#editorspickdecks - Deck recommendations for 15 purposes, inspired by YouTube

[Nemia]

Right now, a very interesting hashtag is making the rounds on TaroTube: #editorspickdecks. I have watched some of the videos with this hashtag, not all of them, and I think we can extend the idea to the written word and give the word to those of us who don't have a YouTube platform. 

 

You can, of course, pick and choose what kind of deck you recommend - you don't have to answer all 15 questions. But this might be an interesting starting point for people looking for deck recommendations. If enough people participate and give their answers, I'll turn it into a list with links, if that's okay. Why should YouTube have all the fun? 

 

The prompts

 

1. Inner Child Work: A deck you recommend for inner child healing. One that feels safe, nurturing, and playful—ideal for reconnecting with innocence, creativity, and emotional truth.

 

2. Shadow Work: A deck that’s powerful for helping readers face their shadows. Honest, deep, and unafraid to confront the difficult—this is your recommendation for deep transformation and self-inquiry.

 

3. Deity Work (or Spirit Guides): A deck that serves as a spiritual bridge—perfect for working with deities, spirit guides, or higher realms. It holds sacred energy and supports devotional practice or channeled messages.

 

4. Ancestor Work: A deck you’d suggest for connecting with ancestral wisdom. Whether for lineage healing or honoring those who came before, this one opens the path to ancestral connection.

 

5. Divination: A deck that excels in traditional divination. Clear, direct, and accurate—this is your top pick for those seeking predictive insight or practical answers.

 

6. As Above: A deck that connects the reader to cosmic or spiritual realms. Ideal for soul work, life path exploration, or messages from the higher self—it speaks to the divine perspective.

 

7. So Below: A deck you recommend for grounded, real-world readings. This one captures everyday emotions, human experience, and earthly wisdom with clarity and depth.

 

8. Hug Deck: A deck that offers emotional support and comfort. Gentle, compassionate, and soothing—this is a deck that feels like a warm hug for anyone going through a tough time.

 

9. Feel-Good Deck: A deck that uplifts, encourages, and energizes. Whether through color, artwork, or message, this one is a perfect feel-good recommendation for readers who want joy and empowerment.

 

10- Most Versatile: A deck you recommend for handling any type of reading—love, career, shadow work, daily pulls, and everything in between. Reliable, flexible, and reader-friendly, this is the all-rounder that adapts to every situation.

 

11- Most Inspiring Deck: A deck you recommend to inspire creativity, intuitive flow, or personal transformation. Whether it's the art, the energy, or the depth of the messages, this one sparks something powerful in the reader.

 

12- Best for Beginners: A deck you'd confidently recommend to someone just starting their tarot journey. Accessible, clear, and easy to learn with—this one makes tarot feel inviting rather than intimidating.

 

13- Best for Professionals: A deck you suggest for experienced readers who need depth, nuance, and strong symbolism. Ideal for layered readings, spiritual insight, and working with clients at a professional level.

 

14- Witchy Vibes: A deck you'd recommend for those who love witchy aesthetics, moody vibes, magical symbolism, or spell work support, casting, altar work, etc.

 

15- Astrology Work: A deck you recommend for astrology lovers and cosmic seekers. One that weaves planetary wisdom and archetypes into its structure—ideal for exploring birth charts, transits, and celestial guidance.

 

Edited April 19 by Nemia

[Misterei]

On 4/19/2025 at 2:18 AM, Nemia said:

Right now, a very interesting hashtag is making the rounds on TaroTube: #editorspickdecks.

Thank you for posting this. I ended up making a video [VR] but it took awhile 😉 I finally uploaded it yesterday.

It was fun and my first time doing a VR.

Anyway, I'm not allowed to post a direct link but my channel is in signature line in case you want to see my 15. 

Actually, it's a couple more than 15 b/c I had 3 decks for shadow work 🤣 and 2 for astrology and a couple other categories.

[Natural Mystic Guide]

2 hours ago, Misterei said:

It was fun and my first time doing a VR.

Wow!  You are a natural at this.  This is a great video.  Your presentation is relaxed and professional and to the point.  No spacey rambling!  It's nice to see you.

[FindYourSovereignty]

3 hours ago, Misterei said:

Thank you for posting this. I ended up making a video [VR] but it took awhile 😉 I finally uploaded it yesterday.

It was fun and my first time doing a VR.

Anyway, I'm not allowed to post a direct link but my channel is in signature line in case you want to see my 15. 

Actually, it's a couple more than 15 b/c I had 3 decks for shadow work 🤣 and 2 for astrology and a couple other categories.

 

Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed the video. It was very thoughtful to include readily available, mostly mass market decks, as, like you stated, it is a recommendation video. The whole presentation was very professional and well thoughtout.

[Misterei]

On 4/28/2025 at 6:51 PM, FindYourSovereignty said:

Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed the video. It was very thoughtful to include readily available, mostly mass market decks, as, like you stated, it is a recommendation video. The whole presentation was very professional and well thoughtout.

Thank you so much for the thoughtful feedback! Very helpful. I,m going to try other VRs now that I've done my first--it was fun.

[Misterei]

On 4/28/2025 at 5:08 PM, Natural Mystic Guide said:

Wow!  You are a natural at this.  This is a great video.  Your presentation is relaxed and professional and to the point.  No spacey rambling!  It's nice to see you.

thank you for the feedback and thanks for watching 🙏. LOL the "natural" part is LOADS of practice + trial & error hehe.

[zurgles]

I’m gonna be doing this as decks from my collection. There may be some repeats and some decks may be OOP, but some are mass market too. 

