Probably the favourite deck for newcomers to the Tarot is the Rider-Waite, which we mentioned in the first lesson. Though this Tarot deck is less than 100 years old (just!) it is likely that the images used were based on the Sola-Busca Tarot which dates from the 15th century. It is easy to see the similarity between the images just from two sample pictures here from each deck, the Three of Swords and Ten of Rods.

Sola-Busca Tarot, 3 of Swords	Rider-Waite-Tarot, 3 of Swords	Sola-Busca-Tarot, 10 of Rods	Rider-Waite-Tarot, 10 of Rods

It is worth mentioning that there are now several variations of the Rider-Waite deck available because it has been updated and modern printing technology means the quality is better. Probably the best of these is the Universal Tarot but if you know your herbs, check out the Herbal Tarot too. You can also get these Tarot cards in different sizes, from ‘king-size’ to mini!

Also available in a large format is the pack that is statistically the second most popular after the Rider-Waite. This is the Crowley Tarot, designed by the infamous Aleister Crowley and drawn by the artist Lady Frieda Harris, in 1944. This Tarot deck is perhaps not as easy as the Rider-Waite but it is very powerful to work with and use. It can be useful to have a basic knowledge of Alchemy to work with these cards as well. Here are two sample cards from this deck.

Crowley Tarot, Justice	Rider-Waite-Tarot, Swords 10	Rider-Waite-Tarot, Swords 6	Crowley-Tarot Swords 6