Although it is expected that all decks need study, I have given each deck an
Ease of Reading Rating  on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows:

1 = very intuitive.
2 = little difficulty with some study.
3 = average degree of difficulty.
4 = definite study and experience required.
5 = very difficult to read without a great deal of study and experience.

A NOTE ON SUPERSTITION

Over the years, many people have told me that it is bad luck to buy your own tarot deck. That, it somehow will not work if you purchase your own. This is nothing more than silly superstitious nonsense. To that I say, it is better to choose your own, and if someone offers to pay for it, great!

Adrian Tarot
by ADRIAN BERNHARD KOEHLI (Swiss)  -- translated from the German original by John Melaugh,
CH-8200 Schaffhausean, Switzerland  © 1997 by AGM AGMüller, CH-8212 Neuhausen, Switzerland

This is a beautiful modern concept deck, with superimposed line drawings on each card. The 22 Greater Trumps (Major Arcana) contain the cabbalistic Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge. When these Trump cards are laid out in descending order from I to X there is a shadow image of a man. Lay out the Trumps from XI to XIX in ascending    order beside them and the shadow image of a woman appears. The Minor Arcana cards picture the number of Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles with very little detail. They are however titled which helps the reader with an  interpretation. All the cards are printed in English and German. Suitable for the intermediate to experienced reader.

EASE OF READING RATING = 3

Aquarian Tarot
by DAVID MARIO PALLADINI (American)  -- ©1970 Morgan Press., Inc. Dobbs Ferry, New York, NY 10522 USA

This deck is the for-bearer of The New Palladini deck. David Palladini was obviously strongly influenced by the Rider-Waite deck. The cards are beautiful in their pictorial simplicity and have a masculine quality. If you are considering purchasing this deck to use for readings, you should also look at The New Palladini deck for comparison. This is a good deck for those who wish to memorize card meanings, but I do not find it to be highly intuitive.

EASE OF READING RATING = 4

Barbara Walker Tarot
by BARBARA WALKER (American) -- © 1986 U.S. Games, Inc., 179 Ludlow Street, Stamford, CT 06902 USA

This little deck (4" X 2½") is a pure delight for any pagan. Barbara Walker has painted wonderfully clear images straight out of our pagan past. The deck is influenced strongly by feminist spirituality. This deck works well for the pagan intuitive reader and takes some time to get to know. It is well worth the effort. Barbara Walker wrote the accompanying book titled The Secrets of the Tarot: Origins, History, and Symbolism which is stand alone treasure of information on the tarot. I use this deck when doing readings for pagans and those of a like mind. Some of the images may scare or be misunderstood by those who know nothing of the craft.

As well as an intuitive picture on each of the pip cards (Aces to tens), they are titled. The four court cards in each suit depict Goddess's, Gods, and figures in mythology. The titles are printed in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish.

EASE OF READING RATING = 3

The Book of Thoth Etteilla Tarot
© 2003 Lo Scarabeo Via Varese 15c Torino Italy

Although this deck may seem at first to be a mixed interpretation of the Rider-Waite (Major Arcana), and the deck of Marseilles (Minor Arcana), it is based on a the Etteilla Tarot by Jean François Alliette (c. 1724--1792). Etteilla is   Alliette backwards. It is a difficult deck to master. It would take a lot of memorization as there is little for the intuition to work with. It is pretty, but symbolic relationships in the cards are just not there. We purchased it for comparison to a nineteenth century Etteilla deck in our collection.

EASE OF READING RATING = 5

The Celtic Dragon Tarot
by D.J. CONWAY & LISA HUNT (American) -- Illustrations copyright © 1999 Lisa Hunt  Llewellyn Publications. A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. P.O. Box 64383, Dept. K184-8 St. Paul, MN 55164-0383 USA

If you like dragons, this is a must have deck. The fantastic artwork by Lisa Hunt is a delight for the intuitive eye. Every card has a story to tell. A good deck for the beginner, especially if you have the accompanying book, A Guide to the Celtic Dragon Tarot. All the cards a pictorially intuitive and the four aces with baby dragons hatching will press everyone's "awe" button.

EASE OF READING RATING = 2

Crow's Magic Tarot
by LONA MARKS (American) -- © 1998 U.S. Games Systems, Inc. 179 Ludlow Street, Stamford, CT 06902 USA

Possibly this would be a good meditation deck, but as a reading deck it fails. The same symbols appear over and over and the computer graphic artwork is not particularly well done. I was disappointed with it and considered it a waste of money after buying it sight unseen. The old lesson of buyer beware was taught to me once again. Always see the cards, or a few samples of a deck before you buy.

