I originally started writing this post for post 15 the other day but realised a bit of background was required because for anyone who has known for me for awhile, they’d probably be surprised to read I enjoy tarot. But, context has been given, now I can talk about this.
There’s apparently a “rule” that you have to be given your first tarot deck. Believe it if you want to… I didn’t know how I was going to get one given to me so purchased my own. But it’s funny, when I came to taking pictures of all of my decks, I had completely forgotten about an oracle deck that I was given when I was a teenager, so I technically did get my first one given to me anyway!
Tarot for me isn’t about ‘predicting the future’ or anything like that. For me, I use it for reflection and clarity and a wee bit of therapy. I choose a spread and something I want to focus on, then draw the cards and see what I get. Sometimes I’ll just use the pictures on the cards to help me tell the story, or I’ll read up on their interpretation to see how it might apply to me. For example I might get a card that encourages me to focus on my life’s journey – the good and the bad – and think about how that journey has shaped me. I’ll then use that thinking and apply it to the problem I might be having to take a look at the problem from a different context or perspective.
Another thing people can do with tarot and oracle cards is get inspiration for stories/art/ other creative endeavours. Two of my favourite creatives, Kim Wedlock and Frenone are currently working together on developing their own tarot deck that is also accompanied by stories for each card (Kim as the author of the stories and Frenone as the artist). Once complete I believe they will be running a kickstarter for the printing of it all.
Anyway, the point is, there’s a lot that can be done with tarot cards- each deck has its own connection to the user, and so I thought I’d share my decks with you all. 🙂
Healing With The Angels, Book and Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue
This was a deck that my Mum gave me to be when I was a teenager. I didn’t understand my anxiety yet, suffered regular night terrors and sleep paralysis, and was just a general mess. Mum got me these in the hopes that it might help me feel like I wasn’t alone. And they did help for awhile. Mostly it just helped give me something else to focus on when I was feeling bad.
I don’t personally use these anymore because I’m not a massive fan of the ‘angel’ aspect of it. But I keep them because my Mum gave them to me 🙂
Speaking of Frenone, this was my second ever deck. Frenone created this playing card deck using characters from the World of Warcraft universe. It’s accompanied by an amazing Guidebook which helps you use the deck for cartomancy – readings using playing cards. I’d never heard of it before, but it’s been around longer than tarot! I wasn’t really into the reading side of things yet when I bought this deck – I’ve been a supporter of Frenone’s art for years and so hard purchased the deck as part of my ongoing support of her work. But now that I understand a bit better, it means I have a whole other deck to play with! And just look at that stunning artwork!!! Just gorgeous. Unfortunately this deck is completely sold out so no link to share. However like I mentioned above, Fren is working on a new deck with Kim Wedlock. AND actually another tarot deck, called The Really Badly Drawn Tarot – it’s due to come to Kickstarter soon.
This is where we come to the point that I made an active decision to purchase my own tarot deck. I had no idea what I wanted, or what I was supposed to look for. I was tempted to go with the super traditional Rider Waite deck, but I just… didn’t like it. In all the research I was doing one thing that stood out to me was that it was important to feel connected with your deck, so I kept looking. In all, I ended up ordering 3 decks that I liked the look of and hoped for the best. My thinking was that worst case, I just bought some pretty cards.
I’ve always been drawn to forest-y fairy tale type things, so this Forest of Enchantment Tarot by Lunaea Weatherstone and Allwood Meraylah deck jumped out at me. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, and I really liked the talking animals and magical forest vibe to the whole thing. The accompanying book is huge- it’s in full colour and is really beautiful just to read on its own.
Another forest-y themed deck, The Wildwood Tarot felt a bit more ‘folklore’ to me… something ancient about it. To be honest it reminded me a lot of the world of Kim Wedlock’s books with the beautiful scenery and strange creatures. I haven’t used this deck yet, but I suspect for me this will be more of a creative/inspirational deck more than anything else. It’s beautiful and immediately makes me imagine adventures in magical, far-away forests.
Dreams of Gaia was a set that immediately jumped out at me when I first started looking. Just look at that artwork! It’s so vibrant and beautiful… so full of depth… each card has so much detail to it that you can stare at them for ages and find something new each time. The accompanying book is wonderful- a lovely easy read, but also just really thoughtful, encouraging you to think for yourself instead of expecting the cards to have the answers. And to top it all off, the creator is Australian! (though I didn’t know that until well afterwards).
This is the deck that I have used the most so far, and I think I’ll be sticking with it for awhile. In fact, I have a project I’m working on with it at the moment which I’ll share in the coming weeks. If you’re looking at getting started in tarot and want something beautiful and inspiring, I really recommend this deck. 🙂
I was actually gifted this sweet deck as part of an Etsy purchase. One of the big challenges for me getting into Wicca and understanding the Wheel of the Year and all that is that everything is based on the Northern Hemisphere- all the plant references, the seasons and animals etc are all based overseas. I was having a really hard time connecting with it. I also was feeling really uncomfortable because a lot of the readings talked about ancestors and those connected to the earth, and here in Australia that’s not white people; that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. So I was getting really conflicted.
I expanded my research to see if I could find anything that was Australian based, and I came across a book called Living Witchery Beginner Witch Guide by Alexandra Tanet, Kim Fairminer and Sandra Greenhalgh. This book was written in consultation with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, and talks about the ways we can all connect with the land. It also came with a Southern Hemisphere Where of the Year which has been so handy! It’s a really great book.
Anyway, I’m telling you about this book, because when I purchased it, the kind seller also sent me this Druid Wisdon Oracle deck, which was just so kind. I’ve not used it yet, but am grateful for it and the kindness it represents.
So that’s it! That’s my tarot collection so far. I can see this collection growing over time very easily. So easily that I have to stop myself from looking for them lest I just buy everything!
Do you have a favourite?
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