Reading Decks

The queen of reading decks is the Rider-Waite deck. It is certainly not the only good deck for learning and reading tarot, but it is certainly the one to start with. Here’s why.

The imagery of the major arcana, the trumps, of the Rider-Waite deck was specified by the great 20th-century hermeticist and mystic, A.E. Waite, a major figure in the famous Golden Dawn magical lodge. That’s why the deck bears his name.

But what made the Rider-Waite deck revolutionary, and what made it a tarot standard, is the imagery on the minor arcana, the suit cards. The minor arcana are just as rich in imagery as the trump cards. That is why the deck is so easy to read. And that is why most modern decks are based on the Rider-Waite at least to some degree—even if their artists and publishers do not realize it.

More on the Rider-Waite in another article. The point, however, is that most decks that are good for reading have complex imagery on the minor arcana, the suit cards, not just on the trumps.

For good readings the imagery should be complex and relevant to the tarot. I’m not talking about just complicated designs. Each card should offer a wealth of evocative, psychologically active imagery that helps one’s subconscious mind convey ideas and feelings relevant to the traditional meaning tarot meaning of that card.

That is, someone might come up with a completely new deck with complex imagery on a different system that can be used to give fairly accurate readings, and it might still not be a tarot deck. There are such decks. But they are not tarot decks.

The very best way to find a good reading deck is to try out the deck. But opening a new deck and laying it out in the store is usually not allowed. If you can handle one that belongs to a friend, that will work. Otherwise, you just have to learn to get a feel for the deck just by seeing a few sample cards, even by just viewing the box.

If you know the Rider-Waite deck well, you can usually recognize good reading decks, but even then, you can make mistakes if you cannot see the whole deck. I like to read with several different decks at psychic fairs and parties.

For awhile I collected decks, and I was sometimes fooled by the box. I do not read from decks that have only coins, cups, and so on, on the minor arcana. I’m very visual, so the numerology alone is not enough.

I used to give away useless decks if they were not compelling enough to keep as art decks. But I hate giving people decks that I think they will have a hard time reading, even though they like them.

Decks based on the Rider-Waite deck, though they can be innovative, and beautiful enough to collect for the art alone, are usually a safer bet. Some can be quite eccentric and still work for reading if you know the Rider-Waite well.

For example, the Alice in Wonderland tarot I bought some years ago is simply brilliant. It should not work, but it does—partly because the Alice story itself consists of subconscious, dream energy.

Which decks people can read from accurately and easily will vary somewhat. The thing they will all have in common is complex, subconsciously true and complete imagery, a complete symbol system that provides a vocabulary for the reader’s subconscious mind to speak to speak to the conscious mind.

So while a good reading deck will work for most readers, some decks may work for only a few readers. It is up to each reader to become skilled and experienced enough on standard decks to be able to recognize unusual decks that will also work for them.

Art Decks

For a discussion of art decks, tarot decks that are beautiful but not good for giving readings, see the first article in this series, Two Kinds of Tarot Decks: Part 1, Art Decks.

Art Decks

Some decks are so clearly designed for looks, strictly on a theme that has nothing to do with tarot, that they simply are not good for reading. Some are extremely beautiful and well worth collecting, but not to read from. There was a very beautiful Chinese tarot that came out about 20 years ago that, to me, fit into that category.

Art decks often have very little imagery, being completely focused on a theme. That is, they are beautiful but low on the symbolism that allows true reading decks to help you get information from your subconscious mind. They have lovely but completely irrelevant images that do not form a complete system or are incompatible to tarot.

Just because there are 78 cards, and the publisher calls it “tarot” doesn’t mean it is tarot. In some cases there are not even 78 cards, and there’s no relevance, the publisher still calls it “a tarot” in order to sell it.

I know there are those who will disagree. As one artist said, “It’s the reader, not the cards. I could read sugar bags.” And she could. But then, there are readers who do not use cards at all. So that proves nothing.

There is nothing wrong with creating tarot cards as art. But if you are starting out, trying to learn the tarot, you need to know that some decks you find attractive will not work for reading.

