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

[Eric13]

Whew!

On fire. 

[FLizarraga]

1 hour ago, Joe said:

Whew!

On fire. 

I may not agree with Sharyn (well, at least not completely), but I LOVE people who speak their mind no matter what. Life is just too short.

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

this is the de-enable thread after all. I'm normally not very good at it but their business practices get on my last nerve. which colors how I feel about all their decks. 

[Venus Rising]

Welp, 

After my tarot hiatus, I'm back with a vengeance and wanting to BUY ALL THE TAROTS (and oracles and everything in between) 😅😀

Right now, I've got the  the Llewellyn Classic Tarot and the Pictorial Key to the Tarot in my cart.  Why? I don't know.  Surely I don't need both right? Do I even need one of these decks?  (I guess 'need' isn't the right word.....but you know what I mean.)  I thought I might enjoy the artwork better on these than my standard RWS decks.  someone, please help. LOL  Thank you! 🙂 

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

you have a good variety of decks in your profile (I mean they aren't all the same decks with different colors 😉 ) I'm thinking your Hansen Roberts and Victorian Romantic would serve you very well in the strong RWS deck department. You can do better than the ones you are looking at, they are oldie goldie old school been there done that a million times decks...there are at least two dozen new independently published RWS decks that offer whole new perspectives while still remaining true to the craft. 

[Raggydoll]

14 hours ago, Venus Rising said:

Welp, 

After my tarot hiatus, I'm back with a vengeance and wanting to BUY ALL THE TAROTS (and oracles and everything in between) 😅😀

Right now, I've got the  the Llewellyn Classic Tarot and the Pictorial Key to the Tarot in my cart.  Why? I don't know.  Surely I don't need both right? Do I even need one of these decks?  (I guess 'need' isn't the right word.....but you know what I mean.)  I thought I might enjoy the artwork better on these than my standard RWS decks.  someone, please help. LOL  Thank you! 🙂 

Seriously, those two decks are so boring! Buying them would be as exciting as paying your electric bill. Save your money until you see a deck that you desire like crazy. And then come here so we can talk you out of buying it! Because you really shouldn’t be desiring decks like crazy. Can’t be good for your health nor your wallet. 

[Venus Rising]

On 6/29/2019 at 11:56 AM, AJ-ish/Sharyn said:

you have a good variety of decks in your profile (I mean they aren't all the same decks with different colors 😉 ) I'm thinking your Hansen Roberts and Victorian Romantic would serve you very well in the strong RWS deck department. You can do better than the ones you are looking at, they are oldie goldie old school been there done that a million times decks...there are at least two dozen new independently published RWS decks that offer whole new perspectives while still remaining true to the craft. 

I actually haven't even opened that Hansen-Roberts one yet. 😅 maybe I should??  

....2 dozen you say?? *tilts head to side* Any recommendations?? Oh wait....this is the de-enable thread hahaha but if you want to share some suggestions.....I won't tell anyone, I promise hahhaha 😄 

thank you for your help, @AJ-ish/Sharyn 🙂 

On 6/29/2019 at 12:06 PM, Raggydoll said:

Seriously, those two decks are so boring! Buying them would be as exciting as paying your electric bill. Save your money until you see a deck that you desire like crazy. And then come here so we can talk you out of buying it! Because you really shouldn’t be desiring decks like crazy. Can’t be good for your health nor your wallet. 

Omg that is too funny......yeah, I guess you are right.  Momentary lapse of judgement??   I guess I told myself I liked the art in those better than a classic RWS. 

And I did find another deck!!!  😱 The Fateshifters Tarot!   I started a thread on it under Decks, but maybe I should have just come here first for re-programming..I mean..de-enabling hahaha 😄

 

Thanks @Raggydoll   for your help too 🙂 

[katrinka]

This one? https://www.etsy.com/listing/650720803/fateshifters-astrology-tarot-deck

The art is nice, it sticks close to RWS, and you get astrology cards with it. (Not really necessary, as GD style decks have astrological correspondences, but nice.)
The downside is that it ships from Taiwan. Beware issues with the stock and printing!

