Learning Tarot: Picking a deck to work with!

Some of my random decks!

So you've decided you want to learn to read Tarot! Good for you!! And maybe you've already bought a deck and tried giving it a go and thought "gee, I thought it might have been a little easier" or "something doesn't seem quite right". This could be for a number of reasons though.. but rather than get into every single what-ifs, let's just focus on what if it's not the right deck for you? Some decks are a little more visually intensive than others and some extremely minimalistic. But when starting out, you'll want to find something that really speaks to you but doesn't overwhelm (or even underwhelm) you! That is going to be the main reason why you stick or don't stick with learning Tarot. It won't be having to learn what the cards mean, that just comes from practice! But it's more the way that the cards tell you things; and tell you them accurately!

When I began reading cards, I actually didn't start with Tarot but with a regular playing deck. Yes, you CAN use a regular deck of cards for divination but it's not the same as Tarot.. similar, but not the same! But since there's only 52 cards in a playing deck and 78 cards in Tarot, kinda understandable! There's also "oracle cards" which are a little more simpler to use, but we'll save those for another post! My first deck I bought was the standard Rider-Waite Tarot. It just seemed like the right choice since it's what I had become accustomed to seeing other people use and it's what usually ends up being used in most Tarot books, unless you buy a deck that has it's own book. It did it's job, I learned the Tarot; but until I bought the Robin Wood deck, I didn't know what I was missing out on!!! Granted, they are very similar considering the Robin Wood deck is based of the Rider-Waite, but the images just seemed to grab my attention more. And then I ended up using it for years and years while the Rider-Waite sat in a drawer. Of course I picked up new decks over the years.. obviously. My favorite decks are the Witches Tarot, Gilded Tarot, Legacy of the Divine Tarot, and Druidcraft Tarot. But anytime I've needed an UBER steady reliable deck, it was always my Robin Wood. I'm pretty sure I have used the images from the Robin Wood a few times for Tarotscopes, and I have been using the Radiant Rider-Waite recently.

So if you're ready to jump in and buy your first deck, or are feeling that you need something different from what you have; go over to Aeclectic Tarot and browse through the decks and see what gives you good vibes and see if you can find some reviews on the deck. I'm sure you'll generate a list of a couple dozen!! LOL! So here's a few recommendations I have for decks!


Quick and Easy Tarot - This one is great if you haven't learned any of the keywords and you need a little bit of an interpretation on the card itself. I kinda see this one as a "cheater" card.. but not everyone learns the same way so it might be beneficial if you feel like you need more help.

Morgan Greer Tarot - A borderless deck and a lot of readers will actually trim down the borders on their other cards for more of this style! It makes the images seem a little bigger when there's no border, but this deck also seems like it's been "zoomed in" on.

Gilded Tarot - One of the most absolutely stunning decks! This one can be a little visually intense, but it is also used in Easy Tarot: Learn to Read the Cards Once and For All!

Angel Tarot Cards - If you connect with angels, you'll LOVE this deck! You can also read about my review of this deck here.

Animals Divine Tarot - If animals are more what speaks to you, this could really be a great deck to use. However, they do seem to delve a little more into some mythological undertones so this may be confusing if you don't know the associated stories.

Tarot of the Sweet Twilight - This deck is a little unusual... like acid trip unusual. LOL! But it does convey the messages in a lovely way! If you find other decks a little too dull, or froo froo, this could do the trick!

Cat's Eye Tarot - You may just be a crazy cat lady if you have this deck! ;) But seriously, this is a FABULOUS deck if you love cats. The images really make a lot of sense to the interpretations so they are easy to follow. This is my 13 year old's favorite deck!

Robin Wood Tarot - Of course I'm going to have to recommend this one!! Even if it seems a little simplistic, time and time again I've had people say they get the BEST readings from it! There is Paganism imagery in this deck so if that is something you are concerned with, this might not be the deck for you.