Perhaps later, when you are very skilled and experienced, you will be able to use such a deck, so buy it if you love it, but learn on the Rider-Waite.

Reading Decks

I’ll talk about reading decks in Two Kinds of Tarot Decks: Part 2. It is scheduled to be published on November 9.

Dante's Tarot, by author Karen Chance

Always on the lookout for tarot in games and fiction, I still almost overlooked the importance of tarot in the Cassie Palmer series of action-metaphysics-romance novels—emphasis on action and fantasy.

So much happens so fast in these well-written books that you may not at first notice the importance of the heroine’s enchanted tarot deck.

From the context it sounds like either a standard Rider-Waite deck or set of major arcana only. When someone opens the box and asks a question, one or more cards slide out and begin reciting their meanings.

Cassie Palmer Novels

The heroine, Cassandra Palmer, is a major clairvoyant who sees vivid visions of catastrophic events. She considers her tarot deck a sort of toy, but it is a cherished gift from a friend now deceased.

The tarot deck is the one possession she has held onto even through years of running for her life. Gradually you realize that the cards’ messages foreshadow everything that happens in the books.

I highly recommend the novels, which feature time-travel, vampires, war mages, Greek deities, demons, and more. Sounds crazy, but it’s all very logical and real when you’re reading.

These are action-packed novels, and the fantasy is anchored in realistic settings. The books are fast-pased, easy to read, and thought-provoking. They are also laugh-out-loud funny in places. Best of all, the characters are deftly drawn and (in some cases hauntingly) real.

Warning: There is sex and violence, and these books are not written for kids under 18 years old or anyone with a truly weak stomach. The violent scenes are gritty and realistic, but they are not sadistic. That is, the author does not dwell on the violent parts; they are just part of the story. So most adults will have no problems unless they only like very light, fluffy fantasy.

The Cassie Palmer novels, in order, are

Touch the Dark

Claimed by Shadow

Embrace the Night

Curse the Dawn

Hunt the Moon

The author, Karen Chance, also has an entertaining web site, where she gives away free downloads of some stories and novellas that fit in between the novels. The art is interesting, too, and includes cover paintings for the freebie stories.

Dante’s Tarot

Best of all for tarot lovers, you can freely download a specially designed tarot deck based on Greek mythology, called Dante’s Tarot. You’ll find it in the Clairvoyant Corner section. There’s a link to download it at the bottom of the page.

Facsimile edition of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck originally printed from plates that were destroyed during the bombing of London during World War II. The deck and book set comes with the Rider-Waite Tarot deck by Pamela Colman Smith with original Tudor Rose back design, Celtic Cross divinatory chart, and The Key to the Tarot by Arthur Edward

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Image via Wikipedia

Author: Frederick Gimino

Designing your own Tarot Deck can be fun and fulfilling. Even if your artistic talents are less than masterful a fully functional, unique, and aesthetically pleasing deck can be created. Whether you choose to decorate an existing deck or create your own here are some helpful ideas to get you started down the right path.

Many people use the Golden Dawn Deck for inspiration. This is because The Golden Dawn Deck encourages people to design their own sets of Tarot cards. To do this, you can either copy the original design and redraw them with your own take on them or create your own deck with symbols and pictures from scratch.

Once you have settled on a design for your Tarot deck you should copy the design so you can construct your own. Your artwork may vary from the design of the deck you copied, but in the end you will have your own unique deck of Tarot cards.

Another method of designing your own set of Tarot cards is to color in your own deck. To do this, you can copy a set by tracing out the pictures on paper and then coloring them in, or by painting over the pictures on a deck itself.

The Magician from the Rider-Waite deck, ready to color.

You could use any deck for inspiration and many have made their own versions of the Rider-Waite cards and had them published. You may wish to create a brighter, more vivid, bold version of the deck or create a softer, more subdued version. Another interesting variation is to use psychedelic designs with abstract colorings.

