Reddit mentions: The best tarot books

I've been studying Tarot and western mysticism for over 2 decades. My recommendation is that you ignore all the fancy decks out there and pick up some version of the Rider-Waite. It isn't the prettiest, but it's the one that almost EVERY deck for the past 100 years has been based on. If you can read a Rider-Waite, then you can read anything. Someone suggested the Marseille deck (of which there were a few from the 18th c. onwards), but I wouldn't recommend starting out with an older style deck like that. Older decks (Marseille, JJ Swiss, Visconti-Sforza etc.) were designed for Game Play - NOT divination. They don't have handy titles or pictures on the minor arcana (number/suit/pip cards).

Some decks you might consider:

Standard Rider-Waite. Can't get any easier than this.

Quick and Easy Tarot. This one has the meanings printed right on the cards! Easy to learn from, and based on Rider-Waite.

Golden Dawn tarot. This one was my favorite for a while. The colors are nicer than Rider-Waite, but it's still a traditional deck, and all the cards have titles and additional symbolism (Astrological/Qabalistic) so they're easier to read and remember.

B.O.T.A. deck. This one comes in black-and-white. You're supposed to color your own cards! I've used the link that includes the book with coloring instructions/descriptions. You can buy the cards by themselves here. Following the traditional (Qabalistic) color scheme and coloring your own (with markers, colored pencils, or maybe watercolors) will help you learn and remember them better.

Regarding the influence of Qabalah on modern decks, it's VERY hard to find a modern deck without it. A.E. Waite was a member of the Golden Dawn (19th c. Hermetic order), and they're largely responsible for the popular appeal of modern Qabalah-influenced decks. They drew on several 18th-19th c. sources (Levi, Etteilla, Court de Gebelin etc.) and put it all together into the tarot we know and use today.

Some books that may be helpful:

Mystical Origins of the Tarot. This is a very good book that talks about the history of the cards, all the way back to the 14th c. Extremely insightful. You can read this on Scribd, btw.

Qabalistic Tarot. The best book on how modern tarot fits onto the Tree of Life, and how the symbolism describes states of consciousness and aspects of Qabalah. When you're ready to scratch below the surface and use your cards for meditation, this book will help you.

This may be a good book to help you get started. I haven't read it, but it gets good reviews.

Related-topic: if you enjoy playing cards, I highly recommend trying out the traditional Tarot games that make use of either modern French or German style decks (which look like modified normal playing cards with extra cards) or older decks such as the JJ Swiss, Marseille, or even Lo Scarabeo's Ancient Italian Deck. Tarot games are quite fun! You can't use a divination deck for them, though. European or Italian folk games such as Scopa and Briscola are also quite fun, and they make use of decks that are distant cousins to Tarot. This link will explain other tarot type games if you're interested.

Anyway, I hope that helps you make sense of the Tarot. Go with Rider-Waite to start, and take your time. There's a lot to learn!

update: given how many people have shown an interest in tarot from this post, here's a quick rundown *(and I'm by no means an expert so don't hesitate to add or correct me if I'm wrong)*:

one of my friends did a reading on me a few months ago, and I felt more seen in those 10 minutes than I have in years of prayer and priesthood blessings — this is not going to work for everyone but if you're like me and looking for a healthy replacement for Mormonism but not too interested in organized formal religion, it's worth checking out.

for those who know nothing about tarot:

there are normally 78 cards in a deck (basically a 52-card deck but the suits are different, plus each suit has a knight as well making 56, plus 22 major arcana). each card represents a different message, and when you shuffle and arrange the cards in certain ways (called "spreads"), it spells out a story that can be used to tell the future or divine supernatural knowledge (it's believed that shuffling the cards allows supernatural forces to pull out specific cards so you get the message they want you to get), or for me it's just a nice helpful secular meditation practice that I do about once a week or so.

I bought the Smith-Waite deck (link to Amazon), which is very standard and most tarot decks are based on it — but you can get really any deck that appeals to you. they're all the same 78 cards, just different art which helps you look at the messages in the cards in different ways.

I also have Book of Tarot by Danielle Noel, which is a very helpful guide to beginners to tarot. she herself definitely believes in it as a supernatural way to access divine truth, but she also is good about allowing people to take her resource as seriously or casually as they want.

for people who are even more casual about it: the Golden Thread app (on iOS and Android) is a helpful resource, both for helping the reader understand their cards, or also for a digital reading in case the person doesn't have access to a deck.

some of the responders on my post have offered to do readings via internet — I'd rather do so in person, but if you're ever in Provo/Orem area don't hesitate to message me (I'm new to Reddit and not sure how to open my messages) and I'd love to meet up for a in-person tarot reading.

Oh man, I have opinions lol So I've been collecting decks for about a decade now and have 13 total. I'll just unload... I hope this is helpful!

My all time favorite, the Mythic Tarot (all greek mythology), is super inaccessible though, unfortunately, but it was the one that I grew up with by some fluke of a chance and when I finally got it for myself (and for under $100 which is very rare) I about lost my mind. There's a new version of it with the same overall stories and art but the art style has greatly changed and it just can't hold a candle to the original.

My second favorite is the Wild Unknown. It's beautiful and boy oh boy is she rude. Sometimes you might notice after fiddling with a variety of decks that they'll have a bit of personality and this one pulls no punches in my experience and even for a few of my freinds who have the deck. Plus it's just a really stunning deck.

Another beautiful deck is the Linestrider. Watercolors. Like the gentle version of Wild Unknown. My Rider-Waite is the Pamela Colman Smith commemorative version and has really lovely back and vivid colors. Rider-Waite is easily the most recognizable of the decks and is very accessible. Also honorable mentions, since they're just beautiful decks: Wildwood, Mucha, Ostara (gilded edges!), and the Halloween Tarot.

1. Mythic
   
2. The Wild Unknown *
   
3. Halloween
   
4. Rider-Waite *
   
5. Ostara *
   
6. Wildwood
   
7. Mucha
   
8. Linestrider *
   
9. Welcome to Night Vale
   
10. Raven's Prophecy (Raven Cycle)
    
11. Zombies
    
12. Marseille
    
13. New Mythic
    
    * - I think these would be particularly good for a first deck
    
    ​
    
    EDIT: If there's any these particular decks you'd like to see pictures of, let me know! I'll see what I can do. :)

Whenever I saw the Mystical Manga deck at the bookstore, I would just glance at it briefly, but never felt drawn to it. Recently though, I was feeling nostalgic about youth, and someone somewhere in this sub really encouraged people to give this deck a chance. I looked up the actual cards online and BAM, I felt this instant connection to it!!! Honestly, it's such a beautiful beauuutiful deck and the answers I asked it during the interview were super accurate and interesting.

