Choosing a First Tarot Deck

When you first decide to learn Tarot, beginners ask what kind of deck should they choose?There are hundreds and hundreds of tarot decks available for purchase. There are people whose only interest in Tarot is collect and study the decks from history and from current artists. There are two different perspectives as to how to go about acquiring your first tarot deck (pronounced tar'?oh or ta?row'). The first idea is that you are best served by selecting a deck that appeals to you or speaks to you in some way. This way of selecting a deck underlines the theory that every reader will respond to various styles and symbols in a different way and that it is important to respect this aspect of reading the tarot. It also is beneficial because it suggests that obtaining a deck that you respond to and like will encourage you to learn the deck. The second theory is to obtain a widely used deck like the Waite, and Waite derivatives, or the Crowley/Thoth, or derivatives. These deck types represent the vast majority of decks that are purchased and used. The Waite deck is the most popular deck ever sold and is the one most often reconized. I have come to the opinion that the second method, selecting a Waite-based or Crowley-based deck, is the best one for beginners. I have noticed that beginners who have acquired an offbeat deck struggle when they go to read a beginning tarot book or take a class. So, your first assignment to find a deck to learn on. Choose a Waite based deck (including the Universal Waite, Robin Wood, Morgan Greer, Tarot of the Old Path, and some more whose names escape me right now!) or a Crowley/Thoth based deck (the smaller deck will have more lively coloration ? so notice which size you are selecting). If you will stick to these, it will be a bit easier to learn Tarot at first. Then, later, you can branch off and pick a Marseilles style, or Motherpiece, or Wheel of Change, or Osho Zen, or another offbeat tarot deck. This is all, however, just my observation. I have plenty of students simply pick the deck they like and they do fine (some however do not and break down and purchase a Waite deck so they can more readily compare what the instructor or book is saying to the deck images). I have posted on my site various decks that my beginning Tarot students seem to like, in case you would like to see exactly which decks fit the above catagories: www.margaretruth.com/tarotdecksbooks.html. And please, give me your experience too!