How to Choose The Right Tarot Deck For Yourself — Step by Step Guide & Tarot Deck List
Where to discover new decks online and the 4 things to consider while hunting for a deck — Tarot System, Theme, Clarity, and Style.
I have been hearing a lot about meditation these days when it comes to keeping your mental health in check against the nuisances of COVID. To be fair, I have nothing against typical meditation, but if emptying your thoughts and blanking out your mind bore you out or burn you out, I'm here to tell you that there do are more fun ways to enhance your spirituality for the better.
If you are imaginative by nature, very visionary, and can’t help but see connections between the most discursive of ideas, tarot reading is probably something worth looking into for you.
You’ve got what it takes to master this art!
In brief, the tarot is
- An introspective tool to help with reflection and rumination.
- A form of guided meditation that borrows from your intuition.
- A method of communication without your subconscious, and the things that you don’t know you know.
- A method of divination that’ll help you tap into energies and information beyond our grasp.
Now to tap into this mind-bending wisdom, you’ll first need to find yourself a suitable deck to work with.
A good deck will help you take tarot reading seriously. It’ll help you get into character.
A good deck is like a your best ally, it’ll help you stash through pools of confusion and keep you off the disappointing state of cluelessness.
Nonetheless, information about tarot decks are scattered across the internet and you will have to go look in different places to find them all.
Depending on what you’re looking for, you might want to:
Spot out decks with aesthetics and design that appeal to you
Where to go: Pinterest and Instagram
I save all deck inspos under a collection named “Tarot Decks” to keep things handy. People take beautiful photos of spreads and the more pictures of the same deck that you sample, the better you can judge whether you like the deck or not. Building a pin or collection for decks you like can help you figure out the type of style that you gravitate towards.
Perhaps darker, moodier decks call out to your wordly old soul, or maybe you prefer lighter, softer spirits with ethereal beauty. There are cartoony decks, colourful and flamboyant decks, sagely decks, grotesque decks, glow-in-the-dark decks, you name it.
Stumble on independent publishers, artists, and decks in-the-making
Where to go: Etsy or Instagram
Instagram is a place filled with art in-the-making, and updates on the progress of crowd-funded projects. Many independent tarot artists are on Instagram to promote their decks before they get them printed for shipping. I learnt about the widely popular The Starchild Tarot from tarot artist Danielle Noel’s instagram @daniellenoel.art and fell in love with her otherworldly style. It ended up being the very first deck that I own.
Etsy is where I discovered and purchased my second deck — The Textured Tarot by Lisa McLoughlin. I happen to saw her deck while browsing through designer tarot decks for sell and was captivated by the contrast of its earthy tone and dynamic graphics. Lisa can also be found on Instagram by the username @lisamcloughlinart.
I love how soft this deck looks and yet at the same time it has some of the most ferocious and evocative visuals!
Deck compilations and recommendations, and reviews of particular decks
Where to go: Blogs, Youtube, and Pinterest
Blog articles are best for recommendations, deck round-ups, new deck previews or reviews of select decks. Here are a few such posts from this year:
New decks for 2020 by Little Red Tarot
Top 57 Best Tarot Decks of All-Time (2020) by A Little Spark of Joy
The 10 Best Tarot Card Decks for Beginners in 2020 by Through the Phrases
Best India Tarot And Oracle Decks (2020) by Calming Cosmos
Many people also do unboxing videos of decks they own, where they go through cards in a deck one by one. It is a great way to get a more complete overview of a deck’s quality if you are seriously considering getting it. If you are lucky, some decks also have more high-resolution scans of cards uploaded to Pinterest. Here’s an example:
Bigger tarot deck publishers like Lo Scarcebo and Llewellyn also publish annual catalogues featuring upcoming deck releases. Lo Scarcebo’s 2020 manual can be accessed here and Llewellyn’s here.
Now here comes the 4 things to take note of when looking for a deck.
#1 Tarot System: How conventional or unconventional would you like your deck to be?
Some decks are by nature more esoteric than others, typically because its creator wanted it to be that way. Esoteric meaning it being harder to be read systematically— there might be symbolism that doesn’t accord with those within traditional tarot systems. For decks designed to celebrate specific values like people of colour or gender queerness, it is common for card interpretations to have an overarching focus of relevance.
In brief, tarot decks are usually based off either the Raider Waite system or the Thoth system.
The Raider Waite system is known for having more pictorial narratives of transformation and growth. With decks inspired by these systems, you will find montage painted in classical fable manner — with emblematic people doing symbolic things, things or gestures.
Pamela Colman Smith collaborated with A.E. Waite to create the original Raider Waite style:
Bottom left II of Swords spells d-i-l-e-m-m-a to fruition, and IX of Swords on the right is the epitome of — sleep paralysis.
