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I've been studying Tarot and western mysticism for over 2 decades. My recommendation is that you ignore all the fancy decks out there and pick up some version of the Rider-Waite. It isn't the prettiest, but it's the one that almost EVERY deck for the past 100 years has been based on. If you can read a Rider-Waite, then you can read anything. Someone suggested the Marseille deck (of which there were a few from the 18th c. onwards), but I wouldn't recommend starting out with an older style deck like that. Older decks (Marseille, JJ Swiss, Visconti-Sforza etc.) were designed for Game Play - NOT divination. They don't have handy titles or pictures on the minor arcana (number/suit/pip cards).

Some decks you might consider:

Standard Rider-Waite. Can't get any easier than this.

Quick and Easy Tarot. This one has the meanings printed right on the cards! Easy to learn from, and based on Rider-Waite.

Golden Dawn tarot. This one was my favorite for a while. The colors are nicer than Rider-Waite, but it's still a traditional deck, and all the cards have titles and additional symbolism (Astrological/Qabalistic) so they're easier to read and remember.

B.O.T.A. deck. This one comes in black-and-white. You're supposed to color your own cards! I've used the link that includes the book with coloring instructions/descriptions. You can buy the cards by themselves here. Following the traditional (Qabalistic) color scheme and coloring your own (with markers, colored pencils, or maybe watercolors) will help you learn and remember them better.

Regarding the influence of Qabalah on modern decks, it's VERY hard to find a modern deck without it. A.E. Waite was a member of the Golden Dawn (19th c. Hermetic order), and they're largely responsible for the popular appeal of modern Qabalah-influenced decks. They drew on several 18th-19th c. sources (Levi, Etteilla, Court de Gebelin etc.) and put it all together into the tarot we know and use today.

Some books that may be helpful:

Mystical Origins of the Tarot. This is a very good book that talks about the history of the cards, all the way back to the 14th c. Extremely insightful. You can read this on Scribd, btw.

Qabalistic Tarot. The best book on how modern tarot fits onto the Tree of Life, and how the symbolism describes states of consciousness and aspects of Qabalah. When you're ready to scratch below the surface and use your cards for meditation, this book will help you.

This may be a good book to help you get started. I haven't read it, but it gets good reviews.

Related-topic: if you enjoy playing cards, I highly recommend trying out the traditional Tarot games that make use of either modern French or German style decks (which look like modified normal playing cards with extra cards) or older decks such as the JJ Swiss, Marseille, or even Lo Scarabeo's Ancient Italian Deck. Tarot games are quite fun! You can't use a divination deck for them, though. European or Italian folk games such as Scopa and Briscola are also quite fun, and they make use of decks that are distant cousins to Tarot. This link will explain other tarot type games if you're interested.

Anyway, I hope that helps you make sense of the Tarot. Go with Rider-Waite to start, and take your time. There's a lot to learn!

Looking to trade my Mystic Mondays deck!

Brand new (only a few readings), but it did come out of the box with some dented corners :(
I'd like to trade, cash-free, we each just pay to ship to one another!

I'm located in the US, so a domestic trade would be nice, due to cost/difficulty of international shipping. Tracked shipping is a good idea :)

I realize this is a new account (since I'm kinda in the broom closet and just recently decided to make a new account for occult subs - my main account is in the 7 year club). If you would like any assurances, let me know what I can do to assuage any concerns! I'd be happy to ship first if that helps - I'll take the trust burden first :)

Not sure what I'm looking for - Mystic Mondays read fine for me but the bright colors just don't jive with me. My other decks are much more muted, greys, pastels, etc, so I would love to see some decks in earth tones or muted colors. The glossy pop was interesting to me but when I read it feels like I'm faking it? I'm just not a bright colors person I guess :(

I'm pretty open to anything, if the jive feels right on both our sides, then I'd love to swap!!

"Modern" is a pretty broad category -- it would help to know more about what kind of art style you're looking for. For example, are you hoping for something that's more minimalist, or detailed? colorful, or monochrome? digitally drawn, or painted? focused on figures, or more inventive with imagery?

That said, here are some decks in a pretty wide variety of styles that come to mind when I think "modern art." I personally own the first six decks on this list and can vouch that I like them; the rest I don't own but I know other people like them.

• The Light Grey Tarot
  
  
• The Cosmos Tarot & Oracle
  
  
• The Body Language Tarot
  
  
• The Fountain Tarot
  
  
• The Dark Goddess Tarot
  
  
• One of my all-time favorite decks, a feminist classic Thea's Tarot is apparently getting a second printing soon! Maybe not in time for your friend's gift, but perhaps for the future.
  
