This is the DE-ENABLE thread concerning buying and reading of tarot.

[AlbaTross]

I think what has really helped me...besides the fairly lengthy hiatus from Tarot that I've recently come out of...I think...tentatively...for the time being...is finding the one deck that I love so much that I'll probably be doing most of my readings with it from here on out.  Then again, I couldn't help but invest in an autumn-themed deck recently that I've been eying for some time, so what do I know?

[Nemia]

Any thoughts about the Flow Tarot? Lisa Papez has made a wonderful video about it. Her enthusiasm has totally infected me and I'm in love with it. But can I afford it? With shipping costs and everything else???? 

 

What do you think about it? Anyone here who has it and can tell me how it works as a reading deck? 

Edited September 23, 2023 by Nemia

[Raggydoll]

53 minutes ago, Nemia said:

Any thoughts about the Flow Tarot? Lisa Papez has made a wonderful video about it. Her enthusiasm has totally infected me and I'm in love with it. But can I afford it? With shipping costs and everything else???? 

 

What do you think about it? Anyone here who has it and can tell me how it works as a reading deck? 

Okay, I’ll be brutally honest (this is the de-enable thread after all..). I think it looks like they sourced a lot of pretty stock photos and then smacked titles on them. When they described their version of the Fools journey with the water droplet as the main character, it sounded a bit like a parody. I’m sure they mean it very seriously, but I don’t think the images live up to the titles or the concept. So it falls flat for me. 

[Nemia]

Thank you, dear Raggydoll, that's just what I needed to hear! 

[Misterei]

9 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

... the Fools journey with the water droplet as the main character ...

It would never make it to the World. It would get dried up at the Sun card. This deck is a impossible as a Tarot. I hope we can all see that!

Edited September 23, 2023 by Misterei

[AlbaTross]

On 9/23/2023 at 5:19 AM, Nemia said:

Any thoughts about the Flow Tarot? Lisa Papez has made a wonderful video about it. Her enthusiasm has totally infected me and I'm in love with it. But can I afford it? With shipping costs and everything else???? 

 

What do you think about it? Anyone here who has it and can tell me how it works as a reading deck? 

It looks pretty; in fact, it looks really pretty...but you came to the de-enable thread for a reason, so I'll join the others in saying that while the creator clearly has a vision, I'm not sure it carries over so effectively into a Tarot deck that would be effective to read with.  It does  things that, on their own, wouldn't singlehandedly kill a deck for me, but would definitely be points off, and they add up.  None of the imagery screams Tarot to me, and in fact, I'm just not getting the meanings of the cards at all from what I've seen, which effectively renders this a deck that cannot be read intuitively.  Of course, any deck will do if one remembers the book meanings, but I wouldn't say it's a positive for a deck to not be able to convey meanings through its imagery.  The names of the suits are swapped out in favour of more thematic options, but it's not immediately apparent to me which suit is supposed to correspond to each of the actual suits.  A good guidebook can help explain all of the above, as well as the creator's vision with each card, but one shouldn't need a guidebook just to be clear on how to read/interpret the cards.  

 

No, I do not think that is a good deck from any kind of practical standpoint, and it's certainly not beginner-friendly either.  It's a nice-looking deck, but if you just want some art to look at, there are surely more affordable options.  

[Arania]

Looks like more of a meditation deck to me. I Could not read with it.

[Chariot]

On 9/23/2023 at 1:19 PM, Nemia said:

Any thoughts about the Flow Tarot? Lisa Papez has made a wonderful video about it. Her enthusiasm has totally infected me and I'm in love with it. But can I afford it? With shipping costs and everything else???? 

 

What do you think about it? Anyone here who has it and can tell me how it works as a reading deck? 

Lots of decks out there with pretty pictures on them ...but if they don't connect to any tarot system, and aren't suggestive of any particular meanings, I reckon they're a bit of a scam?  Can you actually use these for readings?  If I want to just meditate on a beach scene or clouds, I'll look at a calendar photo or something similar. You'd constantly have to refer to the printed words on the deck during readings as well, as so many of the pictures are similar.  I reckon you don't need this deck.   🙂 Especially as it's not cheap.

Edited September 26, 2023 by Chariot

[Nemia]

I have watched Lisa's video once more. There is some tarot reasoning in the pictures, sometimes you need a lot of imagination, and not all cards are at the same taroty level. However, this deck would also work greatly as an oracle. Also for meditation and affirmation. But for all these things, it's simply not affordable enough.... 

