Study Decks

[tarot_cat]

What makes a good study deck for you? If you have a favorite, do you use it regularly for readings, or "save" it for study?

[DanielJUK]

I've moved this discussion over to the Tarot Decks section

 

How do we define "study deck?" Do you mean @tarot_cat one deck to study and learn the tarot system with? one deck you are studying at the moment?

[Teemu]

Hi,

 

as most are somehow different, IMHO you need to study the outcomes with each deck separately. To put it blandly, I think you cannot learn RWS Tarot and get good results with a Thoth or Osho Zen without looking at them closely.

 

A possible exception would be to use a cheap RWS deck for daily duties and experiments and e. g. the Commemerative RWS for serious spreads.

 

Teemu

Edited April 28, 2023 by Teemu

[gregory]

12 hours ago, tarot_cat said:

What makes a good study deck for you? If you have a favorite, do you use it regularly for readings, or "save" it for study?

 

For me it's more a matter of what deck I want to study. In that sense, I have studied the Thoth and the Revelations ()Wong). I'm not quite sure I grasp the concept of a single deck to use for study in general.

[Misterei]

I have some decks I define as study decks which I seldom to never read with. For example I have a very old copy of the Lon Milo DuQuette deck. I dislike the artwwork and would never read with it ... but it helped me learn various astrological correspondences. Likewise I have a Visconti Sforza deck. Its beautiful but I never read with it. I purchased it 100% for its historical value as one of the first tarots ever made. Same with my Sola Busca deck. That deck actually creeps me out and I think it;s a grimoire of black magic. I would NEVER read with it ... but its historically important and so I study it. I could go on ... but there are definitely decks in my collection which were purchased for study rather than to read. Because tarot is artistic, symbolic, and visual ... sometimes buying a DECK is a better way to learn something than reading a book.

Edited April 29, 2023 by Misterei

[Nemia]

Every deck I own is a study deck for me. Sorry for the bland answer but when I study the Spirit Keeper's Tarot, what I learn applies to this deck alone (using my basic general tarot knowledge of course to keep it all in place), and if I want to work with the Mythologia Fennica, I'll have to study the Mythologia Fennica. Nothing else will do. 

 

There are of course decks where my RWS or Thoth knowledge will make the study much easier. The Morgan Greer or Aquarius are easy to understand if you know the RWS system, and the same is true for the Tabula Mundi or Tarot of the Sephiroth as continuations of the Thoth path. 

 

Is there a deck that I only study and never read with? No, not really. There are decks I use less but I love to study all of them - even if that only means looking at them or watching a Youtube deep dive. 

[gregory]

I am totally with you, Nemia. I will study whatever deck I have open at any given time. They deserve no less. At the moment I could say I am studying the Minchiate al Leone that I just received from the KS campaign as the cards are on my desk and I am looking at them. And also the Villeneuve which I just bought in Lille. I need to do a reading in a couple of days, and will probably study something quite different while I do that...

[tarot_cat]

Thank you all for the thoughtful answers. Part of the reason I was asking is that I don't have a good definition, either, but I've heard the term quite a few times and thought I would ask here for input.

 

In my head, a study deck is perhaps one that I wouldn't read with regularly, but in my case since I mostly use RWS decks, it would be an approachable deck with typical RWS symbolism, something I could keep on hand to refer to while reading about tarot and taking notes. I agree that each deck should be worked with on its own, but think of "study deck" in regard to overarching symbolism.

 

I hope that makes sense, and again, thanks for the input. I appreciate it. 🙂