Unpopular Tarot Opinions (dunno how I feel)

[@taisiakat]

The Market is oversaturated with unoriginal work --- my unpopular opinion I am tired of the TV decks. I understand some of the need but I really think - WTF? (Do we need a Lost Deck? The Walking Dead deck? Supernatural Deck??)

[@Ethony]

Ohhh, this is a good one too. I can see your POV, sometimes tv decks don't put a lot of effort into the minor arcana and make it a PIP deck and that always makes me sad

[@taisiakat]

@@Ethony I know. .... There have been ones that I know if the person had known tarot would have put the effort to map up the right people/places to the right cards. What really is sad is just using different expressions (same face) for the cards (like one Supernatural Deck does). I actually thought that maybe that could work if the face expressions actually conveyed enough.

[@zinzolin14]

Saaame, I'm sick of seeing decks made after a TV series, movie, book or any works of fiction. It never lines up well, I feel the connection between the characters and card titles often feel forced. It's also just a simple cash-grab for companies and creators.

[@NorsePaganTarotWitch]

I loved hearing your unpopular tarot opinions! My unpopular opinions are: 1)A large tarot collection doesn't necessarily determine your ability as a reader. Some people just collect decks and don't read tarot whilst others get by with having just a few or even just one deck. 2)Negative messages in a Tarot (Oracle, Lenormand, Vera Sibilla, etc) are just as accurate (if not more so) as a positive "Love and Light" reading. If anything, a negative reading can be more honest about the situation than a sugarcoated message. 3)Your intuition is NO substitute for learning the tarot. If you don't know anything about Tarot symbolism then you are reading Tarot like Oracle cards rather than tarot. Don't get me wrong, intuition is absolutely important but on its own won't help you read any of the tarot systems (ex: RWS, Marseilles, Minchiate, Visconti-Sforza, etc.) even if your readings are on-point to the querent. 4)Gilded edges make a deck look more fancy/high quality. Even if it eventually wears off or occasionally gets on your hand. 5)Strong cardstock makes the cards last longer and prevents you from needing to have to repurchase it. 6)Uploading the images out of print decks and putting them on Printer's Studio/Make Playing Cards without the creator's and/or publishers (if it is mass market or has a specific publishing house)'s permission to create your own copy of the deck for personal use is copyright infringement. It does not matter if you already purchased a physical copy from the creator yourself. This is counterfeiting the creator's work even if you yourself are not benefitting from it financially. It also makes it easier for counterfeiters to create unauthorised copies. This was a discussion on Tarot Tube a few years ago but it needs to be repeated. 7)Bordered cards make the reading experience less immersive than borderless cards. 8)Buying a how to read Tarot book and a tarot deck does not make you an instant professional tarot reader. Experience matters and that will reflect in your readings. 9)Buy your first tarot deck for yourself. Don't wait for others to buy it or give it to you. While it's a nice gesture if someone does gift you a tarot deck, it's not a requirement because you might not ever learn tarot if you have to wait for someone to give it to you. 10)Make your decks yours. If you need to remove the borders, round the corners, add colours to the edges, etc. After you purchase the deck it's yours to do with what you please.

[@bucolicrose5464]

Agreed!

[@Ethony]

LOVE All of these!! Thanks so much for sharing!!! Blessed 🐝

[@taisiakat]

Totally!!!!! and Reverse doesn't mean negative - it could be having the person pay more attention.

[@zinzolin14]

Thank you so much for that last opinion, and I agree with you entirely on that. As much as It bums me out that I've missed out on some decks, it's never the creator's responsibility to please a _potential_ consumer base with their work. It really bugs me when someone is waving money around, feeling they're entitled to the creation of others.

[@KateyFlowers]

Thanks so much for adding your own thoughts on these opinions! So fun! And also impressive how many you covered in a relatively short video!

[@Ethony]

:)))) Thank YOU Katey, love all your videoss!