  
• The Book of Shadows Tarot, Volume 1: As Above and Volume 2: So Below
  
  
• The Wild Unknown Tarot
  
  
• The Wooden Tarot
  
  
• The Prisma Visions Tarot
  
  
• The Linestrider Tarot
  
  
• The Wanderer's Tarot: Solar Edition and Midnight Edition
  
  
• The Golden Thread Tarot
  
  
• The Illuminated Tarot (note that this is a playing-card style deck with 53 cards instead of 78)
  
  
• Dame Darcy's Mermaid Tarot
  
  
• The Prismatic Tarot
  
  
• The Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot (I'm including this even though Art Deco is decidedly not modern because it is very different from the traditional RWS style, so your friend might like it anyway)
  
  
• I don't know of any specifically videogame/media themed decks, but The Steampunk Tarot does come to mind as being up that alley, thematically.
  
  I have to stop here otherwise I'll just keep on going, lol, I love talking about different tarot decks. So I'll just leave you with a note that there are lots of items in the Little Red Tarot shop that might interest you.
  
  Hope this helps!

The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot - Ever!! by Dusty White is an awesome book that helps a lot of people. I think most people shuffle the deck between each use, but it's entirely up to you. You can shuffle as many times as you like, lay down as many cards as you like (1 card readings are a thing too). It's really up to you!

As for tips, I would practice with the cards without looking up the meanings just yet. Your own interpretations of the cards will always be most accurate for you, and if you learn the textbook meanings first it's hard to shake those as a beginner when you're trying to intuitively read them at the same time. I would maybe even consider writing down what the cards mean to you and then you can start learning textbook meanings and see how you feel about them. Tarot journaling is a great way to do it too, just writing down everything you see in each card one at a time.

A good exercise is to pull 3 cards and read them like a story from one side to the next, then flip those around and read them in different orders. You can also read them in a simple 3 card spread of your choosing, like Past-Present-Future or Me-Them-Us, etc.

Also, do readings for everything as practice. Do a spread each morning for the coming day, at night, ask about your dreams, ask about school, work, your friends, etc. The more you practice, the better you'll get and the more you'll understand what the cards are trying to tell you.

Let me know if you have any more questions! :)

Well I'm fairly new myself, but I'm really liking learning from Liz Dean's Ultimate Guide to Tarot. It's linked to the Rider-Waite as well, which is helpful. I like that she guides through the symbolism and colors as well!

And for advice, I'd say run with symbols that click with you. Like with seeing yourself in the Knight of Swords! Having that symbol of you leaping before looking under the "what do I do?" spot seems to be a sign that the best course of action includes you in the picture and maybe leaping before looking is even an option in this situation!

Also, pay attention to card spot meanings. Also the message of judgment has a lot to do with self-acceptance of past actions. After all, judgment is typically the reward for the good and the punishment for the bad. Perhaps the best course of action now is a time to reward yourself for your past victories? Maybe there's a past action you're thinking about?

I think you've got most of the interpretation right. It's just a lot of practice to make the interpretations your own, looking for your own symbols and such. I'm struggling with this too.

Out of all my decks, the Linestrider deck is the one I resonate with the most. I bought it a year or so ago, but I just checked on Amazon, and it’s still selling for about $20:
The Linestrider Tarot https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738748293/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_W9aUBbEQA4NHF

Things are really, really good! I’ve received so many birthday messages today and I feel very loved. Thank you so much for the good vibes and well wishes! :)

Super personal! I actually really like the Pagan Otherworlds art, I'm not sure it'd be easy for me to learn on but the subdued colors and style are very charming.

I think I have ruled out The Fountain as a first deck for now, same with Cosmic, Naked Heart, and Aquarian. Still art I'd like to own some day, but maybe not for me to restart the tarot practice on.

Unfortunately, I found a new deck I really like as well, so my contenders are now: Ethereal Visions, Thoth, and Revelations... Maybe Santa Muerte. I called my local metaphysical bookstore and they have demo versions of all their stocked decks and I know they at least have Revelations and Ethereal Visions there so I will try to get out there this weekend and take a look.

I hope to help you! Just remember, this is my perception, so take it with a grain of salt. The absolute ONLY thing you should do, is cultivate what works for you:

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To say that there's no major difference between Tarot and Oracle, I would say in my opinion, isn't exactly accurate. It's not exactly wrong either, but I feel ultimately, Oracle is to paint a larger picture of one's life whereas Tarot is generally used to "take a snapshot" of a moment, or to answer a direct question.

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Now, as I said, take this with a grain of salt, and, be aware that nothing for anyone is set in stone. One could use Oracle for anything and nothing, and the same for Tarot.

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Oracle cards I believe are for people who can get A LOT of information off of one card. Typically, Oracle cards have a core message or messages that a single card delivers, but the imagery behind the card also offers volumes of information to the reader.

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Tarot, in my opinion, are a lot more precise. Cards typically have one concrete meaning, with little to no wiggle room as to what the card could represent. This isn't to say that one can't pull a lot of information or pictures from a deck that has a lot of imagery, but in my experience from being read by Tarot readers, this isn't usually the case.

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If you are new to this world of Oracle and Tarot, I would highly suggest starting with a Rider-Waite deck. It doesn't have to be the original Rider-Waite deck, it just needs to be some sort of variant. I would suggest the Radiant Rider-Waite deck; it's color is re-mastered, and it's much more pretty than the original (in my opinion lol).