I think the outside box did not give the cards justice, but hey don't judge a book by its cover. I can't wait to use it more and it's very easy to read because it has a lot of RWC elements...but still is its own magical masterpiece without being a replica! Please give this deck a look :) Especially if you were/are into anime/manga!

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Manga-Tarot-Barbara-Moore/dp/073875353X

My favorite cards that I could look at for hours: https://imgur.com/a/4J3rcol

If you really want to dig into this buy a Thoth Tarot deck, Crowley's book, and probably also Duquette's book to give you a good primer on Crowley.

Modern Tarot decks are visual representations of the Tree Of Life because almost all modern decks are based on either the Rider-Waite-Smith deck or the Thoth Deck. Waite and Crowley were members of the Hermetic Order Of The Golden Dawn which used the tarot as a tool for learning Kaballah(among other things). I'm suggesting the Thoth because it's better in almost every way and you will really appreciate the artwork. The small cards are the sephiroths (ace=kether, 2=chokmah... 10=malkuth, the suit of wands represents the tree of life in the kabbalistic world of atziluth(the classical element fire and the first Yod in the Tetragrammaton) etc...) and the major arcana represent the 22 paths between the sephiroths(Atu 0 The Fool connects Kether and Chokhmah, Atu 1 The Magus connect Kether and Binah, etc...). Here is some of the artwork The Magus, The Universe, The Ace Of Cups. The cards will give you more to meditate on then you could possibly get through in a single lifetime.

Also Malkuth means Kingdom and is related to the physical world. The Knowledge and Conversation Of The Holy Guardian Angel is attributed Tipheret.

I'm glad to see some conversation about the occult on here. I don't think anyone would argue that all occult and mystical practices arise from the type of shamanism the people in this forum practice. The two types of approaches go great together whether you are into Kabballah, Buddhism, Daoism, or any other system.

The Tree Of Life is just a map created by people who have been there before. It might be fun to just storm off into the wilderness without knowing where you are going, but your chances of finding something interesting will increase greatly with the help. I've had great luck performing a little ritual where I get into a trance, take a hit of hash, invoke one of the cards, and experience it's energy. It's much more powerful than just taking a drug to see what will happen and all kinds of interesting synchronicities will start appearing in your life.

Good luck! If you have any questions I can try to answer them.

Looking to trade my Mystic Mondays deck!

Brand new (only a few readings), but it did come out of the box with some dented corners :(
I'd like to trade, cash-free, we each just pay to ship to one another!

I'm located in the US, so a domestic trade would be nice, due to cost/difficulty of international shipping. Tracked shipping is a good idea :)

I realize this is a new account (since I'm kinda in the broom closet and just recently decided to make a new account for occult subs - my main account is in the 7 year club). If you would like any assurances, let me know what I can do to assuage any concerns! I'd be happy to ship first if that helps - I'll take the trust burden first :)

Not sure what I'm looking for - Mystic Mondays read fine for me but the bright colors just don't jive with me. My other decks are much more muted, greys, pastels, etc, so I would love to see some decks in earth tones or muted colors. The glossy pop was interesting to me but when I read it feels like I'm faking it? I'm just not a bright colors person I guess :(

I'm pretty open to anything, if the jive feels right on both our sides, then I'd love to swap!!

"Modern" is a pretty broad category -- it would help to know more about what kind of art style you're looking for. For example, are you hoping for something that's more minimalist, or detailed? colorful, or monochrome? digitally drawn, or painted? focused on figures, or more inventive with imagery?

That said, here are some decks in a pretty wide variety of styles that come to mind when I think "modern art." I personally own the first six decks on this list and can vouch that I like them; the rest I don't own but I know other people like them.

• The Light Grey Tarot
  
  
• The Cosmos Tarot & Oracle
  
  
• The Body Language Tarot
  
  
• The Fountain Tarot
  
  
• The Dark Goddess Tarot
  
  
• One of my all-time favorite decks, a feminist classic Thea's Tarot is apparently getting a second printing soon! Maybe not in time for your friend's gift, but perhaps for the future.
  
  
• The Book of Shadows Tarot, Volume 1: As Above and Volume 2: So Below
  
  
• The Wild Unknown Tarot
  
  
• The Wooden Tarot
  
  
• The Prisma Visions Tarot
  
  
• The Linestrider Tarot
  
  
• The Wanderer's Tarot: Solar Edition and Midnight Edition
  
  
• The Golden Thread Tarot
  
  
• The Illuminated Tarot (note that this is a playing-card style deck with 53 cards instead of 78)
  
  
• Dame Darcy's Mermaid Tarot
  
  
• The Prismatic Tarot
  
  
• The Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot (I'm including this even though Art Deco is decidedly not modern because it is very different from the traditional RWS style, so your friend might like it anyway)
  
  
• I don't know of any specifically videogame/media themed decks, but The Steampunk Tarot does come to mind as being up that alley, thematically.
  
  I have to stop here otherwise I'll just keep on going, lol, I love talking about different tarot decks. So I'll just leave you with a note that there are lots of items in the Little Red Tarot shop that might interest you.
  
  Hope this helps!

Personally speaking, I use the Crowley Thoth deck. You are probably on the right track in regards to dumping the R-W deck for this colossus of Tarot. It is a bit intimidating to get all the symbols and their meanings in the Thoth deck but hang in there. Should you need any help along the way, there is this book-
http://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Aleister-Crowleys-Thoth-Tarot/dp/1578632765
As well as other resources. So far as how it all relates, I think it relates somewhat nicely. There is still debate as to how the Tarot Cards got lumped together with the Tree of Life, but I'm not going to get into that. For me, I found the relation to the Paths a very helpful one. The meanings/relationship to the Tree of Life and the elements, from the Tarot are yours to interpret, yours to discover and make your own. This is what is both maddening and wonderful about the Tarot. In many ways, it's rudderless nature allows for the person working with it to make up the story for themselves And there's the beauty! No need to worry about forcing meaning when it is not relevant. If it feels relevant to you, meaningful to you, go for it. That's magic.
I'll give a quick example. To me, Tiphereth/Beauty is the highest human point on the Tree of life. Before that we have Netzach/Victory. Connecting the two is path 24 Death- which for all intents and purposes is Change. How do I connect these? Again, to me Netzach is a highly emotional Sephiroth, it's chief gods being that of Love- Venus, Aphrodite, etc. Love prompts one to feel a great deal of emotions, some good and some bad and some very very bad. This is why I equate it to this Sephiroth, among other reasons. Alright, so this isn't a short example but bear with me. So, how does one get to the higher Sephiroth Tiphereth? Death. Change. Killing those lower base things within us that hold us back. All the petty emotions; the ones that sully the name of love. Cut 'em down. Conquer your emotions, claim Victory over them. Then, one can get to a place of greater understanding; A place of Beauty- Tiphereth. Crowley, when writing about this card put it this way- 'The Universe is Change; every Change is the effect of an Act of Love; all Acts of Love contain Pure Joy. Die daily!'
To me, this makes sense. It carries meaning.
Hope this helps.

