@jovesta. I started reading cards 50 years ago, and like most readers I got my initial interpretations from the booklets that came with the decks of cards. Over the years, my interpretations have evolved, and at this point nearly every reading I do adds something to the way a card is interpreted. I agree with Snowbird that intuition is a big part of a good reading, and intuition will kick in once you are comfortable with the cards and are relaxed about doing a reading.
@jovesta I recommend starting with the Rider-Waite or Universal Waite deck, mainly due to the simplicity of the illustrations, making them easier to interpret based on standard symbolism and interpretations in Tarot books. My personal favorite decks are the Aquarian and the New Palladini, which are beautiful and also lend to ease of interpretation.
As time goes by and you have a comfort level with the interpretations of each card, then it’s fun to explore some of the other decks. I have noticed that several people on this forum use the Thoth deck, which seems very different from the decks I am familiar with and quite intriguing, but I have not yet explored that deck.
Have fun with it!
@jovesta. By the way, I’m curious about the name Jovesta. I have changed my screen name to Vesta, which is the asteroid on my ascendant in my astrological chart and which describes me quite well. Is Jovesta a reference to Vesta in some way?
- @jackie. Decades ago, the name Jovesta came to mind as I was searching for a gamer handle that was not in use. So, no connection to vesta. ? I just liked the combination of sounds! Thank you for the good advice on the waite deck. That was where I was leaning, so my instincts are on target, good!
Choosing a deck is such an individual thing.
Try out a few decks and see which one fits you. The Ryder Waite is easy to read because each card is a little vignette that spells out its meaning. But the Ryder Waite images for me are too lite, the figures like child drawings. Still like @vesta said, it might work as a beginner deck.
I read the Thoth Deck and sometimes add in cards from the Yosho Zen deck. The Thoth was painted by a great artist in her own right, Frieda Harris, for Alistair Crowley. They made a Lennon-McCartney team and the result is a masterpiece. The art is powerful and colorful and artists tend to like this deck. I find the images so powerful and well rendered that sometimes I see the flames and waves of light pulsing right off the card. It is quite evocative in that way. If you like being highly stimulated, as I do, you might like that deck.
Tarot scholar Mary Greer loves the Leormand deck. I ordered a copy and could not get into it.
To each his own!
The Motherpeace deck is very interesting in terms of art and symbolism, but the cards are round and awkward to handle. However, the book is lovely and has added quite a bit to my evolving interpretations. I attended a workshop many years ago by the author, Vicki Noble, as well as astrologer Demetra George, which was held at Breitenbush Hot Springs here in Oregon. A workshop is an excellent way to add to your body of knowledge, and this particular one was interesting and fun.
My Burke-Caselli deck is a Rider-Waite style deck. I own a half a dozen decks but I keep going back to the Burke-Caselli because of its familiarity. I also like the Everyday Enchantment tarot, which is Rider-Waite imagery in a very contemporary urban style. For example, the Judgment card is illustrated by a police raid on a loud party. It screams "the party is over!" I also love the Modern Witch tarot for its contemporary imagery. It is classic Rider-Waite in flavor and all the images are women. But it's difficult to shuffle because the card stock is so heavy. I'm pretty much a novice and when I'm stuck I go my trusty, dog-eared, highlighted and marked up Beginners Guide to Tarot by Juliet Sharman-Burke.
@jackie I too was drawn to the book of the mother peace deck back when I first began reading cards in the 1980's, though not the deck. I read a few of the chapters on the Major Arcana and it helped me get started with reading Tarot. I loved the way the writer thought about the meanings of the cards in a more accepting, wider interpretation. More deep feminine, less black and white and punitive, less religious orthodoxy, more pagan. The Death card was about letting go, not something so scary as actual physical death.