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The Rider-Waite deck is fantastic for beginners; it offers the foundations for any other RW deck that you may find to love in time.

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Hope this helps :)

Others have mentioned how hard that tattoo tarot deck is. I'm guessing PiP is "Picture in Picture(?)." If you're looking for something easier to read and not Rider-Waite, I picked up the "Everyday Tarot" deck off Amazon after being pulled to it's minimalist look and simple colors so as not to distract from the message in the art. I really love this deck and glad I picked it up to work with it as my first deck.

I also read through Biddy Tarot's "9 Sure-Fire Ways to Select a Tarot Deck That's Right of You". This, ultimately, led me to her deck but she does give other examples and suggestions to help you find the right fit.

Good luck finding your first deck and have fun!

I completely agree with your comment.

The Thoth tarot is wonderfully deep, if you are also interested in studying the occult symbology.

If you prefer a gentler approach to learning, then other decks - especially R/W are a good starting point.

I only came to love the Thoth deck after using RW for tarot for several years, and, in addition, studying occult disciplines. And I read The Book of Thoth before I read "Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot"

Rider-Waite is a fantastic learning tarot, and far, far more powerful as a teaching deck than most others on the market today IMHO.

The most important thing to understand is the nature of the tarot. It is not for "fortune telling," but rather, is an incredibly useful tool for psychological reflection. The cards act as a mirror for the subject's state of mind in the present moment.

I highly recommend the Marseille Tarot, which is the original 15th century deck that was recently restored by director/author/guru Alejandro Jodorowsky. The corresponding book is incredibly illuminating! Feel free to message me if you would like a reading!

For me, personally, I'm kind of picky with decks. Try and subtly find out if they have any specific decks they really like but don't own as it'll be a much more welcome gift than buying a deck they don't vibe with.

Not sure what style they're into but maybe show them Ethereal Visions and True Black cards - those are probably my favourite two and look like pretty classy gifts to me. :3

Honestly one of the best books I've found for starting is Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack

https://www.amazon.ca/Seventy-Eight-Degrees-Wisdom-Book-Tarot/dp/1578634083

It gives a great fundamental look at the history of the cards as well as teasing some more advanced topics, so you can really take any topic from the book and go wild with your journey. It works with the RWS deck which most people start with I would say, but the wisdom is universal. It's a great resource and I've never stopped sourcing it even though I've gone through tons of other books since reading this one.

I've been loving the ethereal visions illuminated deck! I never fully connected to the standard RWS, and this gives me just enough of the symbolism with artwork that I really enjoy. The cardstock is also really good. If anyone is interested, here it is :) Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot Deck https://www.amazon.com/dp/1572819251/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_oCEYBb4CWWZS2

What about the Steampunk Tarot? (There are a couple but this is the one I mean: The Steampunk Tarot https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738726389/)

Maybe also check out the Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot, Pagan Otherworlds, and Darkness of Light Tarot. These aren’t in the same digital art style but they might appeal to you.

Before buying anything, I’d recommend searching on YouTube for deck flip throughs (if you don’t already do that) so that you know you’ll like the whole deck.

Edited to add: Decks by Kim Huggens also look similar to Ciro Marchetti so you might want to look at those too!

Edited to add: Another one to check out is Ellis Deck: https://ellistrations.bigcartel.com/product/ellis-deck-5th-edition Very heavily RWS-based (though not a clone) but the illustrations are truly unique. The colors look pretty bright in photos, but the real-life colors are more muted.

Biddy tarot is a great resource, go check out her website. It has many definitions.

Wikipedia page is good for the history, dont get too bogged down in the history i you want to learn to read for divinatory purposes, the long and short of it is that it originated in multiple cultures as a form of card game that was adopted by esoteric folk as the cards represented archetypal aspects of human existence.

Also in terms of the deck, 100% buy the rider waite smith deck.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Rider-Waite-Tarot-Deck/dp/0712670572/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467242735&sr=8-1&keywords=tarot

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Radiant-Rider-Waite-Tarot-Pamela-Smith/dp/1572814136/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1467242710&sr=8-3&keywords=rider+waite+smith


those are by far the best for beginners. They are what I started learning with and I still adore my RWS deck. I bought the original, but if you like vivid colours then go for the radiant deck. Its the same pictures just with more vivid colours.

I would suggest the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, which you can buy for pretty cheap on Amazon. Most other decks are based on this system and almost all books and websites for learning the cards use this deck. When you start to learn, the LearnTarot website is free and very helpful. Have fun! Exploring Tarot is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I got a different Steampunk deck, by Barbara Moore: http://www.amazon.com/Steampunk-Tarot-Barbara-Moore/dp/0738726389/ It has really neat steampunk imagery but is definitely based on Rider-Waite, so the symbolism is essentially the same. I am also a beginner and I feel like this deck is fairly intuitive to use.

