Beginner Tarot Decks Don't Exist, Here's Why ...

Great advice Jess! 👌
And this deck looks so good trimmed and edged - so much more usable!

I have nothing to add on advice, because like you, anything I could say would be a ten minute story, with lots of ifs and buts and caveats 🤣🤷‍♀️

I loved what you said about getting and immediate feel of the deck though 👌🤩💖

I strongly agree it’s a personal choice what speaks to one will not speak as well to another. Well said tarot is complex and the reader is the beginner😊

I do think there are some decks that could be easier for others to learn like the ones that actually have the meanings on the cards, however I do agree, what works for one person is very subjective. I do not find it hard to suggest beginner decks to others after a few questions, like what are their interests and aesthetics. I will say though that is never perfect or guaranteed. I just say if you really want to learn tarot that you really have to invest the time into learning it. I don't think for most it is a quick process, it takes time and dedication. I love how your deck turned out. That little tool for making the perfect triangles could sure come in handy. Thank you for sharing sweet lady. 💖

Thank you. Please, what's thw tarot you're trimming again? I can't understand from the video.

Great video. I was listening to it "Podcast Style" browsing on another site and was completely caught by surprise by the first cut on the deck. Then I remembered you were working on your deck. Then I had to just come back and watch that too!

Hi, I watched your video as part of a decompression moment so thank you Jessica, doing Goddess work. Fist bump. I like the subject as well.

I have to agree when it comes to beginner readers. I remember being a beginner and approaching tarot with the concept of "the one deck that rides them all" or something like that. Ahem, and that I feel was very limiting for me.

Most people have had an experience of tarot, of what it can do, of what resonates for them. Whether that comes from a bond film, readers on social media or the self help communities, amongst many others. I mean being able to coherently read a set of images in story form is cool.

However one thing you didn't mention was how the individual learns. Or appreciates and reads everyday symbols. If you know this about yourself, that can save a lot of scrabbling around.
I've recently found a resonance for a European reading style which includes Tarot de Marseille. It weaves numerology into the minors, whereby understanding the number and the element opens up possibilities to a reading. If a newbie is coming from a numerological background (which to be fair I didn't) then learning the 22 majors and the elements or suit symbols of the minors makes it so much easier. It would have saved so much time!

I also have a classical astrological background and whilst I can see where the Golden Dawn was going with certain planets and zodiac signs are very similar to some meanings of tarot. It can feel like a lot of astro and tarot nuances is lost in conflating the two.
However I appreciate that both systems are read by understanding archetypes and their role in our individual and wider worlds. So bringing the beginner's previous experience of say gardening, painting, art history, cooking, family and/work management, religious history, popular culture, sports, anything really and Jessica you did touch on this in your video with fandom decks.

I have no clue on where I was going with all of this. However someone asked me a few months ago what would be a beginner deck and I asked them what drew them to it. Conversation went from there and they ended up with a RWS clone and a couple of 2nd hand books. Told them to be patient with themselves and enjoy the journey. So bah... a long winded way to the same destination. Ha!

Thanks for the break. ❤🎉

Start with Waite Smith. Don't complicate it. An enormous number of decks are based on that system. And if one is a beginner, they don't what "resonates" yet.

I loved your insights in this video! I think beginner decks are super subjective and depend on the readers background and interests. I think any deck that excites someone can be a great beginner deck for them. With that being said, I think it’s helpful to get the “classic” version of that deck that follows that system. Even if they never use it, it’s helpful for understanding what the books and other educational material is referring to.

Thank you Jessica for your excellent guidance on this! When I first got interested in Tarot the first thing I did was look for a book that might tell me more about it, instead of looking for a deck right off. I was immediately drawn into The Tarot Handbook, by Angeles Arrien, because I tend to like things called "handbook" - which to me implies practical, workbooky. I also liked the focus on the symbology from a mythological and cross-cultural perspective, having really been into Joseph Campbells work previously, and the focus on use of the tarot for psychological support. So even though the Handbook heavily uses Thoth and it's symbology, which seems complex, (but I actually like complexity), it also gives quite a bit of additional information about that foundational stuff you are talking about in this video. As well as the practical, like ways of working with the cards, using them as meditative tools, and sample affirmations to use with them too.

