Share Your Collection!

[Misterei]

Day 1 of re-homing the collection in my tiny-ish house.

@Tom here is the layer idea in action:

Layer 1

 

Layer 2 I've got all my RWS style on upper shelf and the Tarocchi, TdM, historic on next shelf

 

Layer 3. The crystals and decks in pouches. Almost done but I'm worn out from moving. I just lay in bed and look at them and feel happy.

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by Misterei

[Natural Mystic Guide]

3 hours ago, Misterei said:

The crystals and decks in pouches.

Really lovely!  I'm impressed that you have so many decks in their original boxes.  My use must just be so heavy that many of my boxes have ripped or fallen apart.  Many of my decks are in beautiful batik bags.  I can usually identify them by the color schemes of the bags.  These match the color schemes of the decks.  I just had a box seriously crap out on me yesterday and I've only had the deck for a couple of years.

 

So happy for you that this part of your life is coming together so nicely.  May you make a smooth and healthful transition in all respects.

[Misterei]

3 hours ago, Natural Mystic Guide said:

Really lovely!  I'm impressed that you have so many decks in their original boxes.  My use must just be so heavy that many of my boxes have ripped or fallen apart ...

I must say that my "daily driver" decks are chosen in part b/c they have nice sturdy boxes, tin, or otherwise come in a box that's easy to manage. The boxes that are too "fussy" and I'm afraid I'll rip it ... I don't read as much with those decks.

You make a good point though. I instinctively gravitate to tarot in a tin or decks that advertise, "comes in a sturdy box".

Edited December 17, 2023 by Misterei

[Rose Lalonde]

I love how you can see all your decks at once on those shelves. 🙂 

Speaking of original boxes and sturdiness, I don't usually close my flip top boxes, because they tend to rip if I do. That's probably weird, now that I think about it, but it hasn't been a problem (not a professional reader).  Since 2016, about 95% of my readings are with one deck -- 3 copies of it in this photo 😅 -- so rummaging is mainly for when I get the urge to look at art.  Most of my decks were bought before 2016. 

The open boxes do make the photo messy though!

 

 

(There's a second drawer, but in addition to tarot, it has Lenormands, playing cards, TCG, & a fake human heart my husband made,  a jumble. )

Edited December 18, 2023 by Rose Lalonde

[Nemia]

I took photos of my collections and uploaded them here. My collection is subdivided into groups, and they're all up regularly on my tarot calendar. I keep them in open baskets. 

 

 

This for example is my basket of decks with Asian and oriental influences. 

 

 

 

These 12 baskets are for the astrological signs, and they're changed when a new star sign comes in.

 

One basket is for the decks I always keep in use. 

 

 

Thoth and Tabula Mundi, Hermetic Kabbalah and Arcana of Astrology. 

 

I also have an oracle basket. 

 

 

And one for playing cards. 

 

 

Did I forget my Lenormands?

 

 

 

[Natural Mystic Guide]

4 hours ago, Rose Lalonde said:

(not a professional reader)

I am a professional reader.  I do use a lot of my decks a lot of the time.  Sometimes I do workshops where other people get to use decks, too.  Not tucking in the tops is a good idea.  I am such a compulsive neatnik, though.  It just would not work for me.  I would be going crazy.  Sometimes after I have replaced a finished box with a beautiful bag, I still keep the old box in the bag.  Sentimentality.

[Natural Mystic Guide]

4 hours ago, Rose Lalonde said:

The open boxes

... Okay, @Rose Lalonde, so I'm looking at these decks.  Some I recognize.  Please can you tell me what is the deck that is right in the middle?  It has a Star of David and then a moon on the upper right.  Just curious.  I don't recognize it.  Thank you.

[Natural Mystic Guide]

2 hours ago, Nemia said:

I keep them in open baskets. 

So I keep mine in open baskets or in decorative closed boxes.  What's interesting is that we both are keeping our decks in pretty bags.  You crochet many of yours.  I buy handmade batik bags that are very pretty.  I think that we are both color coding our bags so that at a glance we can find the deck that we want by color.  Is that correct?

[Nemia]

I try to find yarn that fits the deck's colour scheme, yes. My baskets are actually just simple cardboard thingies, I'll have to invest in some nicer baskets sooner or later. 

 

Making nice bags for my decks is a very relaxing pastime. It's part of my bonding process with my decks. 

[Rose Lalonde]

31 minutes ago, Natural Mystic Guide said:

... Okay, @Rose Lalonde, so I'm looking at these decks.  Some I recognize.  Please can you tell me what is the deck that is right in the middle?  It has a Star of David and then a moon on the upper right.  Just curious.  I don't recognize it.  Thank you.

Hi @Natural Mystic Guide That’s the Daniloff 2nd ed.  🙂 

[Misterei]

@Rose Lalonde

LOVE Daniloff. I have his Persian themed Tarot and his Greek themed LeNormand.

