- The majority of official decks include a pamphlet, and each of our packs includes a hardcover guide. If the package has a QR code or the website offers a PDF download of the booklet, you have discovered a fake.
- The cards in fake decks are printed on thin, floppy paper, and they are smaller and come in shoddy-printed, fragile boxes.
- Additionally, fake decks are printed with the incorrect or no colors, making it difficult to notice the details.
- Multiple imitation tarot cards will be offered for sale by counterfeit deck vendors and distributors under one listing. It’s very possible that the rest of the decks they sell are also forgeries if you spot a phony Modern Witch in the ad.
- When compared to other decks’ prices you see online, counterfeit decks sometimes sell for a ridiculously low price.
- If it costs more than half as much, beware!
- Due to the vendors’ lack of trustworthiness and the need to create numerous accounts to avoid being shut down, counterfeit decks are more likely to be significantly lower in the product listings.
- Stay away from Wish and Ali Express. These websites are well known for selling phony goods.
- Verify the seller. They are more likely to sell authentic decks if they are a well-known or independent store.
- Visit our shop page to get authentic product photographs to compare against if you have concerns about your tarot deck. Since we only share the actual stuff, you can also check out photographs on our Instagram account, Liminal 11!
In This Article...
What Tarot deck came first?
The origin of playing cards is unknown, although they initially arrived in Europe in the late 14th century. The earliest records, mostly of card games being outlawed, are from Berne in 1367, and they appear to have spread throughout all of Europe quite quickly. Little is known about the design and quantity of these cards; the only significant information is found in a text written in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1377 by John of Rheinfelden, who, in addition to other versions, describes the basic pack as consisting of the four still-in-use suits of 13 cards, with the courts typically being the King, Ober, and Unter (“marshals”), although Dames and Queens were already well-known by that time.
The suits of Batons or Clubs, Coins, Swords, and Cups were one of the earliest card patterns to emerge. These suits are still present in classic decks of playing cards from Italy, Spain, and Portugal, as well as in contemporary (occult) tarot cards that originally appeared in the late 18th century.
Between 1440 and 1450, in Milan, Ferrara, Florence, and Bologna, additional trump cards with allegorical pictures were added to the conventional four-suit pack, resulting in the first known tarot decks. The additional cards, known simply as trionfi, later became known as “trumps” in English. These new decks were known as carte da trionfi, triumph cards, and trionfi. The first recorded account of trionfi can be discovered in a 1440 Florence court document referring to the transfer of two decks to Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta.
The about 15 Visconti-Sforza tarot decks that were painted in the middle of the 15th century for the rulers of the Duchy of Milan are the oldest surviving decks of tarot cards. Martiano da Tortona likely wrote about a missing tarot-like pack that Duke Filippo Maria Visconti had ordered between 1418 and 1425 because the painter he describes, Michelino da Besozzo, left for Milan in 1418 and Martiano himself passed away in 1425. He spoke of a deck of 60 cards, 16 of which featured Roman gods, and four different bird suits. The sixteen cards were referred to as “trumps” because Jacopo Antonio Marcello said that the now-deceased duke had created a new and magnificent category of triumphs in 1449. The Sola-Busca and Boiardo-Viti decks from the 1490s are two other early decks that also had classical themes.
The Minchiate enlarged deck was in use in Florence. Along with conventional tarot imagery, this 97-card deck also features astrological signs, the four elements, and other themes.
Tarot was not routinely condemned in its early history, despite a Dominican priest railing against the sinfulness of cards in a sermon from the 15th century (mostly because of their usage in gambling).
The initial decks of tarot cards are said to have been few in number because they were all hand-painted. The printing press was the first tool that made mass production of playing cards feasible. During the Italian Wars, tarot began to spread outside of Italy, first to France and then to Switzerland. The Tarot of Marseilles, which has Milanese origins, was the most widely used tarot deck in these two nations.
What kind of tarot deck should I use?
It’s a journey that is ultimately personal. According to psychic medium Michael Cardenas, there is “no one correct deck” to begin with. “Each person will have a different deck to bond with. Find the one who will actually speak to you.”
Which Tarot deck is the best?
The following are the top 5 tarot card sets, in the opinion of expert readers:
- the tarot deck by Rider-Waite-Smith. Amazon.