The Smith-Waite Centennial, the smaller tinned edition. I adore this deck. It consistently amazes and surprises me. I love the muted colors and the faux antique look of the deck. I like the tinned edition because it's smaller (about the size of a standard playing card), which makes it easy to shuffle and handle and easy to use for larger spreads when you don't have a lot of room, which I often don't. It also makes it easier when reading for other people, since I like to have them shuffle the cards a bit before the reading, and a lot of people have trouble shuffling larger cards when they aren't used to it. The metal tin makes it really easy to tote around too. I just wrap a rubber band around it and pop it in my bag without worrying about any damage to the cards. There is also a larger, standard size edition, which I would recommend over the tinned edition if size isn't a factor for you because it makes it easier to enjoy Smith's lovely artwork.

Forgot to add this - my other fave, and one I only use to read for myself at the moment, is the Druidcraft Tarot. Will Worthington's art is so lovely.

Well I'm fairly new myself, but I'm really liking learning from Liz Dean's Ultimate Guide to Tarot. It's linked to the Rider-Waite as well, which is helpful. I like that she guides through the symbolism and colors as well!

And for advice, I'd say run with symbols that click with you. Like with seeing yourself in the Knight of Swords! Having that symbol of you leaping before looking under the "what do I do?" spot seems to be a sign that the best course of action includes you in the picture and maybe leaping before looking is even an option in this situation!

Also, pay attention to card spot meanings. Also the message of judgment has a lot to do with self-acceptance of past actions. After all, judgment is typically the reward for the good and the punishment for the bad. Perhaps the best course of action now is a time to reward yourself for your past victories? Maybe there's a past action you're thinking about?

I think you've got most of the interpretation right. It's just a lot of practice to make the interpretations your own, looking for your own symbols and such. I'm struggling with this too.

I'm a traditionalist, so i've been using rider-wait for a long while, but I would like to save up for some prettier decks! Linestrider is a popular favorite, but really, for all the right reasons... It's so gorgeous! Etheral Visions is also a fav of mine... I'm a huge sucker of that kind of style. I also wish I could remember the name of the deck, but I remember a really nice foresty-themed one that had like a deer-man on it! I want to say it was something-something irish woodlands? I'm probably 99% wrong knowing myself.

and this is me being a large nerd more than anything, but I would love cardcaptor sakura cards!

For books on the Qabalah, the two best books to have been written on the subject are The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune and The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford by Lon Milo Duquette. I'd also pick up a copy of 777 And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley, which is a book of qabalistic correspondences.

The best book on the Golden Dawn would be The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magick, which covers (almost) everything someone would wish to know about the original Golden Dawn and was written by one of the most famous initiates of the Golden Dawn.

There is not many books on Rosicruciaism, and many books that are out there on it are fraudulent and are not an accurate representation of the Rosicrucians. The only book that I would say is worth a read is Zanoni, which is a fictional story written by a Rosicrucian. It is based on Rosicrucian philosophies and symbolism.

As for Tarot, I myself prefer the Crowley/Thelemic system of tarot over that of the Golden Dawn, so I can only really recommend books on that system, which are The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley and Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo Duquette.

For the goetic demons, the best text would simply be The Goetia

Also, some beginner books I usually recommend are:

Circles of Power: An Introduction to Hermetic Magic by John Michael Greer, which is a beginners guide to ceremonial magick.

Book 4 by Aleister Crowley, which is the most comprehensive treatise on the practice of magick to ever be written, in my own personal opinion.

Enochian Magic in Theory by Frater Yechidah with Enochian Magic in Practice by Frater Yechidah, which are guides to the Enochian system of magick, a very popular and powerful system of magick, developed by the famous magician and advisor to Queen Elizabeth I John Dee, and used and improved upon by many occult orders, most notably the Golden Dawn.

And finally, The Corpus hermeticum by Hermes Trismegistus, which is the foundational text of all hermetic and occult philosophy.

I have several decks that I'm eyeing right now!

The one that intrigues me the most is the Mystic Mondays tarot. I love the color palette and its aesthetic.

After that I'm looking at the Victorian tarot, because this falls right in with my fascination with the Victorian era, which was this great mix of propriety and religious leanings, but behind closed doors how everyone was just obsessed with the occult.

And I also love the Golden Tarot.

And though the imagery on these isn't fully conforming to RWS, I love, love, love the attitude of the Housewives' tarot.

Of course, my birthday is in a week, and I'm on a buying moratorium until after that. So I'm currently in a holding pattern on new purchases for myself!

A few disclaimers/additional info:

The full story is in the imgur album, for anyone who likes the narrative approach :)

My version of the deck does have some differences from the version presented in the DMG; I made a few aesthetic changes due to the art on the cards and what I felt was fitting for my campaign. For example, I felt the "Stars" card was more fitting as the Wish-granting card.

If any other DMs out there would like to replicate this, I used the Universal Golden Tarot deck for my cards. As you can see, the art is absolutely beautiful and the gold leaf really makes the cards pop when a player draws. I used the High Arcana portion of the deck, and I put together a list here of which Tarot cards correlate to the official DoMT. Please feel free to use this, or come up with your own versions!

For the Deeds associated with my "Throne" card, I used a variety pack of premade parchment paper from Staples. The official seals were made using wrapping ribbon and a traditional wax seal. You cannot use standard candle wax for this, use a basic kit like this one and then whatever sort of stamp you would like. I used a Crown from smartbargain on Amazon.

It was a huge joy to bring this to my table, and the reaction from the player in question really just made my week. Moments like these make DMing so worth-while.

Out of all my decks, the Linestrider deck is the one I resonate with the most. I bought it a year or so ago, but I just checked on Amazon, and it’s still selling for about $20:
The Linestrider Tarot https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738748293/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_W9aUBbEQA4NHF

Things are really, really good! I’ve received so many birthday messages today and I feel very loved. Thank you so much for the good vibes and well wishes! :)

sure. i'll help you out. if you or your parents have an amazon account, make a wish list. then send me the link so i can buy you the gift through my account.

https://www.wikihow.com/Create-an-Amazon-Wishlist

i'll send you the deck of your choice and i won't need to know your address or anything. my treat to encourage the hobby :)

​

if you need some inspiration, here are some of my favorites:

the wild unknown

ethereal visions

the fountain

​

tbh though, i own about ... 30 or so tarot decks at this point and i'd guess about 25 of them i've purchased for myself, haha. i pick and choose what tarot "rules" to follow since i believe the cards will tell me what they will tell me no matter what :)

A lot of tarot readers are also deck collectors. :)

I order my decks online, typically. There is a Waite-Smith mini deck (in a tin) available from Amazon for only 10 dollars, and I highly recommend getting a physical deck if you can. The deck I linked has really nice coloring too, it's on my wish list. :)

Etsy has a lot of the fancy indie decks, but you'll be paying ~$40 and up for a deck.