Edited June 30, 2019 by katrinka

[Eric13]

Just imagine yourself with a bag of potato chips saying "I'm just going to eat one!" Then, 10 minutes later after you've eaten the whole bag, how do you feel? You will probably crave eating more chips. The supermarkets have enough potato chips to feed the world, but no one can eat just one. 

So there.

[MorticiaMonroe]

  You don’t need that BG mini.  It sounds like a great idea; you can take it with you everywhere, anywhere, and it will make reading so EASY. What a convenience!  But in reality, a mini is so INconvenient. I find it so much LESS because I enjoy the effort that I put into my readings..The semantics of it. The feel of the cards in my hand, and a shuffle involving more than one knuckle😂😂😂 (yes, I riffle).  I enjoy every physical aspect of a reading every bit as much as the mental and spiritual, and a mini deck just doesn’t cut it. Although it gets the job done, it’s just not the real deal. It’s the tarot version of a quickie😉 And what version are we in now of the BG? Changes were made and although I certainly have every respect for MRP, I personally feel that it wasn’t broke, and didn’t need fixing.  It’s not the same. It’s fun and entertaining, but it’s just an impersonator. It ain’t Elvis.

[FLizarraga]

On 6/29/2019 at 11:06 AM, Raggydoll said:

Seriously, those two decks are so boring! Buying them would be as exciting as paying your electric bill. 

 

Seriously, seconded.

[Venus Rising]

13 hours ago, katrinka said:

This one? https://www.etsy.com/listing/650720803/fateshifters-astrology-tarot-deck

The art is nice, it sticks close to RWS, and you get astrology cards with it. (Not really necessary, as GD style decks have astrological correspondences, but nice.)
The downside is that it ships from Taiwan. Beware issues with the stock and printing!

Yes, that's the one. I love it! I think the extra cards are a neat addition. 

Yes, that was my concern too, hence why I posted over in the tarot deck section, hoping anyone would chime in with some thoughts on the quality. 

Thank you, @katrinka 🙂

12 hours ago, Joe said:

Just imagine yourself with a bag of potato chips saying "I'm just going to eat one!" Then, 10 minutes later after you've eaten the whole bag, how do you feel? You will probably crave eating more chips. The supermarkets have enough potato chips to feed the world, but no one can eat just one. 

So there.

lol, so true!!! You make a very valid point, @Joe  (I wasn't sure if this comment was meant for me, but I'm taking it regardless haha) 😉 

 

 

1 hour ago, FLizarraga said:

1 hour ago, FLizarraga said:

On 6/29/2019 at 12:06 PM, Raggydoll said:

Seriously, those two decks are so boring! Buying them would be as exciting as paying your electric bill. 

 



 

Seriously, seconded.

LOL too funny.  And you are both absolutely right.  I was definitely having a weak moment. Thank you so much @FLizarraga and @Raggydoll  for setting me straight 😄 

[FLizarraga]

On 7/1/2019 at 7:40 AM, Venus Rising said:

Yes, that's the one. I love it! I think the extra cards are a neat addition. 

Yes, that was my concern too, hence why I posted over in the tarot deck section, hoping anyone would chime in with some thoughts on the quality. 

Thank you, @katrinka 🙂

lol, so true!!! You make a very valid point, @Joe  (I wasn't sure if this comment was meant for me, but I'm taking it regardless haha) 😉 

 

 

LOL too funny.  And you are both absolutely right.  I was definitely having a weak moment. Thank you so much @FLizarraga and @Raggydoll  for setting me straight 😄 

So I guess it's time for you to go to the enabling thread? 

[Venus Rising]

17 hours ago, FLizarraga said:

So I guess it's time for you to go to the enabling thread? 

mayyyyybe.... hahaha 😄 

[FLizarraga]

OK, so I need help. Serious help.

 

I didn't know much about Benebell Wen, outside of, well, name recognition. Then, recently, I started watching her videos. The gal is awfully charismatic, and seems to know her sh!t. And that in turn segued into ogling her Spirit Keeper's Tarot deck. Which is definitely out of my budget. I need yet another deck, and a deck that costs upwards of $60, like I need a hole in the head.

