Types of Tarot Decks
Tarot cards can be used for divinations and fortune-telling. They can act as tools to help you solve problems, and understand life situations and events. A deck of tarot cards has 78 cards and each has distinct symbols or pictures on it. In a standard tarot deck, there are two types of cards – the major arcana which comprises of 22 cards and the minor arcana with 14 cards.
There are thousands of tarot decks, created by artists who have interpreted them uniquely. They differ in the way their images or symbols are depicted. Here are a few decks to read a bit about.
Original Rider-Waite
Original Rider-Waite, published by US Games/AGM Muller, was originally created by Rider-Waite. But it was destroyed in the London Blitz. When it was re-packaged with permission from Waite’s daughter, it featured a few style changes. The cards have more colors and less black and white styling when compared to the original. Another version of this deck, called ‘Rider-Waite Tarot’, is slightly different. It has detailed images on the minor arcana cards and has different color-schemes.
Ancient Feminine Wisdom of Goddesses and Heroines Divination Deck
The deck comprising of 52 cards, was created by Brian Clark and Kay Steventon, who made the Celestial Tarot deck. Each card has a beautiful depiction of a female goddess or heroine. Her name is printed at the top of the card, while the key wisdom associated with her is printed at the bottom. For instance, the card with Medea has ‘Magic’ on it.
Tarot of Marseilles
One of the traditional patterns of decks used in divination is Tarot of Marseilles. It has inspired the creation of several other decks. It originated in Italy during the 15th century. The deck was then introduced to southern France. Since then, the cards have undergone changes such as the inclusion of new cards. Those interested in getting readings from the original version of the deck can opt for the Ancient Tarot of Marseilles which was developed by Nicholas Conver in 1760.