Tarot Deck Selection

[Tom]

I have a large variety of decks to choose from and I like to switch it up.  I know some people has a "special" deck that they use exclusively.  I have found that I can switch up decks as long as they are RWS clones and that the artist hasn't changed the imaging too much.  I have built up a relationship with the system.  Of course I have my favorites tarot deck.

 

I haven't done much tarot reading lately as I've been concentrating on learning an oracle deck.  Oracles don't have consistent systems.  So I can see the advantage of really learning the one I have been working with before learning others.

 

What do you guys do?  Do you consistently use the same deck or do you like to pick one according to your mood that day?

[Ncharge]

I will select decks based on the question itself. I have some decks that are good at some things and not others. So, I find the right deck that will give the best answer.

 

[DanielJUK]

I don't really have rigid rules on this personally, it is "whatever I feel like at the time".

 

These are the methods I use and have seen used for selecting a deck....

 

- Partner chooses the deck for you, if you are reading for someone else

- You're spending time working on a deck, many members here will keep using the same deck to work / study with it for a week/ month

- You know from your past experiences a deck is best for that type of reading / question, what @Ncharge suggested above

- You feel inspired by something external to use a deck in your collection again

- You feel intuitively pulled towards a deck / have a message to use that one / choose one with a pendulum

- You have fave decks  / special decks you pull out when needed

 

I think my main selection process is intuitive. I often get messages to use this deck. That often happens when planning to read for someone else, like I will suddenly see the deck box in my mind at a random moment. I know some of my decks are better for this than that. I also just sometimes want to re-use a deck or I have a brand-new deck I want to explore. I personally very rarely study a deck and use it for a week or a month. I have used a pendulum to select between a few options 🙂 .

 

When you have a collection of decks, it's nice to give some reading time to decks which you have forgotten about for a while. I do try to cycle through mine but I do have about 5 decks that are my faves and use more regularly.

[Tom]

@DanielJUK@Ncharge that makes sense.  I'm going to be doing Tarot reading for s bunch of ladies in March.  I didn't know if a version of traditional RWS version would resonate with them or of I should use one of these two contemporary decks:  I have the Awaken deck and the This Might Hurt deck.  Both are RWS based but are more modern in their depictions.  Maybe I should bring a traditional and contemporary deck.  I am traveling and will bring some stuff back with me so I don't really to take to many things with me.  I am visiting some metaphysical stores there and will most likely purchase another deck of cards or two. 

 

In the past I have had favorite decks but have used whichever deck in my correction I was felt more drawn to at the time.  So that seems like a good practice for me. 

Edited January 15, 2024 by Tom
typos

[Nemia]

I try to rotate my decks for my weekly readings and some of them come through much stronger than others. There are decks I never read with though I try to give them all a chance... but there are c. ten decks that give me such consistently good readings that I feel drawn to them again and again. 

 

There are meditation decks, decks for philosophical questions, practical reading decks and relationship decks. And some are very good for analysis and honest reflection of my inner state. 

 

Over time, the character of a deck emerges. 

 

I have always wanted to combine decks in a reading but didn't try it yet. Maybe I should, there are people who work with two decks and it seems an interesting option to combine an analytical and a more practical deck. 

[Natural Mystic Guide]

5 hours ago, Tom said:

I'm going to be doing Tarot reading for s bunch of ladies in March.

So it's unclear to me if you are doing one big group reading for the whole bunch of ladies, or if you will be reading individually for each lady...   When I read for others, if at all possible, I bring 4 decks with me.  At any given point in time I have 4 decks that work best -- one for each of the four kabbalistic worlds.  If I'm reading for an individual person, I fan out the four decks and let her pick which deck resonates.  If I were reading for the whole group at once, then the deck I select would have to do with the nature of the question.  Which of the four kabbalistic worlds does the question best fall into?  Then I use the pertinent deck.  I would not recommend picking up a new (to you) deck and using that for one of your decks for the ladies.  It could have some surprises and throw you off.  It can take time to become really well acquainted with a deck.

 

I hope that this is a fabulous event for you and for each of the participants.

[DanielJUK]

@Tom if you are reading at a big event and maybe you feel a little nervous, or whatever..... in that situation, you should take decks that make you feel comfortable. That would be a situation to take your faves or at least one of them that you know well. Hope it goes really well 🙂

[Guest]

I always have one deck which I use extensively. It used to be the Thoth, then the Centennial, and now it's the Heaven and Earth. It's like, I use them so much and have really dived into their system so deeply that if I have a question in mind which I need a quick answer to, I automatically reach for them since I can interpret them easily.

 

But I do also use others for special spreads, if I feel like my question requires a particular deck, or if I'm reading for other people. 

[Pio2001]

Hello.

I've only got a total of 8 decks. 4 Marseille (if we count the Rosenwald and the Wirth tarots in the Marseille category), 2 Waite-Smith, 1 Thoth and 1 special.

