tarot decks
This is a page for the decks I own as well as decks I would love to add to my collection one day.
sefirot - the spheres of heaven tarot
Notes:
- This is my favorite tarot deck!
- This deck has lots of diversity and representation with regards to gender presentation, skin tone, hairstyles, body types, age, and sexuality.
- There are three versions of The Lovers: M/M, F/F, and a trio that can be interpreted as either a M/F marriage scene or a M/M/F poly relationship.
- This deck does away with a lot of Christian imagery often found in tarot decks, which I find difficult to identify and resonate with.
- The big one is Judgement. In the popular Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) deck, Judgement shows an angel heralding the dead, resurrecting them amid holy fanfare. The Sefirot reimagines this card as The Gate, which instead shows a child at the threshold between two worlds.
- This deck also adds two optional cards: The Tree and The Abyss.
- The Tree represents "The Stubbornness of Life." In my practice, this card refers to the miraculous source of life found in seeds, spores, and eggs.
- The Abyss represents "The Call of the Void." In my practice, this card refers to the veil of death and all the mysteries beyond it.
- Closely related cards like The Sun/The Moon and The Tree/The Abyss can be lined up to form a single vertical artwork. A cool touch!
- Important things to note if you're considering getting this deck:
- This design of the card backs is one-directional and therefore does not allow for reversals.
- The Minor Arcana cards do NOT have illustrations of places or people on them. They are illustrated as pip cards, showing the number and suit. While the pip illustrations do convey the mood and meaning of the card, you will need to rely on your knowledge of card meanings and numerology to read them.
- How it feels to use:
- The size of the cards feel manageable to handle in an medium-sized adult hand.
- The cards have gold edges, which are lovely, but they tend to clump together. That is, when holding the deck in your hand, groups of 5-7 cards will stick together, making it hard to shuffle and deal. I'm hoping with age and use, they'll be easier to work with.
All readings that use this deck are tagged with #deck_sefirot .
smith-waite centennial tarot
Notes:
- The RWS deck isn't my favorite to use, but I keep it for familiarity since it's a commonly used, very recognizable deck.
- This deck is often recommended for beginners because it has illustrations for both the Major and Minor Arcanas. However, I disagree with this. While the RWS is important for foundational knowledge, I think it's generally inaccessible for modern readers due to its deeply esoteric elements and Jewish/Christian symbolism. Unless you're a student/practitioner of these things, this deck will likely be very challenging to resonate with and read.
- How it feels to use:
- These cards are only a little bit larger than a standard playing card deck, making them easy to hold and handle.
- The cards are also easy to shuffle and deal. They don't stick to each other at all.
All readings that use this deck are tagged with #deck_centennial .
cosmos tarot & oracle deck
Notes:
- This is a fun deck because it associates all Major and Minor Arcana cards to the mythology of constellations. This adds another layer of meaning to the cards.
- I still have to refer to the Little White Book (LWB) for this deck because many of the myths are pretty obscure. Fortunately, the cards themselves have keywords on them as reminders of their meanings.
- This tarot deck is also the product of a collaborative art project among 100 international artist. Therefore, each card has a completely different art style.
- Some of the cards have very abstract or surreal art. While lovely to look at, I do find these cards harder to read.
- This tarot deck replaces the suits with their corresponding elements:
- Swords → Air
- Wands → Fire
- Cups → Water
- Pentacles → Earth
- This tarot deck also came with an oracle deck, which I sometimes use alongside the tarot, usually to set an overarching theme of the reading.
- How it feels to use:
- These cards do not stick to each other and have a glossy texture, making them easy to shuffle, fan, and deal.
- This deck is also only slightly larger than standard playing cards, so they're easy to handle.
All readings that use this deck are tagged with #deck_cosmos .
joe sparrow tarot
Notes:
- Long ago, when I was an avid Tumblr user, I followed Joe Sparrow's blog and his development of a tarot deck. I appreciated the care and thoughtfulness of the designs as well as the fresh perspectives of the card imagery and symbolism. I jumped on the first run of the cards, but, unfortunately, I think they ever had a second printing.
All reading that use this deck are tagged with #deck_joesparrow .