Choosing your deck

1
hi all, I'm new and maybe just a fool...
but since I find a deep interest to Tarot, I am anxious and excited to embark on this journey to seek what it is just like everyone else. However, from where I am now, the resources for Tarot is very limited since Thailand is a Buddhist country and although Tarot is considered a new age movement, it isn't widely known. Therefore, there are a few books and several packages of cards, but it seems all they have is just that.
So my question is how should one person pick the deck they want?

Re: Choosing your deck

2
the fool wrote:hi all, I'm new and maybe just a fool...
but since I find a deep interest to Tarot, I am anxious and excited to embark on this journey to seek what it is just like everyone else. However, from where I am now, the resources for Tarot is very limited since Thailand is a Buddhist country and although Tarot is considered a new age movement, it isn't widely known. Therefore, there are a few books and several packages of cards, but it seems all they have is just that.
So my question is how should one person pick the deck they want?
Hi the fool,

Welcome to the forum!

I guess it comes down to what you are looking for in the deck, and what purpose you want to have it. For me, I buy historical tarot decks because I am interested in the history of the cards and I enjoy comparing and contrasting the cards as they changed over time and place. I have a particular interest in the Tarot de Marseille style decks, and have about twenty of those, but all together I probably own about fifty decks and most of them are historical.

I'm lucky that we have retailers that offer some of these historical decks in Europe, and there are some great resources in the US that I used when I lived there. I'm not sure how to suggest finding decks in your part of the world, maybe others here might have some suggestions.

If you are more interested in modern decks, I do own a few that have appealed to me... I am a big fan of Magical Realist Press and their decks, and their Tarot of Prague is still one of my favourite decks. Another modern deck that I love is the Cosmic Tribe because I really enjoy the artwork, the open sexuality, and the techno-pagan vibe to the illustrations and accompanying book.

If you're more interested in the spiritual or metaphysical aspects of tarot, you might consider joining a forum that has more activity in that area. The largest that I know of is Aeclectic tarot, where there is a huge membership and certainly people there from the Thailand, so they might be able to help guide you if you are seeking specific retail outlets. Check it out: http://www.tarotforum.net

If it's historical decks that you are interested in, you might tell us more about what you are looking for. Regardless, welcome to the forum.

best,
robert

Tarot on 'Personal' Level

3
Dear Robert, :)

Thank you so much for your reply^^ even though I am still just a beginner for Tarot, I am overwhelmed with questions that I must admit that I'm too afraid to ask because I don't think that it has anything to do with historical parts of the cards, but rather I think its on a personal level. I completely understand your approach and I am deeply fascinated by all the things that I see here in this forum, so this reinforces my curiousity to ask myself just how and why does Tarot make such huge influences to people?
At first, I didn't believe this because I never actually looked into it, but I guess its because the reason started with my life...my life I must say is troubling for myself because one hand I'm involved with my family's business company, but on the other hand my interests for arts has caused some struggles in between my life. So it becomes like doing completely different things at different times in a day. I felt like there's different personalities in myself...because of how my life has changed. Sometimes, I would be very sensitive, but not until when I enter the offices, and at nights is when I start writing and attempt to pursue my dreams, while during the day, it is spent infront of the eyes of other people. You could say that I am wearing different masks at different times...and to me, I guess its like a persona thing.
So for myself personally, since I do not have a deep focus on the Tarot's historical decks and how they evolve, I actually am now owning my first deck which is the common Rider-Waite deck. Sorry for not telling you, but the reason is because I know everybody here is so much more experienced than me...and after using my deck for the first time I began to wonder of the vast majorities of different people with their own ways to look at the cards. I do not have the intention to debate or try to convince anybody who's way is more correct, because my experience of first using my decks is pretty shocking for myself.
Shocking as in a sudden recollection of the exact same words spoken by monks (fortune-teller) in a monastery in Thailand, shocking that actually despite the random orders of the cards and pictures I drew had actually revealed to myself about the present, and the past, and possible future. These are not related to research of the Tarot's historical part, but I'm quite sure that this could be one of the reasons why Tarot has become very influential in the modern world.
But there are more personal questions that I liked to ask...but I'm not sure if its alright to share them here?