Good luck!

Greetings,

Here is a list of no-fluff books on the Marseilles Tarot. I recommend reading them all but I am very partial to the work of Enrique Enriquez in particular. You may also be interested in watching his documentary Tarology which is available for streaming online for free.

The Way of Tarot by Alejandro Jodorowsky

Reading the Marseilles Tarot by J.M. David

Tarot: The Open Reading by Yoav Ben-Dov

Marseilles Tarot: Toward the Art of Reading by Camelia Elias

Untold Tarot by Caitlin Matthews

Looking at the Marseilles Tarot by Enrique Enriquez

Tarology by Enrique Enriquez

Take Care!

I have to admit that I'm somewhat mystified by the debate around this post. I imagine that many of us come to the tarot out of dissatisfaction with more established spiritual paths, especially Christianity (though I'm not meaning to offend anyone in the Christian Hermetic traditions, either), so it is really, really upsetting to see people here cling to their own peculiar brand of dogmatic fundamentalism and openly deride any dissent to their favored approach.

One of the things that attracts me to the Tarot is its inherent mystery. The fact is, hardly anything can be claimed about it that isn't open to debate. Any book you read will somewhere make claims that are somewhere contradicted by someone else. The word, Tarot, itself has no agreed upon origin or meaning. And whatever meaning you do read, understand it is likely an overlay applied to the cards, not received from the cards. This includes alchemy, astrology, kabbalah, and numerology. Be aware that if you are reading any book based on RWS you are likely reading from the perspective of one or more of those overlays, and certainly with roots in the Golden Dawn.

If you wish to find an alternative to that, I can strongly recommend The Way of Tarot by Alejandro Jodorowsky. You might also find Reading the Marseille Tarot by Jean-Michel David interesting.

None of this is to discount the other links people have posted here. If you are interested in the Tarot, by all means, read everything to which you feel drawn. But above all, start using and learning the cards directly, by experience. If you wait until you feel like you know "everything" in a practice like tarot, well, you could be waiting a very long time.

Ok. Start with these books. And know that despite what you’ll learn, it is still 100% okay for you to enjoy Tarot without using them for divination. Lots of people do and that’s a wonderful thing.


The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot

Tarot - The Open Reading

I decided to cruise the town one day and check out all the local occult shops. One was mostly focused on wicca. I happened to put my address on their e-mailing list, and one day I received an e-mail from them about a series of beginner tarot classes that would be held nearby for $30, presumably taught by an acquaintance of the owner of the shop.

I didn't attend these particular classes, but my point is you might try finding local community stuff in a similar manner, by poking your head in an occult shop and asking around.

I have consulted these sources:

• The Book of Thoth on Hermetic.com - Crowley's approach to tarot is syncretic, throwing qabalah and astrology into the mix among other things. If you're wanting to work with popular Rider-Waite-style decks maybe skip this one and check out:
  
  
• Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom - A popular reference. Pretty dry, IMO, but comprehensive.
  
  
• The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages - Paul Foster Case knows his shit. I just got this one, haven't started it yet. Also a syncretic approach tying in other disciplines.

Crowley's Book of Thoth is also available online for free as it's now public domain. There's also an excellent thoth book by Don Milo that's almost required reading if you're into Crowley mysticism as it relates to the Thoth tarot: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Aleister-Crowleys-Thoth-Tarot/dp/1578632765

I'd recommend getting the large format Thoth deck, there's a ton of tiny detail that kind of gets lost in the smaller reprints.


That said, the Rider-Waite deck comes from the same Hermetic tradition and has much of the same symbolism. The imagery is a little less... dense? Surreal? and a bit easier to relate to at first (plus all the pip cards are illustrated, making the minor arcana easier to learn). There are also a bunch of excellent resources for the RW since its sort of the "default" deck.

I have the [Welcome to Night Vale deck] (https://topatoco.com/products/cpb-wtnv-tarotdeck), which is a really interesting (and super weird) deck, but the cards themselves are very thick, so hard to shuffle.
I'm currently using the [Justice League Tarot] (https://www.amazon.com/DC-Comics-Justice-League-Tarot/dp/B00X2VIXDK), and that one is super fun to work with.

The Tarot is an entire spiritual path in itself, a superb tool to understand your sub-conscious and the world around you.

Can I suggest you look at Meditations on the Tarot by Anonymous, and, [The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Tarot-Key-Wisdom-Ages/dp/1585424919) by Paul Foster Case.

Both will give you an enormous amount of wisdom. None of them are incompatible with your faith, in fact will reinforce and broaden it.

Check out [this book](Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot https://www.amazon.com/dp/1578632765/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_RnwAyb7JQ3T1Q) instead. It's basically The Book of Thoth rewritten to be more easily understood. Liber Theta is also available for free as an online resource.

Honestly, you don't need to feel connected to your deck immediately. That connection sometimes doesn't develop until you've been using it for a while and have really gotten to know it. I'd suggest continuing to study with your Thoth deck while you research other Thoth based decks until you find one you like. Tabula Mundi is my personal favorite.