Alright, not really, but IX of Sword typically reads as fear and anxiety, which is, a pretty accurate corollary of waking up from a nightmare.
In comparison, cards from the Crowley-Thoth system tend to look more abstract because they rely on references to other occult systems of representation, like astrology. The extra correlation can complicate things for beginners but offers more possibilities for extrapolation.
Look at this IX of Swords equivalent in the Thoth deck. With just the swords in view, no emotional concept would have been in sight unless you know already what the card ought to mean.
To be fair, even though the Raider Waite style usually has meanings that are more explicit and accessible, these cards usually come with fuller contexts, which can become a barrier to more creative interpretation at times. The more Raider Waite a deck is, the barder it is for the cards’ storytelling ability to go beyond their preassigned meanings.
See how closely the Five of Cups from the Lotus Tarot on the left resembles the Five of Cups in the traditional Raider Waite deck on the right:
With a deck that does not follow the system as closely, like Ostara Tarot below, there is more variation and possibilities in interpretation:
Luckily, most decks are middling decks with a blend of traditional system and other specific thematic emphases. This is why we will talk about the importance of picking themes that call out to you in the next section.
The Bottom Line:
If you prefer to learn tarot through memorisation of archetypes and built-in, embedded symbols, you can try decks that loosely base themselves on the Raider Waite system. Regardless, you can always find a deck with themes or features that you are personally drawn to.
For a more comprehensive read on comparisons and correspondences between these two tarot systems and more, go check out this article here at Labyrinthos with lots of infographics to help with drawing connections.
Recently found this gorgeous tarot deck Lucid Dream Tarot on Etsy made with tarot beginners in mind. The deck rims with sunset hues and looks like it is glistening in gold! The best thing is that respective keywords associated with each card are printed on the cards themselves — such a thoughtful inclusion to help make the learning process easier for those who are new to tarot archetypes and associations.
#2 Theme: Finding a deck with values and ideas that inspire you.
Finding a deck with an emphasis that you are genuinely intrigued about, or feel attuned with is important because the stronger you feel about something, the better you are able to interpret it to its fullness. Connection with a theme makes you more observant, and will encourage you to detect related symbols or signs more easily.
6 main thematic categories
- Vintage and historically-inspired, ancestral and ancient roots rediscovery
- Animals and nature
- Race, people of colour, and equality
- LGBTQ+, gender queerness, and women empowerment
- Spirituality, religion, metaphysics, higher consciousness, otherworldliness and extraterrestriality
- Fantasy, gothic aesthetics and macabre, and mythical creatures — angels and demons, vampires, monsters, fairies, mermaid, etc
- Painting or art inspired (see the next section on style for deck recommendations)
- Fandom-inspired
Here are some snippets from my other post “Tarot Hall of Fame — 50+ Unique Tarot Decks by Theme (including 2020 newly-released decks)”
See the complete list of all 50+ decks HERE.
Star Wars Fandom-inspired — Solaris Tarot by Elithien
The incredibly talented artist Elithien has been creating a ravishing Star-Wars-themed tarot deck for 3 years. I first discovered her art from Pinterest and has become a fan since because her art moves me in a visceral way, and I am not even particularly much of a Star Wars fan. The deck is completed at last in 2019, debuting under the name Solaris Tarot. Second batch is available for pre-order at Kickstarter.
Checkout more of Elithien’s work and his tarot creation process here.
#3 Clarity: Finding a deck that speaks your language
Finding a deck that is not just articulate, but speaks in a manner comparable to your instinctive mode of thought can take a lot of experimentation and trial and error. The quickest way to filter decks out is to figure out what sort of graphics makes your imagination run wild. Some decks have more visuals and provide more sensational prompts about space or place. Some don’t have much vividness in terms of illustrations but can evoke compelling reactions — “I feel chaotic looking at this card” tells you alot about the card’s omen. Some decks have clusters of miscellaneous objects, and some have nothing more than a few bold strokes and shapes. The Hexen 2.0 Tarot have 20+ captioned keywords on each of its cards so prepare to play scrabble if you have your eyes on this deck.
Ambiance vs. Character Lead: Some decks have very elaborately painted backgrounds to supplement protagonists in the forefront, and others simply invest more on crafting vivid, quirky, and dramatic characters or animals. Accordingly, if you are a vibe person that is good at extracting information from the atmosphere, look out for ambiance decks. If you are more of an animation person
Now to give you an idea of what that means, The Fountain Tarot is an example of what I would label vibe deck. Whatever subject being featured on each card is clearly at one with the environment that encapsulates it, in terms of choice of colour, layering of shapes, and orientations of objects.
