3 Tarot Decks for Beginners

I don't know If I ever mentioned to you how much I love tarot. If I didn't let me go ahead and describe my feelings about Tarot to you.

Errr hmmm ( that was me clearing my throat dramatically)

I love Tarot in the same way that I love cheese cake. There has never been a cheese cake I have eaten that i have regretted. Like Tarot cards, I would collect cheese cake and display it with the degree of reverence one would afford a religious relic. There would be special pomp and circumstance, there would be love songs and sonnets composed to the glory of this finest example of food. That's how much I love cheese cake. I could replace pretty much every food I eat to sustain life with cheese cake if I thought I could survive that way. I would never be sick of it because there are a million and one ways to enjoy this Queen of deserts.

This is exactly the same way I feel about Tarot.

Like everyone that falls in love with these cards, we all start somewhere. As a new reader you will start with far more questions then answers... this is to be expected my love. The natural progression of the novice - or newbie starts with curiosity... then graduates to fear, which gives way to a hunger for knowledge. As you go and grow you will also experience feelings of confusion as well as excitement when you try to read your cards. Each feeling competing with the others for prominence in your mind. Don't worry... it gets better as you go. Your confidence will increase.

When I started reading Tarot at 17, I started with a deck my Dad gave me... i mentioned that somewhere else on my website. He gave me a set of the Celtic Tarot and when I first opened the box and pulled them out I had no idea what I was doing. I had no way of knowing that those 78 cards would take me on a journey that would change the course of my life, and my perspective on all things esoteric. However, like you I had so many questions... you know, like which decks are good and which ones to avoid.

As the years have ticked on, I have been fortunate enough to read cards for many, many, many people. I have had the distinct pleasure of co-creating a best selling Tarot deck as an illustrator and I have even had the mystical experience of operating with the archetypal energies that are intrinsic in each card of the Tarot in my own life.

With all this experience to share, I have come down to a few decks that have become staples in my repertoire. I will share them with you dear beginner and hopefully you will find as much depth and layered nuance to them as I have. Here they are in no particular order.

1. The Rider Waite - I recommend the Rider Waite as a good beginner deck because it has all you will need to become fluent and comfortable with reading the Tarot.

When I started out I didn't have this deck... I really wish I had because it is a great foundation for all of the practical, esoteric, metaphysical, as well as the symbolic knowledge you will need. The Rider Waite is also what I like to think of as the parent deck to nearly all modern decks. in that most Tarot decks on the shelves of your favorite metaphysical/ spiritual shop are patterned after the R/W.

Also it bears mentioning that this deck has tons and tons of resource books, video's and courses out there for you to learn from.

2. The Shadowscape - I can't begin to tell you just how beautiful this deck is. It swirls and

twirls and whirls with flowing colors. The images are whimsical and easy to read intuitively. Where the Rider deck relies heavily on traditional symbolism to deliver its messages, the Shadowscape Tarot offers you a very intuitive experience. The only caution I would offer a new reader is that the art work makes everything so beautiful that it can sometimes obscure the mode of the card. In other words, some of the more challenging cards in the Tarot could be misinterpreted by someone just starting out because they are so damn pretty it's hard to think of them as difficult. Over all this is a deck that I absolutely love and recommend to beginners and pro's alike.

3. The Gilded Tarot - This deck is exquisitely illustrated. Because the art in these cards so closely follow the Rider Waite its a good deck to have because you will find it easy to read and that the equilibrium between the symbols and the artistic rendering is expertly balanced. I also like this deck for beginners because the art is gorgeous to look at but also clear enough that you don't have to work hard to identify the card and it's meaning. I like how this deck honors the traditional structure of the Rider Waite deck while adding in an astrological flavor that enhances the depth of meaning in the deck.

Going forward -

When you purchase your first deck or even if one is gifted to you, don't think you have to learn everything all at once. Tarot is a bottomless well of learning, there are so many things that will unfold before you as you grow as a reader. I encourage you to take your time and learn the cards one by one as each card has it's own story to tell. If you give yourself time to absorb the information in the cards, you will see just how intricate and developed the story of each cards is.

Anyhoozies, I hope this is helpful to you and that as your Tarot journey begins you'll enjoy each step. Until next time!

Love, Alysa

Oh...by the way, if you would like a reading you can book me online.