How do You Select a Deck To Read?

[gregory]

It might be the one I just got, or the one I am asked for, or the nearest one, or I might just feel like one of my go-to decks, or some deck that someone asked me about so I got it out to check something for them - .... Could be anything. I don't think about it as selecting.

[katrinka]

On 7/16/2021 at 5:33 AM, gregory said:

I don't think about it as selecting.

True dat.
I don't overthink it, I just grab what's handy.

[Guest]

Did anyone else justify buying way too many tarot decks by saying things like "this has such a quiet, rainy day type feel," or "the illustrations are like something out of a fairy tale--sweet but not too treacly--perfect for living in interesting times," or "so atmospheric and just a little spooky, maybe I can write ghost stories with this" and then end up mostly reading with a few old favorites?  Sometimes I pick a deck to suit my mood without thinking much about it, and occasionally I'll pick up a deck I haven't used in a while, but mostly its the same two or three decks.

[Guest]

On 5/22/2019 at 6:45 PM, Guest Night Shade said:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=194419

by Aeric

 

I use the Radiant RWS deck. I don't find a deck for the situation.

[gregory]

5 hours ago, jadegreen said:

Did anyone else justify buying way too many tarot decks by saying things like "this has such a quiet, rainy day type feel," or "the illustrations are like something out of a fairy tale--sweet but not too treacly--perfect for living in interesting times," or "so atmospheric and just a little spooky, maybe I can write ghost stories with this" and then end up mostly reading with a few old favorites?  Sometimes I pick a deck to suit my mood without thinking much about it, and occasionally I'll pick up a deck I haven't used in a while, but mostly its the same two or three decks.

 

I need no justification. They need ME, OK ?

 

But no - I have never ever thought that way.

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

you could substitute the word deck with widget. When we Want something we can think of all kinds of reasons for acquiring it. When we Need something we know it and don't require justification.  So you are  probably good with what you have. Our basics work for everything. Buyers remorse is a real thing. 🙂 Avoid it!

[TheLoracular]

When I was reading professionally in the 1990s and 2000s, I tried to offer 5 decks that I really liked but were different enough from each other that at least one would appeal to most of my clients.  I learned through trial and error that a lot of clients (those I met with in person) really preferred colorful, happy decks or the classic Rider-Waite and Thoth.  Decks with animals (Tarot of the Cat People was what I had at the time), or a pagan theme (Robin Wood was what I had at the time)

 Esoteric decks I personally loved like The Haindl or big, complex decks like Voyager were not as likely to be chosen if the querent was doing the choosing as those I listed above.  

But mastering 5 very different decks (what counted as different in the 1990s and early 2000s) and offering 5 decks was the sweet spot for both me and the clients.  More tended to cause some decision paralysis.  

When I mapped out last fall what decks I planned to use for 2021 after taking a hiatus from reading in fall of 2013- fall of 2020?  I wanted to go for a mix of both what I had previously mastered, what kinds of decks I thought people would like to see me use, and my 2020+ sensibilities about inclusiveness regarding race, gender, LGBTQIA+, culture.  

What I didn't count on was that I was going to buy (mostly on Kickstarter) or be gifted with some AMAZING decks that I just had to work with instead, lol.  So I have spent a lot less time with the decks I'd picked out for myself last fall.  BUT I did make the Pride Tarot and the Melanated Classic tarot core workhorse decks for myself and feel really good about that.  

My current "animal" deck is Baroque Bohemian Cats mini and I've gotten just obsessively attached to it.  It is NOT a deck I would have picked out for myself but a loving friend sent it to me because it was a deck she had great love/nostalgia for and I think its the combination of the lovely artwork and the fact that it connects to this friend who went out of her way to find it and get it to me that cements it in.

And sometimes, that's the reason I pick the decks I pick.  Not for the cards themselves, but what that specific deck represents to people that matter to me, or ideals that I want to live up to.  