In contrast, The Wild Unknown Tarot is a much more obvious character/subject-centric deck. It is the action / expression of the animals on the cards that count. Butterfly and birds flying, rainbow star blazing, and a horse that looks grim and extra-sober.
Broad vs. Narrow Focus: If you are a forest person that cannot live without contextual input from the bird’s eye view, you are not going to want to pick up a tree deck that tends to magnify particularities and details while leaving the big picture out.
The Linestrider Tarot is one of these narrow decks — I won’t deny that it is beautifully drawn deck with a minimalist touch, but I have come to understand that at least for me, a skull on white surface will never be enough to get my thoughts running.
I personally also find cartoony decks weaker at triggering any spiritual revelations, but I am sure someone out there will want to say the opposite.
Having made a few regrettable purchases, I can assure you that buying a good deck is not just about getting a deck that looks stunning in someone’s Instagram post. The lesson is to not be lured into compulsively shopping for a deck that looks good on somebody’s Instagram photo without having first examining its content for real. You really need to try being with it.
When test-reading cards of tarot decks, ask yourself these questions:
- What are your impression of and reaction to these cards? Do you like or dislike something about it?
- How comfortable are you interpreting cards from this deck? Is the deck’s imagery / symbols difficult to understand? How coherent are they?
- How vivid are your interpretations for the cards? Do meanings present themselves naturally or do you struggle to come up with sophisticated explanations?
- In general, how verbal and expressive is this deck to you?
You will definitely come across decks that are pleasant to the eye but doesn’t do the job — doesn’t invigorate thoughts and leave no imprint. Nothingness as a reaction is a sign that this deck might not be all that capable of bringing about insights for you.
The 2 Rules:
- Don’t pick decks if a lot of its cards make you blank out.
- Don’t pick decks with a lot of cards that make you struggle really hard to comprehend.
#4 Style: Finding an attractive deck that vibes with you.
Finally, beauty and style are, of course, something to take into account when choosing a deck, because tarot cards apart from being a tool, is above all, an aesthetical object. It is meant to be admired the way you would do with any other exotic, antique pieces. (I swear I’m not the only one who thinks of tarot decks as some of the best collectibles. It’s small, dainty, and afforedable)
Style is sometimes influenced by theme. History or culture-related decks tend to also incorporate period-specific elements, for example, Renaissance art decks feature paintings of still-life realism. Metaphysical decks like to make use of brighter, dreamier, “trippier” colours. Postmodern decks are cryptic in their own ways, ranging from being edgy and brightly coloured to minimalist and uncoloured.
Stylistic aspects to think about:
- Illustration style — whether it be digital art, photography and collage, doodling, oil paint, watercolour, comic art, mosaic art, or exclusive painter-inspired styles.
- Pivot matter — human-like figures, specific mythical creatures like witches, fairies, vampires, specific classes of people like women of power and royalty, animals and nature, etc.
- Colour palette — Monochrome, greyscale, or black and white, bleached or pastel colours, bright colours on dark backgrounds, mute, rustic, dusty and desaturated colours, warmer and bold colours, whimsical colours, etc.
- Card material and texture — decks manufactured by company publishers are usually printed on softer glossy photo paper (not sure what exactly to call those as I’m no printing expert). Individual publishers and artist are more thoughtful with their creations and may choose specific material for printing to give a more wholesome and premium feel to their decks. The Dark Mansion Tarot and the Starchild Tarot are both printed with a matte finish, the Golden Thread Tarot, as its name suggests, comes with gold foil and edge details, the Luminous Spirit Tarot is known for having holographic card backs.
- Card size — The standard tarot card dimensions are 2.75" x 4.75" (roughly 7cm x 12cm). Some artists also print cards in longer, larger, or smaller travel-friendly sizes. If you are thinking of carrying your deck around a lot, you can opt for a standard or slightly smaller decks.
Be extra careful with card texture and size because it will absolutely affect how motivated you are to work with the deck. My first deck has irregularly longer edges. It took me quite some time to get used to shuffling the cards steadily, and it took a while for the cards’ edges to be smoothened out.
