The Best Tarot Cards for Beginners - My Favorites!

Are you ready to begin using tarot cards, but you're not sure which deck will be the best first deck that you should invest in? In this video, I'll be sharing with you 3 tarot decks that I believe are great decks to start reading tarot with.

Congratulations on this first step in using tarot to awaken your intuition. Before I dive into the tarot decks that I’m going to recommend, I’d like to give you some background into the major tarot systems, and their origin.

Tarot as we know it in the form of playing cards has been around since the Italian Renaissance in the 1400’s. You can learn more about the history in another video I published, but for this video, I want to simplify for you the things to consider before purchasing your first tarot deck.

There are 3 major tarot card systems, and each of these systems has their own symbolism and tarot card meanings. Usually, as with all things, each person has their own preference for what tarot system they would like to work with, and this will be something you can explore on your own to see what system resonates with you the best.

The most popular tarot card system, and the one I use, and also the decks I’ll be recommending to you, are from the Rider-Waite Tarot System, by Arthur Edward Waite with Illustration by Pamela Coleman Smith. This tarot deck originated at the beginning of the 1900’s, and the majority of the decks you’ll find today are a off shoot from this particular tarot system.

Besides the Rider-Waite tarot system, there are two other major tarot systems that I want to mention to you. Even though, I won’t be showing you decks from these systems, I at least want to let you know of their existence, to help you investigate what system would be best for you to use, as you start on the magnificent journey of reading tarot cards.

The two tarot systems are The Thoth Tarot System originated around the early 1940’s by Aleister Crowley and the Tarot of Marseilles, which originated in the late fifteenth century in northern Italy. Both of these tarot systems have their own methodology and symbolism, and usually people have a preference to use one of these two versus the Rider-Waite system, and some people use all three!

In regards to the actual tarot decks within all 3 systems, When you start researching which tarot deck to use, it can be overwhelming! There are many tarot decks available for sale, and just on amazon alone, my search showed over 400 results! Never mind the independent decks that you can find on Etsy or through the individual artists, who usually have their own websites and sell their cards independently. This is why I’m only going to recommend a few decks to start. Undoubtedly, you will grow from these decks on to other more elaborate or abstract decks as you develop your intuitive skills.

OK, now on to my tarot deck recommendations if you are beginning your tarot journey.

The first tarot deck I recommend if you’re starting out, is the Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot Deck. It’s a newer version of the original Rider-Waite deck, and the images are the same, but this version has more vibrant colors. And personally, I like brighter cards, because the bright colors evoke emotion for me, and it helps awaken my intuition during a reading. You might find that you like the original Rider-Waite tarot deck that has more muted colors. This is where tarot is very subjective. It’s what inspires you and calls to your intuition. And everyone is different in how they react to the cards. For some people, it’s color, for some it’s imagery, and for some it’s the amount of detail on the cards, whether a little or a lot. I don’t own the original Rider-Waite tarot deck to show you a comparison, but you can find it easily online to compare for yourself.

The other reason I chose this deck to share with you, is that these images are pretty clear, and most tarot books available use the Rider-Waite system to explain the individual meanings of these cards in particular, so it’s easy to find references as you’re learning the meanings of each card.

The next tarot deck I recommend if you’re looking to purchase your first tarot deck, is the Dreaming Way tarot. This is one of my favorite decks, though, like most tarot card readers I have many favorites…

This deck is also based on the Rider-Waite tarot system, and the reason I recommend this deck is that it is direct, the images are really clear, and you can easily see the card’s meaning, especially as you’re starting to develop your intuition. I personally love the clear artwork in this deck, it draws me in and helps to bring clarity to possibly a complicated situation.

It draws out the important elements to focus on. If you follow my channel, you’ll see that I used this deck in my 30-day daily tarot card challenge, where I pull a card a day for 30 days. This challenge, where I’ll link above, may be helpful for you to see if these cards resonate with you.

The final tarot deck that I recommend if you’re looking to purchase your first tarot deck, is the Anna K. Tarot deck. This is the first tarot deck I ever purchased, and of course, it has a special place in my heart, as this was the deck that started me on an incredible journey over the last 8 years with tarot, and I find it to be a great storyteller.

For me, it takes it one step further from just interpreting the card meanings and helps guide you on a journey of the person you are reading, even if it is just a reading for yourself. Again, like all the decks I use, the Anna K. tarot deck is based on the Rider-Waite tarot system.

I want to leave you with one final thought as you are exploring tarot and how it will fit into your life.

The most important thing to remember, is it’s not necessarily about memorizing the cards or thinking too much about what the original meaning is. It’s about using your intuition to tap into something that is greater than that. When you connect from your heart or your solar plexus, you’ll find that the cards are almost secondary to what your intuition will tell you. Of course, you have to be tapped into the energy and be open, to see, hear or feel the messages that come through.

The tarot cards are just a catalyst to help guide you to something you already know inside. I know it sounds easy, and in practice, not so much, but remember that this is a journey without a goal post, to help you awaken your intuition over time. Your intuition may come in spurts, or all at once, or happens slowly over time.

Though, no matter how it happens for you, I can assure you that you will enjoy the process.

I find that this starts as a personal journey, and it’s good practice to find a sacred space and time, to pull a card a day and journal about that card. You can write whatever comes to mind when you look at this card and see what it brings up for you.

I like to draw, so when I first started, I created this daily tarot journal where I drew the actual card on one side of the page and wrote it’s meaning on the other side. This helped me tap into my intuition, and at the same time I learned about each card.

Whatever you are drawn to is what you should do. There is no right or wrong way, that’s the beauty of intuition, it’s your own, and where it will take you will be magnificent. It’ll affect your life in ways that you could never imagine.

And once your intuition is developed, you’ll see how important and effective it is in your daily life, with people and situations that might have triggered you, or worried you or upset you, no longer applies. You’ll see the bigger picture in everyday scenarios and realize the true dynamics of the everyday world. You’ll be amazed.