Choosing a deck with which to work is to some extent a personal matter; one which may work well for you, may not work well for the next Tarotist. If you are brand new to Tarot and do not yet own a deck, you may wish, at a minimum, to acquaint yourself with some of the decks mentioned below and study a book or two prior to making a purchase. (Click on the link and receive a Free Tarot Reading using that deck, and see examples of the cards.)
To begin to get to know decks consider making a special effort to examine them critically in person. Some occult/New Age stores maintain sample decks which you can inspect. Of the numerous decks available, a few which may be particularly suitable are described below.
Note: The publisher of the following decks is U.S. Games Systems unless otherwise specifically noted.
Rider-Waite-Smith Family of Decks. The first member of this family was the seminal and highly influential Rider Waite Tarot which was originally published in 1910. It was designed by the famous occultist A. E. Waite and executed by artist Pamela Colman Smith and is generally suitable to new and well experienced Tarotists alike. Because many books and resources on the 'Net use one of the decks from this well known family, they may be particularly valuable to new Tarotists. Many members are available. For example, there is the Rider Waite Tarot (ISBN: 091386613X) which is described by the publisher as "the world's most popular tarot deck" and they may very well be correct. Other members include the Albano-Waite Tarot Deck (ISBN: 0880794666) and Universal-Waite Tarot Deck (ISBN: 0880794968).
Generally, the line drawings of the images remain similar from deck to deck, but the colors with which they are filled vary. Robin Wood Tarot Deck (publisher: Llewellyn; ISBN: 0875428940). This popular deck, which was designed and executed by artist and author Robin Wood, was published in 1991. Although the design is original it is generally based on the Rider-Waite-Smith family of decks (see above). Therefore, the many books and resources on the 'Net which are illustrated with members of this family can also typically be used with this deck. Additionally, a book by Wood about this deck has recently been published, Robin Wood Tarot: the Book (publisher: Livingtree Books; ISBN: 0965298418). (Unfortunately, I have not yet read it.) To access the creator's Web site, Robin Wood Enterprises, point your browser to: http://www.robinwood.com.
Crowley Thoth Tarot Deck (ISBN: 0913866156). This generally highly respected deck, which was designed by the well known occultist Aleister Crowley and executed by artist Frieda Harris, was first published in a limited edition in 1944. Although some new Tarotists take to it like a duck to water, be forewarned that others find the imagery confusing and overly complex. If you elect to use it, you may wish to purchase a book specifically written with it in mind (for example, The Crowley Tarot).
Tarot of Marseilles Family of Decks. Many members which comprise this historic family of decks were originally printed from wood blocks and date from the 16th through 18th centuries. Decks from this family are still regularly used today, especially in some countries outside the U.S. New Tarotists might work well with them; however, be forewarned that the pip cards (those numbered Ace through Ten) typically contain no key words or images designed to facilitate divination. For this reason, some new Tarotists may have difficulties. Nevertheless, if you are interested in these decks, you may wish to obtain Tarot of Marseilles (ISBN: 09138666091), which is based on a deck published by Jean Dodal circa 1700. Numerous other decks which may be suitable to new Tarotists are available, including but not limited to: Aquarian Tarot Deck (ISBN: 0913866695), The Gendron Tarot (ISBN: 1572810653). Motherpeace Round Tarot Deck (ISBN: 0880790636), and The Sacred Rose Tarot Deck (ISBN: 0880790121).
James W. Revak - San Diego, CA, USA - [email protected]
This article is copyright 1999 by James W. Revak and is used with permission.