EASE OF READING RATING = 5

The Gendron Tarot
by MELANIE GENDRON (American) -- © 1997 U.S. Games Systems, Inc. 170 Ludlow Street, Stamford CT 06902 USA

This is the deck I have used almost exclusively since 1997 when it first came out on the market. The computer imagery superimposed on the paintings is beautifully executed in an art form known as Visionary Surrealism. One of my favourite features of this deck is that the races of the world are shown. This is a wonderful deck for the intuitive reader as each card is has picture with great depth to it. This is an anyone can use deck. It has taught me that the more I look the more I see. In 2004, Ms. Gendron brought out the book The Gendron Tarot, which comes as a boxed set with the deck. Melanie Gendron has done an excellent job with the book and gives an affirmation with each of the Major Arcana cards. It has a wealth of knowledge and I highly recommend it. I see no problems for the beginner who is willing to spend the time to learn.

EASE OF READING RATING = 2

Goddess Tarot
by KRIS WALDHERR (American)  -- © 1998 U.S. Games Systems, Inc. 179 Ludlow St., Stamford, CT 06902 USA

Delightful Goddesses adorn the Major Arcana of this artistic deck. The Minor Arcana is peopled with pastel scenes and Renaissance people after the Rider-Waite deck. A beautiful interpretation of the Tarot deck. This deck would be excellent for beginners, especially those who follow a Goddess path.

EASE OF READING RATING = 1

Golden Tarot
by KAT BLACK (Australian) -- © 2003 U.S. Games, Inc., 179 Ludlow Street, Stamford, CT 06902 USA

Golden edges surround collages from artwork of the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. The Waite influences are strong which makes it a relatively easy deck to read for those familiar with the Rider-Waite deck. The symbolism within this deck is tremendous in scope, and heightens its appeal for the intuitive reader. The deck comes in a sturdy box with a substantial booklet, which is much better than the average "little white booklet". The gilt edges although unique and lovely make this deck somewhat difficult to shuffle.

EASE OF READING RATING = 2

Legend: The Arthurian Tarot
by ANNA-MARIE FERGUSON (English/Canadian) -- © 1998 Llewellyn Publications. A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. P.O. Box 64383, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383

For those of you who love the tales of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, as I do, this is a must deck to own. Merlin appears as The Magician, and Guenevere aptly becomes the Empress. The Moon depicts Morgan Le Fay and Avalon is on the Judgement card. Only if you know the legend of King Arthur well, can this deck be read fairly easily and intuitively. The pictures are pure pleasure and all are labelled. I recommend that you purchase the set of book and deck. The book A Keeper of Words: Legend the Arthurian Tarot also by Anna-Marie Ferguson is rich in detail, not only on the tarot, but on the legend of King Arthur. This could be a good place to start if you do not know King Arthur's legend.

EASE OF READING RATING = 3

The Medieval Scampini Tarot
by LUIGI SCAPINI (Italian) -- © 1985 U.S. Games Systems, Inc. 179 Ludlow St., Stamford, CT 06902 USA

Luigi Scampini is the Italian artist who painted the missing cards in the reproduction of the Cary-Yale Visconti      Tarrocchi deck for U.S. Games. He has designed here, what can only be termed as, a modern Renaissance tarot. The backgrounds are very similar in design to the Visconti-Sforza decks. Stuart R. Kaplan, the president of U.S. Games Systems and the foremost expert on the tarot, fittingly appears as the Emperor. The artist, his wife and daughter appear on the Eight of Coins. All the cards abound with symbolism with silver and gold gilt added to the pictures much like the original Visconti-Sforza decks. With this deck, the more you look, the more you see.

EASE OF READING RATING = 3

The New Palladini Tarot
by DAVID PALLADINI (American) -- © 1996 U.S. Games Systems, Inc. 179 Ludlow St., Stamford, CT 06902 USA

This is one of the decks that Peter uses for his readings. With the New Palladini deck, the artist David Palladini has created a deck which although obviously inspired by the Aquarian tarot is much more than updated version. The pictures evoke a spirit of beautiful masculinity. The symbolism has been heightened and the colouring has a rich, deep look that was totally lacking in Palladini's first deck, the Aquarian tarot.

EASE OF READING RATING = 2

The Nigel Jackson Tarot
by NIGEL JACKSON (English) -- © 2000 Llewellyn Publications. A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. P.O. Box 64383, Dept. K365-4, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383

Created by the English artist, Nigel Jackson, who also did the artwork for Silver RavenWolf's Witches Runes deck. This tarot has a magical quality in the artwork and is very easy to read. It would make a good beginners deck. Strong with pagan influences, this deck shouldn't be overlooked by the experienced reader. Pictorially beautiful, each card is a true work of art. This deck comes nicely boxed in a cardboard jacket with a sturdy booklet enclosed. It makes a very nice gift set.