[@rickigill5206]

I like to work with multiple decks,I agree with you

[@Ethony]

Yassss🐝🐝🐝

[@yatagarasu9205]

I love the fact that we can speak about unpopular opinion as what they are: just opinions. Everyone can have their own and they are not necessarily wrong, any of them. I personally disagree the most with the one about only having a deck. I mean, I actually agree. You can only have a deck deepen into it and do it your whole life, ando you are going to have a very strong bond with this deck and thats perfectly fine. That is just not the way I approch to tarot. I'm just starting, I must say. I have been learning for one year. But as much as I love digging into the Rider, and reading books about tarot to further my knowledge, I think working with different tarots is an incredible learning tool. Gives you new perpectives, opens your mind to different energies in the archetipes which are the same and not at the same time. I believe being able to work with more than one tarot is really useful.

[@bucolicrose5464]

I'm not really "collecting" them per se, its more of chasing the perfect deck that resonates just right. Because a deck can look pretty but there's little or no symbolism, or are just hard to read. I still use every single deck I own, but I'm still searching for "the deck" Because it's just not quite right. When I find the perfect one that's a smash hit with me, I'll stop "collecting." ♡

[@Ethony]

Yesss, always on the hunt for a deck that is that matching puzzle piece to your soul, I totally get it. I love that! Blessed 🐝

[@isawhat8712]

Hahahaha my unpopular opinion I posted for Katey is now on one of Ethony's title pages/cards 😅. Yup I'm the one who said you really only need 1 tarot deck (btw Ethony no shade intended lol). I actually have about 10 decks but I went over a decade with only 1 deck. I see a lot of tarot newbies get caught up in the consumerism of the market recently and they're like I need a special Halloween deck or a Spring deck. Well there's no problem getting one if you like and want one but to fundamentally read tarot you only need 1 deck. It can be overwhelming for newbies who are just starting out. But truly no shade at anyone who has more than 1 deck. Lol I have more than one, I just think we sometimes need to consider whether we need or want something.

[@Ethony]

Haha, loveeee that! I find owning only one deck for a decade is an impressive form of self restraint, but really allowed you to bond with that 1 deck I assume. Thanks for commenting!!

[@catherineraper]

I’m a beginner, but my opinion on only having one deck would be that I did think originally like that. But after watching a lot review videos over the last few weeks, I can understand that each person is going to be drawn to many different elements like illustrations, animals etc. I also think working with different decks would provide different energy. So I like working with all animals, cats, dragons and runes. So I have a built a great start up list of decks that can provide energy on all of those things that I can just move between depending on what I feel. But I do have my beginner or first deck which will always will be old faithful that I can rely on. :)

[@darksidebeauty9907]

I will have 100+ decks by January next year I love it

[@Ethony]

Yassss go get it Rebecka

[@lorrainetrotter4737]

My unpopular opinions. You don't need a "dark" deck for shadow work. Actually I have an unpopular opinion about shadow work in general but that isn't on topic here. Also. I don't like the original RWS. It is beyond garish. Therefore, I don't "need" at least one copy in my collection. I use mostly RWS based decks and that is as close as I am going to get most likely.

[@Ethony]

I agree with that, you can do shadow work with normal decks! Original RWS is awfulllll, I agree

[@MlleAlienne]

I use a very light and pretty deck for shadow work because it just matches my personality and it's always very accurate

[@DogsRGr8]

I love my small decks and nontraditional decks too! Also love big bold oracle decks LOL. But I have to differ with you one one point….RWS and Thoth were not created by “white men”….Pamela Coleman Smith and Frieda Harris were the drivers behind those decks, not simply the artists. “Mystery lodges” like Masonic lodges were not (are not) simply associations of men, but women and families are involved too. And Mlle Lenormand was quite influential as well. That’s my unpopular opinion. People didn’t suddenly become enlightened in our modern age.