 

1. Inner Child Work: A deck you recommend for inner child healing. One that feels safe, nurturing, and playful—ideal for reconnecting with innocence, creativity, and emotional truth. 

 

I’d say the Sakki-Sakki tarot for inner child work because it’s colorful and playful. I also want to mention Tarot of the Sweet Twilight for inner teen work. It’s a little melancholy and emo but still sweet and good for the emo teen in us. 

 

2. Shadow Work: A deck that’s powerful for helping readers face their shadows. Honest, deep, and unafraid to confront the difficult—this is your recommendation for deep transformation and self-inquiry.

 

I haven’t used it much yet but I’d say the Deviant Moon and the Thoth. I’m not cool enough to not think the Deviant Moon has challenging imagery and the Thoth cuts right to the heart of a matter, no bull****. 

 

3. Deity Work (or Spirit Guides): A deck that serves as a spiritual bridge—perfect for working with deities, spirit guides, or higher realms. It holds sacred energy and supports devotional practice or channeled messages. 

 

I’d say the Spirit Keeper’s tarot. It’s kinda a deck designed for conversing with deities and spirit guides. I have the Vitruvian edition so can’t say whether it’s the same with the Revelations edition. I’ll also add the Persephone tarot for working with her. It’s a simple deck and it does its own thing, but it works. There are a lot of decks you could use when communing with her though. 

 

4. Ancestor Work: A deck you’d suggest for connecting with ancestral wisdom. Whether for lineage healing or honoring those who came before, this one opens the path to ancestral connection. 

 

For me as a black person, that’d be Dust ii Onyx. I’ve only done two readings with it so far but it’s really connected me to where I came from and my history and experience with my culture. 

 

5. Divination: A deck that excels in traditional divination. Clear, direct, and accurate—this is your top pick for those seeking predictive insight or practical answers. 

 

I’d say the Universal Waite (or any other RWS clone). It’s direct and to the point. The meaning is at the top of the card. I remember I made a timing system and it wasn’t too inaccurate, it was often surprisingly close. I’d also say the Halloween tarot can be unusually on the money too. 

 

6. As Above: A deck that connects the reader to cosmic or spiritual realms. Ideal for soul work, life path exploration, or messages from the higher self—it speaks to the divine perspective. 

 

I don’t think I have a deck like this so I’m gonna say the Thoth and Spirit Keeper’s tarot. Maybe Dust ii Onyx too since it has a starry vibe. 

 

7. So Below: A deck you recommend for grounded, real-world readings. This one captures everyday emotions, human experience, and earthly wisdom with clarity and depth. 

 

I’d say the Universal Waite again. 

 

8. Hug Deck: A deck that offers emotional support and comfort. Gentle, compassionate, and soothing—this is a deck that feels like a warm hug for anyone going through a tough time. 

 

Definitely Shadowscapes. It’s always been an encouraging reader for me.

 

9. Feel-Good Deck: A deck that uplifts, encourages, and energizes. Whether through color, artwork, or message, this one is a perfect feel-good recommendation for readers who want joy and empowerment.

 

Shadowscapes and Sakki Sakki. Also Britt’s Third Eye tarot is fun and pop-y. 

10- Most Versatile: A deck you recommend for handling any type of reading—love, career, shadow work, daily pulls, and everything in between. Reliable, flexible, and reader-friendly, this is the all-rounder that adapts to every situation. 

 

I’m gonna have to go with the Universal Waite again. 

 

11- Most Inspiring Deck: A deck you recommend to inspire creativity, intuitive flow, or personal transformation. Whether it's the art, the energy, or the depth of the messages, this one sparks something powerful in the reader. 

 

I think I’ll go with the Thoth. It requires a lot of study, which I’m planning to do soon, but it’s undeniably powerful and inspiring. I’m familiar with the cards because I’ve used the website Esoteric Meanings for added insight to my RWS readings and just to compare and contrast, but this will be the first time I do a dedicated study. I’ll also say Numinous tarot because it fits “inspiring creativity” and personal transformation to me personally. 

 

12- Best for Beginners: A deck you'd confidently recommend to someone just starting their tarot journey. Accessible, clear, and easy to learn with—this one makes tarot feel inviting rather than intimidating.

 

I’d say Universal Waite, Thoth, or Britt’s Third Eye tarot. The first because most decks are based on it and it’s a clear reader. The second for anyone who’s interested even though it’ll take a lot of study because when you’re having fun, the work is easy. The last because it’s a really easy reader that simplifies things and it’s fun. I don’t have a Marseilles but I’d add that if you’re interested. Really I’d go with a deck that speaks to you. I’d also say Numinous tarot because the guidebook is amazing. 

 

13- Best for Professionals: A deck you suggest for experienced readers who need depth, nuance, and strong symbolism. Ideal for layered readings, spiritual insight, and working with clients at a professional level.

 

Universal Waite or Thoth. 

 

14- Witchy Vibes: A deck you'd recommend for those who love witchy aesthetics, moody vibes, magical symbolism, or spell work support, casting, altar work, etc. 

 

I’d say Tarot of Magical Correspondences for the beautiful layout of, well, correspondences. It looks like it’d be good for spellwork or on an altar. And the Ophidia Rosa for the earth witch aesthetic as well. 

 

15- Astrology Work: A deck you recommend for astrology lovers and cosmic seekers. One that weaves planetary wisdom and archetypes into its structure—ideal for exploring birth charts, transits, and celestial guidance.

 

I’s say Thoth, even though it’s mixed with Qabalah and other things. It’s why I originally got the deck. I had written the correspondences on my Universal Waite deck (on the borders) and was getting frustrated at not being able to see all the connections, so I got the Thoth.