 

Yet... we wants it... bad... the Precious!

 

Save me, PLEASE!

 

[Raggydoll]

Listen. Getting this deck is more like adopting a high maintenance child than purchasing a pretty product, because there comes a LOT of work with it. Hard work! Sure, it could be very rewarding, but not without you having to invest a great deal of time and effort into working with it. Do you really feel up to all that? Because if you can’t do it justice and you paid that much for it, then it will only be an expensive weight on your shoulders. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that this is a cute and easy deck. Have you seen the guidebooks (yes there are multiple, with hundreds of pages) plus the instruction videos? If you really need something that elaborate then why not go explore the Thoth? Those two decks share much of the same philosophy and Crowley’s books can be found for free and they will challenge you pretty good too. NO deck is worth having financial anxiety over. I think Benebell would be upset if she heard you were considering purchasing a deck that you cannot afford. There is nothing positive or spiritual about that. You are probably just suffering from a bad case of FOMO. Cure it by sitting down and going through all the decks in your collection. Yes, all of them. Feels daunting? Well, if so - then why the heck would you want to make it even more daunting by adding that deck to it? Remember - you would automatically be adding it to your guilty conscience as well.

[TheFeeLion]

On 7/1/2019 at 9:43 AM, Venus Rising said:

And I did find another deck!!!  😱 The Fateshifters Tarot!   I started a thread on it under Decks, but maybe I should have just come here first for re-programming..I mean..de-enabling hahaha 😄

I just had a look at that deck and, while it looks nice, I'm pretty sure it would be a much better looking deck without the borders. I suppose you could trim it... Although in saying that, the pictures have that weird fadeout thing around the edges so it could make it difficult to decide where exactly to trim it to. Plus, if you've never trimmed a deck before that could be pretty daunting... What if you trim it and don't cut straight? What if you cut it straight but the backs are all wonky? What if you try and fix a trimming mistake and have to cut off more than you intented?? 

 

@FLizarraga I agree with @Raggydoll on this one. I haven't looked at Benebell Wen's deck but I have heard (or should I say read?) a little about it... How much time do you really have to put aside learning that deck? At the end of the day, that's what you should really consider. Especially if you have other decks languishing on a shelf somewhere pining for attention. I totally understand that you've been watching and reading all sorts of exciting things about her decks that has gotten you excited or even just curious to get it. Did you get a similar feeling when you bought any of your other decks? Where are they now? Do you use the regularly? Or did you get them, look them over and put them aside for a more opportune time, and that time just never arrived? 

 

[gregory]

3 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

Listen. Getting this deck is more like adopting a high maintenance child than purchasing a pretty product, because there comes a LOT of work with it. Hard work! Sure, it could be very rewarding, but not without you having to invest a great deal of time and effort into working with it. Do you really feel up to all that? Because if you can’t do it justice and you paid that much for it, then it will only be an expensive weight on your shoulders. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that this is a cute and easy deck. Have you seen the guidebooks (yes there are multiple, with hundreds of pages) plus the instruction videos? If you really need something that elaborate then why not go explore the Thoth? Those two decks share much of the same philosophy and Crowley’s books can be found for free and they will challenge you pretty good too. NO deck is worth having financial anxiety over. I think Benebell would be upset if she heard you were considering purchasing a deck that you cannot afford. There is nothing positive or spiritual about that. You are probably just suffering from a bad case of FOMO. Cure it by sitting down and going through all the decks in your collection. Yes, all of them. Feels daunting? Well, if so - then why the heck would you want to make it even more daunting by adding that deck to it? Remember - you would automatically be adding it to your guilty conscience as well.

I concur with every word she said. I bought it because (well, I do have a reputation to uphold.) I can't see getting to grips with it at all in my life time. You thought Holy Light was FULL of stuff ? This has ten times the content. I only have one of the guidebooks. I don't even understand it. What chance of understanding the deck ? Get a kitten. Less effort altogether. Or chocolate.

