How much does the deck I use affect my reading?

In my case, a lot.

That is why at the very beginning of a reading I let my client pick one.

Right now my clients have eight options. I own several more decks, but some I only use for myself.

Why? Confidence. With some decks I have a strong reliable bond.
Those are the decks I use for my clients.
Others I find good for philosophical / spiritual questions only.
A few, beautiful as they may be, just don’t speak to me.
Last, any new deck I get, I only use for my self for a little while.
I do that in order to get to know the deck and the way it communicates.

Most times I will only take out four of those eight decks.
Why? In order not to overwhelm my client with options and to save time.

Now let’s say I displayed those eight decks in front of you.

The Sacred Rose Tarot, Radiant Rider- Waite, Legacy of the Divine, Universal, The Gilded, Robin Wood, Druid Craft, Gaian Tarot

How do you pick one?
I suggest you don’t over think it.
Just look at the decks. They will all be displaying the same card, The Fool. Look at them like you would any other painting.
Which one calls to you?
Which one would you want to take home with you?

Once you have made your choice we can begin.

Now let me explain why I want you to pick the deck.

Each Tarot card has many meanings and many layers.
The way I select one meaning over the other comes from a combination of things.

Question, position in the spread, surrounding cards and the images themselves.

Let’s say I am looking at the 7 of Swords.

Here we have a few samples.
Legacy of the Divine Tarot and Radiant Rider-Waite on the very top, Gaian Tarot in the middle and Sacred Rose Tarot and Druid Craft Tarot on the bottom.
Same card but expressed in different ways.
It is my belief that the image in front of me will speak to my intuition and I will read it accordingly.
Let me give you an example, a fast one. Just a snap shot.

The first card on the top, shows someone breaking through a window. My first impression is a warning of danger. Something fishy is going on. Someone may try to reap you off.

In the second one, someone is sneaking out of a village holding too many swords and I a way that in real life would cause him some injuries. He is also leaving some swords behind, which the villagers may later use against him. Swords represent the element of Air, meaning rational thinking and communication. Someone here is making plans that will affect others without letting them know. He knows they would not approve and he does not want to discuss it. Eventually when his action will come to light he will have a lot of explaining to do and amends to make.

The card in the middle, from the Gaian deck, shows someone looking at a map. Here I would say the guy is contemplating his next move. He does not know yet what that will be. He is looking at the map to figure it out.

In the next card we see someone sitting down. He seems to be under attack, but he holds his hand up. To me he is calling for calm and for time. He is not ready to engage just yet.

In the last card we see an old man working late. From his expression I would say he is formulating a plan with a lot of care.
He is taking his time to do it right.

I could write about each card for a very long time, but you get the meaning, I hope.

If you want to delve deeper you may want to check two other posts.
Different decks, different interpretation? December 6 2009  and
7 of swords in the Druid Craft Tarot deck and R.W.S. February 8 2012.

Thanks for following me so far. Feel free to add your comments or questions.