 

Edited July 18, 2021 by TheLoracular

[gregory]

2 hours ago, AJ-ish/Sharyn said:

you could substitute the word deck with widget. When we Want something we can think of all kinds of reasons for acquiring it. When we Need something we know it and don't require justification.  So you are  probably good with what you have. Our basics work for everything. Buyers remorse is a real thing. 🙂 Avoid it!

 

Good point. The only deck I TRULY regret buying was the Coffee Tarot....

[Nisaba]

On 7/18/2021 at 11:06 PM, gregory said:

 

I need no justification. They need ME, OK ?

 

Hahahaha!

[euripides]

On 7/18/2021 at 5:51 PM, jadegreen said:

Did anyone else justify buying way too many tarot decks by saying things like "this has such a quiet, rainy day type feel," or "the illustrations are like something out of a fairy tale--sweet but not too treacly--perfect for living in interesting times," or "so atmospheric and just a little spooky, maybe I can write ghost stories with this" and then end up mostly reading with a few old favorites?  Sometimes I pick a deck to suit my mood without thinking much about it, and occasionally I'll pick up a deck I haven't used in a while, but mostly its the same two or three decks.

 

Oh yeahhh. And digital decks are going to be my undoing as I just love having them there in my hand and nobody knows! I can read without anyone passing judgement. 'not the same' as paper cards for sure - I do love that feeling of shuffling and drawing the physical objects. 

 

Feel is important. Like sometimes I love a big, dramatic, cinematic deck like the Rohrig. Life's a stage, and I'm gonna stride out there in 80s stonewash and pink eyeshadow. Until it's not, and I wish I could run away to the forest. There's a Hidden Realm in my future, I feel.  But yeah, the old favorites are always there - reliable, and you just know them - you don't have to think or dig into your memory for some obscure bit of symbolism or hunt for relevance, it just speaks to you. 

[Sar]

I just take the deck that is closest to where I sit. I do not bother to check the entire book case for the right deck. I do have some favorite decks, though.

[Natural Mystic Guide]

If reading professionally and the querent is not present, at any given time I have 4 decks that are my go to decks.  Depending upon the nature of the question being asked, it will fall into one of the 4 Kabbalistic Worlds:  Assiyah -- the material world; Yetzirah -- world of the heart; Briyah -- world of the mind; or Atzilut -- world of creativity and spirituality.  If the querent is present, I fan out my 4 go to decks on the table and let them decide which one they feel drawn to.  If I am doing a random reading, for example, for my blog or for social media, I will ask my Guides.  I have lots of decks so this gives me the fun of working with decks that I may not use as often.

[the.Hydra]

Whichever strikes my fancy, but I wish I was better acquainted with my decks. There's a reader I really look up to and she is so intimately aware of which decks are best for what. She's got one that's really good at spiritual matters, another mundane, etc etc. I admire that connection/skill.

[Wyrdkiss]

I tend to find myself grabbing the one that is ideal for the question or mood.   Occasionally, I'll grab one, pause, put it back and select another. Without fail that pays off.

Edited June 25, 2023 by Wyrdkiss

[Natural Mystic Guide]

2 hours ago, the.Hydra said:

...I wish I was better acquainted with my decks. There's a reader I really look up to and she is so intimately aware of which decks are best for what. She's got one that's really good at spiritual matters, another mundane, etc etc. I admire that connection/skill.

🌿🤎🌿  Hello @the.Hydra I'm sending you lots of encouragement.  It's a matter of time and experience.  It's like getting to know people.  You spend time with them.  You share different kinds of activities with them.  Different people are going to be fun to hang out with for different kinds of activities.  It's all going to fall into place for you and become more and more clear.  Do lots and lots of readings.  Read for yourself.  Read for your friends and family.  Take advantage of the many opportunities here to do readings.  I also recommend do a reading with a deck about the deck.  This is a technique called 'interviewing your deck'.  I've done a couple here in the Journal section that you can check to get a feel for this method.  Best wishes! 🌿🤎🌿

[the.Hydra]

10 hours ago, Natural Mystic Guide said:

