nice long chat about divination, etc.  The woman uses stones and oracle cards—and does face to face consultations as well as online ones—but she hasn't really tried tarot yet.  She said she's always wanted to, but wasn't sure how to get started.

I emphasised that these decks were 'used' in the sense that I had handled them and even used them for readings, so they couldn't re-sell them as new, even though they were in 'as new' condition in their original boxes.  But the owners were fine with that. They didn't put them out for sale right away because the young woman said she might want to keep a few of them herself.  (Success ...got her to consider starting with tarot.)  But later on, the couple did put most of the decks and books out for sale, and they sold quickly.

I'm really happy to have boosted this deserving young couple, but also to know that my rejected decks went to a good home.  I went away with a big smile on my face.  I've been in to buy a few things myself from them since ...a Himalayan salt candle holder, a few crystals, etc.  I hope the shop thrives.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Chariot

[Misterei]

4 hours ago, Jewel said:

... I am way more a Tarot person than an Oracle person,... but the Faeries Oracle is something special to me, no other oracle has had that impact.

Ah. I ahve a few oracles and a couple I really like ... there's not a one I love as much as my tarots. Maybe Mystic Sisters ... for the  SUPERB art };>

4 hours ago, Jewel said:

What is your artistic holy grail deck?  Inquiring minds want to know! 😊

@Jewel Tarot du Roy Nissanika. It's a French deck built on south indian theme. I do Tarot and Vedic Astrology ... so you can see why it's my Holy Grail. There are some other Indian themed decks ... awful. This deck is from Grimaud. It's special. It's the deck I've been trying to draw myself for the last 3 years ... except I horribly slow at drawing and in 3 years I only have a few cards. *sigh*

[Jewel]

8 hours ago, Misterei said:

Ah. I ahve a few oracles and a couple I really like ... there's not a one I love as much as my tarots. Maybe Mystic Sisters ... for the  SUPERB art };>

@Jewel Tarot du Roy Nissanika. It's a French deck built on south indian theme. I do Tarot and Vedic Astrology ... so you can see why it's my Holy Grail. There are some other Indian themed decks ... awful. This deck is from Grimaud. It's special. It's the deck I've been trying to draw myself for the last 3 years ... except I horribly slow at drawing and in 3 years I only have a few cards. *sigh*

@Misterei I will have to check those decks out just to look at them 😊.  Do you have any opinions on the Sacred India?  I own it but have not worked with it and was just curious if you had any experience with it or opinion.

[Misterei]

11 hours ago, Jewel said:

... Do you have any opinions on the Sacred India?  I own it but have not worked with it and was just curious if you had any experience with it or opinion.

@Jewel I've seen it but I didn't care for the artwork. There are some pretty defined styles of Indian art ... Sacred India seems to be inconsistent and randomly mixing indian with western styles haphazardly. Roy Nissanka isn't a pure indian art style ... yet it's visually coherent and looks like it was done by an indian artist even though it was done by french ppl. That is one of my struggles trying to create my own Vedic deck ... to use a drawing style that respects indian artistic traditions. LOL I wish i could do a deck in kerala mural style ... but its waaay beyond my skillset. So I've been experimenting with madhubani style ... but not sure if that's my direction. *sigh*.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Misterei

[ilweran]

I don't know how many decks I have now, but I'm trying to get rid of quite a few and have a one in three out rule - makes me really consider whether I want that new deck if three old ones have to go. As far as 'grail decks' go, I have mine - The Greenwood. The only deck I'm planning on buying this year is the re-print of Thea's Tarot.

 

Generally, the study of the Greenwood has led to the purchase of books that need space on a shelf, so something had to give (I have a lot of books, and I'm trying to cut down on them a bit, but it's hard to say goodbye to a book, even harder than saying goodbye to a tarot deck.)

[PathWalker]

1 hour ago, ilweran said:

I don't know how many decks I have now, but I'm trying to get rid of quite a few and have a one in three out rule - makes me really consider whether I want that new deck if three old ones have to go. As far as 'grail decks' go, I have mine - The Greenwood. The only deck I'm planning on buying this year is the re-print of Thea's Tarot.

 

Generally, the study of the Greenwood has led to the purchase of books that need space on a shelf, so something had to give (I have a lot of books, and I'm trying to cut down on them a bit, but it's hard to say goodbye to a book, even harder than saying goodbye to a tarot deck.)

Wow, one in, three out? Not sure I could do that (thinks about what's there. . .)

I do hear you about books - my excuse is probably the same as my OH - they all belong to the other

[ilweran]

9 minutes ago, PathWalker said:

Wow, one in, three out? Not sure I could do that (thinks about what's there. . .)

