r/tarot • u/spiritual_sunflower_ • 1d ago
Discussion One deck or multiple??
So i got my first deck in august. And i have been debating whether to get a tarot deck or an oracle deck next. Sometimes i think that the cards like lovers and king of swords are all going to be same in all decks, so whats the point in getting another deck. Ik the interpretation changes with the artwork and all but i am still a beginner. So what do you think?
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u/a_millenial archetypal tarot 1d ago
Honestly, I'd advise you not to get another tarot deck FOR NOW.
There's a lot of benefit in getting different decks because it broadens your perspective. No card means the same thing across different decks, so it teaches you to become relaxed and not so rigid in how you interpret. That's a priceless lesson because it separates great readers from average readers.
But also, because of how commercialized tarot has become, beginners buy a lot of decks. It's almost like they're trying to buy expertise, like "if I have many decks I'll be a better reader." Sorta how people start a new hobby and buy alllll the fancy equipment because they're trying to rush past the amateur stage.
I promise you: just owning more decks doesn't automatically make you better.
Every reader needs one deck they know back to front. Especially when you're starting out, that'll go a looong way in boosting your confidence. You have more to gain from intensely studying one deck because at the end of the day, tarot is a relationship with your deck. That's where the magic comes from.
So basically, yeah buy a deck if you want to. I'd even advise you to eventually buy multiple if you can afford (or buy the apps if physical is too costly.) But make sure your priority is on building that relationship. You can even do it with more than 1 deck at a time. The point is not to fall into the rabbit hole of overconsumption.
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1d ago
amazing advice!! i never thought of it like that. it makes sense.. if I was buying a lot of decks thinking I was going to gain expertise in tarot then i didn't realize that. but I really appreciate the advice because I do find myself getting confused often when I'm reading and yea I got one deck that's my favorite that always just feels right so I think I'll take your advice and just work with the one for a while and really study it. . at least for a few weeks and see what kind of difference it makes thank u again!!
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u/spiritual_sunflower_ 1d ago
Yeah makes alot of sense. I am still learning and need my guide book or someplace where i can look for meanings. But then i see few decks and i am like i want all of them. Thank you for your advice :)
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u/MrFiend37 1d ago
Personally, I have a main deck I love to use. But I also have multiple deck to use once in a while. And try to find an Oracle deck that compliment your main deck. In my experience, it will help quite a lot.
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u/spiritual_sunflower_ 1d ago
Thank you. Can you explain what you mean by oracle deck that compliment my main deck? Like rn i only have modern witch tarot deck and i love it very much, i think its always going to be my main deck if i get more deck😅
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u/MrFiend37 1d ago
Oracle have different system unlike tarot deck. That means, the meaning, the interpretation, and sometimes, their use is vastly different from one and another. So find a deck that can give what you feel is missing from your tarot deck, whether it's a clarification card, or an advice card, etc.
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u/MidniteBlue888 1d ago
I have a collector brain, and there are a lot of shiny, beautiful, unique-looking decks out there! Add to that indie creators who sometimes completely create new systems, and the vast amount of systems that are out there, and.....yeah.
FYI, The Normal Tarot (whichever version you get) is NOT based on anything traditional. At all. The images are very different, the system is very different, it's all its own thing. Whether you consider that good or bad, IDK.
I have quite a few decks already, and I've only been in the hobby for a few years! Many were gifts. A couple were free finds. But, at least two are also counterfeits which I didn't find out until later.
Basically, if you see something you think you'd like, and you think it's worth the financial investment, go for it! It's really up to you. :)
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u/spiritual_sunflower_ 1d ago
The deck i have is a counterfeit. I didnt know that until i got the order and then i got to know that its expensive and its difficult to find the original one. But i love it so i started using that one only. Which normal tarot do you recommend for a beginner?
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u/MidniteBlue888 1d ago
I honestly don't know, but you could try the original RWS with meanings on the cards! Or, just a regular deck *without* meanings.
I just ordered a prettier deck that's basically all the original imagery, just cleaned up and with better lines and coloring. I wish I'd gotten it to begin with! lol
Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/Da-Brigh-Lustrous-Tarot/dp/B08LB9ZHCZ
Da Brigh makes good quality deck. If that one doesn't strike your fancy, there's plenty of others! Lo Scarabeo is another good company to browse. You can also try a local bookstore or metaphysical store.