If you choose to create your own deck of Tarot cards then you may wish to add your own special touches to them. These could be special symbols, pictures, colors, words, textures, shapes or letters. You may wish to leave out certain things when recreating a deck of Tarot cards. If you like the artwork for example but not the card titles you could redo the artwork and leave out the less aesthetic portions of the Tarot decks theme.

If you want to create a deck entirely of you own, the first thing you need to do is think of a theme for them. Some people use their culture, family, traditions, and favorite stories as themes for their decks. Next get some Card stock from your local art supply store. Card stock works well for creating your own deck of cards. Card stock comes in different colors, sizes, and thickness. This makes choosing the perfect card stock an easy choice.

Even if you are not Picasso you can create your own Tarot deck by utilizing photos. Pictures taken of special people,places, or events can be used. If you like have some friends or family dress in appropriate attire and use that for your decks artwork. Many photo programs also contain project templates and stock photos that you can organize, print, and cut out for your tarot card project.

You can even add special touches to your cards like adding embellishments. For example small ceramic objects, small stones, flowers, buttons, shells, sand, coins, metallic art paper, or scraps of fabric all make great additions to a project. You can even use small objects to assemble pictures on the deck instead of just using them as embellishments.

Photographs used as artwork for decks of Tarot cards work well, especially if you plan to use the decks as gifts for family members or friends. Most importantly remember that imagination and experimentation are wonderful tools to be utilized while designing your own special deck of Tarot cards that are just right for you.

About the Author:
Frederick Gimino owns and operates the Free Psychic Network. Providing Free Psychic Readings including oracles in genres like Astrology, Numerology, Tarot, video readings, And Horoscopes. Visit the Free Psychic Network your authoritative expert portal to Psychics and psychic services on the web!

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Artistic Insight Into Making Your Own Tarot Deck

The cover of the Thoth tarot deck.Image via Wikipedia

Author: Craig Malone

The Thoth Tarot Deck was a tarot deck developed by the English occultist Aleister Crowley and illustrated on his instructions by Lady Frieda Harris. Aleister Crowley called the Thoth tarot deck, the book of Thoth and claimed that the deck reflected the wisdom of the ancient Egyptian book of Thoth.

The tarot card descriptions found on the Thoth Tarot deck are different in symbolism and imagery compared to other standard tarot card decks.

Thoth is considered one of the most important deities of the ancient Egyptian pantheon. He is known as the God with the head of an ibis. He is the heart and tongue of the all-powerful Egyptian Sun God Ra. He translated the will of Ra into speech and is the divine communicator of Egyptian mythology.

He was the scribe of the Gods and was called the God of Writing. The book of Thoth is used for divination through tarot cards. The tarot card descriptions on the Thoth deck are reflections of the great knowledge of the ancient Egyptians.

A cult of Thoth grew during the last years of the Egyptian civilization who claimed to predict the future through occult divination. Aleister Crowley claims that the Thoth tarot deck developed by him was based on the tarot card descriptions followed by the cult of Thoth. He developed the deck between 1938 and 1943.

He commissioned Lady Frieda Harris to illustrate the deck based on his visions and based on the ancient Egyptian book of Thoth papyrus by Jasnow and Zauzich. It took five years to develop the deck because Crowley wanted the images to reflect different disciplines including science and philosophy.

The tarot card descriptions in the Crowley Thoth tarot deck are different from the Rider Waite and other standard tarot card decks. The Major Arcana or trump cards are 21 in number and consist of the fool, the Magician or Magus, the high Priestess, the Emperor, the Empress, the Hierophant, the lovers, the chariot, Adjustment, the hermit, the wheel of fortune, lust, the hanged man, death, art, devil, tower, star, moon, sun, aeon and the universe.

Court cards in the Thoth minor Arcana deck are the prince, the princess, queen and the knight. While the suite of cups, disks, swords and wands remain the same, they are illustrated with an Egyptian hieroglyphic style.

The pips of the minor Arcana in the Thoth deck relate to the signs of the zodiac with the aces depicting the root of the element they represent. Each pip card in each suite has an attribute.

