Choosing Tarot Decks (PART II): Shopping for the Right Deck |

PREVIOUS:: How to Choose a Tarot Deck: So many tarot decks, (PART I)

Continuing from where I left off with yesterday’s blog on choosing tarot decks, it’s now time for:

3. Choosing Tarot Decks: Go shopping!

Before you jump into it here are four things to consider in venturing to find your most treasured tarot deck:

One. The Feel Factor.

*Personally, nothing works better in choosing tarot decks than actually being able to hold on to it. All things are energy. You’re not crazy if you pick up two different decks you logically like, only to sense that one of them “just feels better.” If you have no idea what I am talking about, try it. Go choose two decks that you think you like. (Or for stronger comparison, choose one you like and one that you don’t). Hold one, close your eyes, and ask yourself, “Does this deck belong with me?” Then set it down and do the same thing with the second one.

See…feel…the difference? If you get a strange pit in your stomach while holding one, and a zip of energy up your spine with the other, there is your answer. Some decks feel warm, or light (not heavy), or tingly…those are all good signs as well. For that reason I’d suggest shopping for your deck out in the real world. In most instances, you can reduce your mileage by shopping online for the titles first, or going somewhere that is known to have a good selection.

Two. Sample Decks, Metaphysical Stores.

*That being said, any shop that has “sample decks” that they let customers paw and rifle through so you can check out all the cards, but keeps their actual sale merchandise boxed up safe behind the counter or under glass is the place to go. If deck boxes are clearly still sealed in their original packaging, great…if not…maybe you want to pass on it; unless you have a real understanding of how energy sticks to things other people have been touching. (Uh…ewww???). My favorite Minneapolis shop is Present Moment. They get it. (Nevermind the haunted basement…unless you think it’s an added bonus). Magus Books is also a decent shop-stop. (Plus if you’re sensitive to anything, you’ll have the perk of the bizarre energy going on there.)

Another store that I won’t mention the name of, but it may be like any-place-America-near-you, they keep their decks in a case…hidden at the back of the store. (All you have to do is meander from the front of the store, through the “we’re-pretending-not-to-be-a-metaphysical-shop-but-we-really-are” nonsense to get there). –Just a note here too, that these places, as well as many other metaphysical shops, don’t offer their whole deck selection in their online shops, so you’ll have to go in to see for yourself.–

Three. Bookshops.

*No metaphysical shops around? Most bookstores carry decks, but all with varying selection (quantity and quality). So you might want to go shopping with the mindset to be more flexible with your options. Of the chain places, Borders used to be one place that had a better variety of decks (ie. not all printed by the same publisher), but quantities are hit or miss. Barnes & Noble usually has a number of decks, but generally market a very limited number of publishers…plus, at least the one nearest me, is overly fond of the expensive “tarot kits.”

Four. Online Shopping.

*If you decide to shop online, google “metaphysical stores” and you’ll end up with a multitude of shops ready to make a sale. Then there is Amazon. What don’t they sell? Sometimes their selection is good, sometimes not. Just please don’t go buying bargain bin “used” decks (refer to Point 2 above). Bn.com and other online booksellers are also good options for your online purchases. Whichever place it is, be sure product you choose is NEW, and unopened. The one advantage to online shopping seems to be in having more success in finding more unusual decks.

Also consider checking out my affiliate, author Bookshop. I’ve included decks from this 4-part article in my Recommended Decks list. Additional decks are in my tarot for class list, appropriate for beginning intuitive tarot practice.

Choosing Tarot Decks: Most Recommended First Decks

If you still have no idea where to begin, below is a list of five of the most common standard and traditional decks that people are using.

Rider-Waite
Universal Waite
Robin-Wood
New Palladini
Hanson-Roberts

I’ve had students using all of those at one point or another. They all lived to tell about it, so I am sure you would be fine with any of them as well. These are some other standard decks that I prefer and recommend for people of all skill levels:

Sharman-Caselli
Morgan-Greer
Old English
Fenestra
Tarot of Marseilles
Connolly

That’s eleven titles to help begin your browsing. In the next few blogs I will recommend some decks that I feel are “a step above” with their symbolism, choosing tarot decks that are great for men (and the women who love them), decks with no traditional “spooky” Death card, and a few of my personal wish list decks.

Until then, Happy Window Shopping!