Tarot Tuesday: Does the Deck You Use Really Matter?

There are thousands of tarot decks. All you have to do is check out sites like Aeclctic Tarot and you'll find tons of them, complete with images and reviews. Honestly, it can be a little overwhelming. But does the deck you choose matter?

Let's look at it from two different perspectives: The reader or the client. 

If you're a reader, then the deck you use matters because the information flows through the images and has an impact on your intuition. Readers prefer certain decks over others. One of the biggest choices a reader makes is Rider-Waite-Smith vs. Thoth, for example, but as a reader, the bottom line is that you need to like what you're looking at. Does it reduce your effectiveness as a reader? I think it certainly might. 

If you're a client, it might be easy to say, "No...since the client isn't doing the reading, the deck shouldn't matter." But in my experience, clients do prefer certain decks over others. 

Back when I started my professional reading career, Ciro Marchetti's Gilded Tarot was one that I used for a while and it was a client favorite. In fact, it was such a favorite I had to stop bringing it after about three months to change things up. And the one that I use as a house standard when I read at Pin Curls Beauty Salon is the Rider Waite Smith, and some of my clients don't like it. 

A long time ago, I used to give clients a choice of decks, but I found that most of them preferred the Rider. I also have one client who liked a darker feel on the cards when I read for him so he preferred the Necronomicon Tarot, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.

So I'll end by leaving you with a question to answer: Does the tarot deck a reader uses matter to you? If you read, do you care what you read with? Do you want me to offer different decks to use?

I'll take your answers in the comments or to hierophant@cox.net. Thanks!