🌿🤎🌿  Hello @the.Hydra I'm sending you lots of encouragement.  It's a matter of time and experience.  It's like getting to know people.  You spend time with them.  You share different kinds of activities with them.  Different people are going to be fun to hang out with for different kinds of activities.  It's all going to fall into place for you and become more and more clear.  Do lots and lots of readings.  Read for yourself.  Read for your friends and family.  Take advantage of the many opportunities here to do readings.  I also recommend do a reading with a deck about the deck.  This is a technique called 'interviewing your deck'.  I've done a couple here in the Journal section that you can check to get a feel for this method.  Best wishes! 🌿🤎🌿

 

Yeah I saw that spread back at Aeclectic TF and have used it. I've been reading since I was 19 and I'm 32 now, I think the problem is I don't spend enough time with one deck because I have so many and I want to use them all. I actually made a resolution this year to use one deck per month and really get to know it. I have deck lust and buy quite a few but what good is it if I don't actually use them enough to get to know them y'know?

[Morwenna]

When I was reading for others at small renfaires, I would bring 3 or 4 variations of RWS, because that's what I was comfortable with, and let the querent choose the one they liked best. If I'm carrying a deck to family or friend gatherings on the off-chance that someone will ask for a reading, I'll carry something small, like the mini-RWS or the pocket Hanson-Roberts. 

 

For myself at home, though, it's different. I don't always do readings, often I just want to study the cards, but I have a number of decks that feel like different seasons and it is usually one of those I will choose. Obviously if I have decks that really do pertain to certain seasons (Halloween, for example), those are the ones I will choose among at that time of year. 

 

But if I'm going somewhere special for a length of time to a themed venue, I will bring a deck or two that fit the vibe, like the Old English or Medieval Scapini to the Pennsic War, or the Grail or Dore Bible to a Christian retreat, or one of the Steampunk decks to a science fiction convention, or one with overt Pagan symbolism to a festival or esoteric conference. 

[Misterei]

4 hours ago, Morwenna said:

... if I'm going somewhere special for a length of time to a themed venue, I will bring a deck or two that fit the vibe, like the Old English or Medieval Scapini to the Pennsic War, or the Grail or Dore Bible to a Christian retreat, or one of the Steampunk decks to a science fiction convention, or one with overt Pagan symbolism to a festival or esoteric conference. 

My process is usually intuitive b/c I seldom do events. Just individual readings and picking a deck that vibes as compatible for the client.

 

But I've found that my Mucha deck does well at women's events. I've used it for a hen party and a women's festival. Even tho I had other decks with me ... I used Mucha for every reading at both these events. It's quite pretty and feminine yet not sugar-coated.

[Morwenna]

I don't necessarily "do" events, i.e. read at them, but I go prepared as long as I'm going anyway. I haven't set up an actual reading table in years. 

[Guest]

I have a workhorse deck which I use around 80% of the time when I read. These rotate very slowly, like I usually keep one for a year or so before settling for another. 

 

However, I have differing sets of decks that I use for particular readings. Like when I read about finance or investments, I have four decks that I feel compelled to read with and therefore almost always choose from. But even then I may inexplicably feel that a different, out-of-the-blue deck may serve my current purposes better. In which case I simply select and work with that. 

[Moonhart44]

I have "three decks" one is rider waite and is aesthetically my favorite deck but i resonate more with the marseille deck. I would give it away to someone who would use it because it deserves to be used but maybe one day i will try to use rider waite style so idk.

i have my main deck. this deck and the latter are both lo scarabeo Gold and Black edition. I am sad my TdM deck is not foil like the Rider one :c but i love it.

I have stained the edges of both decks black because i think it looks more seamless that way.

 

finally, i have a gift "deck". i appreciate the thought but idk how to use it. it is a dice rolling deck. i keep it out of respect that it was given but maybe one day i will use it.

 

currently, i have a compulsion to have one deck. i think the urge to buy a bunch of decks makes sense in that they are so beautiful at times and its fun but i dont know why i would need many decks. some people use certain decks for certain types of readings, and i belileve one day i will understand that mentality (thus the hoarding of my other two decks) but as of right now i do not.