I also have some boxes if you look carefully ... can't get the lid to close properly so i just leave it as you do.

[Misterei]

Moving has progressed I wanted to share the FINISHED collection.

I'm happy to have all the cards and Tarot books in one place, easy to see and easy to grab.

After this latest round of Death Cleaning I have 59 tarots, 8 oracles, 8 LeNormands, 3 decks of playing cards.

Which I just realized puts the whole collection at ... wait for it ... 78 DECKS. 🌟

 

Edited December 29, 2023 by Misterei

[Raggydoll]

2 hours ago, Misterei said:

Moving has progressed I wanted to share the FINISHED collection.

I'm happy to have all the cards and Tarot books in one place, easy to see and easy to grab.

After this latest round of Death Cleaning I have 59 tarots, 8 oracles, 8 LeNormands, 3 decks of playing cards.

Which I just realized puts the whole collection at ... wait for it ... 78 DECKS. 🌟

 

So pretty 😍

[Eugenie]

3 hours ago, Misterei said:

Moving has progressed I wanted to share the FINISHED collection.

I'm happy to have all the cards and Tarot books in one place, easy to see and easy to grab.

After this latest round of Death Cleaning I have 59 tarots, 8 oracles, 8 LeNormands, 3 decks of playing cards.

Which I just realized puts the whole collection at ... wait for it ... 78 DECKS. 🌟

 

 

What a beautiful way to house a collection! They are clearly very comfortable there! 

 

[gregory]

I need a house so big that I could do that.

 

This will do nicely. Already has display cases and everything !

 

 

 

[DanielJUK]

I'm just thinking of the heating costs @gregory 😂

You could do bookable tours of your deck collection and make a museum room and make some money that way 😉 

[gregory]

Yeah.... And I;'d keep the swan in there - it attracts visitors all by itself.

 

 

[Sar]

I have too many decks, and I am throughly thinking about downsizing. 

[gregory]

 SAR !!!!!! 

 

On topic: how many is too many ? A concept which fails to register with me....

[Sar]

3 minutes ago, gregory said:

 SAR !!!!!! 

 

On topic: how many is too many ? A concept which fails to register with me....

Hello babe.

I am planning on moving to a smaller place. This is why I am contemplating this decision.

[Misterei]

20 minutes ago, Sar said:

I am planning on moving to a smaller place. This is why I am contemplating this decision.

While my collection was never huge like @gregory ... I moved into a 620 sf house which is 57 sq meters for the Euro folks.

My collection, my books, an office, and a reading room to see clients ... all must fit into this tiny 4-room house.

Its happening with rounds of Death Cleaning and a daily "lets play tetris with my life" session. The last round of deck purging which got me down to 78 decks surprisingly felt easy and natural.

[gregory]

Thank goodness my daughter is part owner of our house; I don't have to think like this. I am doing some death cleaning - but not of my tarot stuff.  Which will come back into the community when she inherits it.

[Tom]

On 12/18/2023 at 4:43 AM, Natural Mystic Guide said:

I am a professional reader.  I do use a lot of my decks a lot of the time.  Sometimes I do workshops where other people get to use decks, too.  Not tucking in the tops is a good idea.  I am such a compulsive neatnik, though.  It just would not work for me.  I would be going crazy.  Sometimes after I have replaced a finished box with a beautiful bag, I still keep the old box in the bag.  Sentimentality.

I went through a brief phase where I discarded a box from a boxed set and just kept the deck and the manuals in a book shelf.  I regret this now, I like to keep the original boxes from the set now.  Fortunately it’s not a phase that lasted long—although I think some boxed sets have boxes that are much to large.  I like the new style higher deck box with the manual printed to card size and placed on top.  I think it protects the cards well and takes less space.

[Misterei]

2 hours ago, gregory said:

... I don't have to think like this. I am doing some death cleaning - but not of my tarot stuff.  Which will come back into the community when she inherits it.

chacun à son goût. I discovered I ENJOY simplicity.

After living in a house 3x the size of my little cottage ... my life got away from me ... got too complex and too stressful. It wasn't just material things ... there were other factors ... but I'm good with small and simple.

This was NOT true at other times in my life. When I owned a dance studio ... I have a feeling my costume collection was similar to your Tarot collection. Maximalist. I let most of it go when I closed the studio ... dance is a younger person's career... Tarot can stay with us for life.

[Natural Mystic Guide]

4 hours ago, Tom said:

I went through a brief phase where I discarded a box from a boxed set and just kept the deck and the manuals in a book shelf.

I do this.  Seriously, I just do not have the space to accomodate these big boxes.  Plus I prefer easier access to the decks.  I like having a bunch of decks in a basket.  Then I can just move my hand through them easily.  Some of these boxes are really nice too.   Out they go!