I recommend The Wild Unknown as well. It lends itself very well to intuitive reading while still being based on traditional tarot meaning and symbolism. And the [boxed set] (https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Tarot-Guidebook-Official-Keepsake/dp/0062466593) is quite a beautiful presentation, especially as a gift.

All of Paulina Cassidy's decks.

The Justice League deck.

The Steampunk Tarot deck.

The Wild Unknown deck is great if you like pen and ink.

I love the Deviant Moon deck for it's surreal style.

Also seconding Shadowscapes and Revelations.

Edit: Forgot about the Linestrider deck. Also, not a tarot but the Astrological Oracle cards are absolutely gorgeous!

I can also tell you that I have The Fountain. It’s beautiful (tho might be challenging as a beginner, the symbols aren’t the clearest).

My newest deck - which is both faithful in its symbols and evocative is Pagan Otherworlds

Another popular deck here that I’m getting to know is The Wild Unknown. I appreciate that it presents traditional archetypes in a new way.

It’s very personal, isn’t it?

The Easiest Way to Learn Tarot—Ever!! by Dusty White is a fantastic place to start. It’s a workbook that guides you through learning the cards intuitively and also provides lots of information on spreads, interpretations, history, etc. I love it!

Neither. They all ultimately originate from the Marseille deck which has a much older richer history than any other deck. Specifically, I like the Camion Marseille deck that Alejandro Jodorowsky restored. The Arcana are much subtler than the Waite deck.

http://en.camoin.com/tarot/Tarot-Marseille-Camoin-Jodorowsky-en.html

There are also a lot of great books written about the Marseille deck.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Tarot-Spiritual-Teacher/dp/1594772630

http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Tarot/dp/1585421618/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373642673&sr=1-1&keywords=meditations+on+the+tarot

Bought mine on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1452164347?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

78 RWS deck. Fantastic artwork. Excellent packaging. Guidebook does nice treatment on major arcana. Weak on minor arcana. Card stock is on the thin side.

I posted a review on Amazon with more pics if you are interested:
https://www.amazon.com/review/R2JB3I3FB5MB7H/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
https://www.amazon.com/review/R2JB3I3FB5MB7H/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

The tarot can be for you whatever you want it to mean.

I've been doing it on-and-off for maybe about six years now, and every single time I return to it my method feels more refined and more "me" as I get older and learn more about myself.

For me, tarot is like a fun-house mirror. The same mirror can be held up to different people and they can have much different reactions to it. Some people go "Wow, I look funny!", and others can go "Dammit, my thighs are huge". People have different reactions and interpretations of the same readings.

I've met a tarot reader who would always un-reverse the cards because he doesn't like reading reversals. I've met another one who would only answer yes/no questions with a full tarot deck. Some people take the pictures on the cards as the only definition, some people depend entirely on books that are independent from the cards, and some people just make shit up entirely depending on their own personal experiences. Some people think they have supernatural properties, and some people (like me) think they're entirely random, but when people read them they put meaning into them based on their lives.

There's no wrong way to use a tarot deck, and there's no wrong way to view tarot or to interpret the cards. They're a subjective tool in that way, almost like an art. How you want to approach tarot will come in time as you practice and refine your methods and you come to figure out what the cards mean to you.

In getting to know them: that really depends on you. I started out with reading this book, completely unrelated to the tarot, but it helped jump-start my interest in it. I also give readings to other tarot readers, since I've found them more likely to "believe" and therefore less likely to argue, so long as they lean more eclectic. I also give myself readings frequently, just single-card readings to answer simple questions, or I toss out a card when I'm hanging out with my friends and they ask questions like "What would happen if I ordered pizza at three in the morning". I know a common method is to just draw a card each morning and dedicate that day to paying attention to that card, but I'm too scatterbrained to remember to do that, plus I feel it imparts too much importance to something that I don't take all that seriously normally. I also like writing so sometimes I do spreads for my characters or for story planning.

That's a lot, but I hope some of it helps!

I'm looking forward to receiving my copy of Dame Darcy's new Alice Tarot, which I preordered and should be arriving later this month. The artist also makes the popular Mermaid Tarot, which I've always admired the artwork of...but I'm just not that into mermaids. I've been reading Alice in Wonderland in preparation, and that has been pretty fun.

Having open deck preorders (Alice Tarot and also and Mystic Mondays) on order for awhile has helped me cut back on deck purchases. Harder for me to justify buying more when I have two on order!

Rider deck is often suggested for beginners because of the clear visuals. But I personally think it’s more important to seek out a deck that resonates with you.

I felt comfortable with and drawn to this cat tarot deck. It’s my first and only deck. The messages can be a little tricker to interpret for the minor arcanum without its book for reference, but that also nudges me to study up and find my own meanings within the cards. Probably reigns true for others and their unique decks, too. There are plenty of resources to help you learn online, so follow your intuition!

