Im trying to find a deck that i remember from my childhood, its black and white with red details or text. Each card has an illustration on one side and on the other a quote from the greek philosopher Heraclitus and possibly other philosophers. I cant seem to find an example to show. One card i remember specifically had the quote "no man may ever step in the same river twice" or something like that.

Hey Folks,

Some time ago I came across a somewhat cartoony deck with simple, flat shaded but colourful art. As far as I can remember the wands were reimagined as cigarettes, the swords as cuts, and I think boxes were playing an import role as well.

Sounds somewhat depressing, but I really vibed with it.

Sadly, I've been unable to find it anywhere, but hope is one of you actually knows it's name or where I could get it!

I bought my first Tarot deck a few weeks ago: "The Harmonious Tarot" published by Lo Scarabeo. I didn't see too many reviews of it before I purchased it so figured I would share my experience in case anyone else was on the fence about it.

Pros:

- I love the gentle color palette. It's very muted and soft, and complements the delicate line drawings. The overall vibe is cottagecore, victorian, and whimsy.

- The illustrations sit right in the middle of the abstract to hyper-realistic range. The scenes and characters are clear, but many of them include some kind of fantastical element, whether it be with mystical creatures (angels, beasts, giant geese) or a chariot made of a leaf. This has been very helpful to me as a beginner: there's enough on the card to get me going while staying open to various interpretations.

Cons:

- Some cards have fairly strong colonialists themes I didn't like. I understand this was published 20 years ago but still I was surprised to see them. Specifically, the King of Pentacles is a tall man in royal garb being fanned with palm leaves by two young boys with very stereotypical African features. Think Dr. Seuss style... The 9 of Pentacles represents a woman with a Roman helmet standing in front of an Indigenous woman wearing a feather headdress. The pentacles themselves are coins featuring a man wearing a crown (maybe King John II?). There are other cards that absolutely stunning (ace of swords!) but there's overall an unevenness.

- The design on the back of the card is a bit blurry/pixilated. It's not as crisp as the images on the front and makes the cards look a little cheap when face down.

I have completed drawing my first tarot deck since November. I have submitted a couple of sample artworks to U.S. Games early December and Llewelyn late December.

Since I submitted during the holidays, I assumed they wouldn’t be able to respond anytime soon, but it is about to be February soon. I haven’t heard back from either of them.

Anyone experienced this before? Am I supposed to hear back if I get rejected? Or after a month or 2 I should just know to move on? I guess I’m just curious on if I need to do anything yet or keep waiting.

I’m not interested in self publish as of right now because laziness is a thing hahaha!

Decks pictured: Dreams of the Nile, Mary-Ell, Terra Volatile, Somnia, Mirra Visions, Shadowscapes, Mystical Dream, True Black

Not pictured (but should be!): Unicorn Journey, Liber Mundi, Tarot of the Spirit, Serpent Fire, Ritual Tarot (tied most used), Voyager , Mystic Mondays, Ephemere, Divine Masculine, Tarot of the Divine, Silicon Dawn, Lumina, Dreams of Gaia (tied most used)

Wish list: Tarot of the Infinite Spectrum, Conjunction Tarot, Pip Speak, Slow Tarot, Radiant Wilds, Uusi, Margarete Petersen, John Bauer, Dali

What are some of your favorites?

The deck will be launched soon on kickstarter. Check the pinned posts in my profile to sign up for It!

•Edit: wow! This is so awesome, so many beautiful decks! I am so grateful to everyone who took the time to answer, I have like 20 tabs open right now looking at different options.

The worst part is that I can’t buy them all.

Thank you so much! I’m gonna narrow down to 5 and let her pick which one she likes best, but it does seem a little like choosing a favorite child, lol. I had no idea there were so many decks that were so … gentle, comforting, & beautiful.•

Hello friends! Looking for the kind of niche, way out there info that only a group like this can provide.

My daughter (9) wants to start using a deck of her own, & my spouse has asked that the imagery not be too … dark or naked, so like the devil in the RWS is not something he wants her to have in her first deck.

We are in the US, English is our primary language, and I am not averse to oracle decks, but she has specifically asked for the tarot, so I thought I would try

Choosing the Right Deck: A Tarot Reader's Approach

Hey everyone,

I've been immersed in the world of Tarot for about 30 years now, and the question of "which deck" is one I hear all the time. It's a fascinating topic because the choice of deck is both deeply personal and profoundly impactful on the reading itself.

For my professional work, the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) system is my anchor. It's the foundation upon which I've built my practice. There's a depth to those 78 archetypes, a connection I feel both consciously and unconsciously. It's a language I've internalized over decades, and in my experience, the inherent structure of the RWS, the "mathematics" of the spreads, always points to the truth.

But, while the system itself is universal, the way it's received is individual. And that's where the artwork comes in. The imagery on the cards is the bridge between the archetypes and the client's understanding. Different decks, even within the RWS framework, resonate differently with each person. A card might evoke a sense of peace in one person and a feeling of anxiety in another, simply because of the artistic style.

That's why I primarily use readily available, mass-market decks based on the RWS system. They're reliable, easily replaceable, and offer a wide range of artistic interpretations.

Over all these years, I've always had many clients in creative fields and for them I do have a particular fondness for the Mystic Mondays Tarot. Its vibrant, modern aesthetic seems to speak their language, sparking their intuition and connecting them to their creative core.

While I focus on RWS decks for readings, I must admit that I also have a personal collection of independent and niche decks that I cherish. These decks are for my own enjoyment and a way to continually deepen my understanding of the Tarot's vast landscape.