[@leahs8939]

This is fun! I agreed with all but the history one. My unpopular opinion is around the misunderstood use of cartomancy with Tarot readers on KZbin. I've studied, practiced (32 years) and taught cartomancy for over 15 years, and I have a 30 year relationship with Tarot in practice. Reading with traditional playing cards isn't exactly the same system as Tarot, although there are similarities (4 elements in a 52 card deck, and there are court cards). But they're not the same Ace of Pentacles isn't the same as Ace of Diamonds; 7 of Hearts is a very intimate connection-based card not like 7 of Cups. On the other hand, 4 of Clubs is a marriage card, and so is, often can be, 4 of Wands. But there are many readers who just pick up a playing deck and haven't dug into cartomamcy, they've just assumed they are matching cards with Tarot. Ugh. That's my unpopular opinion. 🤓🧜‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️♥️ Also, it's not the size of the deck that matters, it's that we're working with a full deck. 😉

[@andreakeener6378]

😂 love the full deck! Thanks

[@Ethony]

Totally would agree with that, they are definitely different card systems! Thanks for sharing!

[@ronifurr]

I’m so glad you did this! I was hoping you would after seeing Katie’s!

[@Ethony]

oh you know it girl ;) Thanks for watching 🐝🐝

[@ABirdOnTheMoon]

I love your earings :)

[@melaniedejonge5234]

I think that some of these opinions are really going to differ based on your underlying philosophy with regards to what makes tarot "work," for lack of a better term. Some people really believe that the cards hold inherent power. That's why there's a whole system of mythology built up about how you have to come by them (as a gift), how you have to store them, how you have to clear them, etc. To someone who believes that way, then yes, of course, the idea of collecting decks like they are trading cards or vinyl records or something would be disrespectful and abhorrent. However, other people (myself included) think of the cards as merely divination tools--the actual "power" comes from Spirit and our own gift/talent. So, in that philosophy, it would make sense to collect any and all decks that inspire you and allow Spirit to speak more freely to/through you. Personally, I feel like the split of where the "power" comes from is about 70% Spirit, 20% my own gifts and how much I've worked to keep my channels clear through meditation, etc, and maybe 5% due to the residual energy hanging onto the cards themselves. HOWEVER, I recognize that this is a breakdown that likely makes sense to my brain because of my fundamentalist religious upbringing. The idea of an all-powerful external entity which is able to do its work because of the secondary factor of how "holy" or "clean" I've kept myself...that's just something my brain was primed to accept. I think that other people buy into systems that make sense to them because of their own culture and experience, as well. And I think the *real* truth is simply that...there are a LOT of truths! :) The thing that really matters is that we find one that resonates with us, because that's what's going to allow us to dial in. We'll never reach our own personal potential by trying to reconcile ourselves to someone else's truth. :)

[@Ethony]

Yes, all of this is just our own personal opinions, and our outlook and experiences in life affect our opinions, so just like every topic we will all differ. Love your perspective, thanks so much for watching!!

[@andreakeener6378]

I agree with you 💯 on all of your opinions. There’s something for everyone. As always take what you like and leave the rest. Simple! One deck or one hundred…do you. Modify a deck or don’t. I have a budget and if I’m meant to have an OOP or expensive deck somehow Magick happens and it’s mine! I wish I had mini and larger decks. My small hands make all work. Breathe and relax. Thanks Ethony!

[@Ethony]

Exactlyy Andrea! you do you! thanks so much for watching 🐝

[@vanessacampos140]

I got smaller cards off of Etsy cuz my hands are small too

[@paperstorycraft]

I just bought my first deck and I definitely feel it’s not enough for me. I don’t want to over buy and need to be careful that I’m not giving into consumerism but I can see why one would be enough for most.

[@Ethony]

That is totally okay if you find it doesn't resonate, you can always try to sell that one in the meantime off of fb marketplace, or to a friend, or even donate it to a second hand book store! If you ever need any suggestions for decks I have this whole playlist where I also flip through the decks so you get to see the imagery of the deck! kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHqTXoKspbiXp9U

[@janetclaireSays]

I find that I am ok with one deck - until I watch readers using different decks that look cool or watch unboxing videos!

[@rickigill5206]

Yes I like to use a good spread

[@Ethony]

Same!

[@bunnycatch3r]

Here's my unpopular opinion. Do you want a Greek Mythology deck? Great, read a book on Greek Mythology. Now you have a Greek Mythology deck. Vampire deck? Read Anne Effing Rice.

