My first deck

Last blog I talked about the beginning...now let’s talk about the next step. I knew I wanted to do cards. I knew I wanted a pendulum. Picking my first ones...how do you even begin?

My Medium friend once told me that yes I should do cards, but don’t rush this. She suggested I google images of key cards like the fool, death, or the devil to find art that resonated with me. But what does that even mean, “resonated with me”? I honestly had no clue. I did like anyone else would do and went to amazon. If you search in amazon you’ll see there are hundreds and hundreds of decks. There are moon decks, cartoon decks, cat decks and dog decks...Asian decks and angel decks...decks you color in yourself, and decks from the original Rider Waite...any number of art styles and versions.

I had to think again about what I've seen, and what others have suggested for beginners...and the kind of art I liked. I needed to narrow things down. First it needed to be traditional tarot, not oracle. It needed to have 78 cards, Major and minor arcana, 4 suits. With that in mind, and being terrified of inviting evil into my home, I selected a Hay House product called Archangel Power Tarot.

This was my first deck. I still love this deck and I use it a lot. I’ll pull this deck out for uplifting readings, and for my tarot live chats. (see link to page below) I love the sweetness, because all the scary cards that newbies fear are changed to something sweeter—still there but not scary. Over time though, I began to feel this deck, while sweet and wonderful, didn’t have the edginess I needed to do complete readings...back to searching.

There was a deck I had thought about getting...but it was dark. The art in this deck was more gothic, and detailed. A mentor suggested when looking for a tarot deck, find a deck with people DOING things. In fact, in my classes I suggest this. Pick a deck that you can look at a single card and feel the story coming through, one you can imagine what the person on the card is saying or doing....and you’ll find reading so much easier.

Sorting through all the art in an image search, avoiding those horrible Pinterest links, I began to seriously narrow things down. I was still terrified about inviting evil into my house and felt uneasy about this despite the fact that I had ordered a number of tarot and witch books—sitting on my table, and an angel deck,...I was still not all the way there. I put the deck I wanted aside, and let it stew a few more weeks.

Three nights in a row I dreamed in tarot. I saw myself with this deck, confidently reading for others, feeling excited and connected...feeling it actually call to me. I had a sudden revelation that I understood what RESONATE WITH ME meant!! I immediately ordered the deck and impatiently waited for the two days shipping time.

Arrival day....it’s here. My fingers itching to get to the deck, and my desire to connect kicked me into high gear. I lit my candle, prayed for guidance and protection, and opened my new deck, Anna K Tarot. I began turning the cards over one at a time, enjoying the artwork...I hadn’t seen ALL of the cards, just samples. Each card I said hello, and I began to feel more and more connected. Then it happened. I turned over the one card I had forgotten would be in this deck, and it stopped my heart.

This deck, in this single, card told me that it was meant for me, and we would have a good time growing together, bonding. I had turned over the hanged man. He looked eerily like my middle son, Brandon. Brandon had taken his own life by hanging, just over a month before I purchased this deck. It was as if the universe was saying this is meant for you Erica, this connection is real and can’t be ignored. This is the path I am meant to be taking, this is meant to be! How can it be evil if it was meant to be? IT CAN’T!! (It’s all about intent...and I’m all about good intentions, always.) I put the deck on my heart, welcoming it, thanking it for chasing me in my dreams, inviting it to help me with growing my skills. The energy this deck gave me in return was familiar and warm...it felt like a part of me, like home.

I have since purchased other decks, and I have a few I really love to use for different things, but Anna K is my first love. I always use her for my big readings, and for important guidance. She’s never led me astray, she’s never lied. She’s not always kind, but it’s always what needs to be heard. If you hire me to read for you, I will happily introduce you to my deck. I won’t let you touch her because I protect the bond I’ve grown, but she will give you the best answers from the highest source; she’ll reveal things to you that lay heavily on your heart. The Anna K deck and my angel deck work beautifully together, and they are ready to read for you...what will they say?