[FindYourSovereignty]

@Nemia, now that you’ve received amazing de-enabling insight, I will take a few moments to answer your other question about deck details…

 

The deck comes in a bag, not a box. The cards are slippery, satin matte finish. The minors are not standard: Water - Wands, Cups - Clouds, Snow - Swords, Ponds - Pentacles. I think Lisa describes the deck fairly accurately although I believe the cards are more slippery than she describes. It does not have traditional RWS imagery or symbols beyond a few, like a rainbow in the 10C. It is not a deck for a beginner. I realize none of these comments necessarily de-enable you, but I tried to highlight what could be a negative to some readers. It does focus specifically on flowing, even in the manual. It is a BIG feeling deck. And of course, the price plus shipping makes it an expensive tarot deck, for sure.

[Nemia]

Thank you, @FindYourSovereignty , now you have really made my life much easier! 😄 That was very interesting, thank you. I find the Majestic Earth Tarot readable, so maybe I'd find the Flow readable, too? It's still on my list but for financial reasons, in the luxury corner 🙂 

[FindYourSovereignty]

1 hour ago, Nemia said:

Thank you, @FindYourSovereignty , now you have really made my life much easier! 😄 That was very interesting, thank you. I find the Majestic Earth Tarot readable, so maybe I'd find the Flow readable, too? It's still on my list but for financial reasons, in the luxury corner 🙂 

Well, it is the de-enable thread, so… 🤷🏻‍♀️😊

 

 

[Raggydoll]

Oh the two of you! Naughty, naughty! 😆 You mustn’t share sensible thoughts and practical facts here, this is the declutter thread! Our aim is to displease and discourage! 😁
 

 

 

[2dogs]

Other elements are available…

 

[Raggydoll]

29 minutes ago, Serpentwand said:

Other elements are available…

 

No no, de-enabling only!! 😆 Don’t go tempting them in another direction! 
 

Damn it people, behave !!! 🤣

Now, in order to repent, mention at least one negative thing about the deck in question 😁

[DanielJUK]

We do enabling as well -

 

😂

[2dogs]

3 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

Now, in order to repent, mention at least one negative thing about the deck in question 😁

Er, it’s got no more cards than any other Tarot deck?

[FindYourSovereignty]

I did mention all of the negatives I’ve experienced, I just didn’t do it with the panache that you and others are so good at! 😝

 

Here let me try it again…

 

The deck comes in a cheesy cloth bag, not even a tuck box to protect the extremely slippery cards - they slide all over the place. For a photographic deck about water, the satin matte finish makes some of the enhanced image colors look unnatural.. The minors are miserable to read because you not only are trying to read the card, but first you have to decode the suit they represent because they have all been changed. I think Lisa describes the deck fairly accurately although she can make any deck look good even when it isn’t - I’ve been there done that. The cards are definitely more slippery than she describes - by far one of the slipperiest decks I own. It does not have any traditional RWS imagery to assist with intuitive readings or symbols beyond just a very few, like a rainbow in the 10C. It is definitely not a deck for a beginner and even an advanced reader will be challenged to have water representing ALL the suit elements. I realize none of these comments necessarily de-enable you, but I am trying to highlight and enhance what are certainly negatives. It does focus specifically on flowing, even in the guidebook, which has more questions instead of keywords . It is a BIG emotional, feeling and thinking deck, which limits its usefulness on getting answers and could take hours to really understand the message. And of course, the deck is costly all by itself. Include the outrageous shipping and that makes it an astronomically expensive tarot deck, with a narrow focus. 
 

Edited September 28, 2023 by FindYourSovereignty
Typos

[Raggydoll]

4 minutes ago, FindYourSovereignty said:

I did mention all of the negatives I’ve experienced, I just didn’t do it with the panache that you and others are so good at! 😝

 

Here let me try it again…

 