In terms of the Thoth deck itself, i find it very dreamy which is sometimes appealing, but some of the imagery is a bit off-putting and I'm not really into the Hermitic/Golden Dawn style of witchcraft, so there's that. but I just ignore that side of it to tell you the truth. So what I'm doing now with Tarot is mostly a mash-up of just two decks for now: The Wild Unknown and the Thoth, and using the Handbook for learning. I love the aesthetics of The Wild Unknown. But I think my next deck will be the Guardians of the Night deck, that will be for next year. For Sabbat ritual omen-taking I plan to use either Ogham or Runes. but that is a whole other conversation :).

There are three things anyone can answer even if they have no concept of the Tarot whatsoever: 
–  How do you feel about Christianity/Astrology/Qabalah?
– What styles do you feel drawn to, and what styles do you hate?
– How much detail do you like in your images? Do you care about symbolism?

With those, I can usually recommend decks that will suit the individual. While there might not be 'beginner' decks, there are definitely some decks that are more accessible than others (I would always recommend a deck with a substantial guidebook), and there are decks that are difficult to read because the reader needs to bring a certain amount of tarot knowledge to them. The Monopoly Tarot for instance is decidedly not a beginner deck. 

I agree with recommending fandom decks to readers who already speak the language of the franchise: if a reader will recognise characters or scenes as meaning x, and that meaning maps to a tarot card, why not? We seem to be in a minority with that...

I remember when I was learning, someone gifted me the RWS deck. And I had a really hard time with it, I guess there are christian overtones that went over my head, along with the lack of monarchy in our country. I hopped around for a while, and settled on a RWS inspired deck that I liked a lot (theme around the corruption of the church and persecution of women and witches, yet rather than hapless victims, the women in the deck were wise and powerful). I knew very little about witchcraft or the history of the time it depicted, but it spoke to me. There was a story being told through a lens I could relate and understand. Some time after I "outgrew" it, hopped around for more years. Recently came upon the light seer's deck and it resonated. It's more modern and the modern interpretations make more sense to me. I haven't done many readings with it, but I've found myself swearing I've met this person before and they're familiar to me. I prefer decks that have images on all the cards involving actions or people, kinda like snapshots. Abstractions are much more difficult for me to interpret. Everyone is so different though. I think this is one of those things where the best way to start is to jump in, you'll find your way eventually.

Tarot library…love that idea. Great informative video, as always 😊

I've tried many tarot decks and never really got o with it at all.
I much prefer Oracle because they're all very different. That being said I purchased the oceanic tarot and I am loving it.
It's very simple and easy to read, so far the readings have been spot on and the images are lush 🌊🧜🏼‍♀️🐬🐚🐠

This was fabulous! So glad you made this video.

This was such a wonderful video and you echoed so many of the same thoughts I’ve had about trying to recommend “beginner decks.” I think the same can also be said for “advanced decks.” While some decks certainly have elements that might lend themselves to different skill levels in terms of the reader, any deck can be as beginner or advanced as you want to make it. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. Also, the mod is so cool! 💚

❤️👍🏻

Great video! I think a lot of people are intimidated so they want something easy to use be it tarot, oracle, crystals etc. They don't realize that they're the novice or in the case of Tarot they're the Fool beginning their tarot learning journey and they can work their way through the deck - that's as simple as it gets. The more you work with something the more confidence you gain and thus the more you experiment which brings knowledge. People always ask me to recommend beginner crystals and I tell them got to the store, let their intuition choose the crystal and then find out what that crystal does for them by spending time with it in whatever way works for them - carrying it, sleeping with it, meditating with it etc for a few weeks. And after that, the crystal will show then so much more!

Great video. I only read the RWS system right now. I'd love to try the Thoth though because I hear about it do much.

Is the papercutter Fiskars something you recommand?

So interesting. I never really had much respect for tarot until I had to pack all my decks away with my home for sale. Then had only two decks which I pushed myself to use. I do lots and lots of readings live, in the thousands .. and then bomb tarot appreciation was born. I also became a huge fan of little white books.

Hi! When I bought my first deck, I took note of what everyone was buying e.g. the Wild Unknown tarot. But I never connected with it at all. I one and only deck I’ve ever connected with is The Witches Tarot by Ellen Dugan. But it’s not a deck I’ve seen around much. It’s very nature based and I love the illustrations in it. :)

What is that white pencil you're using? It looks like it's nicely opaque and writes smoothly?

Jessica, on March 16th Neil Gaiman tweeted “Rachel Pollack wants me to gently remind people that she is still alive, and enjoying the life she has left.” He was the original source of the info that she was in hospice care via his social media channels, and he has not given any updates on her recently. She is still with us for now (Mar 31st). ❤