How to pick a Tarot deck

If you want to start reading Tarot cards, the most important step is to find the right deck for you. There are an infinite number of Tarot decks on the market, with new decks being created every day. But for those people just starting out on their Tarot journey, having so many options can be overwhelming. In this post I will go through some steps to help you with your search.

Mythbusting

First things first, a common myth about the Tarot is that you need to be gifted your first Tarot deck. I don’t buy into this. If I did, I would probably still be waiting to start my Tarot journey. There are plenty of myths when it comes to Tarot, like you can’t read your own cards or that you must keep your deck wrapped in a silk cloth. I read my own cards every day and I don’t wrap any of my decks in silk. You can choose to follow the “rules” if you feel called to do so, or you can ignore them completely. I recommend the latter, but the choice is completely yours.

Now, if you’ve decided that buying your own deck is the right move for you, keep reading for some tips about how you can narrow down your search and find the perfect deck to get you started.

Pick a system

The three main systems of Tarot are the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS), Thoth and Marseille. These are not the only systems of Tarot, and even now there are deck creators inventing hybrid and entirely new systems for reading the cards. But as a beginner, it’s best to focus on one of the main three systems as a starting point.

Regardless of which system you choose, all traditional Tarot decks have 78 cards. 22 of these cards are known as the Major Arcana. They represent the universal archetypes and overarching life lessons that we all experience throughout our lives. The other 56 cards are called the Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana are sorted into four elemental suits (fire, air, water and earth) and they focus on the day-to-day aspects of our lives. Each suit contains numbered cards from Ace through to ten and they also each have four court cards. Some of the titles and meanings of the 78 cards differ between the three main systems, but the overall structure is the same.

By far the most popular Tarot system is the RWS. There are so many books and articles written on the RWS and there are so many different decks that have been created using the RWS system as a base. I encourage you to do your own research and pick the system you feel the most drawn to, but my recommendation for any beginner is always the RWS.

Pick an aesthetic

Once you’ve picked a system, the next thing to do is to pick an aesthetic. There is a deck out there to suit every preference, so find an aesthetic that appeals to you.

If you decide to learn the RWS system, many people believe you should learn using a traditional version of the deck so that you build your Tarot knowledge with the RWS images as your foundation. If you are drawn to the traditional RWS style of artwork, then this is a great way to go. But if the artwork doesn’t resonate with you, you are much better off picking a deck with an aesthetic you love so that you will be excited about reading the cards. Otherwise, it will start to feel like hard work. I started learning Tarot with a traditional RWS deck, but I didn’t make any real progress until I bought a modern deck based on the RWS system. You’ll be spending a lot of time with your deck, so you want to make sure you enjoy looking at it.

Pick a beginner-friendly deck

Learning the meanings of 78 cards is tough, so you don’t want to make the task even harder by selecting a deck that isn’t beginner-friendly.

A beginner-friendly deck is one that stays true to the Tarot system you’ve chosen, with imagery that helps you to intuitively understand what the card means (but isn’t too busy that the meaning of the card gets lost or looking at the card feels overwhelming). If you’ve chosen a system other than Marseille, you will want to make sure the Minor Arcana cards have illustrated scenes. Otherwise, the four of cups, for example, will just be a picture of four cups and your intuition won’t have much to work with. We call these “pip decks”, and they aren’t beginner-friendly for anyone starting off learning the RWS or Thoth systems. You can find a walk-through of almost any deck on YouTube, so I recommend having a look at the Minor Arcana before committing to a deck.

A good guidebook is also essential for a beginner-friendly deck. Even if the card has scenes that seem to be self-explanatory, the guidebook often touches on something that you could have missed if you looked at the card imagery alone.

Pick a deck that’s affordable and available

My recommendation is to always start learning Tarot with a mass-market deck. These decks are easy to get your hands on, they are relatively inexpensive, and there are usually plenty of photos, videos and reviews of the deck online so you can do adequate research before you purchase it.

Mass-market decks are published by bigger companies, such as US Games, Llewellyn or Rockpool, and can usually be purchased through Amazon or most other Tarot retailers for an affordable price. In contrast, Indie decks are independently published by the creator, and consequently can be hard to find and are quite expensive (especially once they are out of print). I love indie decks, but they are a big investment if you are new to Tarot and aren’t yet sure of the type of deck that suits your reading style.

What deck do I recommend?

If I had to pick one deck to recommend for a beginner, it would be The Everyday Witch Tarot by Deborah Blake and Elisabeth Alba. The cards are true to the traditional RWS system, but can be easily understood within a modern context. The guidebook is also fantastic, so I think it’s a great option for anyone starting out on their Tarot journey.

I try to always stock this deck in my shop, but if you are looking to purchase it and it’s sold out then you can still find it quite easily through other online stores.

Final thoughts

Hopefully this post has given you some direction to help you narrow down the selection process if you are shopping for your first Tarot deck. But the most important thing to remember is to have fun with it and to let your intuition guide you - your intuition will never let you down.