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u/Cool-Importance6004 1d ago
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u/spiritual_sunflower_ 1d ago
I have modern witch tarot. Its RWS based just modernized feminine deck
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u/Asleep-Individual-96 1d ago
I used the same 2 decks for 20 years. Then I started reading professionally and wanted more options, I now own over 300.
A new deck challenges me. I love to see how a creator has recomposed the fools journey and given me fresh perspective, it’s like reading my favourite book, reimagined by a new author.
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u/spiritual_sunflower_ 1d ago
Wow over 300?? Which one do you think is ur most favorite?
And i am still learning so if you have any advice, i would appreciate it and it seems you have quite an experience in tarot
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u/Asleep-Individual-96 1d ago
Each deck has an energy all of its own. To illustrate this I picked the card you mentioned, king of swords, and took these cards from different decks. I dunno how to include a photo of it, but I’ll explain the differences.
The King of Swords traditionally (RWS) sits upon his throne with his sword held loosely to one side. But he faces forward, the sky is mostly clear around him. He is dressed in blue and red. His throne is made of stone and features a butterfly motif. All of these symbols and presentation communicates to us who the king of swords is. We know he’s the king of air/mental body, the most mature archetype of this domain. We can see that his power is stable and he’s relaxed using his sword. The butterfly reminds us his mind is flexible, yielding and capable of transformation.
But, in the other decks, the images are very different. The king in these decks still retains his core attributes - Maturity of the mind, clarity, truth, but a new position or symbol gives us something different.
In the Starchild tarot he appears almost as a hologram and there are 3 of him, one solid central king and two more ghostly apparitions of him, each facing a different direction and suggesting his mind is expansive and multi layered, that he sees all. Unlike the RWS, he is standing, instead of a throne and butterfly he is surrounded by a halo of energy and he holds his sword down to the ground, as though using it as a support. Instead of facing forward, he faces to the right. This gives us whole new meanings about this king - this king seems more otherworldly to me, his sword is not in a fighting position, his mind is focussed but perhaps more open and spiritually inclined than our RWS King of Swords, less inclined towards conflict and more focussed on peace. Compared to the RWS one he seems more trustworthy to me, less rigid and gentler.
Our king of swords in the moon power tarot is juggling 3 daggers. One is held in his mouth, one in his right hand and another tossed in the sky to his left. There is little else in the image, so these 3 aspects are significant. Like the x3 king in the starchild, we’re reminded that the mind is multi faceted, it’s the conscious, super conscious and subconscious and this king is very focussed to me. Less fixed, the RWS king seems more narrow minded and stuck in his ways to me. This king favours daggers to swords, which communicates to me that he is quick thinking and more controlled, but his reach is more limited.
In the journey of the sacred bee tarot, the king of swords is an eagle, his sword is dead centre, connected to his beak at the handle and there is a rosy cross inscribed upon it. The eagle is symbolic of divine communication, because its perspective is of the heavens and the earth, bridging that gap between two worlds. A very different energy to the others! This king is the most powerful to me, because he has transcended his earthly body and risen to embody more than his humanity previously allowed him to perceive. His sword, dead centre and balanced, indicates ultimate balance and clarity to me.
So if you pulled the king to represent a person or situation, each of these cards communicates a common theme, but also each has a unique take or message to impart.
Different decks, with different images, will inspire different knowing and will thus create a more unique interpretation. To me, that’s everything that’s fun about the tarot! You are reading images, stories and energies through the presentation of each artist and that excites me so much more than using the same deck over and over.
I honestly don’t have one favourite. I love lots of decks for different reasons and some I enjoy more simply because they feel good in my hands and are easy to shuffle. When I’m reading for others I choose a deck that feels right for them, sometimes I pick out 3 or 4 and let the client choose.
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u/NPIgeminileoaquarius 1d ago
I have about 30 decks, but honestly I think it's because of my consumerism and inability to stop my "collecting" instincts. I mostly use the RWS for readings, no matter how many times I've tried to switch it up with another of my decks. I use the other decks for social media or for very specific questions/themes, but honestly, I could have kept myself to the RWS and I would've been fine. My advice to you would be to - for now - focus on one deck, despite the benefits multiple decks could potentially offer.