Wildwood Tarot - I like this one for the feelings and emotions that are shown throughout the illustrations! The Druidcraft Tarot was also done by the same illustrator!

Sacred Circle Tarot - This deck has photography blended in with the illustrations.. I think this might actually be one of the first decks to do it that I can remember. And it does make the images pop a little more! This deck also has a more Paganism too it as well.

Legacy of the Divine Tarot -Somewhat similar to the Gilded Tarot, but is definitely just as stunning if not more so!!

Witches Tarot - HANDS DOWN this has been my absolute favorite deck since it came out last year! I had meant to write a review on it, but just hadn't got to it.. maybe I'll have to go work on that now! ;) The artwork is just amazing.. for me anyways! Like I said, the deck has to speak to you!!!


So there you have it! Some decks to check out if you've been wondering what might even be some good options. And alright, yeah I didn't get to this week's Tarotscopes.. I unfortunately had to nurse a kitty cat back to health so things had been pretty crazy this last week. Plus it was my daughter's birthday this week, so yeah..... what can ya do sometimes?! :sigh: But if you're looking for something specific in a deck, shoot me an email or a message on facebook and I'll see if I can point ya in the right direction!

Hope y'all are having an awesome week! The weekend is almost here!!!
Andi

Accept Nothing But The Best! Quality Over Quantity!

“Quality is not an act.  It is a habit.” ~Aristotle

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different outcomes.” ~Einstein

“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.” ~Steve Jobs

This image totally had me laughing!! When I first went on a mission to find a good one there was a closet full  of shoes, which while it was great and conveyed the message well.. I thought this one was cuter! And we all know I'd much rather have something be humorous than be dull and boring! Anyways, let's get into this post!

So, things have been rather interesting through this Mercury Retrograde period... and as it moved out of Sagittarius and back into Scorpio, I've noticed more of an inward reflection coming about from many people. Some of them have been good, others maybe not so much. But hey, everyone's got their things to deal with in their own way. Which is how this post came about!!

For a while I've felt that I was selling myself short. Anyone that knows me well, knows that I'm not really one for confrontation. I would much rather come to a compromise.. even if it usually ends up that I'm the one compromising a little more than someone else! However, there comes a point when compromising too much ends up causing more problems than it's worth!! Now I might be going a little off track some, but it'll make sense.. I hope! LOL!

I've had clients ask me "how come you charge different amounts at different sites?!". The reason for this is because of commission and payment structure. One site I just started with has a grace period to which they start you off at a set price and once you are past that, you can change it. It's the cheapest at the moment.. so if you find me there; you're definitely getting a HUGE deal! However, another site I've worked on for years takes HALF of my pay and they only pay once a month. Which with 4 kids, definitely takes some bill juggling to make sure things are paid on time!! Another site, I pay a smaller commission and am paid automatically, although besides their commission I end up paying fees on the payments. Sooo.. the short explanation is that I charge what I can on the sites based on what the commission is! I always try to be as fair as possible and $2.00/minute is what I charge my personal clients that are not going to these sites. The standard going rate for services within a metaphysical shop in most major cities is between $1.50 - $3.00/minute.

Ok so back to the quality over quantity... Now, on occasion I will offer my services at a discounted "special" rate. Actually I'll be having one in the next few days for Thanksgiving! So keep your eyes peeled! However, sometimes clients take this as that I've now lowered my rate and they should be able to keep receiving this rate for their sessions. This unfortunately happens more times than I'd like and has led me to question whether specials are something I should offer. But my guides say yes, so I just listen! But this reliance of a discounted rate then ends up creating more of a dependency on readings and it because more of a quantity over quality situation! A client may spend more time in a session and not really being focused because they feel they are able to take more time chit chatting than if they were focused on getting to the heart of the matter. And while chit chatting is perfectly acceptable within a reading, the main focus should be getting the information that you are direly seeking! And NOT seeking it out every other day either!!! There needs to be a self-reliance on your own intuition to bring yourself closer to the Universe! If you are seeking it through others, you will only end up feeling further away when you try to figure out the "quality" of the information you are receiving!

