How do current decks differ?
Mostly in artistic style. Tarot decks come in a bewildering variety these days. You can find oversized, undersized, or round decks. Some have more than 78 cards, some less. Some are based on a particular mythic cycle. Some are based on a particular psychological theory. Some are based on channeled information. Some are just hard to describe. A ‘historical’ deck has simply one, two, or however many wands, cups, or whatever for the number cards. A.E. Waite first popularized a deck which has illustrations on all 78 cards (painted by Pamela Colman Smith), which has become the model for the greatest number of other currently available decks. A. Crowley popularized a deck which had arcane symbols, but not real ‘illustrations’ on the number cards (painter by Lady Frieda Harris). Decks which follow those basic setups are decendants from these earlier ones. For the beginner, it is probably best to choose a deck which is stylistically appealing over any other consideration. But it is also probab