In line with the specific question I would suggest the following:

• [This website is useful for beginners!] (http://www.tarotwikipedia.com/)
  
• The Ultimate Guide to Tarot by Liz Dean
  
  Side note:
  The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by Arthur Waite is always worth checking out. It's not exactly purely a guide book, but it is one of the earliest books to accurately discuss the origins of tarot cards. It also discusses the general meaning and symbolism behind each card, and if you are a fan of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, it's a wonderful read.
  

There's also The Cat Tarot: Cat Tarot: 78 Cards & Guidebook https://www.amazon.com/dp/145217363X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_l1qoDbMSKG6XX

And The Considerate Cat Tarot: https://consideratecat.com/ the inspiration & cause this deck supports is just too pure ❤

The Rider-Waite deck is pretty standard, I'm new also and almost all the youtube videos I've seen say it's the best deck to start with since the drawings and symbols help you memorize the meanings, and you can move on to more "fun" decks after you learned them all.

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/091386613X?pf_rd_p=8e0819a9-0ef1-44cd-9544-a7f28374af8b&pf_rd_r=02QFBEAQHWXQQK8JH2QG

I got the DC Comics Justice League Tarot Card Deck. Pretty cool, and meaningful if you know the lore and history of the characters.

Here are the basic, basic decks.

The Rider-Waite-Smith Deck, on which most decks base their symbolism. Has many different versions, such as the Radiant RWS or the Universal Waite Tarot. Most decks you find will be based on this one.

The Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley, which relies much more on occultism and knowledge of the symbols to read. If you want a project that you can really lose yourself in and study for, this is probably a good deck.

The Marseille Tarot which, unlike the other decks I've listed, does not fully illustrate the Minor Arcana (Ace-10 of Cups/Swords/etc). Instead they are called "pips" and don't show a scene, so you have to rely on your knowledge of the cards to read them.

These are the three most well-known tarot traditions for symbolism upon which most other decks are based, with RWS being the most popular in the English-speaking world. Marseille, as I understand it, is very popular in non-English speaking European countries, and the Thoth is just the Thoth.

You don't have to stick to these decks though. Choose any deck that you feel speaks to you. What's most important is feeling connected with your deck, that way you don't lose interest in the cards before you've learned all you can about them.

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I love these 2.....

This one is the best value. It's a solid deck and comes with a book and a paper tarot spread. If you bought the deck alone it would be much more than this. I recommend this one to my students. https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Tarot-Learn-Read-Cards/dp/0738711500/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2492TY300PB54&keywords=guilded+tarot+deck&qid=1557425818&s=gateway&sprefix=guilded%2Cstripbooks%2C154&sr=8-2

I also really encourage them to start here https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=rider+waite&qid=1557425881&s=gateway&sr=8-2

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My last favorite that I tell them about is this one but it's a little more pricey https://www.amazon.com/Witches-Tarot-Ellen-Dugan/dp/0738728004/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=witches+tarot&qid=1557425951&s=gateway&sr=8-2

I recommend reading books. There are a zillion books about the Waite-Smith deck. For the Thoth deck, this book is a must read.

Edit to add: This series was very helpful to me. The "Tarot Reversals" one by Mary K. Greer is the bomb.

I might check out the closest Barn's and Noble to see what they have, but I was able to find a deck that caught my eye on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mystic-Mondays-Tarot-Deck-Modern/dp/1452176388/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531710891&sr=8-1&keywords=mystic+mondays+tarot+deck

Along with that deck I am going to buy a guidebook mainly to help with spreads and potentially a different card interpretation from whatever comes with the deck.

I am also hoping to be able to get this deck from Indiegogo, but I'm not 100% sure I will get the money needed to pay for it before they go out of stock: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/everfree-tarot-vol-2--2#/

78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack is a great resource.

(US only) Hi, longtime lurker here! I have a Game of Thrones tarot set I'm willing to ship to someone as a gift. All the cards, the hardcover guidebook, and the presentation box are included. It's basically brand new, but has been shuffled a few times. Decks can be expensive and I'm getting in the Saturnalia spirit a bit early :)

You Capricorn would love this....if you aren’t an experienced reader, the pics make it easy to read as you’re starting out.
tarot deck

Among the most relevant references that we have about tarots there is a book titled Meditations on the Tarot written by a clever Christian mystic, that comes with a preface by a Cardinal, Hans Urs von Balthasar. I strongly recommend to read this book even if you are not Catholic Christian (I am not) because it's a real in-depth ermetic analysis about the tarots. If your parents will ever ask you something on this subject, talk them about this amazing literary work. You can buy it on Amazon .

The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot - Ever!! by Dusty White is a really helpful book.

By far my favorite is Rachel Pollak's Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot https://www.amazon.com/dp/1578634083/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_alPTCb8MYZDZ1

Google is awesome, so is https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/ and https://www.incandescenttarot.com/cardmeanings. I liked The Ultimate Guide to Tarot and also Kitchen Table Tarot. I've also heard that WTF is Tarot, and How Do I Do It? is also good, but haven't read it myself.

