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Discussion
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I’ve been reading tarot for about 6-7 years now, and I lately went through a 2-3 year period that I didn’t read at all. I was going through a season of my life of repeated losses and pain, felt disenchanted and overall I just didn’t feel the connection anymore.
In the past year, I’ve started practicing again but I’ve found that the cards I used to connect so well with seem, almost from a different age. So, I’ve been looking for a new deck, a bit of a fresh start. But, I keep getting decks and I’m just soooooo not connected to them. So now, I have a tidy little collection of decks that I don’t use, and am always searching for a deck that I may once again have a deep emotional and spiritual connection to.
My contemplation on all of this has led to me wonder how other people found their favorite deck, how they knew it was “right”, or in the case of using multiple decks, how do you select which one will be used for which reading?
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How did you find your favorite deck, or how do you decide which deck to use in any given day?
updated 2 years, 5 months ago
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Mood helps me choose. If i feel good, i want light seers or my other pretty cards. If i just want to facts i go to rider waite. If i want unquestioned accuracy i go to sangria cards. I have a bunch others that i just reach for if they are nearby.
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For the decks I feel most connected to, I purchased them while listening to a gut feeling. I didn’t use only my logical brain to make the choice. There are some decks that after seeing images of them and researching them (or seeing them irl in a store), my mind kept going back to these decks even though there were so many others out there on my wishlist. The decks that kept popping up in my head over and over even after extensive research/browsing are the ones I chose to purchase. Even when I found other decks that attracted me, some part of me kept wanting to go back to the decks that kept calling to me and popping up in my head. I felt a strong connection with them as soon as I started working with them.
As for what I use on a given day, I pick based on mood
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Howto tell if you connect? Choose your favorite card in the deck and then look at that card in various decks. Use image search for google. For me, if THE WORLD card looks funky I will avoid a deck unless their are other parts of the deck I like. Spellcasters has a pretty world card and so does raider waite.
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I might be more of a collector than you, I just buy them, and if it’s uninspiring, pass it along later. I hope you find a beautiful new deck to connect with if you think that’s what you need. If you’re looking for permission to buy yourself something from your wishlist, please go do it soon!
> in the case of using multiple decks, how do you select which one will be used for which reading?
I have somewhere in the range of 20-30 decks, and I try to “match” the tarot deck I use, to the mood or vibe of the question. By “match” idk how to explain but I might compare it to a fashion or aesthetic choice, in that I’m looking for a similar tone, a deck that “goes together” with the nature of the question (or the questioners mindset). Having different images and using multiple decks is helpful for me..some are more angelic and innocent looking, others are sexualised, or demonic, for example. Idk if your collection is all decks of a similar art style/themes but maybe breaking it up and getting something unlike what you already have
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Often I don’t know until I’m physically holding them. For instance I was online looking at decks like Modern Witch and Everyday Witch, I went with Modern Witch which I like a lot but a friend of mine had Everyday Witch and wow when I flipped through it, I just fell in love with the imagery. I know I have a store near me (in Salem, MA so I’m lucky that way) that has a bunch of decks open so you can flip through them before purchasing. But Barnes and Noble and Amazon carry A LOT now, and I’m sure their both fine with returns even if opened.
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I found my favorite deck through an ad on Instagram. It was the Tarot of the Divine deck by Yoshi Yoshitani, a deck that uses folk lore and legends around the world to represent cards. The front of the deck used the moon card represented by the tale of Princess Kaguya. Her story is incredibly sad and the moon card had her wistfully staring at the moon while crossing a bridge. It’s hard to explain, but I felt this sense of yearning, like I wanted to hold the cards and see what other stories they had to tell. Next thing I knew they were in my cart and on their way to my house.
I’m only a beginner, therefore only have two decks, but I have a feeling this one will be my favorite for awhile because not only is it beautiful, but it connects to me personally as a story writer and a lover of stories.
My advice is to look up tarot decks and see if it jumps out at you in a certain way whether it is the art, the card represented on the cover, or the theme that somehow aligns to you or where you are in life.
TDLR: My story of how I got my deck. Try finding decks that connect visually, spiritually, or thematically.
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I guess the first thing to do is work with the decks individually for some time in order to get a feel for them.
If you have multiple decks and aren’t sure which you like or want to use or connect with, just commit to using one for a week at a dedicated time every day. Use 1 deck for a week, then switch to the next deck and use that for a week, etc.
