Tag: tarot deck

Pick a deck, any deck

Sage Sips blog is Tarot for your day in the time it takes to sip your coffee.

Pick a Deck, Any Deck

If you are going to read Tarot cards, first you need – um – Tarot cards.

There is lore, tradition if you will, that to be a successful Tarot reader you must receive your first deck as a gift.

Bullpuckey.

Literally, this holds no water at all. I can see a metaphor in it. That the “deck” must be “given” could be the good advice to find a teacher. Teacher might mean anything from a book, an actual person, or even a humble blog like this one. The point is to have some guide, some inspiration, some point of reference and learning. Psychics should be life-long learners just like any good professional. The wise people and cunning folk who are drawn to Tarot tend to be curious with a love of learning anyway, professional or not.

I’ve had many wonderful teachers over the years – both in actual classes and defacto examples, beloved authors and more.

First was Sallie who gave my first ever reading and whose oft repeated phrase (and later title of her book) “the highest and best” is still the prime intent of every reading I do. Thanks to Paul and his brother Roger who taught psychometry and aura reading, visiting a museum will never be the same. Joy Star taught intuition development classes – and sparked many epiphanies. I can’t recommend the writings of Ted Andrews, Christopher Penczak, Mat Auryn, and of course “Magical Tarot, Mystical Tao” by Diane Morgan highly enough.

All of that is great, but what about the actual, literal deck of cards?

Pick a deck, any deck.

It’s an occupational hazard for Tarot readers. We all have a bunch of decks. (If you don – you will, child, you will)

Like everything else in the business, the best advice is to follow your instincts. When you know, you know. When looking at a deck seems to pop ideas and interpretations right into your head, then that deck is very readable for you as an individual. If you want it and can afford it – go for it.

Most of my deck purchases have been driven by the aesthetics (and granted permissions) of photographing the cards for the blog. Special thanks and shout-out to Seven Dane Asmund of publishinggoblin.com and Thom Pham of heartofstarstarot.com for allowing me to use their brilliant creations.

Once you have more than one deck, how do you know which deck to use in any given reading? Once again – pure instinct comes to the rescue.

We Tarot types also tend to anthropomorphize our decks. They do seem to have personalities. I suppose it’s no different than the kind of relationship Han Solo had with the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars or that a sea captain has with his ship. For example, I have one deck that I mostly picked up to support a small business and as a souvenir of a vacation. Although I know some readers that love it, that particular deck is about as readable as a brick for me EXCEPT for yes/no layouts. My black cats deck loves yes/no readings. That’s partly what sparked the idea for bringing “zombie cat” out of a one time post and making a full on alter ego reading out of it.

Zombie can and the black cats deck have an attitude, and will answer any questions even if they turn out to be dead wrong about it.

With distance readings, I’ll pick up whichever deck just seems right. More often than not, it will prove itself to be a good choice because the artwork on the deck is more apt for the message compared to other decks.

When I go to in-person readings, I often carry two decks and let the client choose while they are still in the bag. For parties,which I very seldom do any more, I’ll choose whichever deck I’m feeling for the night in order to meet the demands of party style readings.

(P.S. party and in-person readings are still closed for summer. When they return in the fall, it will be on a very limited basis – please follow the blog for details)

Do you have a favorite Tarot card or one you feel really represents you right now? Most of us do, and it seems common for it to change as time goes by. If you are in the market for a Tarot deck, comparing your personal “significator” card among decks is one way to find a deck that is a good energy match for you. Look for a deck that has artwork that increases the resonance with that one special card even more.

Or look at a few favorite cards. If special key cards resonate with you, there is a good chance the whole deck will be serviceable as far as readings go.

Aesthetics for photos is another story. Make sure you are clear about copyrights and permissions for that, no intuition about it.

Once you pick your new deck and indulge in purchasing (or, lucky you, get one as a gift) make friends with the deck. There are lots of ways to do that.

Just handling it, shuffling it, browsing it is a good start. Or, as we’ve done here with the Alleyman’s Tarot and the Lenormand Tarot, just USE it. Daily one card meditation readings are a great way to learn BOTH your deck and how to read Tarot in general.

Want to learn to do daily meditation readings? It’s HERE in my ebook Peace tarot.

You can also get to know a new deck through interviews. You can set the intention of learning the deck, then ask questions about the deck itself. Daily-Tarot-Girl.com has some wonderful interview your new deck ideas. Check out Kate’s fantastic suggestions!

I’ve tried this one – it works. You know that Black Cats deck I was telling you about earlier that seems to like doing the yes/no readings? The interview technique confirmed that hunch, so that’s the deck I use for Zombie Cat readings these days.

So yes, in a sense, you must be “given” your first Tarot deck in a symbolic way insofar as finding a guide: books, a class, a mentor of some sort.

And no, you don’t have to be literally given your literal first deck as a gift – although it is a really cool gift to receive regardless of your Tarot reading experience level.

In short, pick a deck, any deck – and then get to reading.

Speaking of reading – thank you as always for reading Sage Sips’ blog and social media posts.

See you at the next sip!

Today’s Tarot: Tricky Beginning

The trick to getting started is a willingness to laugh at your own mistakes

“A beginning is a very delicate time” – movie adaptation of Dune by Frank Herbert

Many cards seem to have two tracks, two threads of meaning. The two aspects aren’t always related. The fool card has always been associated with new beginnings and taking the leap of faith needed to start something brand new. It seems like a chicken and the egg sort of feedback loop: the Fool card means beginnings because it is the first card in the deck, and the Fool is placed first in decks because it means beginnings. Outside of this, the Fool has been associated with play, humor and a court jester sort of character.

