Tarot Decks
At some point, I was told by a trusted colleague that there were close to 2,000 different Tarot decks on the market. All of this means that things get complicated when it comes to making a start with The Tarot.
Let’s look at some options.
Rider-Waite-Smith: This is one of the most popular and well-known tarot decks. Created in the early 20th century by Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith, this deck features intricate and colorful illustrations on each card. It has become the standard deck used by many tarot readers today.
Thoth Tarot: Developed by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris in the 1940s, the Thoth Tarot deck is known for its complex symbolism and esoteric themes. The artwork on these cards is highly detailed and can be challenging for beginners to interpret.
Marseille Tarot: This is one of the oldest styles of tarot decks, with roots dating back to the 15th century. The Marseille Tarot deck features simple, minimalist illustrations on each card, often using only a few colors. It is a popular choice for traditionalists and purists who prefer a more straightforward interpretation of the cards.
However, there are many other decks.
In recent years, there has been a surge of new and innovative tarot decks designed by artists from all over the world. These decks often feature unique themes, styles, and interpretations of traditional tarot symbolism.
Some examples include the Wild Unknown Tarot, the Shadowscapes Tarot, and the Tarot of the Cat People. There are Tarot cards designed around stories and films like the Robin Hood Tarot, the Arthurian Tarot, the Star Wars Tarot, and so on.
The problem is that many of these “pop” cards take some liberties with the inherent symbolism of the “original’ cards.
Remember the Tarot cards were designed for a card game. The cards designed in the 19th century were adapted for use in a mystical/occult sense.
Whilst there are many discussions to be had about the legitimacy of the “occult history” of the cards, from me they provide a useful framework for spiritual and magickal development.
In this course, I will be focussing on the Rider-Waite-Coleman and Thoth decks.
The reason for this is two-fold.
There is a wealth of material on the esoteric use of the cards and numerous magickal practices have evolved for their use.
Many, if not all, of the more modern and thematic decks, are based upon the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) design.
The RWS deck is fairly uncluttered in terms of design and all 78 cards have pictures rather than numbers and symbols.
The Thoth deck appears to be much darker but the symbolism, imagery, and designs are much richer. It can be a difficult deck to start with.
Marseille Tarot is an interesting choice for those starting their Tarot journey. Only the 22 Major cards a illustrated, the remainder are number and symbol cards. In many ways, it’s easy to see their relationship to the humble playing card.
There are some beautiful reproductions of this deck, but for this course, they may not be the best choice.
If you are interested in exploring the different designs of cards you might like to look here.
The Tarot Course - Launches June
This and earlier posts were free introductions to the Tarot Course which will launch in June.
It is designed for those who are interested in exploring The Tarot and using it for their own personal, spiritual, and magickal development.
This is not a course about fortune-telling!
At the end of the course, you will be better equipped to use the Tarot to guide others in a conversation about personal, emotional, and spiritual issues.
More importantly, you will be able to use the cards to inspire personal meditations, magickal practice, and spiritual awareness.
The cards are spiritual and magickal tools.
The Monthly Lessons
Each month we will explore specific cards.
We will seek to unpick the symbolism, their relationship to mystical and magickal ideas, and how you can best reflect upon their meanings to you.
There will be lectures, notes, and links to other resources. We can also arrange if required, for face-to-face (Zoom) tutorials.
It is hoped that those following the course will have access to the RWS deck (which will be our focus) or, if preferred, The Thoth tarot.
It would be useful to have a journal or notebook devoted specifically to this course so that thoughts, meditations, and information can be collated.
You will be encouraged to put some time into your studies and have the discipline to undertake the meditation exercises.
If you have access to other Tarot decks you will certainly enjoy making the comparisons and links between the RWS deck.
Supporting Texts.
My book, The Fools Journey, is an A4 300+ page book exploring the history, symbolism, and meanings of the cards.
It’s a weighty tome, but I feel is a useful grounding in the tarot.
If you’d like to obtain a copy you can do so here.
Since the Tarot is intimately related to aspects of Mysticism and the Occult you might like to consider joining my Introduction to the Occult course which will develop some of the ideas we explore in these lessons.
The lessons are also delivered every month (we’re currently at lesson 13).
You could consider this course as a companion to The Tarot.
I look forward to welcoming you on the course.
The beautiful thing about this form of delivery is super because you can start the course anytime you like. All the lessons will be available for you to enjoy, review, and revise for as long as you subscribe.
Thanks for reading
Alan /|\