Question by midniteeye: should i get the tarot kit with companion book or just the cards?
i am a tarot novice. you can actually say that i buy tarot decks for the art itself. i would like to learn to read cards one of these days, but right now i just do have the time and will to extend myself that far.
after buying 20 or so decks, i cannot help but wonder if i should simply buy the cards or go for the complete kit like i have been doing. some decks will give you the option of purchasing the cards along or with a companion book which will run you an extra 10 to 15 bucks.
i’ll be the first to admit that i hardly ever read any of the books, but let’s say i want to learn to read cards in the future, will i be better off getting the whole kit instead of just the cards? are those companion books as essential as an operation manuals or something more or less to suck more money off consumers?
i would really like to know how other tarot practitioners do when buying tarot cards. any assistance will be greatly appreciated. thank you very much.
on the first paragraph, i really wanted to say that i DO NOT have time and will to learn instead of DO.
Best answer:
Answer by Isaiah
yes
What do you think? Answer below!
neither
If you’re just interested in the art for now, I’d stick with the cards. You can always buy a book or two later. My favorite is the Mythic Tarot.
I love collecting decks also and have been reading tarot since I was very young
but I have never read any of the books
you like the art … learn to read the symolism of the art
it is beautiful when you begin to see more than you realised was there
then you just apply what you see to the person you are reading
all it takes is a little confidence really
saying what you see without feeling silly … is the biggest hurdle
That stuff will lead you down a bad path. It may seem interesting and “different”, but it can steer you toward trouble.
Just letting you know that is an abomination to the Lord .
OR……………………………………………….
you could just give me the money. Same thing in the end!
Or burn the money I spose.
Getting the cards with the companion book will allow you to have something as a referance to compare the different nuances of each deck. If there is a deck that I am getting for the first time, I tend to see if I can get it with a companion book for that reason. If I have already had a copy of that deck, I don’t see the need.
The companion books are not ESSENTIAL to learning the tarot, but they are certainly USEFUL
A lot of tarot cards will have a little booklet in the box that will give small descriptions of each card so if you aren’t going to read the book…I say just buy the cards. Most tarot decks share a universal meaning so once you learn to read one deck you can read all of them. If you do get some of the more nontraditional ones such as the Indian Totem or Phoenix cards, you’ll definitely want to get the book.
If you want to read the cards at some point, then get the book. Some decks are constructed with their own very different symbology.
I actually don’t collect decks. I have a deck I read with, which works for me, and which I recommend to students….though I also encourage people to find the one that “clicks” with them.
Whatever deck you find you are going to have to do some work to learn its symbol set. In my deck, for example, if the four of coins comes up in certain positions, I know someone in the situation is feeling nervous about financial security (whether this is acute, temporary, or a chronic and overriding preoccupation depends on placement and other cards in the spread.) This isn’t something that I got from the book.
An exercise that works to figure out what your deck symbols mean to you is to sit down, look up the meaning of the card, and then free associate on the meaning given and the symbolic elements in the card, writing it down as you go. When you meet that card again in a spread, you will know it like you know a friend doesn’t like pepperoni on pizza. It’s work, but you can do one a day or one a week, and it gives you a deep and rich understanding of the symbology of your deck so that when you do a reading you can do so with confidence.
Get the book only once you’re ready or have the time to learn. Reason being there are always exercises in the book that require time and patience so that you can learn the deeper meanings in the tarot.
And when you do get a book, get beginners book or get a companion book you will stick to- depends on the learning style you choose. If you want to know the basic card reading skills – get a beginners book and from there on you can continue your studies, and build upon the foundations so u can read with any deck. If your not to keen on making this a life time of learning thing, find a deck you think you’d like to use when reading and learn with the companion book. It’ll teach you all you need to know about the symbolism of the specific deck’s artwork so that once your done and satisfied you wouldn’t need further learning.
i am not any sort of expert and am still learning, though it is a lifetime of learning kind of thing for me.
i bought the cards first then later i found the book at a used book store.
i still consider myself a novice and i’ve been reading for a long time.
if you aren’t using the cards yet i don’t see the need to buy the kit. you will most likely be drawn to one deck when you start reading, and if you don’t have that book you can always buy it then.
bright blessings to you
The only thing you really need to know is the basic meaning most commonly associated with each card, and common spreads. Unless you have a more unique deck (not containing all the regular major and four suits of the minor arcana) that isn’t like the other decks. Otherwise you waste money on books that all tell you the same thing.
If it’s just the art you’re interested in;
perhaps the cards themselves would be a better buy for you.
Blessed be.
If you’re buying for the art and not to use then the book has no meaning for you. Other practitioners are practicing, so what they are doing isn’t what you are, therefore what works for them isn’t going to work for you.
If you care about what you spend your money on. Buy the deck only. That’s all you are using.
If you have cash in abundance get them both. What does it matter?
Books can be purchased after the fact, in most cases.