Lately I have been dedicating about 30 minutes in the morning, before looking at my phone/social media for journaling and doing a simple 1 – 3 card tarot card read for the day. I just finished doing this with my Tarot of the Divine deck, and am going to start using my Darkwood Tarot and see how that goes, then rotate to my Enchanted Tarot deck. The idea is to pick a deck or decks that are more for my personal use, and for others.
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I definitely have favorite decks that I reach for more often because I like the imagery, the size and feel of the cards, the LWB, the energy and readings I get from the deck. I have some decks that I like but don’t use because they always give negative readings lol they’re just grumpy decks. But I generally sit and look at my collection and see what deck calls to me to use it. You reminded me that I should probably purge my collection and get rid of a few that I don’t use much.
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I found my favorite deck by accident. I was actually looking for the Modern Witch Tarot but the bookstore didn’t have that deck in stock. I saw the Light Seers Tarot deck and decided to buy it instead. I use it almost everyday and for most of my reads. I just really bonded to it in a way that I didn’t with my other decks. I do love my Modern Witch deck and it’s my second most used deck but the Light Seers deck will always be my OG deck. I have a couple of others. I use the Good Karma deck when I ask a question that I think might give a hard answer because the art on that deck is child like and fun. Even hard cards like the ten of swords or three of swords don’t feel so bad with that deck. When I decide what deck to use, I ultimately just go with my instinct and let it guide me. Like I wake up and know what deck I want to use for a card of the day or a spread.
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I’ve purchased several oracle decks in the past. 2 I did not end of connecting with at all but I did with one. Recently I was looking for a tarot deck but couldn’t decide. I saw a TikTok (don’t hate lol) and the woman was shuffling this gorgeous looking deck and I felt very drawn to it. In the comments she mentioned it was Threads of Fate’s Weaver tarot so I immediately went to their website and ordered it. When it came, I was so excited and I connected to it immediately. I love the imagery, the weight of the cards, and that it is gender-neutral.
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This is a great question and I’m not sure how to answer it. There are some decks that I own and never use because I couldn’t connect. Some of them are even really popular decks. They’re collecting dust and I’ll gift them out when people come in my life wanting to learn tarot. Why do we not click though? Usually, it’s that even after working with it for X amt of time, it’s not giving me real readings. Not the same kind of readings I can get from one of my other trusty favorites. It’s not slapping on that unconscious level.
But out of the decks I love and use, I typically have a seasonal rotation. Murder of Crows for Autumn/Winter, The Muse Tarot for Spring, and Cosmic Slumbers for Summer. I typically have different end goals during those seasons and so the deck’s strengths are showcased during the season.
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I was using many decks throughout the past ten years, but I’ve got a hold on the Mystic Monday and immediately fell in love. Connected so hard with it, and it actually became my preferable deck. Just…by coincidence of finding it.
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I sort of have a couple different decks depending on my mood or the reading I want to do. If I’m looking for a lighthearted reading, I pick a deck with lighter imagery and more simple artwork. But if I want a reading that will show me some shadow work or give me a deeper meaning, I like to pick a deck with more varied imagery and darker themes. I tend to pick my decks based on how I resonate with the artwork and the artist’s interpretations of each card.
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I follow my intuition when choosing a deck. I find that different moods call for different artwork styles as well.
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I just got into reading Tarot cards when the pandemic happened and I was trying to alleviate boredom… The first deck I got was the Gilded Tarot beginner’s kit. Messed around with it, wrote down my readings, studied and memorized the card meanings, etc. For some reason, I got a negative feeling from this deck. Not evil or anything, but it felt like the energy behind it had very little patience for beginners lol. I can only compare this to future decks I bought.
The Golden Art Nouveau Tarot was my second deck that I bought after having seen a YouTube reader use it. I liked the gold foil filigree, and the card stock seemed very strong. The feeling I get from this deck versus the Gilded Tarot like night and day. The Art Nouveau feels like a high school guidance counselor; I get a sense of patience, calm, honesty, and a feeling not quite like love, but something like a learning mentor who wishes to guide me correctly if that makes any sense. I’ve since bought a bunch of novelty decks, A Game of Thrones tarot deck, Zombie tarot deck, H.P Lovecraft Tarot deck, a Necronomicon Tarot Deck, a few others… I get a neutral feeling from these others, but a very strong feeling from the first two.
Needless to say, the Golden Art Nouveau deck is the one I use frequently… Need to start using the others more and more, probably why I don’t feel anything when I use them once in a blue moon. The more you use a deck, the more it will work with your psyche/sub consciousness.
