Dark Decks? Light Decks? Balanced? What's your preference and why?

[Misterei]

I recently saw posts having to do with demonic decks and vampire decks ... not surprising for the time of year ... and realized I have an aversion to darkly themed decks, especially demons, vampires, and over-use of skeleton imagery.

 

But as some of you know ... I absolutely loathe "sweetness and light" decks. Possibly even worse than my aversion to dark decks!

The aversions come from different places.

 

As far as demons and vampires ... let's just say I've had enough of that sort of thing in real life. I've been harmed physically and mentally [and seen other people harmed] from contact with these sorts of beings. I'm quite rational ... yet I've seen and experienced some very dark sh*t for which the rational explanation is more absurd than the supernatural. If you have to do too much mental gymnastics to prove something can be explained rationally ... prolly it can't.

 

Vampires are more allegorical than literal ... but vampirism happens and the allegory accurately defines an energetic reality. And demons are real even though I'm very careful not to use that actual word with people who think it's outdated or the provenance of the mentally ill.

 

Anyway ... I don't want that stuff in my Tarot decks.

 

The sweetness & light and rainbows and unicorns decks?

See above. My life experience has never resonated this way and it feels fake.

I watch a comedy when I want escapism.

Angels are every bit as real as demons ... but they've never appeared to me in the pop-modern saccharine sweet imagery.

 

So ... obviously I have a preference for balanced decks.

I want my Tarots to have some genuinely scary and dark cards ... balanced with some light and uplifting cards.

And of course ... as most things in life ... plenty of images in that neutral middle ground.

 

 

Do you have a preference?

If yes, why are you drawn to that style of deck?

 

**I'm asking about tarots only ... to me oracles are "anything goes".

 

 

Edited November 2, 2023 by Misterei

[akiva]

7 hours ago, Misterei said:

As far as demons and vampires ... let's just say I've had enough of that sort of thing in real life. I've been harmed physically and mentally [and seen other people harmed] from contact with these sorts of beings. I'm quite rational ... yet I've seen and experienced some very dark sh*t for which the rational explanation is more absurd than the supernatural. If you have to do too much mental gymnastics to prove something can be explained rationally ... prolly it can't.

That sounds intense Misterei 😯 I'm not surprised you have an aversion to darker themed decks. Completely agree about the mental gymnastics too. Sometimes things can't be explained rationally, or at all!

I've also had a few experiences like that, but not demonic/vampyric as such, more angry spirits... 

 

7 hours ago, Misterei said:

Angels are every bit as real as demons ... but they've never appeared to me in the pop-modern saccharine sweet imagery.

It's nice to hear someone else say this. Modern practices have you think they're sweetness and light (which they can be), but they can a lot harder to work with than the goetic spirits. Though it depends which ones you work with. Abrahamic ones tend to be gentler and more welcoming, but the Enochian ones (which some people believe are The Watchers)... can be terrifying if not well respected!

 

7 hours ago, Misterei said:

Do you have a preference?

If yes, why are you drawn to that style of deck?

My preference is balanced too. I can't have decks be too negative/positive, or the imagery be too dark/light. It throws the reading. It can be hard to warn people of potential issues if every card is full of 'love and light'. And it's the same with working with darker decks too. How could I know if x will be a good time if there's demons all over the spread?! 😂

 

For me the perfectly balanced deck will always be a TdM. They're quite plain (in a good way) and can communicate both love and darkness without bias. It's just such a neutral deck style.

[DanielJUK]

I wish I could say my deck buying was perfectly balanced for the full spectrum of the human condition, but really it was whatever I felt like at that time! Shirtless oiled men carrying pentacles to angels to dark decks to artsy decks. We all have personal tastes of decks, what we like or dislike in a deck is totally valid.

 

I did buy a DV Angel deck years ago, it's not balanced for doing readings. But it was so useful to me during a period of bad depression, like 15 years ago (never had that again, phew 🙏 ). I think it was actually an angel oracle but I would take one card for a positive message that day, it was so important to me at that time. Just hearing something positive. I also have dark decks, I find they are really good for shadow work type readings and the subconscious. I use different decks for different types of readings, so they have a purpose for me for sure. There are more neutral decks and than others for specific reading types and they can fit in there fine 🙂 .

[Bodhiseed]

I'm a bit like @DanielJUK, I tend to buy from personal tastes rather than dark or light. Being a part of the Deck of the Week group, I rotate through all my decks without choosing for the most part, never planning ahead. I've found that some decks that might not be considered dark can give some heavy readings. I've been using Margarete Petersen's tarot this week and it has me tied to the whipping post! 😂

https://bythesycamoretree.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-darkest-night.html

[FindYourSovereignty]

1 hour ago, akiva said:

For me the perfectly balanced deck will always be a TdM. They're quite plain (in a good way) and can communicate both love and darkness without bias. It's just such a neutral deck style.