- The Modern Tarot Library’s Modern Witch tarot deck. Amazon.
- Tarot deck from St. Croix.
- Tarot deck by Morgan-Greer. Tarot.com.
- The tarot deck and book set called The Wild Unknown. The Unknown Wild.
What Tarot card is the rarest?
The Fool is typically seen as a card from the Major Arcana when performing a tarot reading. Contrary to popular belief, the Fool does not fall under either category in tarot card games. Instead, the Fool serves a function that is distinct from both the simple suit cards and the trump cards. As a result, the Fool has no number assigned to it in the majority of tarot decks that were initially created for playing games. Although Waite assigns the Fool the number 0, in his book, the Fool is discussed between Judgment (number 20) and The World (number 21). The Tarocco Piemontese is the only traditional game deck that numbers the Fool 0. Since the 1930s, the corner index for the Fool in Tarot Nouveau decks has frequently been a black inverted mullet. The Fool is one of the most expensive cards in practically all tarot games.
Tarot cards fly out for what reason?
I adore proverbs with a witchy theme. They are a part of an oral tradition that most likely began when illiteracy rates among rural residents were high. Witches created rhymes and other catchy words to help people remember their rituals before they could record their spells in intricate grimoires.
I’ve never been able to determine where the adage first appeared “What hits the ground makes its way to the door, but I believe it’s a keeper. The statement is applied by tarot readers to cards that fly out of the deck during the shuffle, whether they “either touch the table or the floor. Jumping cards is most definitely a message to pay attention to if, like me, you see the tarot as an oracle and a doorway to a higher plane of awareness.
Why Do Tarot Cards Jump Out of the Deck?
Cards may jump as a result of luck, inexperienced handling, or subconscious energy transference from the reader.
When seasoned tarot readers manipulate their decks, they infuse the cards with energy and intention. Empaths are particularly adept at transferring energy, so if you belong to this mystical group, you should be aware of any strange occurrences when you shuffle the cards.
amateur tarot readers
Additionally, anxious clients who shuffle the deck before a reading are more likely to make poor shuffles that cause cards to fall to the table or floor. In spite of this, their jumpers shouldn’t be dismissed as “accidents.” Regardless of the shuffler’s skill, every card that leaves the deck needs to be recorded.
How Do Cards Jump?
A card can emerge from the deck in a number of ways. Jumper cards are ranked in the following order, from least to most significant:
- Several cards from the deck drop to the ground or the table. This mishap was probably just the result of a careless shuffle.
- Without any ceremony or drama, one card is dealt face-down to the tabletop.
- One card is dealt face-up and is placed on the table.
- From the deck, one card flips enthusiastically and lands face-up on the surface of the table. Please read this carefully, dear reader. Hey, says the greeting card. Observe me! I want to share something with you.
Methods to Deal with a Jumping Tarot Card
It takes a lot of honesty and trust to read the tarot, especially for someone else. Even if you’ve only recently met and even if you’re reading for yourself, take a moment to pause and focus into the vibes surrounding your relationship with the querent whenever a card jumps out of the deck during a shuffle.
From the most cautious to the most important, here are the six ways to deal with an escaped card:
- Reshuffle the deck after placing the card back in it as if nothing had happened.
- Make a mental note of the jumper, reshuffle it, and only pay attention to it if it reappears in the spread you laid.
- Lay your spread separately as usual, with the jumper face up on the table to the side. After that, assess whether the jumper has any bearing on the cards you laid. Only incorporate it into your reading if it “you and makes sense in the given situation.
- The jumper should serve as the signifier. Particularly in spreads that feature a card meant to represent the inquirer, such as Card 1 in the Celtic Cross spread, treat this card as the beginning point for the remainder of your reading by placing it in the first place.
- Think of the jumper as resetting the reading. The true question is frequently avoided by respondents out of fear. They are hesitant to discover their murkier, more hidden sides. Even though you are the one asking the question, there could be an opportunity to do so “Maybe the question you asked wasn’t quite the correct one. What exactly do you want to know?
