Buying your own Tarot card deck can often seem like a very daunting task, especially if it is your very first Tarot card deck. There are many things you have to consider, and then of course, there are the superstitions about the first deck you own. How do you face this task? Let’s figure this out together…
Should I Buy My Own Tarot Card Deck?
First of all, lets deal with the superstition that you should not buy a deck for yourself. And here is the very short and sweet answer: Yes, of course, you can buy your own Tarot Card Deck!
I went and bought my first deck and nothing happened to me! I mean, nothing bad happened to me… ?
If you stick around waiting for someone to gift you a deck, then, in all probability, you have a long wait ahead of you. I have no idea where all these superstitions originated, but that’s what they are: superstitions.
How Should I Choose My First Tarot Card Deck?
Choosing a Tarot card deck, especially your very first one, can be very tricky. If you look around, you’ll find plenty of advice about this. Most of this advice is pretty spot on about going with your feelings etc. I agree. You should go with what feels right with you — and this is a rule of thumb for most things Tarot — listen to what your inner self or to your gut feelings / instincts tell you.
However, from a Tarot beginner’s perspective, that whole “feeling” thing is neither here nor there. I know, I totally understand!
Tips for Choosing Your First Tarot Card Deck by Yourself:
- The Theme: Ask yourself what themes you would be comfortable with. For example, do you feel comfortable with Fairy Tale themes, or with Egyptian Mythology themes, or Greek Mythology themes, or with Pagan / Wiccan themes. You get the drift. For example, if you just do a general search on Amazon.Com for the term ‘Tarot cards’, you will easily find hundreds, if not thousands of results. Choose a theme that resonates with what you like and what you believe in. Another great resource for your theme-based Tarot Card Deck research is this page on Aeclectic.Net where they’ve listed the various Tarot Card Decks by Theme.
- The Pictures: Another aspect to look at is the pictures on the cards themselves. Sometimes even if you like the theme, the pictures may not make sense to you, or you may not like them at all. It can very well happen. So the next thing to do is to look at the different decks in your chosen theme(s) and see the pictures. This can become a bit tough – but go with your gut feeling. Take your time and go through the images of the cards, and look at each of the pictures carefully. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the meanings etc. What matters is if you feel connected with a majority of the pictures in the deck — you know, if it ‘instinctively’ makes sense to you. You can totally Google Image Search the deck’s name, or scroll through Instagram via the hashtag of the deck name to see some pictures of the cards. Another great resource is You Tube, where you might find a review or a flip-through video for the deck you are considering buying.
- The Minor Cards: There are typically 2 styles of pictures in the cards: decks that more or less follow the Rider-Waite-Smith style, and decks that follow the Thoth style. Naturally, you have no idea what I am talking about. So let me explain. If you know the structure of a Tarot card deck, then you know that there are about 56 Minor Arcana cards in a standard Tarot card deck. Now, what you have to look at is whether the pictures of these Minor Arcana cards have images of people doing stuff or not. If you see people doing something or the other in the pictures, then that deck follows the Rider-Waite-Smith style. If, however, you only see the Suit Symbols arranged in a decorative manner, then that deck follows the Thoth style. If you ask me, I would tell you to go for the images that follow the Rider-Waite-ish style.
Why Rider-Waite-Smith?
Now, you must be wondering why I am suggesting that you go with the Rider-Waite style of Tarot card decks.
The reason is that these are easier to learn with. The pictures make more sense to you especially if you are a beginner.In most Tarot card decks, the Major Arcana cards more or less follow similar imagery rules in keeping with their themes. So the images of the Minor Arcana can often be very difficult to learn with.
When I purchased my first deck of Tarot cards, I bought a deck that came with a book and everything. I had no idea of all this, and I had thought I’d scored a great deal. Sigh! Today, although I don’t even remember which deck it was, but what I do remember is that the Minors had no people in the pictures — just the suit symbols arranged in a nicely decorative fashion. I couldn’t connect with the cards at all. Sure I had the book – but was I supposed to mug up the meanings? I didn’t think so at the time – and turns out, I was right.
When you learn how to read Tarot cards, you are not supposed to ‘learn’ the meanings of the cards by rote. The meanings should come to you naturally – the pictures have to make sense to you and the meanings are pretty much derived from these pictures and the symbols within those pictures. Essentially sitting down to do a reading for someone and consulting a book every time you open a card, looks, well, a bit unprofessional and is very, very tedious.
A reading goes well if it flows naturally: you open the card, see the picture and the words start pouring out of your mouth.
So the best way to get to this point is to start with a deck that enables this scenario.
