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Sunday, May 1, 2022

When to Obtain Another Tarot Deck


I can't find the quote but somewhere Terry Pratchett describes the things which make up witchcraft and far more of them are domestic than magical. With that in mind this was going to be the Hound's top money saving tips but you can get those from the lovely Martin Lewis so I will confine myself to one of the magical aspects of economy.

We have all come across tarot collectors online, with their endless videos of unboxings for more tarot decks than you can ever hope to get a relationship with. There is one collector in particular who does videos comparing minute differences of different printings of a deck and it's all just too much. 

Personally I have basically stopped buying any more decks purely for the reason that I have half a dozen permanently in my collection, that's the maximum I can deal with, and there is no point buying more because there is no guarantee I can read with them. I also don't have the money to throw around any more. The card which illustrates this post is from the Light and Shadow tarot which is one I have previously owned. I love linocut art and thought I would love the art. Unfortunately as soon as I got it, it brought up a sense of distaste, very far from being able to connect it. This is why online reviews are of limited use in buying magical tools since it is about the magical relationship.

So what are the 'right' reasons to obtain another deck without it sitting unwanted in a drawer? These ways are intended to encourage treating a deck as a magical entity in its own right, which must be approached as such.

1. If it draws your attention to it by dreaming or by stalking you. If a deck keeps drawing your attention to you or otherwise gets inside you that's a good sign.

2. If it's given to you. This is of course the traditional way to obtain a deck and personifies the deck coming to you as a friend.

3. If it fits into a specific objective in your path. For example I have been coveting the forthcoming Golden Dawn Tarot from Aeon publishers for ages. Unfortunately now it's available and I've seen some scans of cards, I am not going to buy it. Even though it fits in with my objective of learning tarot in the Golden Dawn tradition I have found the available pictures off-putting and just know that it would not be a good fit with me. Therefore lacking the artistic ability to make my own deck following the descriptions in Book T, which is the actual way the members of the order obtained a deck, I am going to stick to the Ciceros' Golden Dawn deck.

4. If you inherit it, especially from an initiator or magical teacher. The most powerful way.

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