- Give the jumper a reading of its own. Because they lack the context that comes from reading cards in connection to other cards, one-card readings are probably the most challenging. However, there are instances when the most challenging tasks are also the ones that are most important. Examine the sweater thoroughly and attentively. Really go to it! Take into account all the information you have available about this card, including conventional keywords, your own interpretation of the symbolism, color, and numerology. Ask yourself if the jumper card might be a communication from the afterlife if your belief system includes communicating with the spirit realm.
Tarot card reading is a practice rather than a craft that can be mastered. There are numerous factors that effect every reading, making them unique. Avoid putting too much restriction on your practice. To make every reading the most meaningful and pertinent experience possible, open your heart, intellect, and sixth sense. This includes paying attention to feisty cards that demand your attention.
Can you interpret tarot cards for yourself?
It’s normal to be a little clumsy when you first start practicing the tarot. Tarot study is similar to learning a new languageit takes time to become proficient. But what happens if you no longer require the booklet and have intimate familiarity with the deck? Are you able to read yourself? No, except for a few rare instances. Simply put, it’s a horrible idea.
You see, the majority of us turn to astrology or tarot when we’re looking for clarity amid a period of ambiguity. In contrast to astrology, which is quite technical, our consciousness restricts our capacity to read tarot cards. Working with your personal interpretation of the cards, you are not constrained by short- and long-term cycles like the planets’ orbits. It might be tricky to go beyond your current circumstances while utilizing the tarot to better understand a trying scenario. Even if all the cards are spread out in front of you, putting them together requires such a broad perspective that it is all but impossible to fully understand the meaning of each card. Basically, any biases you already have will always be reflected in your tarot reading!
How are your fresh Tarot cards blessed?
Your playing cards will inevitably take up on any unfavorable energy that gather around you as you employ them. On the other hand, the leftover energy of the people you’ve given readings to can also accumulate.
It’s a good idea to routinely cleanse your cards because of this. The goal is to realign the cards towards their receptive neutral default condition by clearing the opposing and adversarial energies surrounding them.
The full moon charge is a common practice for blessing playing cards. You can achieve this by setting your playing cards beside your window or somewhere else where they can get a lot of moonlight on a full moon night.
Filling your cards with the sun’s radiant energy is an alternative. The procedure is the same as a full moon charge, but you should exercise caution because heat and humidity might warp and harm your cards.
You can choose to bless and purify your cards with a crystal as well. When your cards are not in use, you can continuously purge them of any lingering outside energy and concentrate the cards’ inherent power by placing a piece of clear quartz on them.
Other well-liked gems include black tourmaline, which acts as a grounding agent and can absorb bad energy, and amethyst, which can enhance psychic insight.
Is Tarot difficult to learn?
The amount of information you need to study and memorize to read tarot, though, can seem overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be that way, and that’s what we’re here to tell you. You’ll be an expert by the time your friends from college come around for drinks tonight if you just follow our quick-start tarot instruction.
Tarot reading has been practiced since the 14th or 15th century and may have started out as a card game, similar to poker, rather than a spiritual activity. Nevertheless, a spiritual component emerged, and tarot cards started to be employed for divination in the late 18th century. They have also been applied to psychological research. Even Carl Jung thought of the playing cards as a tool to depict the “archetypes of mankind.”
The majority of 78-card tarot decks follow the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition and make use of related archetypes and iconography.
Additionally, there are tarot decks from various traditions, such as Marseilles tarot decks, as well as oracle cards, which can have any quantity of cards with their own particular imagery. But chances are, if you’re new to tarot, your deck is a Rider-Waite-Smith one.
Each of the 78 cards in these tarot decks has a distinct meaning. You don’t have to keep all of that in your head, even though it is a lot to know about them. The following are the key facts to be aware of:
1. The Minor Arcana and the Major Arcana are the two categories of Tarot cards.
Similar to a standard deck of playing cards, the 56 Minor Arcana cards are divided into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. The total journey of your life is covered by the 22 Major Arcana.
Familiarize yourself with the traditional meanings
During intuitive tarot readings, your intuition will direct you in conveying messages, but Rose thinks it’s still beneficial to comprehend the conventional meaning of each card. She advises developing a regular tarot reading ritual where you ask your trusted tarot deck questions about your life and keep a journal of the readings you do for yourself to explore the meanings of the cards. According to Rose, intuition can come through more clearly the more you connect with yourself and your deck.

