What’s Your Favorite Spooky Deck?
The Trick-or-Tarot Tarot Deck
It’s October and that means that one of my favorite holidays, Halloween, is right around the corner. Also celebrated as Samhain (pronounced Sow-en) which dates back to older Druid rituals, the holiday marks summer’s end in the northern hemisphere. Because the veil between this world and the world of spirit is perceived to be thin at this time of year, many cultures honor the dead at this time.
I love to pull out my favorite decks for this time of year and work with them. I realized as I was looking through them that different decks have distinctively different vibes and the decks I favor say something about me. Apparently I tend to prefer decks with happy, smiling pumpkins, dancing cats, and vampires who sleep with teddy bears over the darker and more gorier variety.
My current favorite is an older deck, ”The Trick-or-Tarot”, published a few years back by Douglas Thornsjo/Duck Soup Productions. I’m a child of the mid-twentieth century and the imagery really appeals to me. There are few copies left but they are not cheap; however, I adore this deck and so I’m linking you up in case you’re interested.
https://tarotbyducksoup.com/products/trick-or-tarot-halloween-themed-tarot-pack
The Halloween Tarot Deck
Another great deck with a fun vibe that’s easily available on Amazon is The Halloween Tarot. I’ve used this deck for kid’s parties and the cute little images (ghosts for cups, imps for wands, etc.) put a smile on everyone’s face. Even the Death card is light-hearted.
The Bohemian Gothic Tarot Deck
The darkly beautiful cards of the Bohemian Gothic at the Baba store have long been a favorite of the tarot community. However, I did check their site and they are currently sold out of the most recent edition. (There is an intriguing-looking Bohemian Fortune-telling deck that’s available for pre-order, though!) You might be able to find this deck from a private seller on eBay or elsewhere, so if you love it, give it a try.
You can also follow the Baba Studio; they may come up with another edition if there is enough interest. They create exquisitely rendered cards and most recently they use a cold-stamp method for metallic overlay in beautiful colors. I’m going to end up duplicating all of the decks I already have with this process! I love Bohemian Gothic deck, but I usually use them to read for myself and not for clients. They’re great for shadow work, because the imagery clarifies what may be making us fearful.
The Zombie Tarot
If you’re into gore or zombies, then you should check out The Zombie Tarot. Amazon bills this deck as “Insight and ammunition for surviving the undead uprising, with 78-card tarot deck and instructions.” The vibe is mid-50’s in this ‘zombified parallel universe. Again, these are easily available at a great price on Amazon.
These are just a few of the offerings that are out there to commemorate this time of year when the shadows grow longer and the veil grows thin. I hope you are having a lovely October. Enjoy the season; we have all been through a lot in the past few years and it’s great to just relax and have a little fun for a change.