Before my Tarot readings, I like incorporate my three proven decks of Oracle Cards. I don't use them in the reading itself, but rather as a preparatory step. They provide a gentle entry point, helping to align the client's energy and set the stage for the deeper insights of the Tarot. It's like tuning an instrument before a performance. Each of these decks brings its unique quality to help set the stage for the reading.

Ultimately, my choices are about creating the most meaningful and insightful experience for each client, balancing my deep connection to the RWS archetypes with their individual needs and responses to the imagery.

I'm always curious to learn from other readers. How do you navigate the world of Tarot decks? What factors guide your choices, both personally and professionally?

My Working Decks:

Here's a list of my working decks featured in the image, for those interested. And, a little life hack: I keep them all on an Amazon list for quick and easy replacement if needed!

• Tarot Decks (Most are based on RWS):

  • Radiant Rider-Waite (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.)
  • Borderless Edition Smith-Waite (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.)
  • Classic Tarot (Lo Scarabeo)
  • The Star Tarot (Schiffer Publishing)
  • Golden Art Nouveau (Lo Scarabeo)
  • Radiant Wise Spirit Tarot (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.)
  • Arcanum Tarot (Lo Scarabeo)
  • Mystical Tarot (Lo Scarabeo)
  • Zodiac Tarot (Lo Scarabeo)
  • Santa Muerte Tarot (Lo Scarabeo)
  • Mystic Mondays Tarot (Mystic Mondays)
  • Tarot del Fuego (Fournier)
  • Queer Tarot (RP Studio)

• Oracle Decks:

  • The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit (HarperOne)
  • Prism Oracle (Rockpool Publishing)
  • Moonology Oracle (Hay House)

Let's keep the conversation going!

https://preview.redd.it/ihxsm44jeofe1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90679aa20d692662a1aa782f37264fe5a2ec5288

Last year I fell head over heels for the cards as I found my way into western esotericism after a decidedly organic awakening from the universe through the dark night of my soul from my start in Buddhism/Stoicism, to vedantic philosophy, then /r/thegateway Tantra/Kundalini/Yoga taking my direct experience to world shattering gnosis inducing places.

Long story short, AMORC was boring but lead me to BOTA lineage Rosicrucians who mixed Ceremonial with mystical tarot, which was still very limiting, and now I’ve returned to my roots with Gateway, Tantra, Quareia and (unexpectedly) shamanism after “being called by Ayahausca” to (re)connect with my Peruvian lineage.

During my first ceremony, the cards really spoke to me and I went from 8 decks to like 60 in a very short time span.

While I only regret maybe 2 decks, if I were to do it again, I’d focus on these 6 decks: Telos 777, Mystagogous, 1909 Art Restoration, Spirit Keepers, Thoth, Quareia Magician

I've been working for months on a custom tarot deck. Before I start sharing it with the world what do I need to be wary of? I've been working on this so long I'm a little afraid of it being copied, is that a silly thing to worry about? Are there any precautions I should take before putting it up for sale, or even before printing? Thank you, I'll take any and all advice! I'm also planning on having a few professional tarot readers look over the whole thing to make sure it's useable/acceptable.

It released this month, I'll put links in the comments because I don't know if they're allowed in posts.

It's called a tarot deck, but I think it's more of an oracle? I couldn't find any YouTube flip through yet, so I'm only basing this in the pictures available at the publishers website.

Even though it doesn't look like it follows a tarot structure, I'm really intrigued by the concept and I love the artwork. Would love to get opinions if someone has it.

So, i'm a total beginner at tarot. I bought my first deck off Vinted (second hand shopping platform) as the new one was too expensive for me. Flipping though it, i feel like some cards don't align with their meaning or their original Ryder-Waite counterpart cards. For example, i think 7s and 8s are reversed.

I don't know if it's artistic freedom, just printed wrong or straight up fake cards, but i was wondering if someone who has the real deck (from Cats and Crystals) can send me a few pics of the cards so i can see if there is a difference. Otherwise, i have no way of proving them counterfeit. The cards i saw on Cards and Crystals website seemed the same, but od course there were only a few pictures.

Btw if this is against the rules of this sub, sorry and to the mods: feel free to delete this post if it isn't allowed.

My oldest deck that I use the most is missing 2 cards, I'm not sure how this happened but I presume they must have fallen out after a reading.

What can I do with this deck now? Make it major only?

I have a (not official) Twin Peaks tarot so I figured as an illustrator I can make my own tarot deck based on my favorite anime, which is not too popular so I don’t think I’ll get into copyright issues. Any advice though? Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask!

I'm working on my own deck, and one of the issues I'm running into is the suits. I have noticed that in many many modern decks the suit cards are very simplified. They don't actually illustrate the concept, they just have a graphical representation of the suit (wands/swords/etc). As an illustrator I fully understand why this is, because a fully illustrated card takes a lot of time, both in conceptualization, design, and execution.

In my perfect world I would fully illustrate all suits. But I'm curious, when you're looking for a new deck, is this something that's a make or break for you? Do you feel strongly either way?

Edit: Thanks so much for all the replies! Definitely seems like overall fully illustrated decks are, by far, the preference. And thanks everyone for teaching me the correct term- "pip decks"!

Hello everyone! A very exciting and anxious moment for me, I have just pre-launched my first original tarot deck on Kickstarter! I have been working on it for almost four years, drawing and managing everything myself (with some organisational help from my husband). I put my heart and soul into each piece. All illustrations are based on Ukrainian magic, legends and mythology. There's still some work to be done, as I'm still finishing some cards from the Minor Arcana, but I'd be more than grateful if you'd like to support me before the 30-day campaign starts!

Here is the link to my kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/116598630/ukrainian-night-tarot-by-old-gods-temple?ref=5io3sh