How to Choose Your First Tarot Deck: Cardmaking for Beginners - blog post #2752

Spirituality is the new black. It's right up there with oat milk lattes, retrograde Mercury, and that deep, committed relationship you're trying to have with your inner child. And if you’ve made it this far, chances are you’re either on the glittery path of self-discovery or just got lost somewhere between Googling “Tarot card for beginners” and “how to avoid buying a deck that looks like a 90s board game with identity issues.”

Well then — welcome to the world of Tarot, where every image holds secrets, every spread is a portal, and every reading has the potential to turn your boring Monday into a mystical episode of “So You Think You Can Divinate.”

Why Even Bother With Tarot Cards? (Aside From Impressing Your Guests)

The first lessons Tarot teaches you often sound like recycled Instagram quotes from a mindfulness coach who only wears linen: “The world isn’t black and white,” “All answers lie within,” and our personal favorite — “Your intuition is your truest guru.” But beneath the sage-smoke and filtered wisdom lies something real.

A Tarot deck is more than a bunch of pretty pictures of people dramatically staring into goblets. It’s a legit tool for making conscious decisions, flexing your oracular muscles, and yes, even becoming the person who can read my fortune at parties with unnerving accuracy based on one card and two sips of kombucha.

The First Deck: Fairytale Romance or Gateway to Daily Disappointment?

Choosing your first Tarot deck is like a first date. It’s exciting, confusing, slightly mystical, and for some reason, always happens next to a shelf of crystal healing books and adult coloring pages. But beware: this isn’t just a $25 impulse buy. This is a choice that may determine whether you’ll ever truly embrace free card reading love — or spend months muttering, “Why is it always the Hanged Man again?!”

So here’s how to choose wisely and avoid ending up with a deck that feels like an avant-garde therapy session hosted by alien illustrators.

1. Go With Your Gut — Not With Confusion

You don’t need to know the entire story behind every Tarot card, but you should at least be able to look at the image and not feel like you're solving a riddle wrapped in an enigma drawn by someone on mushrooms.

If the images speak to you — if they spark thoughts, feelings, or a vague sense of “I’ve definitely seen this figure standing behind me in a dream” — that’s good. For yes no card reading, intuitive decks with bold narrative images work best. Especially for visual types who still remember crying over the “blue curtain” metaphor in high school literature class.

2. Embrace the Classics (There’s a Reason They’re Classics)

When it comes to learning, don't reinvent the mystical wheel just yet. There are decks that show the Ace of Pentacles as a gold coin held by a celestial being, and others where it’s a faint watercolor blob called “Existential Resource Egg.” One of these is easier to learn with. Guess which.

If you’re just starting out, consider joining Team Rider-Waite-Smith or Team Thoth. Rider-Waite is like the Google Translate of Tarot decks — imperfect but reliable. Thoth, meanwhile, is for when you’re ready to casually study astrology, alchemy, and possibly summon ancient deities during brunch.

3. Full House or Bust — 78 Cards or It’s Just a Mood Board

Some decks come with only the Major Arcana — dramatic cards with names like The Tower and The Fool. These are powerful, but trying to do a full spread with just 22 cards is like trying to cook a meal with only spices and no actual food.

A full Tarot deck has 78 cards:

• 22 Major Arcana (a.k.a. the dramatic main characters),
• 16 Court Cards (the royalty, the drama, the outfits),
• 40 Minor Arcana (the day-to-day tea).

Without all 78, your psychic card reading near me will feel more like interpretive dance than structured insight.

4. Size (and Texture) Matters

Card size isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s ergonomic survival. Some decks are so massive they double as home defense tools. Others are tiny enough to lose between couch cushions. Aim for something around 7x12 cm: big enough to see the details, small enough to shuffle without spraining your wrist or destroying your manicure.

This makes your relationship psychic reading free not only accurate but also physically sustainable. We love a practical mystic.

5. Printing Quality — Because No One Wants 8-Bit Mysticism

You’ll be seeing a lot of your deck. Ideally, you want the cards to look sharp, not like screenshots from a haunted dial-up internet café.

Good printing means rich colors, clear symbolism, and emotional atmosphere. You don’t want to draw The Chariot and have to squint to see if those are wheels or just artistic smudges. Bonus: sturdy cardstock helps prevent premature card death during intense free clairvoyant readings (or dramatic shuffling montages).

It’s Not Magic — It’s You (and That’s Way Cooler)

Choosing your Tarot deck is not a Hogwarts exam. No one’s going to take away your crystal collection if you accidentally buy a deck featuring space otters. This is your journey, your intuition, and your personal relationship with the cards.

It can be a tool for growth, a ritual of connection, or just your excuse for why you ghosted someone: “Sorry, Mercury was in retrograde and my read my cards free session said it was doomed.”

So trust your gut. Pay attention to what images pull you in, what colors spark joy, and what decks make you feel seen — like, really seen. And if a deck looks at you like it already knows your secrets? Congratulations. That’s the one.

And if not? Well, there’s always room for one more deck in the collection. After all, who said a spiritual journey can't come with collector’s points?

And hey, once you get the hang of it, you'll be the one friends come to asking, “Can you do a quick real psychic reading free for me?” And you’ll smile, shuffle the cards, and answer — “Only if you bring snacks.”