Top Six Tarot Decks of 2018
Earlier this year, I started purging my Tarot deck collection. Having a bunch of decks that were never put into circulation was getting me down. I thought it would be better for them to go to homes where they were loved and used. I don’t fancy myself a hoarder and I’m definitely NOT a serious deck collector. Heck, I don’t even know how many decks I own! (Oops, I guess I might be a hoarder, after all!)
Although I must have purged my collection of between 25-30 decks, I still have too many unused decks, so the purge will continue in the New Year. Ideally, I would like to own only 22 Tarot decks – one for each of the Major Arcana archetypes – To cover all my needs as a professional reader. But which ones to keep? This year I bought a few keepers.
My top six Tarot decks of 2018 are…
…in no particular order…
- The Spirit Within Tarot by Steven Bright. This is a modern Emperor kind of Tarot deck. It gets the job down efficiently and with great clarity. It’s my new favourite Tarot deck for business and career type readings. No muss, no fuss! Check out my Tarot deck interview with the Spirit Within Tarot HERE.
- The Spirit Keeper’s Tarot by Benebell Wen. This, I believe, is a classic in the making. I would describe it the Tarot deck equivalent of Tribal Fusion Belly-dance (it certainly stirs my soul the same way!) and I would associate it with The Angel (trad. Temperance). The SKT is more than just a Tarot deck. The literature and video material that Benebell so generously provides with the deck makes the deck its own school of magick – Quite a feat, and one – I suspect – that will be celebrated for decades, if not centuries, to come. My interview with the Spirit Keeper’s Tarot can be found HERE. Oh, and all of you who were disappointed to not be able to snap a first edition deck up will be happy to know that there will be a second edition published in 2019!
- The Luna Sol Tarot by Mike Medaglia is an obvious candidate for both The Sun and The Moon. It’s a beautifully diverse modern deck. I would describe it as gentle and versatile… and maybe a little bit quirky, the way any spiritual Master is who’s been around for too long to take themselves too seriously. A couple of months down the line, I’m still crushing badly on this deck. You can find my deck interview with the Luna Sol Tarot HERE.
- The Crystal Unicorn Tarot by Pamela Chen. Because Unicorns. And Crystals. This is a deck I would associate with The Star. Reach for it when your best option is to throw glitter on something or to simply lighten up. It’s a deck for your inner child – and we all have one! There is a colouring book to go with this deck too… Yay! My deck interview with the Crystal Unicorn Tarot can be found HERE.
- RWS Pamela Colman Smith Tarot by Lo Scarabeo – BEFORE they changed it back to the traditional colouring. There were two versions published this year, with the same name and almost identical packaging, so it gets confusing! I talk some more about this kerfuffle HERE. Still, I saw in the 2019 Lo Scarabeo catalogue that they are planning on re-issuing this deck – with the brighter colouring that we all adore – in a borderless edition. Form an orderly queue behind me, ladies! Full disclosure: I would have added the borderless Smith Waite Tarot by US Games to this list but I was sorely disappointed to find out that important symbology had been cut from the top of the cards – You can read about one such faux pas HERE. Any RWS deck would fall under The Hierophant and multiple working copies are allowed, natch.
- The Tarot of Enchanted Dreams by Yasmeen Westwood – A gorgeous, dreamy, romantic and indulgent self-published deck that comes in a large tin. All are sold out now but luckily Schiffer Publishing snapped this deck up and will be publishing it in the year ahead. I would associate this deck with The Empress and strong women who are not afraid to own their sensual nature. This is a Goddess deck for sure! Check out my deck interview with this deck HERE!
What are some of your favourite decks of 2018? Which release(s) are you looking forward to in 2019?
Comments 7
Very good information. Lucky me I recently found your website by accident (stumbleupon). I’ve bookmarked it for later!
Author
Glad you enjoy the site!
Lisa, thank you for another great post.
Interestingly enough, in my life, when it has come to Tarot Decks, Oracle Card Decks, books, CDs, I rarely, if ever, purchase them the same year they are published. I do not know why, but that happens a lot.
I was surprised to see the “Spirit Within Tarot,” as it was published in 2017 (I had to look it up), and recently unearthed it; I was immediately drawn to the silhouette images, and love the feel–both physically and Psychically–of this Tarot Deck. Not to mention one of my favorite Metaphysically-oriented YouTube Channel content creators had done a walkthrough of the Deck on this Channel.
I also found your comments about the “Everyday Witch Tarot” very intriguing, and they also made me very happy. In January, 2017, I was celebrating my Birthday, along with a good friend, who is also a professional Intuitive(her Birthday is January 24, and mine is January 8, and for the last few years, we get together the last Sunday of January to celebrate our Birthdays) and she and I had visited a Barnes & Noble Booksellers store, and I remember seeing the kit for the “Everyday Witch Tarot,” and telling her, “I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of this Deck,” and then when I look at the back of the box, I saw it was published in January, 2017, and I took that as a clear and evident Sign to give that Deck to myself as a Birthday gift.
My Intuition led me to use that particular Tarot Deck for your #2018TarotReview, and so happy that I AM enjoying the process, and look forward to catching up.
Your post is also another confirmation about using your “Mindful Deck Collector’s Tarot Spread,” as soon as possible, especially before I buy any Tarot and/or Oracle Card Decks in 2019.
Author
My pleasure, Robert. I think the Crystal Unicorns might have first been published in 2017 too but am not sure and not really that bothered to be honest. These are MY picks of 2018. 🙂
Lisa, thank you for the reply.
Truth be told, I AM usually on top of such things as who publishes a Tarot or Oracle Card Deck, its copyright year, etc., but I have not been focusing on those details lately, much to the lament of the Planets I have in Earth Signs (smile).
Nonetheless, I love your picks for top six Tarot Decks of 2018; I truly resonated with the “Spirit Within Tarot,” by Steven Bright, and one of my closest friends and I love Unicorns (although she has more Unicorn imagery and statuary than I do, but I digress). the “Luna Sol Tarot” has been drawing me for a while now, which is ironic, as I was not drawn to it even a whit, when I first saw images of the Cards; go figure.
Now, the “Spirit Keeper’s Tarot,” by Benebell Wen, and the “Tarot of Enchanted Dreams,” by Yasmeen Westwood, I know about the former, but learned about the latter, via this post. Both either turn me into a babbling fool, or leave me mute and speechless every time I think about, or look at them. Enough said.
I am hoping to purchase both Yasmeen’s and Benebell’s decks next year. My favorites for 2018 have been The Everyday Witch and Everyday Enchanted tarot. I’ve worked with The Guardian Tarot but it’s a different system and I still have to use the LWB. Same with The Hidden Realm tarot as well. There are several on my wishlist for 2019. I’m debating the Green Witch Tarot as it’s on sale for $16.00 but I’m leaning toward Indie decks. I’d love to purchase yours if I ever get enough cash. 🙂
Author
I know this may not be a biggie for some people but I hated the card stock of the Green Witch Tarot, so I got rid of it. I got the Everyday Witch Tarot not long after and was much happier, both with the style of the artwork AND the card stock.