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One of the FAQs I get a lot from folks starting their tarot practice is:
~*~ How do I find a deck?
~*~ How do I pick a deck that’s right for me?
If you’ve been looking online, or just have no idea where to start, I’ll briefly share how I first picked mine.
A while before I started seriously practicing and studying tarot, I bought a Rider-Waite deck and guidebook off Amazon.
It’s a pretty good deck for beginners, but the art and tone of the guidebook felt very outdated to me. It did teach me about numerology in tarot, as well as more traditional interpretations about color theories. I used this deck for about a year before I decided it wasn’t really for me. It started to feel a little too old school and ultimately unrelatable. But a la Marie Kondo, it was time to thank it and move on to something that would actually work.
Through some online searching, I found an up-and-coming deck: The Wild Unknown.
To me, this deck was mystical and beautifully colorful. The artist designed it because she wasn’t connecting to any of the available decks out there. These cards have themes related to nature and animals, and I found that magical in a way that the Rider-Waite deck never reached for me personally.
There are lots of gorgeous decks out there, and some have more playful themes than others. (I was once gifted a deck called “Pagan Cats” and it’s so adorable/quirky/different — would I recommend it for beginners? Probably not, as it’s a bit too stylized for someone just starting out.)
Because it can be confusing, here’s my advice for people selecting their first deck:
Try not to be too distracted by the art on the cards. Feel free to select a simple deck in order to just focus on the meanings at first. I recommend the Rider-Waite deck I mentioned above, but if you’re looking for a more modern/minimalist design, check out OK Tarot by Adam J. Kurtz. To browse other options from indie artists, check out Little Red Tarot’s shop to see what’s available around the world.
Keep your new deck close by when you’re first starting to use it. Most tarot teachers will tell you to get a small wooden box to store them in, and keep it next to your bed. This is so your cards will pick up on your vibes and energy.
It’s okay to try multiple decks before finding one that works for you! Tarot is an ever-changing process that takes time. Just as you’ll constantly learn more about the cards as you study, your deck choice may evolve over time.
You may have heard that it’s “good luck” to have someone give you a deck, instead of you choosing a deck for yourself. This isn’t tooootally true, but if you’re feeling fun and superstitious, just pick out a deck and convince a friend to buy it for you. This is the Age of Venmo, after all.
And that’s it!
Once you get a deck, treat it with respect and see how you connect with it. I recommend keeping your cards in the same direction when you shuffle so you can avoid reverse/upside-down cards in your readings (more on that in another Tarot Tips). Otherwise, start studying the nuances of your cards + how they relate to the readings. Get to know them, and make them a part of your life.