Purchasing a New Deck

If you are a beginner with tarot, you can find plenty of articles and advice as to how to select your first deck. However, once you’ve bought a few decks and have become a bona fide tarot lover, finding advice on future purchases can be tricky. Sure there are reviews aplenty all over the internet, including on Amazon. Heck, there are even reviews of decks on the Llewellyn site (I’ve even written some of them). The biggest problem with reviews, whether for tarot decks, restaurants, or movies, is that your taste or needs may not be the same as the reviewer. And let’s face it, most reviewers are not objective.

Reading reviews and seeing images of the cards is a something we all do and definitely adds grist to mill. But what if you don’t need grist? What if you have a wish list a mile long and can only buy one or two at this time? How do you narrow down your choices? Here is a list of questions that can help guide you:

1. Is your personal world in a bit of chaos and you long for a bit comfort? Look for a deck based on the tradition with which you are familiar and with art works that you love, such as the Shadowscapes Tarot or the Wizards Tarot.

2. Do you feel the need to be challenged intellectually but not necessarily about tarot? Pick a deck that explores a theme that you’ve always wanted to learn about. Such as the Llewellyn Tarot, which is based on Welsh mythology, or the Quantum Tarot.

3. Are you bored with the Rider-Waite-Smith structure and starting to think tarot has evolved as far as it can? Delve into a deck that throws traditional structure and formats out the window, such as the Tarot of the Silicon Dawn or the Universal Transparent Tarot.

4. Feeling melodramatic and totally angsty? Indulge the moment, saturate yourself in over-the-top emotions with moody decks such as the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight or the Ludy Lescott Tarot.