beautiful pip decks with completely different vibes. visconti-sforza is the one i already used and loved plenty. old gold, muted reds and greens, the most classic deck there is, in a way. matches the changing colors of autumn and the feeling of impermanence, things fading away - like the powerful families that commissioned these early hand painted masterpieces.
i admit i was influenced to buy the polish tarot. i don't really keep up with polish publications, but one of the few tarot youtubers i follow showed it off and i took the plunge. it's a very vivid pip deck, very colorful with rich jewel tones and wacky patterns reminiscent of 80s arcade carpeting... it's fun to look at and the pips are very creative, there's a lot to go off of.
originally i had a hard time reading with it. the illustrations in the pips didn't seem to hint at any particular system so it felt a little bit like trying to read an oracle deck (yuck). i don't usually like decks that i have to learn, as much as i romanticize doing a "deck study" in a dedicated journal. it's either standard enough RWS to not need it, or "blank" enough (like some pip decks) to not interfere in my own system. i tend to Not Use other decks, no matter how beautiful or alluring (voyager, my beloved...)
last week i started a bit of a project (slightly delayed by increased art activity) wherein i'll try to go through all the cards and see if it's possible to square the image with my system, even in the remotest way. so far i've done around 25 cards, so roughly 1/3 of the deck. it's looking promising and it might be enough to keep the deck from the chopping block, but i'm not sure it'll enter the top tier.
mostly because it is also one of the Grody decks. even worse, the ink is clearly coming off the edges, there's now an irregular white border around the implied-gold-ish frame of the images. somehow the gunk annoys me less in this circumstance - it's not just Dirty, it's visibly Used, so dirt is to be expected. and even despite the gunk i've been using this one more than the visconti-sforza so far (took the decks out in the last week of september). probably mostly due to the size - the v-s is the second largest deck i've ever owned. i don't really remember the name of the biggest one, only that it came with a jungian book, but the cards were approaching a5 in size. i imagine they were intended purely for altar work?? anyway, the v-s works best in a line for me, but i'm still stuck on my versatile 2x3 spread and it suits a smaller deck better, so that might be the biggest influence for now. still plenty of time for things to change.
i'm finding myself reluctant to continue the study work for the polish tarot (makes sense, knowing what i know of my reading preferences). i'm not completely giving up on it, but the bright colors and patterns are probably more suited for an "inspiration" deck vs. a main workhorse. i can't find a publication date but at least the illustrations don't look too modern, they could be from a book of folk tales. i'm half wondering whether to clean up the edges and cover the fronts with clear foil to maybe prevent the gunk?? but it would make the deck twice as thick and i'm not sure it would actually get me to use it more, maybe it's not worth the effort... dirty and offputting!
i've also not been reaching for the visconti-sforza. i think it's a size issue, i just don't have the room on my desk with the other things hanging around right now. laptop, notebook, sketchbook, some supplies, candles, mugs etc. and it feels too elegant to pull out amongst this mess.
but to be honest i just haven't been feeling pip decks recently. which is quite new for me, i've been mostly into pip decks for the last year or two? i've found myself longing for some inspiring visuals. i'm not sure i actually have a deck like that (this is not an intro to purchasing-as-solution), i think it's just how i choose decks. if it's inspiring that means it's unfamiliar in some way and will not be a mainstay workhorse. if it's familiar and easy to read with, it means the imagery won't be sparking anything new.
i've dug out james wanless's voyager tarot, a deck that wasn't even in the running for this year's experiment. i can't imagine it becoming One Of The Few (but who knows!) the images are just so chaotic, messy, random elements all symbolizing something of equal worth without building a scene or harmonious composition. but that's why there's always something new to notice and focus on. and there are keywords, so maybe if you start with that (and the knowledge of the deck's structure), that would eliminate a bit of the chaos?