In my experience, the Rider-Waite-Smith deck is perfect for this. Not only does it make sense to someone who is starting out with Tarot, but it also has a bunch of stuff which appeals to the professionals in the Tarot field as well. Even though I own a bunch of different decks and read with them, I still find myself coming back to the Rider-Waite-Smith for all my professional readings.
The Universal Waite Tarot Card Deck
This deck is the re-colored version of the Rider-Waite-Smith Deck. The normal Rider-Waite-Smith deck available in the market still uses the same prints as the ones that got printed in 1910 when the deck was first published. The images are pretty good — no doubt about it — but if you are looking to delve deeper into these images, then many of the elements are not so easily visible.
However, in the Universal Waite Deck, the artist Mary Hanson-Roberts has re-colored the line drawings of the RWS images – thus allowing us to easily see the tiny elements of the RWS imagery. So basically, the Universal Waite Deck is just the RWS images that look a lot nicer!
After years of using the Rider-Waite-Smith deck images, I switched to using the Universal-Waite and am very happy with it. I use it for all my professional readings.
But What About The Thoth Type Decks?
While the Rider-Waite-Smith decks are the best for starting out and so forth, I am not against the Thoth type decks. Seriously.
It just takes a while to understand their logic. In my experience, they have a different approach vis-a-vis the understanding of the Minor cards.
I have found that if one is well-versed and fluent in the language and interpretation of the Rider-Waite-Smith images and if one has a pretty good handle on the Numerology aspect of the cards (and of course Astrology and Kabbala aspects) then the Thoth type decks make a whole bunch of sense.
Video
If you are keen, watch this video I made where I go over each of these thoughts (and more) and explain my reasoning with a bit of show-and-tell.?
The Next Steps
Quite simple: Follow the tips that I’ve outlined above, and go ahead and order a Tarot card deck for yourself. Start studying, practicing, and playing with your cards so that you get to know them better. Begin your lovely journey with your cards without any further delay! ?
And, if you want, go ahead and Order your copy of the Universal Waite Deck. In fact, you can also read my review of the Universal Waite Tarot Card Deck to get to know this deck better.
Your Turn
So, what do you think? Did these ideas make sense to you? Did you find them helpful? What deck did you end up buying? Which was your first deck and what were your experiences with it?
Let me know in the comments below.
Hello Madhavi Ghare!
If I may receive clarity by your grace, a few questions I need help with?
Is it possible for me to use a deck that’s incomplete? It wasn’t granted to me, it was granted to my friend by his aunt. My friend allowed me to view his deck the Morgan Greer Deck. When I first picked up the deck it was mixed with a deck that was also granted by another Aunt, keep in mind that I have never held a tarot card in my hands, Yet this deck spoke to me and I could clearly see the meaning of each card, the first card that popped out to me was the 9 of swords. Then I swear I heard a voice in my mind if woman say “take me with you and you’ll see, the help I need to be free! Lost in the mind I am by many burdens over me, by blood and trust both will ember a light guide grasp my hand by blood. Trust has the way both will take, the key is his…! I know I’m missing more yet I’m fairly new with all this. I believe she is in need of help to come back to reality? Her abilities granted by true power within made her get lost as she is a witch by Mother Earth, as from life to death by a single force to ground, back to life she said that a gift my power to embrace by sight yours to see! I would like to discuss this further with you if possible?
Wow! What an intense experience you have had!
Honestly, I don’t have any experience with using incomplete decks – I’ve read once having forgotten a card in the card-bag, but never an incomplete deck. So I can’t quite say if it will work or not because all the cards together form a system.
Also, this was a deck given to your friend by his aunts. So who knows what sort of energy that entire mix-and-match deck contains? Maybe it is magic that comes with use… 🙂
Perhaps, if you think that the deck connects with you more, I would suggest asking your friend if you can take the deck. If he gives it to you, then it shouldn’t be an issue, right? 🙂
Based on what you said, the deck certainly spoke to you and gave you a message. Talk to your friend – maybe the message was for him? Or you? What was your gut instinct when you heard that message?
I want to buy the universal waite deck what book should I purchase with it to understand tarot card reading? I’m a beginner.
Hi Megha,
Welcome to the wonderful world of Tarot!
If you are a total newbie, the best book that I will recommend is The Complete Guide to Tarot by Eden Gray. You can also have a look at my article: Learn Tarot on a Shoestring Budget for a list of resources in a step-by-step manner. I wrote this article specifically for beginners like you … ?
Hope this was helpful.
Once again, good luck with your Tarot journey! ?
~ M
If you are a new teenager at this, and you have never chosen a tarot deck before, can you please tell me how to choose one, how long it takes and…how I know it’s the right one, what If I accidentally get the wrong one, will it still work, or do I have to get a different one, please tell me they aren’t a lot of money…
Hey Caroline, the Universal Waite Tarot cards deck isn’t expensive, and is easily available on Amazon.
