Top Tarot Deck Recommendations
So many people ask “Can anyone do what you do?” and the answer is yes! Anyone can read tarot! Though I have chosen to offer professional tarot services, tarot can most certainly be done on your own, or with friends and family. The only requirement is an open heart, a curious mind, and a desire to align yourself with your soul’s purpose as you advance in this life journey. Oh, and a deck. An actual deck is helpful when learning to read cards.
Where to Even Begin
There is an endless amount of decks out in the world, with new decks being created every day. Where does one even start? With the myth of needing to be gifted a deck fully busted, the door is open to a world full of options.
For many decks out there, handy guidebooks accompany the deck and can be referenced. There is no shame in looking up each card meaning as a way to further develop your intuition and understanding. When I first started, I learned using the Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot, along with a couple books (for a future blog post), and resources from Biddy Tarot. Over time, my collection grew. Some top picks from my collection are highlighted here.
May these starter recommendations below be a helpful beginning point, should you find yourself in search of your very first or next deck.
Note: Though there are different types of tarot decks, and decks in general, these selections are all based on the Rider-Waite-Smith style.
Affordable and Accessible Tarot Decks
These are the decks I work with most often when reading for clients, and are my go-to recommendations when people are curious about getting a deck for themselves. The decks are very popular, found at most major retailers and local shops alike, and are therefore easy to find if someone is interested post-reading in getting a deck for their own use. The imagery for each is vibrant and evocative. Each deck comes with a detailed guidebook that highlights the meanings for each card, which is particularly helpful for newer readers.
The Fountain Tarot
A contemporary take on the tarot, this deck’s artwork has a certain level of artistic gentleness and gives a reading a softer delivery while still fully highlighting the truth of the message being conveyed. The collaborative way the deck was developed can be felt. Holding a gallery of oil paintings in printed form, framed with soft silver edges, supported by a well written guidebook, all secured together in a perfect tarot box, you can feel the thought that went into its creation.
Creators: Jonathan Saiz, Jason Gruel, Andi Todaro | Website | Instagram
The Light Seer’s Tarot
The Light Seer’s Tarot is by far the most popular deck chosen by my clients (I like to offer a few different selections at the start of each session). With its bright colors, relatable human figures, and modern depictions of each card’s message, this deck immerses you into a sea of self-reflection and understanding. For those interested in exploring additional nuance, each card’s light and shadow sides seem most comprehendible, as compared to others, as the guidebook provides every side of a card’s meaning and includes an empowering mantra in every card description.
Creator: Chris-Anne | Website | Instagram
The Wild Unknown
With this deck being my very first tarot deck, it has a very special place in my heart. There is a rawness and natural beauty to this deck that gives it an extra sense of magical wonder and intuitive connection. The guidebook itself is hand-written which further adds to the sense that this deck’s calling is one of deep personal meaning for inner world exposure. There is a regular-sized box set as well as a miniature tin version, which is perfect for on the go. I like to keep my mini deck in my workout bag and will do a focus card to use for the duration of my fitness session.
The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck
Luxe to the Touch Tarot Decks
This collection is what I refer to as my deluxe decks. The decks have premium cardstock elements, fancy shimmery edges, and an aesthetic level of perfection that enhance an already visual experience with brilliant textures for an added tactile layer of elegance.
Prisma Visions Tarot
The dreaminess and swirling impressionist artwork of Prisma Visions Tarot has a near-hypnotic allure. The cards themselves shuffle so fluidly, have gorgeous silver edges, and when placed in sequential order, are combined into a larger interconnected art scene. It is truly remarkable. The level of detail is exquisite. In addition to the full tarot deck, this one is available in a both a miniature tin version (which lives in my purse) as well as in the Pocket Visions app (which lives on my iPhone’s home screen but is also available on Android).
Creator: James R Eads | Website | Instagram
Soul Cards Tarot
Soul Cards Tarot is a treasured deck, one I only use for my own self. Everyone’s approach to working with tarot (some would say their tarot practice) is different, but I find it special to have this one untouchable deck that I use for deeply personal questions of mine related to my bigger-picture life journey. There are many variations available within the collection, Blush Pink is the one I work with, it’s like laying in a field of kind, magic flowers. It has a lustrous silkiness, gold edges, lovely floral card backs, and shuffles smoother than butter. The imagery is minimalistic, making meanings perhaps not as clearly visible to those newer to the tarot, but does come with a virtual guidebook that I found supportive in my early days. Where there’s a love for a deck, there’s a way to work with it.
Creator: Kristine Friedham | Website | Instagram
Synesthesia Tarot
Synesthesia – where one experiences one sense through another – is a glorious and surreal crossover. To see colors when hearing music, to taste certain shapes is such a magical phenomenon. Synesthesia Tarot is a deck of sensory wonder, with how each card feels, how each minimalistic image is crisply detailed, and how the cards sift against the others. There is an intensity in the simplicity in this deck, with matte and foil textures, and a limited yet effective color palette. Similarly to the Soul Cards, this deck is more of a private session deck for me. However, this decision is more connected to wanting to treat it with the utmost care, saved for special occasion readings.
Creator: Jana Walker | Website | Instagram
Honorable Cuties Mentions
My deck collection goes well beyond those mentioned in this blog. There is something special to be said about every one, but here are a few precious cuties that are perfect for those seeking a friendly, inviting deck for their first deck or growing collection.
Considerate Cat Tarot
This darling deck features rescue cats and a percentage of sales goes toward a no-kill, volunteer-run shelter. Every card is too cute for words. Received as my first gifted tarot deck, and being a cat person, my bias for this deck is strong. For readings that are connected to animal relationships, Considerate Cat is the one that makes for the clearest readings. The level of human-animal relationships is embedded into its existence.
Creator: Madeleine Belanger | Website | Instagram
Oak, Ash & Thorn Tarot
Woodland creatures make up this nature-set deck, with foxes, squirrels, hares, and ravens. The Oak, Ash & Thorn Tarot deck is also eco-conscious in its cardstock, ink, and packaging. There is a grounding quality when working with the animal imagery, as if in a reading, one is transported into a magical forest where the residents are eager to show you revelations from Mother Nature to support you on your way. This is another deck that comes in a miniature version.
Creators: Stephanie Burrows (creator) and Adam Oehlers (artist) | Website | Instagram
Way of the Panda Tarot (Baby Panda Edition)
The Way of the Panda Tarot has a friendly quality that lightens the mood with its cuddly pandas, in even the most challenging of readings. And with the smaller deck, there is an extra cuteness factor. This deck is easy to shuffle, cute as can be, and is the deck I use with my daughter when we do a morning reading together. If you have little ones, or simply enjoy sweet pandas, this deck is the one to have.
What are your favorite decks? I’d love to hear from you! Send me an email or connect with me on Instagram, I’m always open to chatting all things decks! Not quite ready for a deck yourself but you’d like a reading? Book a session here.