I love the art in the Thoth deck, but Crowley himself turns me off. This book has a good intuitive approach to the symbolism of the cards, with less of Crowley's weirdness.

The major arcana doesn't bother me, and I actually think a lot of Crowley's minor arcana changes make sense. Like Futility... That's usually present in sword-heavy readings. It probably should be acknowledged. Science was the minor arcana card that I struggled with the most.

For Rider-Waite deck I use The Ultimate Guide to Tarot by Liz Dean. It has the best definitions and meanings of cards. (most accurate in my opinion) I have a bunch of tarot books and this is my go to one. This is it on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Tarot-Beginners-Revealing/dp/1592336574/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499005869&sr=8-1&keywords=the+ultimate+guide+to+tarot

I would recommend getting a Raider-Waite Tarot Deck. It's a great place to start and one of the most widely used decks.

Spend some time looking at the images and finding out what speaks to you. Just build an intuition with the cards.

If that's not enough a great introductory companion to that deck is Liz Dean's the Ultimate Guide to Tarot.

Liz Dean's an Ultimate Guide to Tarot

Raider Waite Tarot

My deck is actually https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Tarot-78-Cards-Guidebook/dp/145217363X but that one is adorable too!

Amazon has it (with the guidebook) for around $24 which is a great price!

i don't really like apps except as a reference, because it doesn't give you the option to draw your card of the day. i hold fast to the belief that divination in cartomancy is driven by the subconscious; how many shuffles you do, how you cut the deck, which cards you're drawn to. unless you have the option to do these things, i don't put much weight into the apps.

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if you're short on cash you can always color your own deck, a book you can pick up at amazon. or you could find many of the less expensive decks, such as the smith-waite centennial deck, everyday mini deck, or the ceccoli mini deck. all these decks listed are cheaper than the coloring book, with the exception of the first they are under $10, and if you have prime they will come in two days with free shipping.

I haven't cracked it open yet but here are some of the cards! I know it's hard to see but if you zoom in, you can kinda make it out. They're too cute!!

I got this deck after seeing it posted on this sub and fell in love. It’s RW based deck. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0762492791?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Edit: it’s called Everyday Tarot

I think the Gilded Tarot would be a great place to start.

I have heard great things about this book from others new to tarot.

Deck is Everyday Tarot mini deck because I have mini hands.

Posting because lolz and because it’s hard NOT to read that as “or else,” but it’s a legitimately accurate read on my situatio now. Several aspects of my life have kind of turned upside down in the past few and I feel like I’m starting over in a lot of ways, so I’m reading this that my deck really knows what’s up and I need to quit questioning the universe.

I like this book for understanding the Thoth: The Tarot Handbook: Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols. Some people find it antithetical because the author ignores Crowley's interpretations and focuses on the symbolism in cards from a cultural anthropology perspective. Personally I really appreciate it because the Thoth artwork is amazing, the correspondences are far better than the traditional ones, and symbolism is intricately layered. But I have little patience for Crowley's shit. And let's face it, the Book of Thoth is terrible, full of his egoism and occult for the sake of being occult.

I’m trying to decide on my first deck as well! I think it’s between this deck, sun and moon deck, and the mystic monday deck. I just can’t decide!!!

Tarot Deck Amazon Link

Keyboard

Edit: tied the links to the words for cleaner appearance and also discovered the deck is available on Amazon so I linked that too!

Easy Tarot: Learn to Read the Cards Once and For All! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738711500/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_jfF.Bb1BEVMC4

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack has been very useful to me as I'm still learning: https://www.amazon.com/Seventy-Eight-Degrees-Wisdom-Book-Tarot/dp/1578634083

The Everyday Tarot. :) https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Tarot-Mini-Deck/dp/0762492791/

It’s that deck :)
https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Tarot-78-Cards-Guidebook/dp/145217363X

The Tarot Handbook by Angeles Arrien is a good introductory companion to the Thoth deck.

this is a good book about working with the Thoth tarot

Some years ago I read Lon Milo Duquette's book on the Thoth deck

https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Aleister-Crowleys-Thoth-Tarot/dp/1578632765

and came away with the impression the king/queen/knight/page sequence is a matter of emphasizing, respectively, the fire/water/air/earth aspects of the particular suit energy. I read these as a matter of enacting or embodying these aspects, and I have (almost) completely gotten away from identifying, say, queen wands as a particular individual, but usually as an aspect of the querent, or a role she is undertaking.

Which I guess also means I am largely disregarding imagery, but that was sort of baked into my early experiences with a "dark" deck in which some of the imagery was literally so dark as to be almost indecipherable. These days I mostly read with playing cards.

For Rider-Waite deck I like the classic Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom book by Rachel Pollack.

My suggestion is to get a Rider-Waite-Smith deck, or a Rider-Wait-Smith Clone like the Morgan Greer deck or the Universal Tarot by Lo Scarabeo.