Edited July 12, 2019 by gregory

[katrinka]

Yes. Benebell is charismatic, and she knows a lot of stuff, and the deck and materials that go with it are something of a magnum opus.
But with all that said, I passed on it. Her reading style isn't compatible with mine - it works, but we just don't do the same thing.
This year, everybody's talking about her deck. Next year they'll be talking about something else. It's a trend - and I wonder how many of the people singing the praises of the SKT are actually knuckling down and learning all that stuff?

[Raggydoll]

@katrinka I agree that it feels almost like a trend. I believe her deck came in the right time when everyone wanted to do a depth year and go deep with their decks (or books or whatever). It’s just that most of us have way too many things we could go deep with and  it soon feels like you’re drowning. And you might have been able to focus and create a structured plan to start decoding this deck and incorporating it into your practice.. If only your guilty money-conscience wasn’t distracting you too much..... 

[gregory]

At times like this, using only the images would be easier. But - they are too dense even for that.

[katrinka]

22 minutes ago, Raggydoll said:

@katrinka I agree that it feels almost like a trend. I believe her deck came in the right time when everyone wanted to do a depth year and go deep with their decks (or books or whatever). It’s just that most of us have way too many things we could go deep with and  it soon feels like you’re drowning. And you might have been able to focus and create a structured plan to start decoding this deck and incorporating it into your practice.. If only your guilty money-conscience wasn’t distracting you too much..... 

EXACTLY this.
I still need to do a deep dive into the things behind the Thoth, not just read about them but really internalize all of it. And that deck has been around for decades.
And I've been tweaking my TdM/pip deck method for some time, I scrapped a lot of what I used to do and started again almost from scratch. It's work.
And never mind the Holy Light. I don't agree with all of the creator's theories, but it's such a sumptuous deck, and I want to use it effectively.
Meanwhile, there is all the non-Tarot stuff. I've got Lenormand and Kippers down pretty pat, but Sibillas and Sibyls and Belline and whatnot? There's always room for improvement with those.
There are not enough hours in a day. It would be pointless to take on the SKT on top of all that.

[Eric13]

@FLizarraga There's this ago slowly going by and the back is covered with hay and there's people sitting on the back of it, a lot of people, yet there's always room for more so you jump on it and sit on it for a while and people jump on, and people jump off. Then you start to wonder why you're sitting on it and then your butt starts to hurt from sitting, then you jump off with a sore butt and look at all those people with blank dead faces still sitting on the wagon, and then you wonder why you ever jumped on that wagon to start with, as it continues, non stop to roll over the horizon and you feel guilty about ever having jumped onto that wagon. 

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

Oh Joe...this should be on everyone's morning mirror space, in regards to the whole world. 

 

Fliz, you can get all the images on her website for free, that is the kind of person she is. 

Majors download https://benebellwen.com/spirit-keepers-tarot/free-major-arcana-download/

whole both deck images. https://benebellwen.com/spirit-keepers-tarot/gallery-of-all-cards/

or you can get the coloring book https://benebellwen.com/spirit-keepers-tarot/a-childs-tarot-coloring-book/

It is a hybrid that can be used out of the box. Without all the woo-woo mob mentality. You already have the same deck. In multiples 😉 

[katrinka]

On 6/16/2019 at 10:11 AM, AJ-ish/Sharyn said:

magic realist decks...jump right on that deck... if you like been rooked and bamboozled...oh they shouted they'd NEVER republish a deck, never never. and they have again and again, covering up the butts by saying well they've changed this and that. Biggest con ever. Don't fall for it. SORT of retiring? Another word for we'll be back with more of the same. Mob mentality pushes their sales, not their quality of tarot. There are much better ways to spend your money and enhance your tarot experience. 

While this isn't de-enabling, I have to refute that. Each new edition is different from the last.
Doing a cold stamped Victorian Romantic in no way negates the value of a first edition, and so on.
In all my interactions with Karen Mahoney, she has been honest and on the level. They're not conning anyone.