Choosing a Tarot Deck

I thought I'd take a step backward, and truly start at the beginning. Before you work with the Tarot you need to chose a deck to work with.

Here are  a few things to consider when choosing a deck:

You may want to have two decks: one that you use for reading for yourself, and a separate deck for reading for others. There are a couple of reasons to have separate decks. I believe our cards get imprinted with our energy when we work with them repeatedly. You may want to have one deck that has only your energy connected with it.  I use the Voyager Tarot when I read for others. The  collage-like quality of the deck seems to help me channel information for my clients. For this reason I can't use it for my own readings - my information gets mixed-up with information for my next client, or a friend or family member I'm concerned about. 

I have a few different decks I turn to when seeking information for myself. One I particularly like is the Art Nouveau deck.

Do you like to carry your deck with you? If so, you may want to look for a nicely detailed smaller deck such as the Robin Wood Tarot. You may also find a round deck easier to hold, shuffle and work with if you have small hands. The Mother Peace deck is one example of a round deck with a choice of two sizes.

Are you interested in magic and the Golden Dawn? If so, the Thoth tarot is filled with magical symbols as is the Rider-Waite deck.

Many cards are available in several languages. This is a great way to learn  Tarot terminology in the language of interest - but be aware that some like the Osho Zen are radically different than a standard deck and may be confusing if you are new to the Tarot.

Most important of all: pick a deck that you enjoy working with, so you will look forward to reading the cards. Many book stores have a display that allow you to look at several cards from each deck they sell, before making a selection. Also, you can preview many decks on-line at: www.aeclectic.net/tarot/.  

For more information -  here's a link to a more extensive article I wrote on that topic: http://newconnexion.net/articles/index.cfm/2003/09/tarot.html.

In future posts I will talk about connecting with your cards, cleansing the cards and yourself after readings, and getting to know your Tarot deck.