Go to Aeclectic Tarot to find deck reviews, or look up "tarot deck collection" on YouTube if you want to see what people have in their own collections. YouTube is my favorite way to learn about decks!

Edit: You can also get nice decks from bookstores, even Barnes and Noble - that's where I got my Shadowscapes Tarot. Since you can't look at a deck in the store, I recommend looking it up online to see if you like the cards.

I completely agree with your comment.

The Thoth tarot is wonderfully deep, if you are also interested in studying the occult symbology.

If you prefer a gentler approach to learning, then other decks - especially R/W are a good starting point.

I only came to love the Thoth deck after using RW for tarot for several years, and, in addition, studying occult disciplines. And I read The Book of Thoth before I read "Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot"

Rider-Waite is a fantastic learning tarot, and far, far more powerful as a teaching deck than most others on the market today IMHO.

Well, to that end, I highly recommend The Qabalistic Tarot by Robert Wang. It's dense and rigorous, but not at the expense of subtle insight. The author successfully cuts through New Age mumbo-jumbo and gets to the heart of what tarot is about.

The Hermetic Tarot deck appeals to me most. It's nearly overloaded with imagery, which allows me to get completely lost in the experience of a card. The ultimate goal is establishing unconscious intuition, of course, but a strong intellectual base can only help.

As for this comment:

>Unfortunately, I have yet to consciously connect to my higher self.

I think the whole concept of a "higher self" is a bit of a misnomer and potentially dangerous. The term keeps people searching for some threshold moment, a cut and dry experience of Enlightenment. Anyone who claims to have attained this state permanently is lying and probably selling you something. The truth is that you ARE your higher self just as you are.

I finished Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris a few weeks ago and I highly recommend it. If you're not familiar, he's a vocal member of the "New Atheist" community and is extremely critical of religion/mysticism. But despite this, he has profound insight into the nature of consciousness and how mindfulness practice changes the mind. And of course, what is tarot if not a form of mindfulness meditation?

If that seems a little too atheistic for your taste, Thou Art That by Joseph Campbell is a fantastic introduction to mythological thinking, which is crucial to understanding tarot.

All and all, every aspect of your spiritual and intellectual life will enrich your experience of tarot, so explore liberally!

Magick is for all, I would recommend working on the kabbalah for a start, or reading the liber 4, not necessarily in that order, maybe try liber 4 and then A Garden of Pomegranates by Israel Rgardie and Mystical Kabbalah by Dion Fortune. The Hardcover edition of Liber 4 is a great edition. I have it and it is amazing, and not as complex as most of his writings. This book has a lot of appendixes too, that helps. Having the Thoth Tarot deck and the Book of Thoth and studying its correspondencies with the tree of life is very helpful too.

Fascinating readings anyway.

About what he is in relation to mankind, better judge yourself from his writings.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Thoth-Egyptians-Equinox/dp/0877282684/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z

http://www.amazon.com/Thoth-Tarot-Deck-Aleister-Crowley/dp/1572815108/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422560601&sr=1-1&keywords=thoth+tarot+deck


http://www.amazon.com/Magick-Liber-ABA-Book-4/dp/0877289190/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422560336&sr=1-2&keywords=magick

http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Pomegranates-Skrying-Tree-Life/dp/1567181414

http://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Qabalah-Dion-Fortune/dp/1578631505/ref=pd_sim_b_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0TNF7RPG3Y67DX4G00QH

Aw, I'm sorry! I don't know why certain people are judgmental towards or scared of tarot! It's not magic its literally just cards/a tool to channel your subconscious and just get deeper with yourself. There's absolutely nothing scary about them, and I wish everyone could see that! You can be religious and still use tarot cards. You never know with your friends, some of mine are still skeptical/judgy about them but you'd be surprised, in general people love to talk and learn about themselves. But anyway, just go with whatever deck makes you happy! :) If you have any other questions you can reach out to me, I'm not an expert but I've been studying tarot for a couple of years now.

https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Witch-Tarot-Deborah-Blake/dp/0738746347

the link above is the deck i was referring to, but it was just a random suggestion, the deck you have is more than sufficient!!!

For me, personally, I'm kind of picky with decks. Try and subtly find out if they have any specific decks they really like but don't own as it'll be a much more welcome gift than buying a deck they don't vibe with.

Not sure what style they're into but maybe show them Ethereal Visions and True Black cards - those are probably my favourite two and look like pretty classy gifts to me. :3

I recently got a new deck that instantly became my absolute favorite. Yesterday I was legitimately laughing out loud at the cards I was pulling. She was being really sarcastic and dry. It was amazing.

Edit: for anyone who thinks they may be interested in the deck, the cards are really well designed and the guidebook is GORGEOUS and absolutely the most helpful one I own in terms of interpreting the cards.

Our next session is this Saturday. I think before the end of the session they should be at the Tser Pool for the card reading. I've purchased a tarot deck (https://www.amazon.ca/Golden-Tarot-Kat-Black/dp/1572814349) for the ready and have assigned meanings.

I'll be performing a card reading for immersion purposes but I have picked out the locations of the treasures. For the Ally, I've selected several interesting ones that will be chosen at random. I didn't really want the locations to be chosen at random. I much prefer a more thematic approach to the locations. I'm also considering for the "where you'll find Strahd" to just be a random location where they will definitely run into him during their adventure rather when the last battle will be.

I've decided to have them find the Tome at the winery, the Holy Symbol in Argynvostholt, and the Sunsword in the Amber Temple. I can't remember off the top of my head which of the cards I selected from the High deck to represent each place.. I think maybe Justice for Argynvostholt and Death for the Amber Temple?

I wanted them to find the Tome early on but have the more powerful items for later levels. I'm still debating whether or not I want the Holy Symbol in Argynvostholt or the Werewolves den though. I really want them to go to Agrynvostholt. If they don't, I'll likely come up with another reason for them to go then just for finding treasure.

I've been loving the ethereal visions illuminated deck! I never fully connected to the standard RWS, and this gives me just enough of the symbolism with artwork that I really enjoy. The cardstock is also really good. If anyone is interested, here it is :) Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot Deck https://www.amazon.com/dp/1572819251/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_oCEYBb4CWWZS2

What are you interested in? Wicca, candle magick, hermeticism and alchemy, Setianism, Qabalah, tarot, mythology, astrology, goetia, esoteric christianity? A little bit of everything?