I can see this with the traditional or historical versions. Even with the original RWS versions. I hadn’t thought of them this way before. 
 

I like decks that are neutral and balanced which helps me receive the message more clearly. When a deck has a theme in any specific direction it may taint my take on the reading. At the Omega retreat we were focused on the neurology topic of reading and for one of the seminars there was a friendly cat image shown before reading a pair of cards and then a battered woman image before reading the same set of cards. It definitely directed the reading outcome. 

[GreatDane]

Well, this is going to be easy for me.  Variations of the classic Pamela Colman Smith.  Love the Commemorative set, have borderless Centennial, Universal Waite, and just got the Radiant Wise Spirit, which I love.  So I'm basically about the standard images.  I do have the Anna. K which to me is very light and the first ed Bohemian Gothic, because, well, it's the Bohemian Gothic and I love it.  So that would be my balance.  I wouldn't mind a moodier deck, but not really into what I consider dark, horror, type decks, I don't see the BG as that.  I like subtle moodiness, but with strong RWS imagery so it's easily readable for me.  I read the BG like an RWS deck.  

[akiva]

4 hours ago, FindYourSovereignty said:

I can see this with the traditional or historical versions. Even with the original RWS versions. I hadn’t thought of them this way before. 

The original RWS is definitely balanced/neutral too. I think it being created before the new age crazy phase helped massively. 😆

 

4 hours ago, FindYourSovereignty said:

At the Omega retreat we were focused on the neurology topic of reading and for one of the seminars there was a friendly cat image shown before reading a pair of cards and then a battered woman image before reading the same set of cards. It definitely directed the reading outcome. 

That's fascinating. I wonder if it's the same sort of mental process that advertisers use to sway our decision making with images and colour? 

 

44 minutes ago, GreatDane said:

I wouldn't mind a moodier deck, but not really into what I consider dark, horror, type decks

Do you not consider the BG to be dark and moody? 😯 I just had a look at some images of it and it does seem quite dark 😊

[FindYourSovereignty]

13 minutes ago, akiva said:

The original RWS is definitely balanced/neutral too. I think it being created before the new age crazy phase helped massively. 😆

Good point! There is a lot happening in tarot deck creation. 

 

13 minutes ago, akiva said:

That's fascinating. I wonder if it's the same sort of mental process that advertisers use to sway our decision making with images and colour? 

 

I’m sure there is a relationship here. What was neat about the exercise is how clearly everyone was influenced, but how unaware we are that we have been so conditioned to be influenced by opinions, experiences, whatever we surround ourselves with. It was pretty insighful.

[GreatDane]

No, Akiva, for ME personally, I don't see it as dark, I consider it moody.  For me dark decks feel like they're personifying evil, or horror, the BG doesn't.  And it is, well, a classic in the tarot world for many.  That is my one dark deck, if you consider it dark.  I love the imagery. 

Dark to me is something like the Dark Grimoire, the Bosch I just find creepy.  There's one that's not quite coming to mind, it's like a horror deck. 

Fot me the Bohemian is like a moody Victorian deck.  I like it's vibe.  It feels gothic.  I like gothic.  To a point.  

[akiva]

1 hour ago, FindYourSovereignty said:

I’m sure there is a relationship here. What was neat about the exercise is how clearly everyone was influenced, but how unaware we are that we have been so conditioned to be influenced by opinions, experiences, whatever we surround ourselves with. It was pretty insighful.

It makes you wonder just how much is influencing us without us realising it.

A lot of people state stuff like "adverts never work on me" while they have the latest phone or shoes etc 😆

 

1 hour ago, GreatDane said:

Dark to me is something like the Dark Grimoire, the Bosch I just find creepy.  There's one that's not quite coming to mind, it's like a horror deck. 

Fot me the Bohemian is like a moody Victorian deck.  I like it's vibe.  It feels gothic.  I like gothic.  To a point.

Yeah that makes sense GD. There's a big difference between something gothic and something horror themed 😊

I have to admit I love the Bosch tarot though I dont own it. I'd never be able to read with it because it's very out there and dark, but as stand alone images/artworks I do like it!

[GreatDane]

Great point, Akiva!  There are decks I like as artwork, but are not "readers" for me.  Took me awhile in the beginning to figure that out.  It was oooh pretttty, and then crickets, not a reader.

 

Oh and there's Royo's deck.  some seem intentionally to go to the "dark" side, while some are just kind of gothic and moody.  

[akiva]

19 minutes ago, GreatDane said:

Took me awhile in the beginning to figure that out.  It was oooh pretttty, and then crickets, not a reader.

I've done the same. It's so annoying when it looks amazing and then it's silent!

 

19 minutes ago, GreatDane said:

Oh and there's Royo's deck.  some seem intentionally to go to the "dark" side, while some are just kind of gothic and moody. 