EASE OF READING RATING = 2

Renaissance Tarot Deck
by BRIAN WILLIAMS (American) -- © 1987 U.S. Games Systems, Inc. 179 Ludlow St., Stamford, CT 06902 USA

Some of the Major Arcana cards show a Rider-Waite influence, while the Minor Arcana is much like a Marseilles deck and so requires memorization of the card meanings. This is one of the few decks where I felt I had wasted my money. I would not recommend this deck to anyone.

EASE OF READING RATING = 5

The Sacred Circle Tarot
by ANNA FRANKLIN & PAUL MASON (English) -- © 1998 Llewellyn Publications. A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., P.O. Box 64383, Dept. K365-4 St. Paul, MN 55164-383

This beautiful deck abounds with Celtic pagan imagery. It has been created for those who follow the British Pagan Tradition. The all of the cards pictorially are an intuitive readers feast. Many famous English and Irish pagan sites are pictured, such as Stonehenge on card 5 The Druid (Hierophant) and Silbury Hill on card #3 The Lady (Empress). If you are studying any of the British based traditions you can gain a lot of knowledge from this deck and its accompanying book, The Sacred Circle Tarot: A Celtic Pagan Journey.

EASE OF READING RATING = 3

Spiral Tarot
by KAY STEVENTON (Australian) -- © 1997 U.S. Games Systems, Inc. 170 Ludlow Street, Stamford, CT 06902 USA

This is one of the decks Peter uses in his readings. It has marvellous imagery and symbolism. The colour scheme of this deck gives a feeling of symmetry to the diverse characters on the cards. The Major Arcana is ethereal magic. The Minor Arcana's court cards show ancient kings, queens, knights, and princesses. The princesses are adorable. I particularly like the suit of cups which shows an under water court. The rest of the Minor Arcana is peopled with turn-of-the-century characters dressed according to their status in society. There are strong Waite influences which make this deck suitable for both beginner and long time reader alike.

EASE OF READING RATING = 1

The Tarots of the Origins
by SERGIO TOPPI (Italian) -- © 2000 Lo Scarabeo Via Varese 15c Torino, Italy

Another of Peter's reading decks, this one was made for the shaman. Its indigenous and aboriginal characters are magical. The suits of the Minor Arcana are named Soul (blue), Blood (red), Nature (green) Jewels (yellow). This is a highly intuitive deck and as such the experienced reader will find more each time it is used. I would not however recommend this deck for the beginner.

EASE OF READING RATING = 4

The Whimsical Tarot
by MARY HANSON-ROBERTS & DOROTHY MORRISON (American) -- © 2000 U.S. Games Systems, Inc. 179 Ludlow Street, Stamford, CT 06902 USA

I love this deck. Nursery rhymes, Walt Disney and a cast of childhood characters playfully adorn this deck. Okay, so tell me I'm having a second childhood. This is still a tarot deck, and as such it works. I believe that anyone who doesn't love this deck is taking themselves way too seriously. It would serve well for a young budding psychic. Before I found this deck I would not read for children as the tarot is a very adults only tool. However from time to time I would be asked by a parent if I would do a reading for their child, usually a daughter who was interested in the tarot. Today this is the deck I can confidently use for those rare occasions. Be aware that if you do a reading for anyone under the age of 18 to have their parent's permission. I will not read for anyone under the age of 16 without the parent being present at the table. It is very easy to make the reading child appropriate with this little gem.

EASE OF READING RATING = 1

The Witches Tarot
by ELLEN CANNON REED & MARTIN CANNON (American) -- © 1989 Ellen Cannon Reed & Martin Cannon
Llewellyn Publications. A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. P.O. Box 64383, Dept. K365-4 St. Paul, MN 55164-0383

This deck has been around since at least 1989 and is still popular. I would never use this deck for my more easily offended clients as it shows full frontal nudity, both male and female. For those who follow a pagan path though, it is ideal. I particularly like the no borders on the cards. The whole card is a picture. The backs with their silver pentacle is a comforting touch to those of the craft.

EASE OF READING RATING = 3

Yeager Tarot of Meditation
by MARTY YEAGER (American) -- © 1975, 1982 U.S. Games Systems, Inc. 179 Ludlow St., Stamford, CT 06902

This deck has been influenced by the deck of Marseilles, and as such is a difficult deck to read. The Minor Arcana shows the required number of wands, swords, cups, or pentacles with little else, although the cards are colour coded to suit. The Major Arcana also leaves a lot to be desired for the intuitive reader as very little is pictured. Not one for the beginner.

EASE OF READING RATING = 5