Creating your own Tarot deck can be a very meaningful and deepening experience. Spending time to really dive in and conceptualize each card, and what you will include in each image can really amplify the act of learning tarot. So when I got the comment to a previous post from Silvia, I decided to include it here and address it so all can read. She wrote:
"HI! I know very little on tarot, so I might be making silly questions.
Here's my first:
You say "The Tarot is a deck of cards, a visual medium using symbols,
numbers, colors, words, archetypes, that help reflect/mirror the
reality of what is truly happening in the past, present and future of
our lives." I would like to make my own deck since I've been looking
and have not yet come across one I've liked. So I'm guessing I would
have to know all these symbols, numbers, colors, etc. to make my own
tarot deck?
Thank you!"
If you are going to make a tarot deck specifically, then learning the symbols and the numbers and as many layers as you can into each card can lead you into a profoundly enriching learning experience. Doing this however takes time and I have heard of several instances where such an endeavor has taken several years to complete! This is partly because the process of making a deck becomes its own ritual, where each card that is being made takes the creator on their own unique spirit journey into the meaning and wisdom of each card as well as deeper into the heart of intuition.
But the beauty of creating your own deck is that you can do with it whatever you want, and so if you want a deck that has as many symbolic references on there as you can fit, or if you want a deck that is simple and very straight forward, you can choose that for yourself! There is no right and wrong here. The idea is to make a tool that will speak to you and that you can have a relationship with.
The other option is to create a deck of cards depicting a variety of themes to aid in self exploration that has nothing to do with the tarot, but can still be used as a tool for divination and personal growth. You can also create an inspiration deck with cards that are designed to be pulled one at a time to provide inspiration or affirmations for that specific day. Again, the options are endless.
Cards can be created with paints, ink, collage, photography, digital collaging, block printing, pastels or anything else you can think of. You will need a good sturdy cardstock and will want to consider the possibility of laminating if you are using mixed media. It is however, always a good idea to make copies of your work so that you have the original deck as an art piece and then the copy which you can use for your every day use. This gives you a back up, if over time the wear and tear becomes to much for the cards that you are using.
If you are going to make yourself a tarot deck specifically, a good way to organize the work is to break it down in sections. You could devote a month or two to the Major Arcana and start creating the cards from the beginning with the Fool. Doing this will help you move through the progression of the Major Arcana and also help imprint in your consciousness the path that the Fool travels in the cards. When working with the Minor Arcana, working with all four of a number of court card will help teach you the significance of the number and the difference in the suits and elements of each suit. For example, you could start with working on all 4 aces, and then moving on to the 2 cards and so on.
A website to check out is Plain Cards. They offer a fairly inexpensive downloadable program that helps you digitally design and print your cards. I have not personally used this, but it looks like it may be worth a look. Another option would be to create your cards and have them transferred into a digital format and then having them printed professionally. I have consider doing this after I created my postcards, because they came out so lovely and vibrant and the UV coating on them feels much better then a thick laminate. Its also something to consider if you love your work so much that you want to sell copies to others.
Please let me know if any of you begin to undertake this project for yourself. I would love to hear how it is going and what route you decide to take. Whatever it is, I assure you it will be a potent process through learning tarot.
And thank you Silvia for posting your question!