Some of the decks that I've studied over the years.

My very first deck was the Hanson Roberts Tarot.

In 1992 I worked in a shop called 'Equinox'. It sold all sorts of magical items like crystals, tarot, incense, books and art. It was here that I bought my very first tarot deck. The picture on the front with the mediaeval figure holding back a curtain revealing the words 'To all Believers' was what did it for me! This was the start of my tarot journey and I've been studying and reading ever since.

I've also accumulated quite a few decks over the years (ahem..!) and have enjoyed researching the history, symbolism and huge amount of knowledge that has gone into such an intriguing and continuing system.

The Rider Waite (as it was known then) is now rightly called The Rider Waite Smith or RWS giving full credit to the amazing artist Pamela Colman Smith, without whom we would not have the deck that is now so famous worldwide and is used as a template for hundreds/thousands of artists as a platform for their art.

The RWS is the 'industry standard' if you like and usually the deck that most people begin learning with, myself included. From here I went on to study the Tarot De Marseille and the Thoth, absorbing myself in the history and mysterious symbology and the excitement of finding out what the symbols are, which systems they belong to and how to incorporate them into readings for today.

I'll be writing more about these decks in future blogs. Meanwhile have a look at the photo and see if there is one deck that maybe calls to you or catches your attention...