You can’t go wrong with that one – it’s a great deck to start off with. Also, please check out my blog post titled “Learn Tarot on a Shoestring Budget” for links to more resources in your Tarot learning journey.
First off, I’m a total newbie any advice would be greatly appreciated. I recently ordered the Wild Unknown deck after a long search and am anxiously awaiting its arrival. I have a silk cloth to wrap them in when stored & plan on using smudge sticks to cleanse. Two questions, what herbs are recommended for the cleanse and are there any other protective materials I may need? Thanks so much!
Wow! Welcome to the wonderful world of Tarot! The Wild Unknown Tarot is an amazing deck. I have it too.
I’m no expert on herbs, and you can totally Google search this… But… I’ve heard that Sage is a very good herb for cleansing. You can also look into gemstones or crystals such as Rose Quartz and Labradorite. Totally Google Search this as well, coz there are so many…
Honestly though, take it slow. Buy something when you are drawn to it, or you’ll end up with a huge bill and a bunch of stuff you may not want. Take your time. There’s no rush.
And once again… Enjoy your journey into the cards! 🙂
Hi, I have a book about this, sage is great for cleansing, only when burned though, you have to walk around waving your burning sage gently,so it cleanses the whole area, make sure you see smoke come out of the sage, or you have to relight it. But Basil,bramble and bay leaves also work, not the same way, but they are also great sources! Please, feel free to try these out!
Cool! Thanks for sharing!
Does it matter where you get a tarot deck from?
Not really. Nope. Just get one and get started! ? Enjoy your journey with the cards! Good luck!
I started out reading healing fairies by Doreen Virtue , which open my eyes to how powerful oracle cards can be , mine were always spot on ! I recently was wondering a local night market , I ran into a women who read my tarot cards and said that I should buy a deck for myself ASAP. Since I have so many gifts and abilities with a strong will she told me I could jump right into the more advanced stuff, .. which was news to me SO I bought Druid Craft Deck the next day after she had recommend I buy first tarot deck … I find it challenging to learn .. will this take Patrice or if there already to difficult to understand I should look again.. ?
Hi!
So wonderful that you got into the cards! And yes, the Druidcraft deck is awesome! I have it too! 🙂
The deck comes with a book – so I would suggest that you go through the book and study the cards. You can also check out this 2-part series of videos I made about a method I call “The Card Story” method, which may also help you get into the card images and their messages in a more fun, intuitive way.
The Druidcraft is a really beautiful deck. And once you get into the cards and their meanings start to unfold, combined with your gifts, it won’t be that hard for you to start doing readings.
Hope this helps.
~ Madhavi
I have been gifted a witches tarot by Ellen canon reed. I was so happy to get tarot cards as gift, it was my long wish to be gifted one. But after seeing the cards m quite afraid. The pictures scare me. Pls tell me what am I supposed to do now. Even if I try to be positive with the cards, the book explaining it has very scary images that scares the hell out of me. Pls suggest what should be done.
Hi Shweta,
Looks like you’ve received quite an interesting gift!
To be honest, I don’t have this deck, nor have I seen the card pics online. But, it is my personal experience (with another deck) that if you see card images that, as you say “scare the hell out of you”, then it means that they are striking a chord deep within your shadow self. More than likely, you are not ready to deal with the deep subconscious message that they are trying to convey to you. Hence the scared reaction.
My advice: put that deck aside for a while. Don’t be scared of it – they are only pictures. If it will comfort you, try cleansing them and or smudging them, but put them aside, safely for a while. Pick up another deck, like the Universal Waite (which is the best deck to start out with), and start your studies. You can even refer to this article I wrote which has links to tons of resources in that direction. You will be drawn to that deck when you are ready. And then, when you will pick up the deck and look at the pictures, you won’t get scared of them at all because you will have found a way to decipher the feelings that emerge from within you, and perhaps even be friends with your shadow self by then.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for reaching out to me, and for such an intriguing question.
~ Madhavi
My first deck is the Anne Stokes Gothic Tarot. And i can’t find a book explaining the meanings of the cards. Every where I went explained the universal cards listed on option one, not the Thoth kind of cards. I’m new and need help please
Hi Niki,
I just did a bunch of research on Amazon! 🙂
Since I’ve never spent much time over the Thoth kind of cards, it took a while, but I’ve found some books which, although they may deal with the Thoth deck specifically, may be of some help? Here are the links:
All these books also have Kindle versions as well… (I’ve put them on my wish list so I can buy ’em when I do get down to it… 🙂 )
Please do let me know how these books work for you… Honestly, I have been very curious about reading for these types of pips for a very long time, but I’ve never really gave it a shot. So your thoughts, suggestions and comments based on your study and research will certainly be helpful for me too!