The wand suite relates to the fire signs of the zodiac. The ace represents the root of the fire element 2 dominions, 3 virtues, 4 completion, 5 strife, 6 victory, 7valor, 8 swiftness, 9 strength and 10 oppression.

The cup suite represents the water signs of the zodiac. The ace represents the root of the water element, 2 love,3 abundance, 4 luxury, 5 disappointment, 6 pleasure, 7 debauchery, 8 indolence, 9 happiness and 10 safety.

The sword suite represents the air signs of the zodiac. The ace represents the root of the air element 2 peace, 3 sorrow, 4 truces, 5 defeats, 6 science, 7 futility, 8 interference, 9 cruelty and 10 ruin.

The disks suite represents the earth signs of the zodiac. The ace is the root of the earth element, 2 change, 3 work, 4 power, 5 worry, 6 success, 7 failure, 8 prudence, 9 gain and 10 wealth.

The Thoth tarot deck reflects the tarot card descriptions that formed the visions of Aleister Crowley on a visit to Egypt. Many diviners have found great merit in predicting the future using the Thoth Tarot deck.

About the Author:

CM is a writer for SpiritNow.com. Visit SpiritNow.com today, the online home of America’s Top Psychic, Sylvia Browne. Read Sylvia’s 2009 psychic predictions and the best spirituality content on the Internet on SpiritNow.com.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – The Thoth Tarot Deck

The Fool card from the Rider-Waite tarot deck.

Author: Craig Malone

Whenever you say tarot cards, you would in most cases find it means the Rider Waite tarot deck. This is because this is one of the most commonly used types of card decks.

The history of using tarot cards may take you to ancient times, however the tarot cards as they are known today can be traced to the year 1910 when Arthur Edward Waite designed these with the help of a very talented illustrator named Pamela Colman Smith.

While Waite was British, Smith was American at that time. Waite, who was a renowned publisher, also printed an excellent guide to help with the interpretation of this tarot deck titled, The Key to the Tarot. This book has often been re-run and used by a slightly modified title, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot.

This is a wonderful book for any tarot enthusiast because it assists you in every step while using tarot cards for a reading. Waite made a few changes when he designed this new set of cards.

The Justice and Strength cards were interchanged so Justice read as card 11 while Strength reads as card 8.

All the Minor Arcana cards, which previously only had their numbers and suit symbols inscribed on them, had pictures added by Waite and Smith creating a more interesting and in many ways, easier-to-read tarot deck.

You will find that this particular deck is not only the most popular found today, but also one that is most eloquent in readings. Owing to the beautiful scenes and symbols that Rider Waite and Pamela Smith introduced, each card becomes a miniature book for the diviner, who is able to read the symbols as they become apparent during a reading.

The tarot deck, with the help of the key, can encourage any amateur to want to learn more about this occult art. Each card has scenery, background and many symbols, which at first glance look child-like simple. On closer perusal, the details would literally unfold before your eyes the story of your subject.

Using tarot cards for divination by novices became apparently easier after this deck was issued. This is why this is one of the most popular versions of tarot cards used today throughout the world.

A good number of the symbols that you would find on these cards are the result of the inspiration the authors drew from Eliphas Levi, who was during those time an extremely famous and successful occultist and magician.

Fascinated by the signs this occult personality used and convinced that using tarot cards need more visual stimulation for a proper interpretation, Waite tried to make his tarot deck speak out eloquently with the help of color, scenes and symbols.

Owing to the popularity of the Waite tarot cards, many clones have found their way in this type of divination. Some of the better-known versions include the Gilded tarot, the Aquarian tarot, the Universal Waite tarot, the Nigel Jackson tarot and the Golden tarot among others. Do not be fooled by the imitations. Use the original Rider Waite tarot deck.