I do hear you about books - my excuse is probably the same as my OH - they all belong to the other

I know, but it's working - and gifts don't count, unless I bought it myself like with my Christmas present, but if my mum just showed up with a deck that wouldn't count.

[PathWalker]

You know I was nearly going to ask you that (just had a deck gift from Gregory) and then thought I sounded a bit childish LOL

I have one deck on order that should arrive this year (the Austin Osman Spare deck on kickstarter) - and that's all. I resisted Pooh Bear although I do love the books, and have many bears.

Would be interesting to go and see if I could let go of 3 in it's place - I'll report back later. The available cupboard space is getting tight.

 

As for books, we have book cases in every room except the bathroom - there I make do with a pile of books on the cabinet top. I can let go of things I read once, and thought "yes, well, but" but a lot are enjoyed again and again. We have varied interests, so lots of non-fiction subjects. I am thinking of letting go a pile about the Grail Quest - they were interesting background material but I'm really interested in the older material on the Treasures.

If there was just one deck I could not let go it would be Hallowquest.

Edited March 14, 2023 by PathWalker

[ilweran]

I'd never get rid of my Tolkien or Ursula le Guin books. Or most of the poetry. The mostly fact bookcase isn't going anywhere, or the graphic novels and young people/childrens books bookcase.

 

Problem is there are still hundreds of books at my parents house as well. In their spare room and more in the attic. And I got rid of a lot when I moved here. The last lot I got rid of are boxed up in the garage, so haven't gone very far yet, trying to decide what to do with them.

[Jewel]

On 3/13/2023 at 7:29 PM, Misterei said:

@Jewel I've seen it but I didn't care for the artwork. There are some pretty defined styles of Indian art ... Sacred India seems to be inconsistent and randomly mixing indian with western styles haphazardly. Roy Nissanka isn't a pure indian art style ... yet it's visually coherent and looks like it was done by an indian artist even though it was done by french ppl. That is one of my struggles trying to create my own Vedic deck ... to use a drawing style that respects indian artistic traditions. LOL I wish i could do a deck in kerala mural style ... but its waaay beyond my skillset. So I've been experimenting with madhubani style ... but not sure if that's my direction. *sigh*.

@Misterei super interesting and thank you for the feedback on the Sacred India.  I would love to see some of your work on your deck 😊

[Nemia]

On 3/13/2023 at 2:24 AM, Chariot said:

I donated a bunch of mine to thrift/charity shops a few years ago—but who knows if they were sold or just got dumped.

I just got quite lucky recently, though.  A new shop opened up down the street from me that sells occult paraphernalia.  Run by a very nice young couple, just getting started.  I rounded up 14 of my decks I didn't want to keep, and a few books that were in perfect condition but I don't really use, and took them all down to that shop and donated them to the owners.

The owners were really pleased to get them, and we had a nice long chat about divination, etc.  The woman uses stones and oracle cards—and does face to face consultations as well as online ones—but she hasn't really tried tarot yet.  She said she's always wanted to, but wasn't sure how to get started.

I emphasised that these decks were 'used' in the sense that I had handled them and even used them for readings, so they couldn't re-sell them as new, even though they were in 'as new' condition in their original boxes.  But the owners were fine with that. They didn't put them out for sale right away because the young woman said she might want to keep a few of them herself.  (Success ...got her to consider starting with tarot.)  But later on, the couple did put most of the decks and books out for sale, and they sold quickly.

I'm really happy to have boosted this deserving young couple, but also to know that my rejected decks went to a good home.  I went away with a big smile on my face.  I've been in to buy a few things myself from them since ...a Himalayan salt candle holder, a few crystals, etc.  I hope the shop thrives.

 

That sounds simply wonderful; a real exchange of energies not only goods. I have gifted decks in the past but were disappointed (a rare deck I gave away was quickly made to money) so I find it inspiring to hear how different it can work. That sounds like a great solution to free yourself from holding on to decks that you have outgrown. 

[BradGad]

There is something wonderful about having *one* of the one important thing... the hat, the pocket knife, the deck. 

 

If you have just the one, then you can bond with it, like in the Marine's Rifleman's Creed:

 

This is my rifle. 
There are many like it. 
This one is mine.

 

But -- failing that -- and I think we have all failed that -- then there can only be one answer:

 

All of them.

 

Which is impossible and stupid.

 

So, then there can only be one answer:

 

Just enough to curate and care about: Every deck should be one you have a bond with, and if more, then distribute.