Thanks for your question – prodded me in a certain direction I think! 😉
No. Not especially. I’ve seen it happen. Pretty sad actually, EVERYONE has the ability, just lack the ambition to learn. If people studied the metaphysical as much as they poked fun at it, they’d be amazed, and fascinated. Actually willing to learn about themselves and their gifts.
Blessings,
Krissy
I agree. When I tell people that they already are Intuitive they are taken by surprise. And then when I give them some very simple examples, they start to believe it… But then again, some people are just so very skeptical… Not much you can do with them though. The way I see it, it’s their Karma and some time soon (perhaps in another lifetime) they will eventually find their way back… 🙂
Yea. I agree. I think its a misunderstood art. Reading pictures on a card isn’t a bad thing. It’s in interpretations come from our intuitive side. Gees do you feel yourself constantly defending this ? I do.
Yup! People are mostly un-informed or prejudiced. Or they have been scammed. That is why they don’t often trust something so easily. This is mainly why I started blogging about it… Sounds crazy, right?
Witches Tarot by Ellen Canon-Reed… someone whom I find a capable reader and psychic, says these are,”Devil Cards”. While I own this and the UW some of the darker people pick the WT deck. Why’s that??
Blessings,
Krissy
Hey Krissy,
I don’t actually have this deck, but I did look it up online – tried to see as many of the images as possible… And here are my thoughts:
The images are really stunning. Besides, I like borderless decks (like the Morgan-Greer for example), so I liked this deck.
As far as the whole ‘Devil Cards’ goes, I don’t know how a bunch of cards made out of paper get associated with the Devil in the first place. And as far as the ‘dark stuff’ goes, well different things appeal to different people. For example, I like ‘dark stuff’ too and have the LS Gothic Tarot of Vampire Deck, the Gothic Tarot Deck by Vargo, and the Bohemian Gothic Tarot deck – that doesn’t make me a Devil worshipper, just someone who obviously likes ‘Gothic’ looking Tarot-art, and someone who secretly likes Vampire stuff … 😛
I don’t think that people are dark or light based on their choices in art, it depends more on their choices in action.. What do you think?
🙂
Madhavi
Yeah that’d be great! It’s a burning desire to know that I’ve connected…then maybe just maybe I can fulfill my duties of helping people. Something I’ve always wanted to do.
Blessings, Krissy
Ps the flash I had about the cookie was as good as the actual cookie itself!!!
Hmm… yes, I guess, with the cards each of us has to find our own way, language and approach to connecting with them… guess that’s what makes this process so interesting – there isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of an answer, is there?
–
And I am so totally envious about the cookie! 😛 Wish I had such flashes! *sigh*
Well ok!! That’s good news about the yea or no spread. I tend to use it a lot, as far as the spreads go for regular reads, and personal reads, what feelings if any should I get in connecting? Something strange happened to me, I drive a school bus, and when I began my route, I had a strange thought that is like a chocolate chip cookie. Well 3 stops later a little girl handed me one and said I made this lastnight. Enjoy!! What was.that a.psychic flash?? Blessings, Krissy
Hey Krissy!
Hmm.. connecting with the cards – you know what, I think I am going to write a blog post about it, because its too interesting a subject and this comment thing isn’t big enough for it… 🙂 If you don’t mind, I can email you about it when the post is up…
Ooooh! Chocolate chip cookies – seriously! I wish I could have such interesting flashes! Yes, you had what I call a burst of intuition / psychic flash! 🙂 Yum Yum!
That’s a great start for beginners. But I own the universal rws and the witches tarot deck n book, but I’m never under the impression I’ve connected to my cards. I know I’m meant to do this…but how if I sound like a 3rd grader sounding out the pictures like words?!?! Also, in my witches tarot by Ellen Canon reed, she has a yes or no answer layout, can I use this with my rws deck??
Thanks for your time.
Krissy
Hey Krissy!
It takes a while to connect with the cards sometimes. I have found that it helps to just pick up the card, describe the picture and what’s going on in the picture and write down your first impressions. Then go back to it after say, a few days and take a look at it again. This time, add to the feelings and impressions that you have written before. Slowly, things start clearing up and the card’s picture starts to make sense.
It also helps to read a good book about it whilst doing so – you can try the following books: 78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack (my Review here) and Tarot For Your Self by Mary K. Greer (my Review here). These are great books that have helped me a lot!
It doesn’t matter if you sound like a 3rd grader… that’s how the learning process is… we all start out as little kids – and besides, kids always have the most simplest, but most beautiful interpretations!
And yes, you can use the Yes-No layout with any other deck… the spread works irrespective of the deck!
I hope this helps!
Madhavi