You can use the little white book that comes with them to learn the bare bones basics.
Also I've found that this book has A LOT of information on each card including reversals. https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Tarot-Beginners-Revealing/dp/1592336574/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487351896&sr=8-1&keywords=ultimate+guide+to+tarot

Thank you so much for posting this! I had no idea about this deck. Thank you for the exposure.

For tarot, only the above mentioned Golden Thread tarot comes to mind, but there is this awesome Claire De Lune lenormand deck.

Possibly the Steampunk Tarot deck?

For what it's worth, the deck I started with is the Rider tarot deck

Just buy a standard Rider Waite deck, and a book about the cards/what each one means like [the Ultimate Guide to Tarot] (https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Tarot-Beginners-Revealing/dp/1592336574) and dive right in! That's the fun of it - there's no right or wrong way to go about it. Eventually you'll be able to read for people once you know all the cards and their meanings.

Santa Muerte Tarot Deck: Book of the Dead https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738754382/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RyVzCbMQT3GGC

There’s also a limited addition one that comes in a box shaped like a coffin but that’s not on the link I shared

Thank you! I wanted to aim for a very modern style akin to the Mystic Mondays deck, albeit with less detail (since drawing isn't my strong suit) and softer color palettes.

You were on to something with Card 2, there. Only the aces through 10 have a numeral, while the court cards don't; this one in particular is the Knight of Swords. I've been trying to figure out how to make it more immediately apparent, but at least in the game the card names are displayed on them.

https://www.thewildunknown.com/

or amazon : https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Tarot-Guidebook-Official-Keepsake/dp/0062466593

I bought the regular size Rider Waite tarot deck from amazon lemee see if I can get that link, https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=tarot+cards&qid=1568478074&s=gateway&sprefix=tarot&sr=8-3

I found it cheaper on Amazom.

https://smile.amazon.com/Wild-Tarot-Guidebook-Official-Keepsake/dp/0062466593/ref=s9_wsim_gw_g14_i2_r?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=8BTK3AYSKHKTEZDE5DWA&pf_rd_r=8BTK3AYSKHKTEZDE5DWA&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=a6aaf593-1ba4-4f4e-bdcc-0febe090b8ed&pf_rd_p=a6aaf593-1ba4-4f4e-bdcc-0febe090b8ed&pf_rd_i=desktop

The name of this deck is The Steampunk Tarot and it was made by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell.

What makes this deck unique is that it's a Steampunk deck.

More information about it can be found here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/steampunk-fell/

You can purchase it here: https://www.amazon.com/Steampunk-Tarot-Barbara-Moore/dp/0738726389

And here is the Major Arcana in a zip file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O1EjrQf-zD1o7H0ce3Ed_mWrV5RrHIC0/view?usp=sharing

The Darkness of Light Tarot might be up your alley, maybe even the Linestrider Tarot (I don't think it scratches your Skyrim itch, but it's minimal and high fantasy-ish)

https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=raider+waite+tarot&qid=1563931038&s=gateway&sr=8-2

I have that deck! See customer images in link:

https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X

Just the regular Rider deck amazon link

rider wite

https://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tarot-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/091386613X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rider+waite&qid=1555442599&s=gateway&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Tarot-78-Cards-Guidebook/dp/145217363X

Halloween Tarot

Radiant Rider Waite

On Pre-order:

Forest of Enchantment

I also have (and like) Celtic Lenormand

Check this one out: http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Waite-Tarot-Deck-Book/dp/088079416X/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369013887&sr=1-5&keywords=Universal+Waite


This one too: http://www.amazon.com/Radiant-Rider-Waite-Tarot-Games-Systems/dp/1572814136/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369013887&sr=1-2&keywords=Universal+Waite

By Matt Hughes you can see pictures of his deck by searching and if you scroll down enough, you'll find this exact card

You might consider Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo DuQuette.

Edit: formatting

https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Tarot-Journey-Christian-Hermeticism/dp/1585421618

Is he into DC comics?

https://www.amazon.com/DC-Comics-Justice-League-Tarot/dp/B00X2VIXDK

Seven Stars Deck of the Dead: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/deck-of-the-dead/

Santa Muerte Tarot: https://www.amazon.com/Santa-Muerte-Tarot-Deck-Book/dp/0738754382

Marigold Tarot: https://shopamritbrar.com/products/the-marigold-tarot-classic

Depends on what you mean by "spooky." Obviously, I, personally, really like skeletons. If you have a specific flavor of spooky in mind, maybe we could get more specific?

I don’t know if it’s actually intended for communicating with the dead, but I have a Santa Muerte deck and it’s beautiful! The book comes with “Advice from the dead” with every card.

Here’s the link:

Santa Muerte Tarot Deck: Book of the Dead https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738754382/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_C1pGDb7QKCWVJ

Santa Muerte Tarot Deck: Book of the Dead https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738754382/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9OmhAbF7E4QKH