[@taisiakat]

Here's one that may stir up trouble - I see too many newbies now that think they are readers because they can put x cards facing down, a stone on each card, take a picture, label the cards and have you pick the card. Then said newbie take a picture of the cards face up, and take a picture of the book description and posts- And that is your reading from them. It seems that the concept of understanding and doing any additional reading --is gone.

[@Ethony]

Yes, pick a card readings are extremely popular on youtube and social media. I personally started this idea way back when with my Oracle Wednesday newsletter. A lot of people love hearing what I have to say and gives them some insight into their week. But I can understand where you are coming from :)

[@taisiakat]

@@Ethony I love it when the reader adds to the pick a pile - Like you do. Its the ones that are just putting cards down and taking a picture of the book description and doing nothing to add to the reading. After all part of being a reader is the 'interpretation layer'.

[@steffymuze]

@Robert W. Price Jr but they aren't using any intuition at all. They're posting directly from the book. That's their point. If they said anything on their own without the book, that's different but that's not what they're saying or doing in this case.

[@atheavensdoor]

I'm somewhat of a "to each his own" person. Not judgemental of others opinion. With that said,...1 deck! Now that's just boring and lazy, lol. PS, you do so many videos that the other day while driving, my phone shifted in the passengers seat and I soon heard a voice...ETHONY is that you!!. LOL, one of your videos was playing. Always supporting you, keep them coming.

[@Ethony]

agreeeddddd! :P hahaa I love that so much, sorry I'm following you around, I think that's a good sign tho

[@MysticalEmpowerment]

One tarot deck? 😱 I cannot imagine! That just wouldn't work for me. I love different types and I enjoy the different types of artwork. My decks are a simple pleasure in life that I treat myself to. ❤️

[@Ethony]

Would NOT work for me either, I love all of the different imagery, themes, and artist interpretations of the fool's journey

[@nadia_margaret_3458]

@@Ethony Same.😍

[@rickigill5206]

Great video

[@Ethony]

Thanks for the visit and watch!

[@kathyparrow1390]

Love love love!

[@Ethony]

Love love love you!

[@VLoveCrystals]

love this!!!!!!!!!

[@Ethony]

Thank YOU for watching 🐝🐝

[@elkins4406]

But what are *your* unpopular opinions?

[@Ethony]

Ohhh, guess you'll have to wait for another video to find out ;)

[@alternativewitchyunicorn]

I agree with u on all ur opinions

[@Ethony]

Yasss, glad to hear, thanks for watching! Blessed 🐝

[@jaspergamehub]

I love that some guidebook gives different perspective on the card from the author, that expands my knowledge of the cards. Collecting Tarot deck and Oracle deck is my favorite, crystals too. They are just so beautiful 😆

[@Ethony]

yesss I agree totally about the guidebook, they're all so different and gorgeous

[@geminigreywolf6655]

Agreed!

[@Ethony]

Yass!!! Thanks for watching

[@wanderinghedge]