Now.. unfortunately this brings up another point I have to make. In this day and age of "drive thru service" there has become quite the influx of spiritual and/or psychic "gurus". I am eternally grateful that I've been able to study with some of the absolute best mentors. However, there are many that pick up a deck of Tarot cards or read a book, give a couple readings to themselves and friends and think, "Oh I can make money doing this". And while I DO mentor many people that somewhat come from this train of thought, I let them know upfront that practicing in an unscrupulous way will do nothing for them in the long run. There's a reason I've been able to work solely in this line of work for the last 12 years... it's because I'm honest. Am I wrong at times? Sure. I'm only human.. I might not interpret something my guides give me in the right way or there's always this pesky thing called free will that can change in a blink of an eye. But for the most part, I'm rather eerily accurate with things. Unfortunately though there is a lot of talk between those of us that are honest about the "sweat shop psychics" that have been popping up lately. They not only are hurting the sites that we work on, they're hurting the whole industry with the mockery they are making of our work! I akin them to the knockoff purses.. they might look the part on the outside, but they most certainly are NOT the real deal!

To which I now need to make another extremely valid point... there is NO governing entity that will certify that someone's training means any more than the paper it is printed on. So while there may be those out there with Master Tarot Reader certifications or whatever, they don't mean a damn thing! In this line of work, you must be EXTREMELY diligent with your research in who you would trust to give you advice with your life choices. While I do have certifications within certain fields, I don't feel as though they entirely convey the quality of service I strive to give! There are very good mentors that are still available and there are some that have given up because of this whole certification collecting mentality that suddenly came about. Whether or not someone has a certification is not going to help you know whether the information you receive is going to be accurate. That only comes from trusting yourself and the trust you feel from their genuineness to help you!

So I definitely want to close out this post in saying.. do your research! ANY psychic, reader, healer, or mentor should have no problems answering questions about themselves to you before you look to them for services. If they're only out for the money.. they're not going to have your best interests in mind and will most likely only be telling you what you want to hear! Most sites will have reviews that can somewhat give some insight into how accurate a reader may be, however, some of these reviews may also be FAKE. Word of mouth can be really great and most honest readers are more than happy to give referrals if they don't feel they would be able to assist you. Get to really know your reader and definitely don't put us on any sort of pedestal! We're really no different than anyone else.. as I always say... EVERYONE IS PSYCHIC!!!

And with that I'm going to invite you to get to know me on my Facebook or at Twitter.. I gotta say I'm a lot more active on Facebook than anywhere else. But I'm trying to get back into the Twitter groove again. Along with figuring out a schedule to get some damn posts on here more regularly! LOL! So I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend and if you would like a reading, healing, etc. just send me a message at my email or Facebook and I'll get back to you ASAP!

Have a blessed day!
Andi

Updated Retainer Packages!!

*RETAINER READINGS*

A retainer is a fee paid in advance for services! Retainers are paid monthly and based on an estimate of the amount of work to be done for the client each month. By pre-paying for services in advance, a discount is also given on the services!! Here's how it works:

We'll say Tammy picks retainer package #2. She received two 60 minute readings the first week and a Reiki healing. Week 2 she opts for two 30 minute readings and 3 mini readings. Week 3 she has two more 30 minute readings. At Week 4 she has a Reiki healing and a 15 minute reading.. now at this point, she has only $10 left.. but because of the pre-payment she'll also receive a 30 minute session at MORE than 1/2 off to make up the remaining balance and she'll save $50!!!!

Retainer packages are GREAT for clients that know they will need ongoing services and can be completely customized to their needs!! I only take so many clients on retainer so as to make sure there's enough time for the clients that DO utilize this service as well as the other clients I help daily. For information on retainer  pricing and the services I currently offer, please check the Services Available page! If you have ANY questions feel free to send me an email or quick IM through Digsby on the right hand side of the page!

Namaste!!
Andi