#Tarottotheextreme

What polar opposites are in your collection? This is my response to Marlene Theresa's very popular hashtag on YouTube. 

1. Minimalist v's Maximalist

I tend not to go for silhouette decks but the colour of the Black Violet Tarot, Cherry Blossom Edition has completely enchanted me. It's not so minimalist that you feel there's not enough, it's just the right amount of symbolism but in an unfussy way. It has a really nice feel about it. As does the Brady Tarot, but it achieves that nice feel in a whole different way. 

The images are just amazing, the level of detail is perfect but maybe it's the vast range of colours or maybe it's the lino-cut art style, I don't know but there's just so much going on that it's sometimes hard to see the animals from the environments. It makes a great one card pull kind of deck, anything more can get overwhelming. Oh, and it could easily have been in the worst shuffle category. 

2. Daytime v's Nighttime

Even the images set at night look light and sparkly in the Fantastic Menagerie Tarot. This deck just has a warm and open feel, there are no dark corners with worrisome things lurking. That doesn't mean there are no creepy-crawlies, there are plenty. They're just quite sweet little bugs and you can see them clearly and will probably want to have a chat with them, not squish them under your shoe. 

The Midnight City Tarot on the other hand is a very nighttime deck, by design. Even though it's full of bright purples and blues and yellows, even the daytime scenes look shrouded in an atmospheric cloak. This deck invites you to view NYC through a kind of nostalgic lens, as if you might meet Cagney and Lacey on one of their night shifts. 

3. Best Shuffle v's Worst Shuffle

It's a regular size, with linen finish, so not too slippy but the card stock is like playing cards so it riffles, bridges and overhands like a dream. I recently reviewed The Fifth Spirit Tarot and it has a lot more going for it but if shuffling is one of your priorities, this is a great deck. 
I don't find myself shuffling for shuffling sake too often nowadays. The joints in my fingers have been particularly stiff and sore of late.

However it's still an important requirement for me when choosing a deck. That's mainly because no matter how delightful the images are, and in the case of the True Black Tarot they are stunning, I just find myself not reaching for the deck because the usability is impaired. Even if I'm reading just for myself and by myself, I want to feel like I know what I'm doing and not drop cards all over the place..

4. Confronting v's Comforting

So let's start with confronting. I know that it was nicknamed the sassy burrito but I didn't realise just how it would turn from being my favourite deck to one I'm a little but scared to pick up. Yes, I'm talking to you, Mr King of Pentacles. The Sasuraibito could be considered an older deck now, I suppose but if you're fearless, apparently its now produced in nice matt card stock. 

And for comforting, well it had to be my favourite little Pandas. The Way of the Panda Tarot or its little sister, the mini deck will always bring you a comforting read. Just look at the comparison with the mean KoP in the sassy deck. Our little panda King has the cutest smiling face and makes you want to run up and cuddle him, not run for the hills. 

5. Everyday v's Every so often

It's one of my latest purchases so maybe that's why the Trionfi della Luna has found itself as my everyday deck. In particular the Paradoxical and Paradoxical Rose Editions have a lovely feel to them and I've been reaching for them over and over again. They're a lovely shuffle and the illustrated minors work so well, they were an instant hit. 

The Victorian Romantic was, once upon a time, my daily deck. I used the first edition for so many years, I knew the cards back to front. This third edition is beautiful with the cold stamping but I haven't quite settled with all of the image changes. It's still one that I can rely on every so often though and both of these deck are joyous shuffles. 

6. Overrated v's Underrated

As with most responses to this controversial category, I'm not saying the This Might Hurt deck is overrated, more that it was overexposed at the time of release. There were so many reviews and walk throughs a couple of years back, you couldn't escape it. In my opinion, it's a nice, artfully coloured, diverse but cartoony RWS inspired deck. 

On the other hand, I don't think I've heard anyone mention the Black Line Tarot (apart from me). It was a kickstarter campaign so some other people must have this one, let me know if you do and what you think of it. In my opinion, it makes an excellent daily card pull deck due to its clarity in the line work and those huge titles. 

7. Lightwork v's Shadowwork

I'll be honest, I've never heard of light work before and I'm not entirely sure that I've indulged in any specific shadow work. I believe Marlene described light work as asking more surface level questions and I've found the Inner Alignment Tarot with its keywords on each card are really good for quick and  light questions. 

As for shadow work, the Lubanko Tarot is literally dark and has all the kind of deep images that you need. As I mentioned, I'm no expert in this topic and for so long I've been meaning to look into it further. So I've purchased the best guide that I know of and that is "What the *Bleep* Are Shadows...?!" by Brittany Lewis. If you want to know more, check out her site www.blewisarts.com (and she has a deck coming out soon too - gorgeous!!!)   

Decks

1. Black Violet Tarot, Cherry Blossom Edition by Heidi Phelps www.thewootique.com
1. The Brady Tarot by Emi Brady www.thewootique.com
2. The Fantastic Menagerie Tarot by Baba Studios www.uk.baba-store.com
2. The Midnight City Tarot by Jackie Franco www.thewootique.com
3. The Fifth Spirit Tarot by Charlie Claire Burgess www.littleredtarot.com
3. True Black by Arthur Wang www.thewootique.com
4. The Sasuraibito Tarot by Stasia Burrington www.littleredtarot.com
4. Way of the Panda Tarot by Kimberly M. Tsan www.littleredtarot.com
5. Trionfi Della Luna Paradoxical Illustrated Pips Edition by Patrick Valenza www.etsy.com
5. The Victorian Romantic Tarot by Baba studios www.uk.baba-store.com
6. The This Might Hurt Tarot Deck by Isabella Rotman  www.littleredtarot.com
6. Black Line Tarot by Agni Prasada Burning www.etsy.com
7. The Inner Alignment Chakra Tarot by Levi Smits
7. The Lubanko Tarot by E. Lubanko www.littleredtarot.com