A Guide to Different Tarot Decks and Their Purposes

Have you ever looked at the pictures in a Rider-Waite Tarot deck and felt like they were alien or lifeless? On the other hand, do you feel like the meanings ascribed to each card can easily match a number of situations in your life? If you visit a reasonably good metaphysical store, or do some research online, you are likely to find that dozens of other people also face the same dilemma when working with traditional Tarot cards. This is just one of many reasons why you will find hundreds of different decks to choose from. When choosing a deck for divinatory purposes, you may find that you are drawn to one general type more than others.

Rider-Waite Variants

For the most part, Rider-Waite variants all have two arcanas. The Major Arcana serves as an overarching lifetime story, or mythic structure. The Minor Arcana is usually made up of four suits that provide greater details about the mind, emotions, body, and soul. In some cases, you may find decks that have meanings geared for specific topics, or they may try to add elements of meditation. You will also find many different designs. This includes cards that feature wild animals, mythical creatures, and even famous characters from history.

When it comes to Rider-Waite variants, it will always be in your interest to choose a deck with cards that you literally feel like you can step into. Unfortunately, if you choose a deck just because the pictures are pretty, you may not always be able to reach a meditate state. This will also make it harder to relax and listen to your intuition about any given question.

Oracle Cards

Depending on the deck in question, Oracle Cards may only make use of cards similar to the Major Arcana in the Rider-Waite deck. Typically, these cards will also include meanings related to some type of spiritual theme. For example, angel cards might include information about specific angels and how they would influence the question at hand. A themed set of oracle cards might also come with information about meditation exercises, or other other suggestions for how to address the question at hand.

In most cases, oracle cards have fewer negative meanings than you might find in a standard Tarot deck. You are also likely to find that decks that do not have cards with negative meanings will carry a special notice on them. As with Rider-Waite variants, you can find oracle cards that feature everything from famous paintings to ancient Gods and Goddesses.

Self Help Cards

Even though self help cards do not always follow an arcana format, they can easily be used for divinatory purposes, as well as for obtaining advice for any given situation in life. Some cards may come with direct references to negative life events, as well as suggestions for solving those problems. Unlike other forms of divinatory cards, you may find that some self help cards carry verses or other inspiring quotes on them. Interestingly enough, this makes them ideal for situations where you are entering a meditative state to determine what the future will bring, as well as answers for how to a manage any problem that may arise.

Invariably, choosing the best deck of Tarot cards depends heavily on what you want to achieve. If you are looking to perform readings that mainly predict events, a deck featuring the traditional major and minor arcanas will most likely work best for you. As long as you select a deck with appealing pictures, you may also find that it will be the kind of deck that you can use for mediation and deeper spiritual work later on. That said, if you are looking for cards that will provide more in the way of advice, then oracle or self help cards may be a better choice. Regardless of the deck you choose, you can rest assured that it will provide you with years of fascinating insights and information.