My absolute favorite tarot deck is the Gilded Tarot Deck by Ciro Marchetti. When I first discovered it at Barnes and Noble it was paired with Josephine Ellershaw’s book Easy Tarot Handbook. (Note the artist, Ciro Marchetti, has a Gilded Tarot Royale deck these days, and that is not the deck that I’m speaking of – I am referring to the original Gilded Tarot Deck). 

I have recommended this deck to countless of my tarot students through the years, and it is a favorite to many.

I’ve tried many other decks -- the traditional Rider-Waite Tarot deck, Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot deck and the Brotherhood of the Light Egyptian Tarot deck to name a few. None of them speak to me the way the Gilded Tarot Deck does. The images are beautiful and still hold true to the more classic cards, so that any tarot reference book or online resource will help you to decipher them. They include gorgeous art, rich colors and include various animal totems that I find useful. There are also a lot of planetary and astrological symbols included the imagery. As a student of astrology and now as a practicing astrologer, I find these symbols and synergy very helpful.

Be sure to choose a deck that has images that really speaks to you! And don’t be afraid to move on if you cannot seem to befriend your tarot deck.

My favorite resources:

The Easy Tarot Handbook included with the deck is very basic and perfect for beginners. I have broadened my knowledge and my practice using other references – highly recommend The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Card Meanings by Brigit Esselmont of Biddy Tarot – and can continue to use the same tarot deck. Biddy Tarot has great online resources as well, check it out.

 I’ve found it important to create a relationship with my deck and, in fact, I no longer allow other people to work with my cards (I used to allow my children to use them or allowed others to shuffle when I was reading for them). 

Tips for starting out with your tarot deck:

When you first get your deck, bundle up the cards and place them under your pillow for a few nights. After that, keep them wrapped in silk so that they don’t pick up other energies. I also keep mine in a small silk bag so I can toss them in my bag on the way out the door if I don’t have time to “run” my cards in the morning. 

Often when first learning tarot you will want to look up the meaning of every card. But it is important to look at the symbolism and see what arises in your own mind. Remember you are reaching out to your own guides and internal resources, and so the symbols might mean something unique to you. An image of an owl might have a unique meaning or symbolism for you – learning to trust the guidance you receive is part of your tarot journey and the journey of all beings on the spiritual path.

I personally recommend starting off by trying not to let the cards become mixed up so that you have “reversed” or upside down cards. It is a layer of information that you can add later.

The Art of Asking the Question:

It is important to work with “the art of asking the question.” Tarot is a language of symbols, so you need to ask the question in a way that it can be answered. Giving time frames is also important. You might inquire “will I find love …?” And if the answer is yes, perhaps it will be ten years from now! Refine your questions; and always give time frames.Another important thing to note is that you should not ask questions more than once in the hope that you will get a different answer. If you ignore what you are told, your guides will tire of pouring unused wisdom down upon you. The cards will simply tell you what you want to hear, instead of the truth. It is important that if you ask the question, you truly desire to know the truth.

What spreads to start with?

I find tarot to be an absolutely amazing resource for guidance, insight, encouragement and personal growth. For myself, I do a “daily spread” reading each morning – one card for my work, one card for home life, one card for unexpected, one card for my role and a final outcome card. I use this for journaling and as a “heads up” on the day. I also love to do a twelve-house reading, where I pull one card for each of the twelve astrological houses. Fantastic information. Here is a link to my YouTube channel and a video on the “Daily Spread.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrbJkDnRGvY

Reading for others:

Reading for other people has just evolved naturally; because of my years as a yoga teacher, spiritual counselor and now, astrologer, people come to me for advice. And sometimes, I don’t know what to tell them. The tarot helps me to understand everything involved, particularly factors they might not have mentioned or even things they themselves are not aware of. I find that tarot is more clear than meditation or even dreams. Distilling the information down into the language of “symbolese” offers so much information – a picture is worth a thousand words, as they say.

That said, don’t get involved in reading for others until you feel very comfortable doing so. It’s a piece of karmic interference that can be pretty loaded at times!

Other deck recommendations:

If there is another tarot deck I would recommend, it would be The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck. Many of my dear friends and students through the years who have studied tarot with me have found themselves very connected to this deck, even though it’s doesn’t groove with me. The imagery is stark, simple and striking. Very different than the elaborate art of the Gilded Tarot Deck.

Have you tried tarot yet? What tarot questions do you have for me?

Shanti (peace),

Jill