You just need a few things to get started with this class, so get your supplies and let’s have some fun with the cards!
- Paper, looseleaf or notebook
- Pen or pencil
- Keyword List Keyword List
- Tarot de Marseille deck
Buying a Deck
Agnostic Tarot uses the Tarot de Marseille deck. It is a so-called “pip deck”, meaning the number cards do not have scenes on them. They are like playing cards, showing just the suit symbol times the number, the 7 of cups for example only shows 7 cups. There are flourishes, flowers and other decorative elements - but there is no scene featuring a person, unlike most tarot decks today.
We are going to start with rote memorization - think abc’s - as a jumping off point. This is the first benefit to using a pip deck. Rather than memorize 78 meanings, plus 78 reversed meanings - You can have just 36 meanings to get started. See my chart below:
| Keywords | RWS | RWS + Reversals | TdM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 pips | 40 | 80 | 10 |
| 16 courts | 16 | 32 | 4 |
| 22 majors | 22 | 44 | 22 |
| Totals | 78 | 156 | 36 |
To begin learn the 10 keywords for the pips and the 4 keywords for the court cards. For the major arcana you can refer to the keywords I have listed on the keyword list or you can use the picture or the title of the card to find their meanings.
When you are getting started don’t worry about reversals. You can incorporate them when you are more experienced.
Even without the reversals, using the TdM keywords requires less than 1/2 of the initial memorization. You will become comfortable with the cards quicker, and your own understanding will expand beyond the keywords. That is when the real fun begins, and the tarot becomes useful for every day problem solving. (And More!)
For this course you will need a Tarot de Marseille deck. Make sure you get an actual tarot deck. It should be a classic replica. There are a lot of choices available, different artists’ renditions of the original from different publishers, ebay, Amazon.com, and more. Below are two recommendations you can order from the publishers’ websites:
⚜ CBD Tarot ⚜
Images on this site come from the CBD Tarot
⚜ Marseille Tarot ⚜
This deck comes in various sizes and even has an antique styled version
Get your deck, look it over, and enjoy the artwork. Shuffle it and get the feel for it. Then begin the practice!
See more about deck structure with examples here: Learning the Cards