The deck comes in a cheesy cloth bag, not even a tuck box to protect the extremely slippery cards - they slide all over the place. For a photographic deck about water, the satin matte finish makes some of the enhanced image colors look unnatural.. The minors are miserable to read because you not only are trying to read the card, but first you have to decode the suit they represent because they have been changed. I think Lisa describes the deck fairly accurately although she can make any deck look good even when it isn’t - I’ve been there done that. The cards are definitely more slippery than she describes - by far one of the slipperiest decks I own.. It does not have any traditional RWS imagery to assist with intuitive readings or symbols beyond just a very few, like a rainbow in the 10C. It is definitely not a deck for a beginner and even an advanced reader will be challenged to have water representing ALL the suit elements. I realize none of these comments necessarily de-enable you, but I trying to highlight and enhance what are certainly negatives. It does focus specifically on flowing, even in the guidebook, which has more questions instead of keywords . It is a BIG emotional, feeling and thinking deck, which limits its usefulness on getting answers and could take hours to really understand the mesage. And of course, the deck is costly all by itself. Include the outrageous shipping and that makes it an astronomical expensive tarot deck, with a narrow purpose, for sure. 
 

 

 

Bravo! Gold star for you! ⭐️ I knew you had it in you! 😁

 

[FindYourSovereignty]

2 minutes ago, Raggydoll said:

Bravo! Gold star for you! ⭐️ I knew you had it in you! 😁

Thank you for the support. I guess I needed the encouragement! 😊❤️

 

[Chariot]

1 hour ago, FindYourSovereignty said:

The deck comes in a cheesy cloth bag, not even a tuck box to protect the extremely slippery cards - they slide all over the place. For a photographic deck about water, the satin matte finish makes some of the enhanced image colors look unnatural.. The minors are miserable to read because you not only are trying to read the card, but first you have to decode the suit they represent because they have all been changed. I think Lisa describes the deck fairly accurately although she can make any deck look good even when it isn’t - I’ve been there done that. The cards are definitely more slippery than she describes - by far one of the slipperiest decks I own. It does not have any traditional RWS imagery to assist with intuitive readings or symbols beyond just a very few, like a rainbow in the 10C. It is definitely not a deck for a beginner and even an advanced reader will be challenged to have water representing ALL the suit elements. I realize none of these comments necessarily de-enable you, but I am trying to highlight and enhance what are certainly negatives. It does focus specifically on flowing, even in the guidebook, which has more questions instead of keywords . It is a BIG emotional, feeling and thinking deck, which limits its usefulness on getting answers and could take hours to really understand the message. And of course, the deck is costly all by itself. Include the outrageous shipping and that makes it an astronomically expensive tarot deck, with a narrow focus. 
 

You've convinced me not to buy it, and I didn't even want it in the first place!  😆

[FindYourSovereignty]

1 minute ago, Chariot said:

You've convinced me not to buy it, and I didn't even want it in the first place!  😆

 
😂😂😂 ❤️ Yay! I did it! 

[Eugenie]

I adore the fact that you - we - have this thread! It is terrific! 

As I live far away from the places where you can easily buy a nice authentic deck, I have to order everything (usually from the US). The problem is that it takes WEEKS for packages to arrive, so I pay and then wait and wait and my urge is still there until the items are here.

Right now, as I am waiting for three decks (a Centennial RWS in a tin, a Marseilles-Waite by Iger and an Antique Tarot of Bologna by LoS) to arrive, I keep reading about cards and of course I feel like buying more. A Madenie deck from Tarot Heritage as a reference TdM deck with nice kindly faces! La Corte dei Tarocchi because it is so beautiful! Tarocchi Fine dalla Torre because it is so old and historical and with lovely colors and beautiful faces and why not have more! 

Please someone do tell me that I will have enough with what I have ordered (and I own a Spacious Tarot) and as for the others, I can peer at them on the Internet, right? Thank you!

[DanielJUK]

Well this area talks people out of deck buying 🤣 . I think you have got a nice little group of decks going, you have a RWS type, a TdM type and an antique type deck. So you have covered all bases. I think that's fine, you don't have to buy 10 decks to start out and it is best to do one deck at a type as you learn. You can buy more as you go and if you really like a deck that comes up. So slow and steady is cool, you have a good foundation here of decks to start with. It's enough!

 

Sorry you have to wait so long to arrive, you can find digital decks on websites and there are tarot apps, so if you want to play around digitally, have a look online! You could use a digital website to play around until they arrive 🙂

That's very naughty enabling but let's say it's temporary whilst you wait 😉

[Eugenie]

@DanielJUK thank you, this is immensely helpful! I will be coming back to re-read your response when I have the urge to splurge on more decks while having not received the previous ones. 

Digital decks sound interesting, I might check them. Although I really try to reduce my screen time, so maybe I should read or draw instead... anything, really, but not buying cards!