My recommendation is to start with something you're really interested in and pick up that one thing. If you're interested in Crowley, then you might be interested in tarot. My suggestion is getting a simple book by a laymen's author like Amber Jayanti on the tarot. As you read the book, circle, highlight or write down (or add to a shopping list) sources to which that author refers - Jayanti may cite Paul Foster Case a lot. Once you read some Case books, then you'll start to see Crowley pop up. Pick up Lon Milo DuQuette's book on Crowley's Tarot. Then you can probably read Crowley's Book of Thoth.

My other advice is not to worry about not picking up every little detail of every book. You won't have the schema necessary for every small detail in every book, and part of reading in the occult is rediscovering the deeper meaning of something you thought you already knew, like a spiral upward.

Rider-Waite is a good beginner deck.

My preference (especially awesome if you want a deck LOADED with rich symbology) is The Hermetic Tarot by Godfrey Dowson

IMHO this desk is also one of the greatest if you are interested in the relationship with the Tree of Life.

I would suggest the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, which you can buy for pretty cheap on Amazon. Most other decks are based on this system and almost all books and websites for learning the cards use this deck. When you start to learn, the LearnTarot website is free and very helpful. Have fun! Exploring Tarot is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

It comes with a small explanatory booklet. I'd say the best actual book that really encompasses the whole system (because obviously it's not just a mere fortune telling device) is Crowley's own The Book of Thoth (1944). https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Thoth-Egyptian-Tarot/dp/0877289506/ref=sr_1_2?crid=341Z03425G3GA&keywords=the+book+of+thoth&qid=1568848465&sprefix=The+book+of+thoth%2Caps%2C559&sr=8-2

However, if you're starting out with tarot or unfamiliar with Crowley's often convoluted and in depth writing-not to mention his oft made assumptions that we've all got a clue what the fuck he's trying to say- I can heartily recommend Lon Duquettes approachable, concise and easy to swallow Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Aleister-Crowleys-Thoth-Tarot/dp/157863623X/ref=sr_1_4?crid=341Z03425G3GA&keywords=the+book+of+thoth&qid=1568848843&sprefix=The+book+of+thoth%2Caps%2C559&sr=8-4

I'd start with the deck and Lon's book then move on to The Great Beast's volume, but I'd say they're both pretty much required reading for any serious student of the Thoth tarot. Duquette's book isn't exactly essential but it does make life a whole lot easier for us mere mortals!

Edit; there is a few other books of the deck out there but imho none come close to these two.

This will help greatly

https://youtu.be/DWhFaz415hQ

Not entirely sure if this is what you're looking for, but, there's a handful of books that people have written that attempt to explore the symbolism and meaning of Crowley's deck.

A friend of mine, a member of the local OTO Lodge and EGC, has several. I know these two are in his library for sure:

- Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot
- The Thoth Companion

There's also the old stand-by, Crowley's own exploration and essay about the deck:

- The Book of Thoth

Apologies if these aren't what you're looking for, and I hope someone comes along that can answer your questions more satisfactorily.

To me, the deck is cheeky. It's often blunt with a funny twist. I liken it to seeking advice from a good friend with a dark sense of humor who always tells me what I need to hear.

Since you mentioned the Hermetic Tarot was your first deck, and the Zombie Tarot is your first time branching out to other decks, I think it's important to mention just how different the Hermetic Tarot is from most other decks that stick more closely to the RWS style and meanings. If you've done the majority of your studying with the HT, almost any deck you add to your collection right now is going to be harder to click with at first. People who start with the Thoth Tarot tend to have the same issue.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the Zombie Tarot considering it's a novelty deck. They did a really good job adjusting the cards into the context of a zombie apocalypse. Keep in mind, though, it also deviates quite a bit from the common RWS meanings and imagery. The Devil card is a perfect example with the cigarette machine. Of the multiple meanings for The Devil, the ZT has focused in on addictions, vices, and temptation. I would read that card differently than if I pulled The Devil from another deck.

That being said, my advice would be to not give up o the deck just yet. Instead, purchase a RWS style deck--the Centennial Edition is my favorite--and begin studying that. From there, decks like the ZT, Wild Wood Tarot, Deviant Moon Tarot, etc. will be easier to click with and understand. It's like knowing Spanish and trying to learn Portuguese.

Edit: Formatting.

Cicero Golden Dawn Magical Tarot https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738723398/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FM.HybKCPX6S4

It's similar to the Robert Wang deck, but it's more vibrant and to me more compelling. The Cicero one is my favorite one that I've seen that is built fairly strictly on the Golden Dawn specifications.

My favorite decks are the Thoth and Dowson Hermetic Tarot

Ohhh! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm totally over the moon with this style. I've learned on a traditional Rider-Waite tarot deck but I've never found one that had a nicer art style I liked without changing the actual deck structure. Most of them keep the traditional medieval style art which is not really my style.

Thank you again!

Link for the others!

Please, please, don't take this the wrong way or be offended, but reading this made me extremely sad -- especially the part about giving up and moving to chaos theory instead.

If you want to understand the basics of the structure of the Tarot and learn some simple rituals, then I would strongly suggest this book and deck by the Ciceros.

Without a firm grasp of the basic Tarot, I feel that Crowley's Thoth deck and book will be too confusing. If you insist on learning the Thoth before the basic Tarot, then I would suggest supplementing Crowley's text with this book by Duquette.

Please don't give up... just study a lot more theory! Good luck!

P.S. PM me if you'd like and I can point you copies of these books online.

EDIT: You may also be interested in this other book by the Ciceros. I have a copy but I've only flipped through it. Don't let the cover or title turn you off. Check out the Table of Contents and you'll see it hits a lot of important topics and provides a lot of example rituals.

I have three.

My first deck was the Original Rider Wait Tarot Pack.

My second and main/ favorite deck is the Morgan Greer deck. I love the colors, and full bleed on the edges.

And my newest deck that I've been working with is the Golden Universal deck. I got it second hand on ebay. I customized by coloring the edges black. Looks very sleek and elegant now!

Crowley's Book of Thoth is also available online for free as it's now public domain. There's also an excellent thoth book by Don Milo that's almost required reading if you're into Crowley mysticism as it relates to the Thoth tarot: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Aleister-Crowleys-Thoth-Tarot/dp/1578632765

I'd recommend getting the large format Thoth deck, there's a ton of tiny detail that kind of gets lost in the smaller reprints.


That said, the Rider-Waite deck comes from the same Hermetic tradition and has much of the same symbolism. The imagery is a little less... dense? Surreal? and a bit easier to relate to at first (plus all the pip cards are illustrated, making the minor arcana easier to learn). There are also a bunch of excellent resources for the RW since its sort of the "default" deck.