I've not seen the Royo Dark Tarot before, it definitely looks moody in the pics I just looked at 😊

 

[GreatDane]

Take a look at all the pix in the Dark Tarot, Akiva!  To me it's almost like comic book/Harlequin romance books meet let's be dark.  

 

I like more subtle!  🙂 And really, I gravitate to the PCS decks.  Those aren't just my middle ground, they're my GROUND, my go to 🙂        

[FindYourSovereignty]

1 hour ago, akiva said:

I have to admit I love the Bosch tarot though I dont own it. I'd never be able to read with it because it's very out there and dark, but as stand alone images/artworks I do like it!

Me, too! And a deck that speaks to me while giving me the creeps is the Madhouse Tarot. I went back and forth on both of these decks and finally chose to not buy because I’d never read with them. 

[akiva]

14 minutes ago, GreatDane said:

I like more subtle!  🙂 And really, I gravitate to the PCS decks.  Those aren't just my middle ground, they're my GROUND, my go to 🙂

Well the PCS is perfectly balanced. And the imagery she drew is definitely neutral in the sense that you can clearly distinguish the positive messages from the more challenging ones 😁

 

12 minutes ago, FindYourSovereignty said:

Me, too! And a deck that speaks to me while giving me the creeps is the Madhouse Tarot. I went back and forth on both of these decks and finally chose to not buy because I’d never read with them. 

I hadn't actually seen the Madhouse Tarot before, it definitely is true to it's name 😂 not sure what kind of readings someone would do with that deck!

 

The one that speaks to me but creeps me out would be the Sola Busca. I've considered buying it but it just gives me a dark feeling which I don't want in my readings...

[GreatDane]

The Shade Tarot is an interesting one.  I had remembered seeing it and couldn't remember the name and Gregory found it for me 🙂   It's on Amazon and less than I have seen it elsewhere.  That, to me, it's a kind of horror deck, my deeply murky.  It's like a Shadow deck to me.  I am seriously considering it.  

[GreatDane]

Yes, Akiva!  For ME, the Pamela is the ultimate.  I read RWS.  I don't have any decks I can't read using RWS.  But do check out the SHADE TAROT if you want to see what I mean by murky, without being kind of comic book, or overt, horror.  NOT that there is anything wrong with those decks.  The ones that try to be overtly creepy.  I GET why peeps like them.  The way I read, I just am not interested in them, but some have great art.

[FindYourSovereignty]

31 minutes ago, akiva said:

The one that speaks to me but creeps me out would be the Sola Busca. I've considered buying it but it just gives me a dark feeling which I don't want in my readings...

I have it and I don’t want it. 😁😜🤦🏻‍♀️

[GreatDane]

oh Akiva, I see an opportunity!   Looked at more of the cards in the Shade, and uh, no.  LIKE the vibe, but not RWS enough for me.  BUT cool looking.  For now, my BG will be my only Victorian gothic moody deck!

[euripides]

Interesting question! I don't like very dark decks, either - I often really appreciate the art, but they just don't resonate with me - which in some ways is unexpected given that a lot of heavy metal does. I've never liked 'weird' - I just don't do edgy. I enjoy the RWS and related decks, and I wouldn't even call it 'balanced' so much as 'neutral' - many of these decks don't have particularly light or dark imagery mixed in them, but rather take a middle ground. And I find these really the best for reading, when they offer that sense of realistic narrative possibility.

 

I do have one quite light deck - the Forest of Enchantment - though as fairy tales do, it has a dark side. And I really love that deck for some reason. The Housewives' Tarot could be considered light, because it's humorous, but it's a dry, ironic, snarky humour that does hint at the dark underside of modern life.

[FindYourSovereignty]

3 hours ago, akiva said:

It makes you wonder just how much is influencing us without us realising it.

A lot of people state stuff like "adverts never work on me" while they have the latest phone or shoes etc 😆

Yep! I question myself on everything now. Everything. 😏 manmade influence or do I really want this? And why do I want it. This is a big deal for me.

[Teemu]

Well I just like the conenctions to nature, pefearably trees and woods. I do not like skulls and vampires, they feel strange and unnatural. The original PWS deck is ok, as it seesm to have become somthing like an universal deck, but. My favourite deck is the Wildwood Tarot.

[Misterei]

19 hours ago, akiva said:

It's nice to hear someone else say this. Modern practices have you think [angels] sweetness and light (which they can be), but they can a lot harder to work with than the goetic spirits. Though it depends which ones you work with. Abrahamic ones tend to be gentler and more welcoming, but the Enochian ones (which some people believe are The Watchers)... can be terrifying if not well respected!

I like RWS for this ... their angels are serious or even fierce. Also they defy attempts to label them};>

On a side note ... I never thought of the Enochian spirits as angels ... even though they're called that ... they always seemed ... other. Their own thing.