Take the art away, and the "Lazy Reader", as they are often called, is revealed for what they truly are, non-professional. The art would have no meaning whatsoever if it were not for the numerology behind everything. The elements and seasons, symbolism and astrology, take on the persona of the numerology behind everything; and without the numerology behind all of that, the art has no foundation whatsoever, to be read by a card reader. For example, take away all the of the art, including the art of the Major Arcana, and just write, for example, "The Fool" on the card, with the number "0" on it, and I want it to be nothing more than that, nothing more than a blank white piece if cardstock with nothing more and nothing less than "0 - The Fool" written on it, for our example, no art whatsoever. I'll read the card to you. Why can I do this? Because the art is useless without first knowing what the numerology behind the design of the card is. The art is not the foundation, and if anything, it limits our abilities and pidgeon-holes us into a corner of only reading the card in a certain number of ways every single time. The art is nothing more than a single aspect of what the numerology, elements, seasons, symbolism, and astrology, could mean. If one never looks past the art, their world within the Tarot, is a very limited and lonely one. The Tower, sense it was brought up, should be used as our example. The Tower is neither good nor bad. In saying that, some people will try to say, "BuT LoOK aT THe aRt. yOU CAn'T TeLL Me ThAT iSN't a BAd ThING!". No, no, young grass smoker, I say again, it is neither good nor bad. Forget the art, it is useless to you for now until you know the numerology behind it, if you were to want to continue to read the card the same way as you always have. That is the way the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn believed things to be if it is either an RWS or Thoth based Tarot, and therefore, the deck is biased based on the account of being forcablely placed into that position through their secret societal point of view and religious belief. You are instead learning their secret society and religious belief, rather than, the actual Tarot itself. Release yourself from the grips of the art, and a whole world of possibilties, opens up to you. The Tower, at its core numerological interpretation, means, "dispersion". There is no keyword that better fits the Tower itself. Now, take another look at the Tower's art, what do you see? Exactly, dispersion. Now, what is the element of the Tower? Most would say, Fire. So, what does Fire mean, then? Motivation, drive, challenge (i.e. from sports to war, and shows, challenges are not always a bad thing, right?), and etc. Now, what is the season of the card? Most would say, due to the element itself, within classical contemporary ways of thought, Spring. So, what does Spring mean, then? It is the season that represents birth, childhood, adolescents, vigorious growth, and education. We now have a solid foundation to interpret the card, without any art whatsoever, correct? Let us add one more thing, astrology. What planet is associated with the Tower? What do you know about the planet, Mars? The planet Mars is not always about war and anger and etc., as many would have you believe, but also deeply felt passions and taking charge and etc. Is an Aries always a person that is warring and angery? I think not, and an Aries can show you the true traits of what the planet Mars means, because the planet Mars rules over the sign Aries. Start to think of what symbology could represent all the aforementioned from the numerology to the astrology. Now, young grass smoker, you have a pure Tarot, and can read it in open source manner, rather than, a closed source manner. All of this, without the art, and for that matter, without any secret societal point of view or religious belief... If you add secret societal points of view, religious beliefs, and art to a card, the card has now become biased. Look at how many directions you could go without the art, secret societal point of view, or the religious belief placed in the card spoken of here, the Tower. Without any of that, you are more open to the reading itself, and therefore, can better help the querent in their situation/s both good and bad. Is dispersion always a bad thing? I sure hope not, otherwise, the dispersion of knowledge to the generations after us is most certainly a bad thing, rather than a good thing to help them grow and be successful. Now, take another look at the Tower. With any of the knowledge that has now been presented here, does that change your viewpoint of what is represented in the art, at all? It most certainly does me.

[@PrincessWhatsername]

I agree that any reader who is charging money should have solid book knowledge of the symbology, including numerology, color symbolism, astrology, elements, etc, and be well-studied in their system of choice. But I also wouldn't say that someone who has this knowledge yet chooses to read intuitively based on the artwork is "lazy". I think the fact that people have different reading styles makes tarot reading an art, and the community diverse. Also, just because someone may be at a lower level in their knowledge of the cards so far and may have to rely more on pictures doesn't make them lazy either, just not as far along on their tarot journey. Just my humble opinion though, of course 🙂

[@wanderinghedge]