 

The system is very important for me. I can't use the Thoth the same way as I use the Marseille, and I am currently unable to use the Waite-Smith. Or let's say that I could use it the same way as I use the Thoth, if I had to.

 

On the other hand, the style of the deck doesn't change my interpretations. I have my preferences, but even if I have another tarot that is not my favourite one, if the same cards are spread in the same way, I think that I would interpret them the same way.

For example I have the Rosenwald tarot, which is a very old deck in black and white, with pictures quite different from the Marseille : there is no lobster on the Moon's card, no one can be seen on the Tower, which, at that time, was called the "House of the Devil" etc. 

In spite of these differences, the meaning will be the same for me. Even if the Hermit carries no light, I'll keep interpreting it as the one who brings light (among other things).

 

But I can't interpret the queens of Thoth the same way as the queens of the Marseille or Waite-Smaith. The system of court cards is very different. 

 

[Barleywine]

Although I have around 80 decks now, there are a few that are particularly suited for certain topics. I always use Brian Williams' snarky Post-Modern (PoMo) deck for sociopolitical readings on the world stage. I much prefer the Thoth for personal readings (it was my first deck back in 1972) and an official RWS or close clone for public readings (mainly because it's what people think of when they hear "tarot"). In general, though, because I have some problems with the "canned narrative vignettes" of the RWS Minor Arcana, I just apply Thoth meanings when I use it. Since both Crowley and Waite came from the Golden Dawn system, I don't think that's a stretch.

[Tanga]

If I'm reading for someone else:

I will pick one, or more decks - from the group of my "most readable" decks - according to my mood.

If I've picked more than one - I will choose by instinct/intuition or use "the stick test" to choose (A form of dowsing without tools - the tools are your fingers sticking together, or not. I dowse better with L-Rods, but they are fiddly and time consuming to

take out and use - unless one actually wants to include the whole ceremonial shebang of doing this for the clients benefit).

Occasionally I may use more than one deck. Or Tarot and then an Oracle for a couple of "rounding up" cards.

 

I have 2 decks in my therapy room for occasional "on-the-spot" readings for clients when they come in for treatments.

These are presently - The Light Seers Tarot and The Halloween Tarot (Kipling-West). (Every so often, these may change).

 

If I'm reading for myself:

For 1 card draws/meditation or other types of self/de-baggaging practices - I have a group of Tarot & Oracle that I will intuitively choose from.  If I can't decide what to use (usually with Tarot as they are more numerous) ... I consult the pictorial folder I made, which has colour copies of The Fool cards, for a selection of my "readable" decks. The Fool that I like best in that moment is the deck I will choose to use.

 

If I'm using cards for Ritual/Magi😄

I have 2 decks that always serve as 'backbone'  - Thoth & Tarot of the Cat People. Then, The Modern SpellCaster's Tarot.

Or - I may print off RWS or THOTH colouring images - and colour/craft them for specific rituals (I got my pdfs from Etsy.com).

 

If it's communication with Spirit Guides: I use Silhouettes Tarot & Textured Tarot. (Every so often, these may change).

If it's communication with The Dead: I use Relative Tarot & The Really Badly Drawn Tarot.

[Tom]

@Pio2001 although people talk about the moods of tarot cards, no matter what that I'm using, I interpret them the same way whether the deck has a more bright style or more dark emphasis. For instance, I have gotten great readings from the Gummy Bear Tarot. It's RWS clone and and the way the art is drawn doesn't change how effective the readings from it have been. Sometimes I feel with more sensitive people that they will be more comfortable with a deck in a style that would seem less intimidating to them. 

 

I have read with De Marseilles style decks, but I find it takes a lot more mental processing for me too derive the meaning. Consequently, I have those types of decks in my collection more to look at than to use.  That may change in the future because I do really like some of those decks. 

[Pio2001]

3 hours ago, Tom said:

I have read with De Marseilles style decks, but I find it takes a lot more mental processing for me too derive the meaning. 

I think that I see what you mean. I experience the same thing when I try to use the Essential Tarot by Pablo Monti. Pictures are replaced by just one or two symbols and no characters on the cards. I have to think harder in order to read the cards. 

[Misterei]

On 1/16/2024 at 4:23 PM, Barleywine said:

… RWS or close clone for public readings (mainly because it's what people think of …

Yes. Me too. But I do often think of my audience. Older? Younger? Conservative?

I brings decks to suit the audience.

 

5 hours ago, Tom said:

 

I have read with De Marseilles style decks, but I find it takes a lot more mental processing for me too derive the meaning. … That may change in the future because I do really like some of those decks. 

It took me a while to grow into my love of Pip decks.

I do NOT read them the same as RWS. 

I like to have a pip deck for reading parties or whatnot b/c sometimes I don’t want my client to automatically impose RWS meanings if they have some Tarot background. 

[Chariot]

A lot LOT depends on where I'm doing the layout.