They never scared me per se [I guess i respected them?] but I felt disinclined to work with them at a certain point.

 

@akiva said:

<<My preference is balanced too. I can't have decks be too negative/positive, or the imagery be too dark/light. It throws the reading. It can be hard to warn people of potential issues if every card is full of 'love and light'. And it's the same with working with darker decks too. How could I know if x will be a good time if there's demons all over the spread?!

For me the perfectly balanced deck will always be a TdM. They're quite plain (in a good way) and can communicate both love and darkness without bias. It's just such a neutral deck style.>>

 

Good points about the utility of balanced decks. My one dark deck is Triunfi della Luna and I never use it for clients. It's personal for shadow topics.

I also like the historic Italian tarocchi's for the same reason you like TdM. They're quite balanced and the NON-scenic pips make them deliciously neutral.

16 hours ago, DanielJUK said:

I wish I could say my deck buying was perfectly balanced for the full spectrum of the human condition, but really it was whatever I felt like at that time! Shirtless oiled men carrying pentacles to angels ...

This made me laugh so hard: "Shirtless oiled men carrying pentacles to angels ..." Now I want to see this.

 

@DanielJUK said:

I did buy a DV Angel deck years ago, it's not balanced for doing readings. But it was so useful to me during a period of bad depression, ... I would take one card for a positive message that day ...  I also have dark decks, I find they are really good for shadow work type readings ...>>

 

Yes I have Oracles that are on the light side ... and use them as you describe. Some days I'm so bad off that I FEAR Tarot's honesty and just want an uplifting message. OTOH, I like my Triunfi della Luna. My darkest deck for shadow topics ... but the imagery seems more grotesque and humorous than seriously demonic. I think the humor is what saves it. I would cringe if the deck took it's demons too seriously.

15 hours ago, FindYourSovereignty said:

... At the Omega retreat we were focused on the neurology topic of reading and for one of the seminars there was a friendly cat image shown before reading a pair of cards and then a battered woman image before reading the same set of cards. It definitely directed the reading outcome. 

WOW! I've heard of these sorts of experiments ... but never thought about applying it to a Tarot reading.

LOL I wonder if all those "cat tarot" decks have a similar effect?

Edited November 3, 2023 by Misterei

[Misterei]

6 hours ago, euripides said:

Interesting question! I don't like very dark decks, either - I often really appreciate the art, but they just don't resonate with me ... I enjoy the RWS and related decks, and I wouldn't even call it 'balanced' so much as 'neutral' - many of these decks don't have particularly light or dark imagery mixed in them, but rather take a middle ground. And I find these really the best for reading, when they offer that sense of realistic narrative possibility.

Interesting point about neutral vs. balanced. Yes, I try so hard to get my head in a neutral space for reading ... I don't want to screw that up with a deck that has an agenda! Still, I would call RWS balanced as it mixes dark, light, and neutral imagery. To me the historic non-scenic Pip decks are even more "neutral". But this might be splitting hairs. Anyway, why I like reading with RWS or an Italian Tarocchi deck when I just want a straight answer.

 

@euripides said

<<I do have one quite light deck - the Forest of Enchantment - though as fairy tales do, it has a dark side. And I really love that deck for some reason. The Housewives' Tarot could be considered light, because it's humorous, but it's a dry, ironic, snarky humour that does hint at the dark underside of modern life.>>

 

This is why I love my one dark deck: Triunfi della Luna. The humor makes it a pleasure to read with. It's also pretty clear the grotesque demon images are shadow parts of the human psyche. I never get the feeling they're meant to be "real" demons [as in the exterior kind that are NOT part of my psyche].

I have a couple decks that lean toward "light" but still retain balance enough to read with.

[Nemia]

Life is a balance of light and darkness, my soul is mixed from both, and I like honest tarot decks. Whether the artist sees life through a dark or light lens is less important to me, as long as they give me their honest view. I never liked overly sugary decks - those oracles where every answer is simply positive. I want decks to acknowledge the struggles and negative forces we encounter in life. Nevertheless, I quite like the Good Karma and Distant Past Tarots, and also the Inner Child cards, which take a determinedly lighter view of the difficult cards. Sometimes, it's all I can deal with. 

 

I don't use darker decks for shadow work; I find it interesting that most people do but it's not the right way for me. For me personally, the best decks for shadow works are the Silhouettes (a perfect balance of light and shadow imo) and the Stretch (good for uncovering past issues). 

 

I only have a handful of dark decks: Deviant Moon, Trionfi della Luna, Night Sun and Ghosts and Spirits. The Valenza decks are tongue-in-cheek which lightens them up for me, Night Sun is uncanny valley stuff and the weirdest deck I own, and Ghosts and Spirits is beautiful but doesn't work as a reading deck for me (yet). 

 

Very interesting thread!