Deck Style Masterlist: 60+ handpicked decks for you
Rustic and shadowy shades: The Lost Tarot by Hans Bauer, Dark Grimoire Tarot by Michele Penco, Darkness of Light Tarot by Tony DiMauro, Reckham Tarot by Arthur Rackham, Anima Mundi Tarot by Megan Wyreden, Tarot of the Unknown Shadows by Dark Synevyr, Anima Mundi Tarot by Megan Wyreweden, Dark Wood Tarot by Sasha Graham, TrueBlack Tarot by Arthur Wang
Pastel and whimsical shades: Moonchild & Starchild Tarot by Danielle Noelle, Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-man & Barbara Moore, The Blue Birds Tarot by Japanese artist Tawahiko Kawaguchi, The Reigning Rouge Tarot by Sam Sawyer, Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso, The Astral Tarot by Kayti Welsh, The Weaver Tarot by Pamela Coleman Smith, Seventh Sphere Lenormand Deck by Tina Gong, WTNY Hayworth Tarot by Jessica Hayworth, The Crystal Unicorn Tarot by Pamela Chen, Heart of Stars Tarot by Thom Pham, The Enchanted Tarot by Amy Zerner, The Gendon Tarot by Melanie Gendon, Spiritsong Tarot by Paulina Cassidy
Vibrant shades: The Numinous Tarot by Noel Arthur Heimpel, Crystal Rose Illuminated Tarot by Carol Herzer, The Star Spinner Tarot by indie comic artist Trungles, Light Seer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne, The New Palladini Tarot by David Palladini, The Circo Tarot by Marisa de la Peña, Eight Coins’ Tattoo Tarot by tattoo artist and designer Lana Zeilner, The Shaman Tarot by Sabrina Ariganello, The Sacred Isle Tarot by David Higgins
Painter-inspired decks: The Lost Tarot inspired by artwork by Dominic Murphy, Nicoletta Ceccoli Tarot, Aquarian Tarot by Palladini David (Art Deco & Art Noveau style), Casanova Tarot created in the style of Albert Dürer’s paintings, The Fountain Tarot artwork based on paintings of Johnathan Saiz, Golden Tarot of Klimt inspired by artwork of early 20th century Austrian painter Gustav Kilmt, Tarot Mucha (Alphonse Mucha’s art nouveau style), Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot (art nouveau), Japaradize Tarot (fine art)
For more Thoth-like painter decks, see Tabula Mundi Tarot loosely based on Lady Frieda Harris’s artwork and Haindl Tarot based on Hermann Haindl’s painting,
Cartoon / Anime / Manga / decks: Third Eye Tarot by Britt, The Dark Mansion Tarot by Taroteca Studio, Delos Tarot by Korean artist Delos, Arcana Iris Sacra Tarot produced by Labyrinthos, The Lovely Omens Tarot by Keely Parks, Deviant Moon Tarot by Patrick Valenza, Kawaii Tarot by Diana Lopez, Japanese Myth Design Tarot by Naoki Yamamoto, Queen Alice Tarot by Dame Darcy, Mystical Manga Tarot by Barbara Moore, The Holly Simple Tarot by Holly Simple Studio, Moon Power Tarot by Charlie Quintero, This Might Hurt Tarot by Isbella Rotman
Minimalist and doodle decks: Luminous Spirit Tarot produced by Tina Gong and Labyrinthos, Luminous Void Tarot by Laura Zuspan, The Linestrider Tarot by Siolo Thompson, Otherkin Tarot by Siolo Thompson & Llewellyn Worldwide, Simplicity Tarot by Emilie Muniz, Wanderer’s Tarot by Casey Zabala, Alchemical Tarot by Robert M. Place, Tattoo Tarot Ink & Intuition by MEGAMUNDEN, Golden Thread Tarot produced by Labyrinthos, Moondust Tarot by Terra Solei.
Among which, black or white doodle decks: Small Spells Tarot by Rachel Howe, Light and Shadow Tarot by illustrator and German artist Michael Goepferd, Dark Days Tarot by Wren McMurdo, The Hermetic Tarot by Godfrey Dowson, The Fox Universe Tarot by Taylor Haigh, Efflorescent Tarot by Katie Rose Pipkin, Buidlers of the Asytum Tarot by Paul Foster Case, Tarot Non Conventionnel by Luna Pan
Extras: Card storage and supplementary items
Not all decks come with a guidebook, especially one that can be fitted inside the box or container that the deck is held in. It is actually very inconvenient when it doesn’t.
Also, speaking of durability, I recommend decks that come with hardier cardboard boxes or magnetic flip boxes. Big publisher decks usually come with super fragile paper boxes that wear out sooner or later. I also hate to carry them around because I am always worried that they would be squashed being out of my sight. I have to find other boxes to store those decks and it is hard to find boxes that are a perfect fit.
If you’ve considered everything mentioned, you should have by now come up with at least a couple of decks that tick your boxes. Good luck in finding your dream deck and welcome to the fascinating and transformative journey of tarot learning!
What to read next?
If you have already gotten your hands on a deck and are beginning to think what next, look up “Deck Interviews” to learn about fun ways to get acquainted with your new deck. Pinterest also has many free samples of deck interview spreads that you can play with.
Here’s a detailed introduction to deck interviews: “Fool’s Journey: Get to Know Your New Tarot Deck with the Interview”
