Michelle Crandell shares her insights about various Tarot decks. Card photos by Steve Bonner.
By Michelle Crandell
Last month, I shared guidelines for choosing a Tarot deck. This month, I am sharing three kinds of decks I often recommend to my students.
- POSITIVE, DIPLOMATIC DECKS, for example: Aquarian/New Palladini Tarot. Aquarian Tarot was my first deck, received as a gift in 1978. For thirty years, I used Aquarian exclusively. Aquarian gives clear readings, using imagery similar to Waite-Rider but without the sinister harshness I see in that deck. Iconic Tarot symbols in gentle colors make this an excellent beginner’s choice. In 1996, the same illustrator, David Palladini revised Aquarian Tarot, making the deck more “beautiful and powerful.” It, too, reads optimistic but in more forceful, vibrant ways.
- TELL IT LIKE IT IS DECKS, for example: Tattoo Tarot. This is my “go-to” deck for blunt, in-your-face readings. I use this deck for single card readings at festivals because of its strong, protective energy…and with seekers who desire brutal honesty.
- DECKS THAT CLARIFY REVERSALS, for example: Tarot of Oppositions and Tarot of the New Vision. “Oppositions” cards are cut in half, showing the light aspect of the card on one half and shadow on the other. Whichever is right side up is dominant in the reading. This really helps readers expand their ability to interpret reversals. “New Vision” is illustrated from the perspective of being in the card looking out. “What is not seen” becomes revealed. “Every front has a back.”
Michelle Crandell provides individual Tarot readings for a fee. Once a year, she teaches LEARN TO READ TAROT. Call if interested in her next class. To learn more, email michelle.crandell@gmail.com, or call 501-655-6142.