@@PrincessWhatsername 1. In my humble opinion, being intuitive, is entirely different than pulling something out of one's crack with no bases to go off of lol. Even a claircognizant or clairempath needs to find reason to believe what they "know" or "feel" is actually real or not. But rather, being intuitive, is being creative in thought based on what knowledge one does have of the cards and of a situation, which is why it is important to ask the querent questions too during a reading and have some conversations about everything during the reading. And moreover. following up with that, without the positions of a spread to give definition to the meanings of the cards, we no longer have any aspects to look into considering a question that is being asked. Without them, one cannot say for a certainty, of where the querent should be mindful of aspects considering a question. Not sure if you have ever heard of Vincent Pitisci, but he has been reading the Tarot since 1969, and professionally since 1993. He has a very different take to the Tarot when it comes to reading the cards. In short, rather than trying to memorize seventy-eight individual cards, instead you only memorize thirty-six; in other words, the majors and the minors as two separate categories. He also believes that it is a combination of what is called Mind Maps and Conceptual Blending, both of which, are psychological terms; and that is why the Tarot works, in his point of view. In other words, the cards present creative thinking ideas, rather than predicting the future, to look at a question from different viewpoints to determine what a likely outcome may be. I may not agree entirely with him on everything, but it does present itself as a strong case, for reading the cards. I, however, think it is a combination of what he has presented, and also that of synchronicities. However, in saying all of this, he makes the strongest argument I have ever heard that has put emphasis on the positions of a spread. What he has presented, is that it doesn't really matter what Tarot deck one were to use, if one does not understand the principles of the positions contained within a spread. For example, many would say that the Celtic Cross, is "old and tired". Well, then, what he, and now myself after having realized this through him, would say, fix it instead of trying to look for a million different spreads to deal with every situation. By the end of the day, whatever spread you have chosen to go with, it is nothing more and nothing less than a template. The positions mean whatever you want them to mean. For example, the way he had explained the classic Past, Present, Future spread, opened up an entire world to the Tarot that is hardly, if ever, spoken about in books. And, in fact, it is knowledge that is only contained within the Theosophical Society and other secret societies. His mother was a member of quite a few of the secret societies that are out there when he was younger. The Past, Present, Future postions of the spread, are not just simply what has happened in the past, what is now occuring, and what is most likely to happen in the future; but rather, the past position represents what the querent has in their corner that they have attained in the past as an "asset" (i.e. it is not just what has happened, but what they have gained in the past), that they can use with what they "could be" currently doing (i.e. not what they are doing, but rather, what they could be doing), to obtain their "desired future" (i.e. it is not what is set to occur, but rather, what their desired future is). When I first heard this, it absolutely blew open a new world to the Tarot, for me. As said, it is not a simple matter of "It looks to be flowing in this direction", as many have once thought, as revealed by him. Vincent has spoken at the Theosophical Society on multiple occassions, and if I remember correctly and I am not mistaken, was once a member. So, if anyone knows what the hell the positions and the cards mean, and he is willing to share his knowledge of that and pull back the curtain so that others, like ourselves, can see behind the mystery of the Tarot, it would be him and others like him. 2. I would never fault a newbie. Never would I do such a thing. It is already hard enough for a newbie, to get a handle on one aspect or another of the cards, so they can build on a foundation of knowledge. If they can begin to memorize even just one aspect of the Tarot, whatever is easiest for them to memorize, after that, it becomes much easier because they have something to build off of. So, a friendly bit of advice for the newbies who may read this. If you find yourself having trouble memorizing one aspect of the Tarot, try another aspect, and see how that goes. You'll find, as you go along, you did, indeed, pick up a few things here and there, even if you thought you didn't. Stay confident, and stay calm, and don't get flustratated; it will come in due time, but make sure not to burn yourself out either, or else you'll find yourself throwing your hands up at it. Be patient. Like everything in life, it takes time and practice, and there is no real shortcut or a quick fix to learning the Tarot. Count yourselves lucky, because those who came before us, had no pictures to go off of when they first started out.

[@PrincessWhatsername]

@@wanderinghedge I'm gonna be honest, that is a whole wall of text that I'm simply not going to make my eyes work that hard to read (your first comment was already a good challenge to read to begin with). However, if you can break that up into organized, spaced paragraphs I'll be more than happy to give a read and respond accordingly 🙂

[@wanderinghedge]

@@PrincessWhatsername My bad lol. I do sometimes get caught up in the moment and don't separate it all into paragraphs. I postrate myself before you and beg of your forgiveness lol.

[@Ethony]

We are all subject to our own opinions, it's fantastic that you are able to read the Tarot based solely on numerology but I personally would find that extremely limiting on myself and my intuition. But you do you!

[@kathyffarney-keck8593]

I've been lucky to not run into sparky know-it-alls

[@Ethony]

That is lucky!!! Let's keep it that way

[@caelansaschamciver8294]

11:02 yess!