 

[Misterei]

5 hours ago, Jewel said:

@Misterei super interesting and thank you for the feedback on the Sacred India.  I would love to see some of your work on your deck 😊

Hmmm. I'll see if I can get it out of my ipad and onto the laptop. I would definitely appreciate some feedback vis a vis what direction to go with art styles. NO ONE in my regular life particularly cares };> and my Tarot friends love everything b/c ... friends. *sigh*

Edited March 16, 2023 by Misterei

[Chariot]

 

12 hours ago, Misterei said:

Hmmm. I'll see if I can get it out of my ipad and onto the laptop. I would definitely appreciate some feedback vis a vis what direction to go with art styles. NO ONE in my regular life particularly cares };> and my Tarot friends love everything b/c ... friends. *sigh*

It would be a huge treat to see what you're working on.  

[Jewel]

On 3/15/2023 at 10:34 PM, Misterei said:

Hmmm. I'll see if I can get it out of my ipad and onto the laptop. I would definitely appreciate some feedback vis a vis what direction to go with art styles. NO ONE in my regular life particularly cares };> and my Tarot friends love everything b/c ... friends. *sigh*

I would be honored to look at it and provide you feedback.  One of my favorite things to do with tarot is experience new decks and write fair deck reviews based on my experiences with whichever decks I choose to work with.  So I am always interested in looking at decks being developed and am happy to provide feedback if asked. 😊

[Therese]

To be honest, I think I could do with only 10 tarot decks and maybe 5 oracles - with 20 decks in total I would be fine, I think. 

 

I have the problem anyway that I quickly feel overwhelmed and with the current financial situation worldwide... maybe I should let go things I don't use that much (or intend to). Now I have to convince my partner. 😅

 

There is currently no deck I desire (fortunately). I'd like to add the Spolia Tarot but desire? No, not really. I absolutely love my main decks. Thinking there is no single deck that may be able to compete. 😅 Hopefully every tarot lover is thinking so regarding their own decks. 

 

The only thing is - CREATING. That might be a new worthwhile adventure. Creating a deck. 

[LoriaKai]

I have about 45 tarot decks and 15 oracles/other card decks.

 

I collect decks to take them out and use. I'm reaching the point now where it's getting trickier to use all of them, and I keep going back to five or six favourites. So I wonder if this is the sweet spot for me?

 

My current deck storage is pretty full now too 😅 For the first time, I've started to sell some that I don't have any interest in any more. Mainly to justify buying new ones and create the space for them.

 

My two all-time favourites are the Druidcraft Tarot and The Alice Tarot. 

Edited March 27, 2023 by LauraKai

[BradGad]

<long intro omitted>

 

There is only one tarot. It is a work of art, and also -- I believe, I seem to experience -- an entity.

 

All these decks... they are its raiment... its garment, its clothing, at any given time.

 

So... the more the merrier. Or, the more ways to to manifest and present. 

 

[Misterei]

On 3/27/2023 at 6:06 AM, LauraKai said:

I collect decks to take them out and use. I'm reaching the point now where it's getting trickier to use all of them, and I keep going back to five or six favourites. So I wonder if this is the sweet spot for me?

@LauraKai Yes, I find that at any given time I have a core group of 7-10 decks that I'm actively reading. The decks in the core group might rotate ... but like you say ... it gets tricky to use all the decks in my collection. I do have some which I have purely for historic or eye candy reasons and don't expect to read ... but the ones I bought to read ... and don't ... I'll eventually let go.

[Misterei]

Reviving an old thread I suppose.

I went through a period of deck aquisition in 2022-23 which got me up to 80+ decks [tarots, oracles, le normands] in the joy of having a big house with shelves.

 

Then I stopped buying decks b/c it started to feel "too much".

Then I moved back to the tiny house but I arranged the house differently so that I had a dedicated space for my collection.  I got rid of other things so I would have more room for my cards.

 

Still, there was some purging to do. I donated several decks ... and accidentally arrived at having 78 decks which is the number that fits perfectly on the shelves. Now I have a one in one out rule to keep it at 78. I recently purchased Arlquino deck. So now I must let go of a deck. Ugh! I had already planned it would be the Lo Scarabeo Vachetta deck. I like the Lo Scarabeo Anima Antigua line ... sort of.

In the end, I didn't care for the monochrome of their Vachetta deck. I was exploring monochrome decks but discovered they aren't for me. Simple color scheme a la Pavlov is ok. But monochrom? Nope.

I have a beautiful Il Meneghello Vachetta with lovely colors ... so I still have a great Vachetta in my collection.

 

I will donate the Lo Scarabeo deck and I think it will make someone very happy to find it in a thrift store! Or the guy that works there will snag it for his girlfriend. Either way ... donating cards feels good to me.

 

Eventually the collection may get smaller. But for now 78 feels perfect.