My large dining room table—complete with candles, salt lamps, etc—allows me to make use of any/all of my decks, including ones with large cards.  That's where I like to do serious readings, usually when I am on my own and no interruptions are likely to occur.  I choose whichever of my decks appeals to me at the time. Sometimes I even use more than one, either to do more than one reading, or to expand on a reading.

For everyday readings, I sit on my bed with a lap tray.  I need to use a smaller deck for that kind of work, and it's usually my mini-RWS deck that I've had for many years.  However, I have a couple of other mini-decks I use as well, if I'm in the mood.

Either setup works fine for me.  I look forward to the times when I can set up the table and get into the 'zone,' but I get very useful and accurate readings from the lap tray and mini decks as well.

I only own three oracle decks.

One is a companion of The Druidcraft Tarot—The Druid Plant Oracle—that involves plants and traditional uses of plants.  I'm a plant person, so this deck carries meaning for me.  I often random draw a plant oracle card at the end of a standard tarot reading, just to cement certain aspects of what has emerged from the tarot reading.  It's especially effective if I've used The Druidcraft Tarot for the main reading.

Another, a fairly recent acquisition, is The Majick Cottage oracle deck, by Phil and Jacqui Lovesey.  I have such a warm and intuitive relationship with this deck, which mainly deals with mindsets, that I do use it every day.  At first I used to shuffle it and draw a card or two at random.  However, I actually find it more helpful, now that I'm familiar with the deck, to simply go through the cards face up, and pick out whichever cards seem to 'speak' to me on that particular day.  And then I think about them until they create the day's mindset that I need.

My third deck is one I haven't yet used, as I just got it last week.  It's another (earlier) oracle by Phil and Jacqui Lovesey—The Arboridium oracle deck.  I've looked through it many time, and love the artwork, but there is something about this deck that hasn't quite clicked with me yet.  I read the extensive book that accompanies the deck, and find the author/artist's meanings a bit preachy, compared to The Majick Cottage, even though the two decks are very much related.  I will need to give it time, to see where this one fits in for me.  It's a lovely deck, with smaller cards that are very easy to handle.

[Luned]

Oooh, I like Tanga’s method of choosing one off a selection sheet showing a single card from several decks. I think that would be a more decisive method than pulling out lots of decks and immediately getting distracted by their physical presence. I don’t like to reject them in person.

[Morwenna]

Most of my decks are RWS-based, so it doesn't really matter in the long run; but I do like to go with something atmospheric. Often, for others, it's just a few basic decks, and when I was reading at renfaires I would have about 3 similar decks available for the clients to choose which one. If I'm going to a specific type of venue though, even if I'm not going to actually set up a table or anything but still want to be prepared, I'll usually bring something appropriate to the surroundings, like the Grail or the Dore Bible to a Christian retreat, or one of the Steampunks to a science fiction convention, or the Old English or Medieval Scapini to the Pennsic War, or to a Pagan event a deck that has more overt Pagan symbolism. But for myself at home, I often go with something seasonal-based; the obvious season that has specific decks would be Halloween, but some otherwise generic decks feel like one season or another to me and will speak loudest when I'm looking in a chest to decide. 

[Tom]

@Morwenna I do like seasonal decks, but I usually choose what cards I’m going to do readings with depending on my mood each day or whom I’m going to do a reading for.  I have some seasonal decks like Happy Holidays and Happy New Years Tarot—but the images don’t always correlate with the RWS meanings.  This takes more effort for me to decode.  I have two Halloween Tarots and the Yule Tarot that are really RWS based.  I will use them around the appropriate holiday season.  Right now I don’t feel there’s a specific themed summer deck—there was a spring one that I couldn’t afford on Esty’s.  

 

When I get my tarot reading business established I will buy some decks that are just for me using with clients so that my collectible decks don’t get beat up.  I like to have the querent shuffle—so obviously those decks are going to take a beating.  You certainly know what decks to bring where.  If I were doing events like that I would try to pick a deck that’s concordant with whatever the event was—in that case I would use decks from my personal collection, only I’d have the querent touch the deck and concentrate on their question before I shuffle and have them cut the deck afterwards minimizing abuse.

[Morwenna]

My feelings about seasonal decks are obviously quite personal; everyone has their own take on what deck feels appropriate to a particular season, even if it's not overt in the deck itself. For instance, to me the Llewellyn feels like spring and the Prairie feels like summer; others may have a different take. October gives me a lot of choices, because besides the actual Halloween, I have a number of dark decks, themed to vampires and the like. Winter gets tricky; I have no Tarots specifically evoking Yuletide, but some decks feel cozy and indoor, which suit me fine in the cold weather; Wonderland is one of those. 

 

And of course the majority of my decks don't automatically make me think of a particular season, so they may be chosen at any time on a whim. If you can call it a whim. Some decks might feel like a particular season at one time, and at another will feel different.