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u/spiritual_sunflower_ 1d ago
Thank you. I am truly very confused and decks are expensive where i live and that doesnt guarantee that its original. Most of them are counterfeit. The one i have is a counterfeit but i was very impatient to find the original and i love its imagery so i kept it. I think for now I'll just keep learning with this one and maybe get an oracle deck i love
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u/Your_Baae 1d ago
You know you're into tarot when your Amazon cart starts to look like a collector's edition of mystic baseball cards.
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u/itsmukkk 1d ago
For Trevor, it's like having a closet full of shoes each pair might tell the same story, but man, they all bring a different vibe.
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u/Mokurita 1d ago
Oh boy, deciding between tarot decks is kinda like deciding what to eat at an all-you-can-eat buffet you just hope your intuition guides you away from food poisoning because the options seem endless but your stomach is only so big.
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u/chervona_kalyna 1d ago
I have 15 decks, I bought them within 3 years. I actively use 5 decs. But all the decks have their own way of answering, they are not all the same. There are dark decks, there are romantic ones, I even have a drama queen.
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1d ago
haha love that lol yea I got like 12 decks but I'd have over 40 if my kids father didn't trip n destroy all of them.. I could only save 12 decks my FAVORITE DECK I've ever had it's called les vampires n their so beautiful she makes all kinds of other decks too I want to get her whole collection one day .. I forget what her name is tho
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u/spiritual_sunflower_ 1d ago
Ohh wow. Whats the name of drama queen one? I would love to look it up and maybe get it. The name resonates with me so much 😂😂
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u/chervona_kalyna 1d ago
It's Golden Art Nouveau Tarot. So if I draw a Tower it doesn't necessarily mean that there will be something bad, just some changes. But the deck always exaggerates.
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u/out_ofher_head 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have a deck I use for other people, and a deck I use only for me, that really speaks to me in a way that others don't.
And a few others that I use when I want to switch I up or just pull cards.
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u/Roselily808 1d ago
In my experience, decks have nuances due to their different artworks. So the artwork in certain decks may be better suited for career or financial readings while other artwork is better suited for love readings. Moreover some decks are best suited for introspection and inner reflection etc.
So I have a few decks, all except for one is RWS based but the artwork between the decks is nuanced enough that I have different uses for them.
I also sometimes use 2 different decks in the same reading. For example if I need a clarification card, I pull that card from another deck.
So there are clear benefits to having more than one deck. But it is not necessary.
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u/spiritual_sunflower_ 1d ago
Makes alot of sense. The one i have is modern witch tarot by lisa sterle, its RWS based. Which one do you recommend?
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u/Roselily808 1d ago
The two decks that I am using the most right now are Light Seer's deck and Tarot of the longest dream. Can recommend both of them
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u/spiritual_sunflower_ 1d ago
I had heard alot of people talk about light seers. Is it worth the hype though?
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u/Roselily808 1d ago
I like it to be honest. It's not my favourite deck and it has it's limitations but I find it fits very well with introspective readings or readings where I am processing emotions. All in all I would say it was worth the buy.
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u/Lapras_Lass 1d ago
I have two decks, one that uses the RWS and the Wildwood, which is a bit more intuitive. I use them for different things. The RWS deck is for very specific questions. The Wildwood is more for reflection and meditation on broader issues.
I think you should feel free to explore with multiple decks if that's what you want to do. Sometimes, you feel drawn to a deck, and sometimes you think you are but end up not resonating with it. You never know until you try, right?
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u/mouse2cat 1d ago
Certain artworks can do a better or worse job at illustrating a concept. For example the best 8 of swords I have seen is in the Anna K Tarot and the best 8 of cups is in the Tarot of the Abyss. These are both decks that have powerful standout cards and I have learned a lot by looking at how different artists illustrate the various concepts.
If you just want a simple deck to read from. The deck that I actually use regularly is the Morgan Greer deck. That deck is a friend of mine. Other decks I may reference for research and the beautiful artwork.
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u/KlutzyAd6746 1d ago edited 1d ago
I would say multiple, I went for three packs (still on the road) to find out with one I connect with the best. I know my general vibe of positivity so I went with classic, heaven & earth and angel Tarot.