Ted Andrews combines a little bit of both by associating coyote with the card. Coyote has a reputation of being a trickster. That touches on the idea of laughter and play. Coyote has a touch of creation, the start of something new. Mr. Andrews’ interpretation “wisdom and folly” reminds us that beginnings can be a tricky thing. At the beginning of a journey we might head in exactly the wrong direction, a classic comedy trope. The good news is that we can laugh at out mis-starts, back up and start again. Including a little lightheartedness makes that whole process easier. If we use wisdom, we can avoid the folly. But if we end up a little foolish, laughter makes it better. Admitting folly and re-starting is certainly better than bashing forward out of foolish pride and allowing an unwanted destination to show us how tricky a beginning can be.

So if the Fool feels like the card for you today, begin. Take a leap of faith in yourself and begin. Choose your first steps and first direction wisely. Think of this as planting the seeds that the Seven of Pentacles will sow later, so plant good stuff. But if you catch yourself in a mistake, laugh and play your way back to the drawing board, and create a new beginning.

Related: Q&A Spirit Animals

Lessons Learned: Tarot Without A Net

I think Heart of Stars Tarot is excellent deck. The idea of a Tarot deck that intersects with pop culture is just brilliant, and in this case brilliantly executed. I hope to see more of Thom Pham’s artwork or future decks.

As much as I enjoy the deck, working through it card by card reading each at first sight without looking at the accompanying book hit a wall. It is a great Tarot exercise, but after the first handful of cards started to get repetitive. The post series was about the technique and the experience not the card meanings themselves. The method is eezy peezy, and doesn’t need a 78 card explanation. It was a fun experiment but I’m over it. It’s a good deck, and I’ll be using it for “Today’s Tarot” posts but not with this particular spin.

What I learned as a Tarot Reader

  • I don’t know movies nearly as well as I thought I did.
  • I enjoy this deck and will use it here in the blog for other posts, just not with this particular spin.
  • Experiencing a new deck is different as an experienced reader than it was as a beginner. It was hard to look at any one card with fresh eyes. Other meanings, other readings, and past experience came along for the ride….as it should. The whole point of experimenting and learning is to bring that body of knowledge to bear on new readings in order to do our best work for ourselves and our clients.
  • There are a variety of ways to engage a new deck, and they are all equally good, and all very hands-on.

There are probably as many ways to get to know a deck as there are decks and readers. My best advice is choose from any one or combinations of methods, depending on how the deck instinctively feels in your hands. The experience of exploring a new deck is far more driven by in-the-moment intuition than it is by something regimented and methodical. Or it is for me. If regimented works for you, follow THAT intuition, follow that guidance. Here are some ideas that I’ve used.

  • Pull a random card daily, then think about the meaning given by the author (or your favorite reference if the deck doesn’t have the infamous “little white book.” Think about the card and the given meaning as a “daily meditation” type exercise. This is a great way to learn Tarot reading in the first place, even before you invest in your first deck. I explain how you can do that in “PeaceTarot” ($2 e-book, here) If you get a repeat, just put it back or just try another draw for another card. OR stay with the repeating card to see if you are picking up on some other facet of the card that you missed the first day.
  • Try this same thing, only going methodically card by card. When you pull randomly often there are repeats depending on the energy of the day. This introduces every card with no repeats. I found this to be a little tedious, but it works.
  • Browse the cards in one big sit-down. One card a day takes forever it seems, but you get a deep working knowledge of the deck. If you are an avid deck collector, that might not suit you. I like the daily method because I very seldom get new decks, and only use one or two regularly. But I know a lot of readers who are avid collectors. I can’t blame them. There are some truly beautiful, enchanting, fascinating decks out there. This is where the “without a net” technique really shines. Look through a new deck card by card. Gaze at each card a minute or two and see what spontaneous intuition you get from the card. That’s how I knew the Dugan/Evans Witches Tarot was my favorite to date. I fell for the color palette at first sight, and the impressions came instantly, clearly, easily even with pictures online.
  • Do a card interview. Ask a deck about itself, or ask about your work with it. One of the best things I’ve read about new decks is from Kate over on Daily-Tarot-Girl.com. It may seem a little crazy the way we readers anthropomorphize our cards and the way they take on personalities. Arguably, it is just psychological projection, but so what? Right tool for the right job I always say, so right deck for the right job goes too. If B.B. King can name his guitar Lucille, I can have a tete-a-tete with a stack of cards. For example, my Black Cats deck resonates with yes/no readings…probably because of the connection with “Zombie Cat”. Animal Wise Tarot is just for me, and NOT for clients. Withes Tarot loves reversals, and I take them more seriously from that deck than others. Tarot Illuminati is very chaotic and can be overwhelming, so that deck asks to be approached ritually, deliberately, with a clear head. My RWS deck is very social and loves a party. I tend to use that deck for parties more than individual readings for that reason, plus that is the diva celebrity performer deck because it is so recognizable to the public at large from movies etc. I have a sneaking suspicion that Heart of Stars wants to be my blog deck. I’m so grateful for his kindness in letting me photograph and use it.
  • JUST USE IT. Jump in with both feet and do some readings for yourself. When you feel comfortable, then you can roll out the new deck for clients (if you read for others at all). This gives a hands on feel and works within your comfort zone. It is still basically an interview with a deck, but more subtle. The deck shows you what it is all about rather than telling you. Different angle, same result.

What I learned as a blogger and a writer:

  • Always be prepared to sacrifice an idea to the editing gods. Leave it on the editing room floor. It’s better to make an interesting single post than to force a finish to a series that just isn’t working. Let it go.
  • Symmetry and completeness are less important than good communication.
  • Readers first.

For energy and cyber-feng-shui reasons mentioned before, and a zero spam tolerance, I’m not accepting or publishing comments through the blog…BUT I am always happy to hear your thoughts by e-mail. Let me know what you think about getting to know a new deck.

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