They have some very nice Halloween items at Etsy (.com) can get Halloween jewelry, Halloween makeup bags or purses, decor, etc.

They have handmade and vintage items. I've been very happy with my purchases from there, but I do always check the sellers ratings (esp. on quality) before I buy anything. I've gotten a lot of Halloween gifts there over the years.

Another idea: You could check out The Halloween Tarot on Amazon, if you think she might be into that. I have it and I LOVE it. Here's a link: https://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Tarot-Tin-Kipling-West/dp/157281621X/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=halloween+tarot&qid=1566090905&s=gateway&sr=8-2#customerReviews

OMG, You found the Dali Tarot for $10???
http://www.amazon.com/Dali-Universal-Tarot-Deck-Salvador/dp/0880790903
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=dali+tarot+cards

Do you see how much they are going for? I am super jealous. Not to mention Dali is my hands down favorite artist. Wow, congrats.

This is my favorite book on the Major Arcana.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Fools-Pilgrimage-Kabbalistic-Meditations/dp/0835608395

I think the author is Donald Tyson, but Portable Magic is a great book on constructing rituals for tarot.

As for learning card meanings almost any is fine to get yourself started. I usually recommend starting with whatever your local library has on it instead of spending money or searching for a .pdf.

However if you get a Thoth Deck this is the most reccomended book on it.

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Aleister-Crowleys-Thoth-Tarot/dp/1578632765

Well this idea is not 100% risk free, but would be something unique... a deck of tarot cards and a lil booklet on how to tell fortunes can be had for around $20 []. They're interesting to look at even if she doesn't ever try to tell a fortune with them. Of course, you don't really want her to take it too seriously, so maybe a lighthearted card would set the right tone.

Dunno. Either way hope you find something she's happy with.




[] https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X

I've personally always been a fan of the Thoth deck or the Hermetic Tarot. My main deck is a vintage printing of the Rider-Waite though. Basically just find one you resonate with and can easily interpret. Also as /u/somegermanlady pointed out, traditionally tarot decks are supposed to be a gift given wrapped in cloth.

If you want other deck recommendations, just let me know what kind of art you like and I can probably recommend something!

I'm looking forward to receiving my copy of Dame Darcy's new Alice Tarot, which I preordered and should be arriving later this month. The artist also makes the popular Mermaid Tarot, which I've always admired the artwork of...but I'm just not that into mermaids. I've been reading Alice in Wonderland in preparation, and that has been pretty fun.

Having open deck preorders (Alice Tarot and also and Mystic Mondays) on order for awhile has helped me cut back on deck purchases. Harder for me to justify buying more when I have two on order!

In line with the specific question I would suggest the following:

• [This website is useful for beginners!] (http://www.tarotwikipedia.com/)
  
• The Ultimate Guide to Tarot by Liz Dean
  
  Side note:
  The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by Arthur Waite is always worth checking out. It's not exactly purely a guide book, but it is one of the earliest books to accurately discuss the origins of tarot cards. It also discusses the general meaning and symbolism behind each card, and if you are a fan of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, it's a wonderful read.
  

As others have said it’s the Golden Universal Tarot Deck by Lo Scarabo.

Here is the link for Amazon

I own this deck and I absolutely love it! They also have other decks that look amazing as well.

The Rider-Waite deck is pretty standard, I'm new also and almost all the youtube videos I've seen say it's the best deck to start with since the drawings and symbols help you memorize the meanings, and you can move on to more "fun" decks after you learned them all.

​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/091386613X?pf_rd_p=8e0819a9-0ef1-44cd-9544-a7f28374af8b&pf_rd_r=02QFBEAQHWXQQK8JH2QG

Easy Tarot is always my go to guide. And as a bonus, it comes with a lovely deck :)

This is my absolute favorite deck. The illustrations are beautiful and it comes with a very thorough book explaining not just the cards but the suits, positions, and correlations to each card. I fell in love with it right away.

Here are the basic, basic decks.

The Rider-Waite-Smith Deck, on which most decks base their symbolism. Has many different versions, such as the Radiant RWS or the Universal Waite Tarot. Most decks you find will be based on this one.

The Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley, which relies much more on occultism and knowledge of the symbols to read. If you want a project that you can really lose yourself in and study for, this is probably a good deck.

The Marseille Tarot which, unlike the other decks I've listed, does not fully illustrate the Minor Arcana (Ace-10 of Cups/Swords/etc). Instead they are called "pips" and don't show a scene, so you have to rely on your knowledge of the cards to read them.

These are the three most well-known tarot traditions for symbolism upon which most other decks are based, with RWS being the most popular in the English-speaking world. Marseille, as I understand it, is very popular in non-English speaking European countries, and the Thoth is just the Thoth.

You don't have to stick to these decks though. Choose any deck that you feel speaks to you. What's most important is feeling connected with your deck, that way you don't lose interest in the cards before you've learned all you can about them.

​

Well if there was a day to support yourself & celebrate your craft, today would be it! I would vote yes to a new deck for sure.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738746347/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Nuu2BbZXJKK88

It's a beautiful deck! I love the artwork and I've seen it on Amazon before;

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0880790903/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

Most of the ones I really like are independent decks.

Tarot of the Golden Thread is more modern but the effect of the cards is simply captivating.

Raziel Tarot by Robert M Place and in his distinctive style. It's not completed yet though :,(

Revelations Tarot is a reversible deck with the reversed meanings incorporated into the illustrations.


Prisma Visions Tarot is very Van Gogh/Impressionist in style, and I love how each suit connects to be its own long mural.

I also have a tendency to lean towards decks that are more narrative in the illustrations so the Manga Tarot and Mystical Manga Tarot (to be released in Sept 2017) appeal to me as well... even if I may be showing my youth and inexperience by mentioning them.

Edit: corrected the links

I love these 2.....

This one is the best value. It's a solid deck and comes with a book and a paper tarot spread. If you bought the deck alone it would be much more than this. I recommend this one to my students. https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Tarot-Learn-Read-Cards/dp/0738711500/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2492TY300PB54&keywords=guilded+tarot+deck&qid=1557425818&s=gateway&sprefix=guilded%2Cstripbooks%2C154&sr=8-2

I also really encourage them to start here https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=rider+waite&qid=1557425881&s=gateway&sr=8-2

​

My last favorite that I tell them about is this one but it's a little more pricey https://www.amazon.com/Witches-Tarot-Ellen-Dugan/dp/0738728004/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=witches+tarot&qid=1557425951&s=gateway&sr=8-2

I recommend reading books. There are a zillion books about the Waite-Smith deck. For the Thoth deck, this book is a must read.

Edit to add: This series was very helpful to me. The "Tarot Reversals" one by Mary K. Greer is the bomb.

