This article will discuss what resources you could start with when learning tarot. This article is for tarot newcomers or those who have gotten lost along their tarot journey and need to refocus.
Many influencers in the tarot space would say choose whatever resonates with you. Go with what you desire. I am here to say that isn’t the case. I did that and I ended up in going backward through a cornfield. Because I walked backward I fell into a well, and I got stuck there for a year and a half.
Since I managed to get myself out, I am here to tell help you not get lost in the maze of esoteric materials.
Your first deck
It should be a Rider-Waite-Smith deck to act as your first deck. In fact, you should get the Tarot Kit For Beginners.
The kit contains Los Scarabeo’s Universal Tarot and a guide book by Janet Berres. The guide book introduces you to the tarot tradition, gives the meaning of the cards, and how to read them.
Universal Tarot has modern imagery based on Pamela Colman Smith’s original work. (It will be more obvious why you should have these exact cards as the article progresses.)
You will have a good introduction into tarot for less the price of a haircut. If tarot doesn’t work out for you here, no big deal.
Understanding RWS
Before we go any further let’s talk about Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) and what that means. The acronym RWS comes from the names of the mystic Arthur Edward Waite (A. E. Waite), artist Pamela Colman Smith, and the Rider publishing company.
Waite did the scholarly written work and commissioned Smith to provide the imagery for the deck. The first version of the deck was published by the Rider company in the early 1900s, roughly between 1909 and 1911. Since then the RWS style has become the most well known of all tarot decks.
Having an RWS deck means that you have one of the many reprints of the original images (there are many) or a deck that is inspired by the original images. You will be able to use Aeclectic Tarot to see how decks are categorized.
Let’s come back to the Universal Tarot deck. It will mean that you have a deck that is re-imagining of the original RWS images. The images are the same but redrawn. This provides an aesthetic face-lift. The cards maintain the original imagery while having different colours, and sharper image quality.
What Is So Special About RWS?
RWS is the most pervasive tarot deck. As a result, most of your reading material will reference these images in some way. If you were to undergo a tarot seminar to learn how to read tarot, it would have with RWS images. Not being familiar with these images would make the process of learning challenging.
Another attribute of RWS cards is they are read with reversed meanings. When a card appears upside down it has a different meaning than when it is right-side up. The interpreted is usually the inverse of the upright meaning. This allows for an increase in complexity without making the reader memorize more information.
Universal Tarot in Perspective
If you got the Tarot Kit For Beginners and enjoyed the experience enough to want more, then you can upgrade. Do that by getting Tarot For Writers by Corrine Kenner.
Think of this book as the DLC for your Tarot deck. Tarot For Writers features the exact images of the Universal Tarot deck. The book also includes a rigorous outline for the card meanings, an introduction to the zodiac, and how to tell stories with the cards. This resource alone is valuable beyond measure.
This is a great way to get more mileage out of your deck. So if you are wondering why you should get the Universal Tarot? This is why, Tarot For Writers. Think of the Tarot Kit For Beginners as a way to get your feet wet. If you like tarot, dive in and get Tarot for Writers.
Golden Dawn
There are many tarot traditions to consider. For the purposes of this learning article, we will only stick to RWS and the Golden Dawn (Thoth) style decks.
When you first look at either a Golden Dawn deck or Aleister Crowley’s Thoth deck you will see major differences from RWS decks. The first is that the imagery for minor arcana is very different. No longer are the images are of people working through life situations. The images are replaced with symbols that tap into astrology, the zodiac, sacred geometry, and the four elements.
Each image on the pip cards consists of some geometrical pattern based on a combination of the above-mentioned symbols.
Changes in Card Names
The Thoth deck has some subtle changes. For example, pentacles are disks, and the Magician is Magus. These are only a few changes the Thoth deck presents. Golden Dawn Magical Tarot retains the same names as RWS cards except the court cards are named princess, prince, queen, and king like the Thoth deck.
Your Next Deck
The next deck you should choose after the Universal Tarot should be Crowley’s Thoth deck. It will get you comfortable with new symbols and reading them in new ways.
Once you get familiar with the Thoth deck I recommend Golden Dawn Magical Tarot as your next deck. Not only will the deck be a valuable resource, but the guide book will open doors to your reading potential. You will learn new methods of reading like the opening of the key. This a rigorous five-part tarot reading method that will allow for a tremendous amount of depth and complexity.
Once you have begun to grasp the power of Golden Dawn cards, you can go one step further. Golden Dawn Magic: a complete guide to the high magical arts by Chic and Sandra Cicero will take you there. Again, this book is like DLC. It will enhance your experience with Golden Dawn Magical Tarot.
If you got past Tarot Kit For Beginners and Tarot for Writers, you did pretty well. That would be an aqueduct introduction to the Tarot.
If you got a Thoth deck after that, then I would say you are doing very well. You became familiar with two distinct sets of imagery within the tarot.
If you acquired your Golden Dawn Magical Tarot deck then I would say you are taking a serious effort in learning tarot. Ending the experience Golden Dawn Magic: a complete guide to the high magical arts would leave you a fleshed out tarot experience.
Because RWS and Golden Dawn (Thoth) styles are so prevalent you will begin to see their influence in original decks. Some decks take nods from both RWS and Gloden Dawn (Thoth) styles to make something fresh and original. The possibilities are limitless when it comes to the artistry of a tarot deck. But there is one thing for sure, they will have some level of inspiration from the old RWS and Golden Dawn (Thoth) style.
Conclusion
To finish off I recommend you also get a deck in the original RWS design. The centennial Smith-Waite deck is a reprint of Smith’s original images. The deck is also a little smaller compared to the others. It will make a nice change in the physical experience of holding a deck.
By the end of this experience, you should have between three and four tarot decks and four books. RWS Universal Tarot, Thoth, and Golden Dawn Magical Tarot. The guide book from Tarot Kit for Beginners, Tarot for Writers, Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot (the guide book for Golden Dawn Magical Tarot), and then finally you would have gotten Golden Dawn Magic: a complete guide to the high magical arts.
This recommendation package would keep you busy for years to come. This starting package would be a valuable path for anyone to start from. Having completed all these mentioned materials will allow you to tackle any deck with ease. Everything will be familiar to you from here on out, and you will be able to experience new and interesting art style with fluidity.
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