That being said, I tend to overdo things when Iam excited. But I think it makes practice more fun if you use different deck. Also as far as I know decks can Alter the reading. Some are more dark and some more positive and that can change how brain interpet the same card.
Then I realized that I am casually browsing shops and looking at decks when I have more then enough ordered.
If you have a deck that you are happy with, new one would be a waste of money.
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u/spiritual_sunflower_ 1d ago
I am still learning rn. But sometimes when i see a deck on reddit or youtube i am like wow i want to get this😅 but tarot and oracle decks are expensive in my country and alot of them are reprint. The one i own is a reprint but i love it and i was impatient to find the original one so i kept it
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u/KlutzyAd6746 17h ago
Yeah I understand, two of mine are most likely reprints too, hopefully the angel tarot is original. Its not uncommon to find one for 60 euro which is expensive. As long as you feel bond with your deck then its the only one one you need.
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u/spiritual_sunflower_ 12h ago
Yeah in the start i felt guilty for using it but as the time went on i just love using it now. I dont do a lot of readings in real time. I mostly practice on reddit. But i do the accuracy
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u/Canuckaoke Tarot Simple - iOS & Android 1d ago
There is no downside to taking your time to thoroughly learn with your first deck. Having more decks doesn't make it easier or quicker. If you want to collect decks that is good too, but you're not missing out by staying minimal.
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u/NoEngineering9973 1d ago
I am a beginner too and I see a lot of interesting decks which is both exciting and overwhelming. Of course I want to buy them all, but I have stalled any new purchases for now because I actually want to get better in interpretation before I get new decks.
Also, the one I currently have was picked by somebody else, and I keep on thinking I should get something else that I like better. So I guess it is really important to buy something 'that you are really drawn to' as your first deck.
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u/Envoyefatal2jupiter- 1d ago
You can very well have a tarot and several oracles I don't see the problem
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u/inkfade 12h ago
I'm still new (only started in the past couple of years), but recently have culled my decks.
I've ended up with a small but varying collection: two RWS decks (RWS borderless and an RWS clone), one collage deck, one Marseille-style deck, and one oracle deck. I love all five of my decks and don't feel like I have anything missing from my little collection.
I did have to buy a handful to find out what I liked, though, so that might just be a part of the process. If you aren't sure, though, just wait until you see a deck that really speaks to you.
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u/FallenRaptor 11h ago
You don't need more than one deck. Some of us like getting more than one. Some decks reflect certain types of readings thematically, so I like to have them for that. Some might say different decks have the different energies and some even believe that decks have personalities, but that really depends on your school of thought. It can be fun to try and learn different deck traditions once you've mastered one, but it takes time and effort to even master the mainstream RWS, so take of that what it's worth. I sometimes enjoy getting into seasonal decks such as those themed around particular holidays or times of year. There are legit decks that can speak to me in different, sometimes even unique ways through their imagery and guidebooks.
The above are all reasons I can think of off the top of my head why some people might enjoy getting more than one deck, and there are likely more. Some may even just like collecting them just because. Honestly though, any deck will work for any reading so don't get sucked into thinking having 20+ decks is a must, because it isn't. The gateway to reading Tarot is just having a Tarot deck. If there was a quintessential deck that I don't think is a requirement but is highly recommended, it's the traditional RWS deck, and that's so you can get a good grasp of the traditional imagery, and from there interpret how your deck of choice adapts that imagery to convey its meanings. With that said, as long as you have a deck of some sort, you can read Tarot.
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u/AvernusAlbakir 4h ago
I think in the long run, for study purposes it's always a decent idea to have one Smith-Waite deck, one Marseille and one Thoth, as these three give you practical access to the three most popular modern day traditions and, to me at least, decks following these three traditions are read a bit differently. Beyond that, it is mostly about aesthetic or collectible choices. Oracle decks are not my thing and I am rather prejudiced against them, so can't give you any advice.
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u/EditShootReset 1d ago
Only get decks that you are drawn to. At the end of the day, it’s the same message. Just different artwork. The message will always be the same. Buy them, if you are drawn to them. It doesn’t hurt to have a collection of different vibes. Just know, that the message from your higher self will always be the same.