Just ordered: https://www.amazon.com/Tarot-Bible-Definitive-Guide-Spreads/dp/1402738382 and https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=TS8S6KR0GEA8KC963X25
Hope it will server me well. Thanks all :)

Wow that deck looks pretty groovy! Might I ask if you're also into psychedelic experiences?

I actually got into tarot because the art in the [Ethereal Visions](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ethereal-Visions-Illuminated-Tarot-Deck/dp/1572819251
) deck is so beautiful.

I have also ordered but haven't yet received the Tattoo Tarot deck because American Traditional tattoo flash is one of my very favorite art styles.

I might check out the closest Barn's and Noble to see what they have, but I was able to find a deck that caught my eye on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mystic-Mondays-Tarot-Deck-Modern/dp/1452176388/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531710891&sr=8-1&keywords=mystic+mondays+tarot+deck

Along with that deck I am going to buy a guidebook mainly to help with spreads and potentially a different card interpretation from whatever comes with the deck.

I am also hoping to be able to get this deck from Indiegogo, but I'm not 100% sure I will get the money needed to pay for it before they go out of stock: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/everfree-tarot-vol-2--2#/

> I have almost 20 decks in my collection

...

> I don't like to have a lot of decks

wat

Seriously, though, if you're into the Golden Tarot, go for it. It's a lovely deck (I'm assuming you're referring to Kat Black's deck). If you're looking for other foil stamped cards, the Golden Thread Tarot is a big hit in our deck spotlight thread this month, so obviously people are happy with their purchase. I also really like aspects of Lo Scarabeo's Golden Universal Tarot.

Second this. First book on the Tarot that I read all the way through. Jodo spent years tracking down the earliest Marseilles decks and compared hundreds of them to try and recreate the most historically accurate deck he could (you can buy his deck here) . The book goes into the history of the system and symbols and his writing style makes the whole thing a really pleasant read. Reading this book was like learning Latin for tarot and has made understanding other decks much easier.

I'm a fan of this science deck depending on the vibe I'm going for. When on the opposite end of the feels, I go with the Tarot of Ceremonial Magick. I've also been known to use the Jungian Archetype Deck but it is very hard to read (IMNSHO) and I recommend Robert Wang's book to go with it.

I'll also dabble with a Thoth Tarot, too.

But, tell the truth and shame the devil, I get my best readings, both for myself and giving to others, with the good ole' Rider-Waite. Its the set I learned on, using the visuals adds to my read and its simple

I have a copy of the Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot that has a pretty solid stock and is about a centimeter wider than the standard issue RWS. The colors are more subdued, almost like the cards were treated with a tea wash, but I rather like it. Definitely look at some pictures or even watch some videos on YouTube as some people really dislike the change in color. Personally, it's the reason I got the deck in the first place. Also the card backs are a lovely teal-mint color with a white rose (the same as the one adorning the flag of the Death card).

https://www.amazon.com/Smith-Waite-Centennial-Tarot-Games-Systems/dp/1572817623/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?keywords=rider+waite+tarot+deck&qid=1573107039&sprefix=rider+&sr=8-15

Check out the Thoth tarot book for more info on reading the cards. I also recommend reading Lon Milo Duquettes book on understanding the Thoth Tarot. Also also, check out liber Theta from Temple of Thelema . There's also an explanation and analysis on divination with Tarot from Soror Meral in Temple of Thelema's periodical called In the Continuum.

book of thoth

understanding Thoth tarot

liber Theta

in the Continuum vol 1

You'll want to read issue no.7 for divination

Yes. The Halloween Tarot. I love it! It really speaks to me.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/157281621X?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

I just bought this deck https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1572819251/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and so far it's been super nice to work with. Time will tell, though, as we're just getting adjusted.

I have these and they are super cute. I've only recently started to learn to use them though.

It's the "thoth" tarot. I'm loving this autocorrect though lol

Thoth Tarot Deck https://www.amazon.com/dp/1572815108/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_OoL0DbFGQWQEZ

Google is awesome, so is https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/ and https://www.incandescenttarot.com/cardmeanings. I liked The Ultimate Guide to Tarot and also Kitchen Table Tarot. I've also heard that WTF is Tarot, and How Do I Do It? is also good, but haven't read it myself.

For Rider-Waite deck I use The Ultimate Guide to Tarot by Liz Dean. It has the best definitions and meanings of cards. (most accurate in my opinion) I have a bunch of tarot books and this is my go to one. This is it on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Tarot-Beginners-Revealing/dp/1592336574/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499005869&sr=8-1&keywords=the+ultimate+guide+to+tarot

If you want a 'fun' and non-intimidating tarot, but one that still closely follows the classic Rider Waite tarot patterns, I HIGHLY recommend the Halloween Tarot by Kipling West:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/157281621X/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_dkb.wb1SDA037

It looks 'kiddy' but the patterns and correspondences are there, without the overbearing Christian images in the Rider Waite. Ghosts = cups/water, Imps = wands/fire, Pumpkins = pentacles/earth, and Bats = swords/air.

I would recommend getting a Raider-Waite Tarot Deck. It's a great place to start and one of the most widely used decks.

Spend some time looking at the images and finding out what speaks to you. Just build an intuition with the cards.

If that's not enough a great introductory companion to that deck is Liz Dean's the Ultimate Guide to Tarot.

Liz Dean's an Ultimate Guide to Tarot

Raider Waite Tarot

i don't really like apps except as a reference, because it doesn't give you the option to draw your card of the day. i hold fast to the belief that divination in cartomancy is driven by the subconscious; how many shuffles you do, how you cut the deck, which cards you're drawn to. unless you have the option to do these things, i don't put much weight into the apps.

​

if you're short on cash you can always color your own deck, a book you can pick up at amazon. or you could find many of the less expensive decks, such as the smith-waite centennial deck, everyday mini deck, or the ceccoli mini deck. all these decks listed are cheaper than the coloring book, with the exception of the first they are under $10, and if you have prime they will come in two days with free shipping.

I think the Gilded Tarot would be a great place to start.

My handouts were a hit at the table. I stained them using coffee, folded them every which way, even stuck them in some clothes which went through the wash.

If you have the time you can get Strahd's seal from AliExpress or for a little more money on Etsy if you need it sooner.

I actually really dislike the official tarokka deck. I think it looks tacky af with the 90's style tribal tattoos around the edge. I replaced mine with a tarot deck from Amazon. I can't find the exact link but there's a few cool ones (and a bunch more you may like). You'll just have to use the name on the card instead of the book but my deck had some pretty similar cards.

The Rider-Waite deck was intended to be exoteric. The Golden Dawn deck was for initiates and was intended to be esoteric. If you're going to study the GD system, this deck is definitely recommended.