About the Author:

CM is a writer for SpiritNow.com. Visit SpiritNow.com today, the online home of America’s Top Psychic, Sylvia Browne. Read Sylvia’s 2009 psychic predictions and the best spirituality content on the Internet on SpiritNow.com. Looking for a love psychic or psychic reading for free, visit SpiritNow.com today.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – The Rider Waite Tarot Deck

Image by Thomas Hawk via Flickr

Author: Tenzin Pemo

Maybe no divination practice is more widely done then tarot cards. Almost every culture around the world from China to Russia to Europe to the United States has their own version of tarot.

This has led to several inconsistencies over the years between decks. Some of the differences are small, others are quite big.

Let us take a look at seven common differences between decks as they vary from culture to culture.

1) Changes in suits

For most basic tarot decks, there is a major arcana and a minor arcana. The minor arcana is made up of four different suits.

In most decks, those four suits are wands, cups, swords and coins. But in some decks, the suits vary.

Wands have been replaced with shorter, thicker batons, and in some decks, coins have been replaced altogether with pentacles.

With different suits come different interpretations. Most readers use multiple decks depending on their mood that day and will interpret pentacles differently then they would coins, even though the suits are replaced for each other.

It is unknown if the overall impact of having pentacles over coins or batons over wands chances the spirit of the deck, but some readers are very loyal to one or the other.

2) Personalization

One of the bigger changes to come to tarot in recent years, thanks to mass production of decks by hundreds of companies around the world.

Today, readers can buy decks with themes suited to almost any like and dislike out there.

Baseball fan?

There is a deck themed to that. Fan of rock music or goldfish? There is a deck for that, too. It is thought that personalization of a deck is important because it allows the reader to feel more connected to the cards and allow for a more honest, complete and accurate reading.

Some may scoff at this evolution in decks as lacking in authenticity, but many new readers would not give up their personalized deck for anything.

3) Card Numbers

While most tarot decks stick with the traditional 78-card deck, there are some that choose more of a traditional playing card style with 12-card suits, instead of the traditional 14.

These decks are 72 cards, and while the overall interpretation does not change much, it can be odd getting a reading from a smaller deck that is missing certain cards that most fans of tarot are used to.

4) The fear factor

For so many people, even today in the 21st century, tarot is a source of fear and misunderstanding.

There are many tarot cards on the market today that use art to take advantage of this absurd belief. The art used in these decks is gory, obscene or just plain awful.

As long as there is a correlation in the minds of some people that tarot card reading is evil and is associated with the devil, there will be card manufacturers making decks that appear that way.

5) Painted vs drawn

The biggest tarot card difference is the way a deck is drawn. As noted above, some choose to go for an evil look, thinking that this is what most tarot fans want.

In reality, the main difference is between flat, basic drawn cards, like the original Universal Waite decks and the more colorful and illustrated decks like the popular Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot.

It is thought that the best selling tarot deck since the inception of the Internet has been the Crowley deck, thanks to its lush colors and the myth surrounding Crowley.

Most readers have a particular preference between the traditional drawn cards and the highly decorative painted cards, but the overall interpretation is usually the same.

6) Question specific decks

Some readers swear by question specific decks. These are decks used based on what question is asked during a reading.

It can simply be a case of a reader feeling a particular energy with a deck for different questions. Some readers can have a deck that they use for questions of wealth and fame, another for life and death and a third for questions involving love and sex.

While the decks may be identical in the sense that they all have 78 cards and they all may be painted or drawn, they will most likely have a different theme and be used in a different deal pattern.

7) Culture specific decks

As decks evolved around the globe, certain major arcana cards took on different names to suit the culture they originated from.

Greek decks and Roman decks differ based on the names of the Gods in the particular cultures.

As some cultures took on astrology, symbols and astrological signs crept into card design. Card decks are still evolving today with new decks featuring technological advancements and traditional characters wearing modern clothing.

The tarot deck has been evolving since they were first created and there is no sign of that evolution stopping. This is one of the aspects that makes tarot so fascinating.

You can begin your exploration of the ever-changing world of tarot today and see what the deck brings you.

About the Author:

Learn the world’s MOST ancient oracles for BETTER decisions, BETTER Relations! Free Tarot Reading for your and your loved ones. Free i ching online which you can use to understand yourself and your life.

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