The more I read for people, the more I realize that I overpack my reading bag EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
The clients that have been with me since the start of my professional career know that I bring a variety of decks with me for a session. Why do I do this? Depending on the length of the session, the client may want to switch gears in the topic of their reading. The easiest way to energetically accomplish this shift in the short time frame I have with a client (in my opinion) is by moving on to a different deck than what they were using for the previous topic. I’ve had hour-long sessions with a client in which they’ve gone through 3 different decks. One deck to do a Celtic Cross spread on a broad topic with many branches, another deck to do a short reading Q and A session on a completely different topic, and then a third and final deck to wrap up with.
How do I know which decks to bring to a client session? Sometimes, I don’t… I just bring my tried and true decks, such as the Radiant Rider-Waite-Smith or Legacy of the Divine. Most of the time now I have my bag pre-packed from a previous session, and I make a ritual out of switching out the decks in the bag. I think about the client(s) I am about to read for: I think about which decks they have liked in the past, and I do an intuitive scan as to which deck they may need now at this very moment. Rarely, I have had a client specifically request a deck (if we have worked together before).
For parties, I don’t tend to bring a variety of decks anymore. Two at the most, because there isn’t enough time usually for a party guest to select a deck, THEN get a reading (since most party readings are roughly 5 minutes in length). I don’t have a lot of time to explain to a party guest how tarot works (in general) nor that there isn’t just one kind of deck… that there are MANY different tarot decks in various themes and art styles! (See here if you are in the hunt for your first tarot deck.)
What follows is a comprehensive list in alphabetical order of all the cartomancy decks I currently own, broken up into three categories: Tarot, Lenormand, and Other. When there are multiple decks with the same name (such as Steampunk Tarot), I have specified the creators.
TAROT
Accurate AF Tarot
Alchemical Tarot, 4th Edition
Art Nouveau Tarot
Bonefire Tarot
Book of Shadows Tarot: Volume 2 (So Below) | Created by Barbara Moore, Sabrina Ariganello, Alessia Pastorello
Chakra Wisdom Tarot
Cosmic Woman Tarot
Crystal Unicorn Tarot
Dark Carnival Tarot
Darkana Tarot
Dreaming Way Tarot
Eight Coins’ Tattoo Tarot
Enchanted Tarot
Enchanted Love Tarot
Fountain Tarot: review here
Gaian Tarot
Game of Thrones Tarot
Gilded Tarot Royale
Golden Tarot
Herbal Tarot
Joie de Vivre Tarot
Legacy of the Divine Tarot
Linestrider Tarot
Llewellyn Tarot
Mary-el Tarot
Motherpeace Tarot
Mystic Dreamer Tarot
Mystic Mondays Tarot
Orisha Tarot: review here
Pagan Otherworlds Tarot
Radiant Rider-Waite-Smith
Rider-Waite-Smith
Silver Era Tarot
Simple Tarot: review/interview here
Starchild Tarot
Steampunk Tarot | by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell
Tarot Art Nouveau (mini) | Created by Antonella Castelli
Tarot Nova: review here
Tarot of the Boroughs: review here
Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery
Tarot of the Sidhe
Thoth Tarot
Transparent Tarot | by Emily Carding
Triple Goddess Tarot | by Jaymi Elford and Franco Rivolli
Wild Messengers Alchemical Tarot
Wild Unknown Tarot
Wildwood Tarot
Witches Tarot | Created by Ellen Dugan, Mark Evans
Zombie Tarot
LENORMAND
Gilded Reverie Lenormand
Gold and Silver Lenormand | by Paris Debono
Kendra’s Vintage Petit Lenormand
Mlle Lenormand Blue Owl
Sawyer’s Lenormand
Sirens’ Song Lenormand | by Carrie Paris
OTHER
Deck of 1,000 Spreads
Fantod Pack | by Edward Gorey
The Faerie Oracle
Find a Man Cards | by Paris Debono
Gypsy Tattoo Cards | by Paris Debono
Gypsy Tattoono Cards (Lenonos) | by Paris Debono
Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards
The Heart of Faerie Oracle
Moonology Oracle
Old Skool Tattoo Cards | by Paris Debono
Oracle of Initiation
Tea Cup Cards | by Paris Debono
Tessera Oracle
Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck
Wild Unknown Archetypes Deck
Work Your Light Oracle Deck
The next time you are scheduled for a reading with me, feel free to look over this list beforehand and specifically choose a deck (or a few) if you feel so moved. I’d be happy to accommodate you!
Photo credit: Death to Stock Photography
Join in the discussion: Which decks do you own? Which decks do you love? Why? Leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Blessings,
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com
hilary@tarotbyhilary.com
Book your reading here.
HILARY PARRY HAGGERTY is a tarot reader, witch, mentor, editor, and teacher. She has been reading tarot for over 21 years (13 years professionally). She was the winner of Theresa Reed’s (The Tarot Lady) Tarot Apprentice contest in 2011, and has taught classes on tarot and spell-work at The Tarot School’s annual tarot conference Readers Studio and at Brid’s Closet Beltane Festival. She writes a weekly blog on tarot at her website www.tarotbyhilary.com and has been featured in Maxim Magazine and BuzzFeed.
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© Hilary Parry Haggerty | Tarot by Hilary
I love this! I’ve been meaning to organize my tarot and oracle decks in some cohesive way with a master Excel sheet or something but just haven’t gotten to it yet. You and I have a lot of overlap in the tarot department, but not in the oracle– and some of these decks you have I haven’t heard of. Time for research! (and… eeps.. even more purchases… good job, Hilary.)
Thanks, Benebell! Let me know if I can clarify any of the decks you’ve never heard of (as to how they shuffle, how they deviate from traditional tarot imagery and why, etc.) before you purchase!
PS—Sorry to hear about difficulty with “Are You a Human?” test. So far it’s been the only surefire plugin to prevent spam and robo-comments! Let me know if you have a good alternative 🙂
Also, just FYI, your “Human Verification” test was challenging. Or at least it was for me. :*(