The Golden Dawn tarot deck by Robert Wang

The Hermetic tarot deck by Godfrey Dawson

I've heard this deck, the Pamela Colman Smith Centennial Deck, is very good quality. You can buy the deck alone, or as a boxed set. Don't buy the version in a tin, it is (allegedly) a smaller deck printed on cheaper cardstock.

This is a reprint of the original Ryder-Waite deck illustrated by Pamela Smith. It is very traditional.

https://www.amazon.com/Smith-Waite-Centennial-Tarot-Games-Systems/dp/1572817623

https://www.amazon.com/Pamela-Colman-Smith-Commemorative-Set/dp/1572816392

I got mine at Overstock.com.


Apparently there's going to be another printing of the deck, because Overstock right now is taking pre-orders for the Dali Tarot. As of today (3-21-2014) Overstock is charging $27.26 for the deck, with shipment scheduled for August 2014. There's very little info on it, so I can't speak to the card stock or case it comes in or anything like that.


I paid Overstock $66 for my Universal Dali deck when I bought it from them a few years ago. They still have the edition I purchased listed available for that price on the site, but it's not listed in stock. Amazon has the stock, but lists the Universal Dali for a much higher price.

$27 strikes me as a good deal if you don't feel the need to have the Universal Dali.

I’m trying to decide on my first deck as well! I think it’s between this deck, sun and moon deck, and the mystic monday deck. I just can’t decide!!!

Easy Tarot: Learn to Read the Cards Once and For All! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738711500/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_jfF.Bb1BEVMC4

I would be happy if you can get me something like this but you don't have too. http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Tarot-Deck-Kat-Black/dp/1572814349/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1381646251&sr=8-7&keywords=tarot+cards

Datsyuk.

God Bless You!

I found them, thanks to another redditor below. mystic manga tarot

this is a good book about working with the Thoth tarot

Some years ago I read Lon Milo Duquette's book on the Thoth deck

https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Aleister-Crowleys-Thoth-Tarot/dp/1578632765

and came away with the impression the king/queen/knight/page sequence is a matter of emphasizing, respectively, the fire/water/air/earth aspects of the particular suit energy. I read these as a matter of enacting or embodying these aspects, and I have (almost) completely gotten away from identifying, say, queen wands as a particular individual, but usually as an aspect of the querent, or a role she is undertaking.

Which I guess also means I am largely disregarding imagery, but that was sort of baked into my early experiences with a "dark" deck in which some of the imagery was literally so dark as to be almost indecipherable. These days I mostly read with playing cards.

here is the book

and here is the deck

also, here is a stylized reworking of the crowley thoth deck, which has illustrations for the pips and is a little simpler. I would recommend getting the original thoth, but if it simply does not speak to you, this is very close.

You can find Ryder Waite or Ryder Waite Smith decks for next to nothing, but quality of cardstock is usually pretty low on cheap decks. If cost isn't an issue, I recommend either the Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot or the Pamela Colman Smith Commerative Set. These are the same deck, but they are produced by a reputable card maker using higher quality materials.

For what it's worth, the deck I started with is the Rider tarot deck

Just buy a standard Rider Waite deck, and a book about the cards/what each one means like [the Ultimate Guide to Tarot] (https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Tarot-Beginners-Revealing/dp/1592336574) and dive right in! That's the fun of it - there's no right or wrong way to go about it. Eventually you'll be able to read for people once you know all the cards and their meanings.

Thank you! I wanted to aim for a very modern style akin to the Mystic Mondays deck, albeit with less detail (since drawing isn't my strong suit) and softer color palettes.

You were on to something with Card 2, there. Only the aces through 10 have a numeral, while the court cards don't; this one in particular is the Knight of Swords. I've been trying to figure out how to make it more immediately apparent, but at least in the game the card names are displayed on them.

I bought the regular size Rider Waite tarot deck from amazon lemee see if I can get that link, https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=tarot+cards&qid=1568478074&s=gateway&sprefix=tarot&sr=8-3

Agreed.

A little off topic but something that came to mind is the Tarot card set that Salvador Dali painted for his wife.

"The Crowley Tarot" by Akron and Hajo Bahnzaf has I Ching correspondences for every card. The book is designed to go with the Crowley Thoth Tarot (second link below), but the correspondences should apply with any deck.

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Crowley-Tarot-Handbook-Cards/dp/0880797150

Thoth deck: https://www.amazon.com/Thoth-Tarot-Deck-Aleister-Crowley/dp/1572815108

Just the regular Rider deck amazon link

I have that deck! See customer images in link:

https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X

$14 https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=tarot+deck&qid=1564084671&s=gateway&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=raider+waite+tarot&qid=1563931038&s=gateway&sr=8-2

Here you go

By Matt Hughes you can see pictures of his deck by searching and if you scroll down enough, you'll find this exact card

The Darkness of Light Tarot might be up your alley, maybe even the Linestrider Tarot (I don't think it scratches your Skyrim itch, but it's minimal and high fantasy-ish)

You might consider Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo DuQuette.

Edit: formatting

Tarot de Marseille by Jodorowsky Cards

Rider Waite Smith deck

Thoth deck and the Duquette book

Tarot de Marseilles and the Ben Dov book

rider wite

https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rider+waite&qid=1555442599&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I'm using these to learn

Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot:

https://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Aleister-Crowleys-Thoth-Tarot/dp/1578632765

Book of Thoth

https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Thoth-Egyptian-Tarot/dp/0877282684/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CWZHPFQA9ETTKABGTTGP

I got this deck based off Matt Colvilles video.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1572814349/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here it is: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1572814349/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I completely understand and that’s why I always use my Rider Tarot deck. It’s simple nothing beautifully drawn or crafted, just the basics. The Rider Tarot Deck https://www.amazon.com/dp/091386613X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9fyXBbFK5VFG7

I had looked online at actually buying one and on amazon at least they were suuuper expensive, so I bought a tarot deck, pulled the right amount of cards following this guide mostly. Then I tea dyed them and dried them off between paper towels and pressed by a heavy book and used some scrap fabric and a tassel to complete the ancient magic deck look.

If anyone wants to do the same, my suggestion to you is to do the tea dying in waves and not let them sit too long. I let the whole deck soak for a few hours in a pot of tea that had been made with 14 black tea bags and the glue separated on some of them splitting the backs from the faces. They stuck back together but I lost a few of the cards. Doesn't really matter I guess, but for anyone's future reference.

Even though "The Golden Dawn Tarot" has a lot of semitic symbolism in it, it's by far my favorite. It's beautiful. I guess witchcraft/divination in the name of Yahweh purifies the Semitic influence on the deck - it no longer becomes trapped in the "traditions of men" as Christ called Jewish human sacrifice.

"And what do we burn apart from witches?"

Here is a link to the deck.