Edited March 13, 2024 by Misterei

[Misterei]

Do you go through phases of not buying any decks, then phases of buying decks?

What limits do you place on your collecting? [financial? space? number?]

 

After keeping my collection happily at 78 decks ... I recently got into Lenormand and bought more Lenormands. Which spilled over into research on 1800s cartomancy, which resulted in 1800s Tarots. *sigh* After years of resisting, I got an Eteilla deck. I blame @fire cat pickles for that. The rest are my own d^mn fault, tho 😆

 

I feel guilty. But I don't. Brutal honesty?

People let me down over the past 18 months. Its gotten better, but my cats and my cards feel like my true friends after cutting away from false friends and losing a whole community that wasn't right for me.

 

Are cards a Substitute for human friends? Solace for all the people I lost?

 

I do just love decks, tho. I love to study them. I love to read with them. I love to look at them on their shelf. I'm getting ready to go on a month-long trip and as I laid the decks flat for storage I realized I'll miss them.

 

Probably I need to get out more. Probably i need to make new human friends.

 

Meanwhile, I will pick a new intentional number of decks to collect. Because H4 Virgo moon makes my mind work that way.

Someone suggested 97 as the number of cards in Minchiate. I guess I'll ride this wave of acquision and see where i land.

Edited May 29, 2024 by Misterei

[Guest]

If I have to be honest, I feel like when I spend more time with the craft - studying, exploring, and actually reading - then I don't buy that much. Even if I'm not all that busy with the Tarot, if I feel like I give the requisite effort to progress upon my spiritual path then I still don't find the need to purchase much, if at all. 

 

I think that when I'm stalled, when I feel like my priorities and actual activities in the realm of the material far outweighs that of the supernal, then I try to at least connect to the latter the easiest way possible - by procuring inspirational material. Like, if I'm too busy to spend time with the Tarot then I can at least pay attention to it by buying more of it. The admiration of beauty is instinctive and does not require significant mental effort. It can even be quite a spiritual experience. In the end though, it is simply not enough. 

[Scandinavianhermit]

On 5/29/2024 at 5:06 AM, Misterei said:

Do you go through phases of not buying any decks, then phases of buying decks?

Yes, but only slowly and with fairly long intervals.

 

When I was a beginner, 1JJ Swiss and Rider-Waite were what was available. I still find both of them endearing from an artistic point of view, but I never became good at reading any of them, some cards worse than others, like the weird and counterintuitive Five of Coins ("Pentacles") and Nine of Batons (Wands). Beggars in snow has nothing to do with kinky sex as far as I am able to discern.

 

Years later, I realised, that the handbooks I had consulted based their methods on Etteilla, and I bought Grimaud's Grand Etteilla, only to find out

1. that Grimaud had tampered with Etteilla's original keywords, and
2. that the distinguishing feature of an Etteilla deck is that it - like the Rider-Waite - does not conform to the traditional Milanese sequence of trumps (because Etteilla thought he was able to reconstruct an alleged original "ancient Egyptian" sequence by reshuffling the trumps and give them alternative titles)

From then on, I knew what I was looking for, but it took quite some time until someone decided to combine a Milanese sequence of trumps with suite cards using Etteilla's keywords. This someone was Paul Huson, and his deck was Dame Fortune's Wheel Tarot.

 

For reading purposes, I was content with DFWT, but, several years later, I acknowledged, that other decks could have a value as meditation tools. Years apart, I acquired Rose Tarot by Nigel Jackson, Oswald Wirth's trumps from 1889 and 1926 and, just a few days ago, Robert Place's The First Occult Tarot. At some point along this journey, CBD Marseille Tarot opened up Marseille style decks for me in a way Grimaud's Ancien Tarot de Marseille (post-1970) never did.

 

When I became a member here late last year, other members made me curious about non-tarot oracle decks, so I bought a Lenormand deck in 1890s style (a Llewellyn reprint of a dated Piatnik Lenormand) and an Austrian-Hungarian oracle deck today known as Traditionelle Wahrsagekarten (in the past erroneously and impolitely associated with the Roma people –  in reality, it seems to be descended from a Leipzig oracle deck from the Napoleonic age).

 

I do not rule out the possibility of buying yet another deck in the future, but it is unlikely, unless it combines features from the Piedmontese and Belgian tarots with features from Paul Christian's writings and the Aluette deck. I would love to see a Fool surrounded by a butterfly, a crocodile and a tiger. Likewise, I would love to see The World's naked genius crowned with a crescent, standing on planet Earth and holding a sail-cloth behind her. I'm also nitpicky about a few flowers (as per Wirth and, before him, Gassmann) and a few waters (as per some Marseille decks) I would love to see these clearly indicated, not just hinted at.