I like to still remain in this forum just so that I could learn from you and everybody else^_^ its always a great pleasure to have teachers to share what they know to make Tarot even more fascinating...Thank You so much! ^:)^

Re: Tarot on 'Personal' Level

4
the fool wrote:...my life I must say is troubling for myself because one hand I'm involved with my family's business company, but on the other hand my interests for arts has caused some struggles in between my life.
Oh my goodness, I found this resonating with me quite a bit. I have always had my left side rational brain fighting with my right side artistic brain. For YEARS, I did accounting and I still enjoy it and other sorts of detailed, fussy work, but I found tarot cards a wonderful journey into history and art history that gave me a needed balance and the joy to explore my more artistic interests.

I've never been too keen on the esoteric or divinatory aspects of tarot, but as the gateway to balance and personal exploration, knowledge, and growth, they are like gold.

You might find a similar reaction of worlds opening up. You never know.

History for Tarot Card Spreads?

5
dear Cadla:

I'm glad I've found someone that shares the samething as me ^_^because I thought I may be the only one since everybody here is so deep into the historical aspect of Tarot Cards. I'm not a scholarly person, but I found myself engaging into this site because of the cards, I don't feel enough just to use Tarots for divinatory readings, I want to know how and where they came from? how different are they from long ago? and what stories do they tell?

Thanks to Robert who has provided me another website for Tarot readings, if your interested maybe you could take a look as well at http://www.tarotforum.net. It's interesting because there, you can read about how people do their readings and what kinds of interesting questions their asking...but maybe not so much and specific as the Tarot History forum (this one). I think its important to have knowledge on these both parts...

With that being said, I have another question and that is, Is there a history for the Tarot Card Spreads? I'm always curious about why theres certain patterns and positions for the cards to be placed for certain questions. I've heard about the Celtic Cross Spread,the Yin-Yang Spread, or whatever Spreads there are...but where did they come from? Did someone just made them up? or did it pass down from long ago???

Re: History for Tarot Card Spreads?

9
the fool wrote:dear Cadla:

Thanks to Robert who has provided me another website for Tarot readings, if your interested maybe you could take a look as well at http://www.tarotforum.net.
I was a member there for five years but they banned me three years ago. Apparently some innocuous comments of mine were taken to heart by a poor soul with emotional problems.

However, as a beginner, I think you will find lots of information on decks there and interpreting cards. It's quite exciting when you begin with cards.

Re: History for Tarot Card Spreads?

10
cadla wrote:
the fool wrote:dear Cadla:

Thanks to Robert who has provided me another website for Tarot readings, if your interested maybe you could take a look as well at http://www.tarotforum.net.
I was a member there for five years but they banned me three years ago. Apparently some innocuous comments of mine were taken to heart by a poor soul with emotional problems.

However, as a beginner, I think you will find lots of information on decks there and interpreting cards. It's quite exciting when you begin with cards.
Dear Cadla^_^

That was something that I became aware of after reading what some people had posted there. I understand that everybody has their own freedom to use the cards and interpret whatever they wanted to interpret or believe whatever that they want to believe. However, it is quite interesting...to see how people takes it. Some chose not to read the reversals, some are so thrilled with their own positive readings, and some would just ask about any questions to the cards rather than to really ask themselves for the answers.
For some questions..honestly, the answers really lies within ourselves and we knew it, and it just all depends on our will to take actions. We really don't need to ask the cards with whatever questions that we knew the answers already within ourselves. But when it comes to having more than one answers other than just 'yes' or 'no', different answers that we may see ourselves treading down different paths, different consequences from different actions, then maybe we could turn to the cards for suggestion. Well again..this is my personal view of using the Tarot cards and it may be different than everybody elses.
I almost had an argument with several users as well since our viewpoints are different. Some just get so reacted when I stated that for myself that Tarot doesn't tell us the exact answers, nor will it say the things that only we wanted to hear...instead, Tarot shows us the choices of the paths we can take. It just points the way for us, but it all depends on us, who's got to take the steps, to act in order to go there. Then the moderator stepped in to cool everything down...
So its understandable for your experiences, and some people just really can't take anything negative...even if your trying to be honest with them..they just can't take it. And I think, they shouldn't kick you out like that...because like everyone else, your here to share what you know and your interpretations. I think the history is just as important as another part to the practical side of the cards, if people just believe 'mystically' or just think of Tarot as some divine power that gives answers, then I don't like to say it directly, but I would say that this may be a one-sided thinking.