Why Black and White Tarot Decks Are Great for Beginners

April 04, 2019

 

Tarot decks are amazing keys for unlocking your inner knowledge, but with literally hundreds of beautiful decks available, choosing one to begin your tarot journey with can be overwhelming. The illustrations, colors & symbolism, and style varies widely from deck to deck. Black and white decks offer a simplicity that can help cut out some of the confusion. 

Clear Messages

Color can be a big part of the meaning of each card and when you're first learning, deciphering the nuances of color symbolism can be distracting. With black and white decks, the imagery alone has to speak clearly and concisely. Their illustrations tend to be simpler and more minimalist, with potent symbolism that is easier to glean the meaning of than that of their color counterparts. Black and white decks have a magnifying, mirror-like quality to them. They reflect your inner knowledge, loud and clear.

Quick Interpretations

Learning tarot card meanings and conducting your first readings can be time consuming and require a large output of energy. Daily readings are beneficial when you're starting out, but getting bogged down in deciphering meanings can quickly dampen your enthusiasm. The simplicity and reflective nature of black and white cards can offer quick, satisfying readings. 

Choosing the Right Deck

There are many things to consider when choosing a tarot deck.

• Does it appeal to you visually? Is the imagery intriguing? Really take some time to consider the designs. Just because they're beautiful to look at doesn't mean they'll necessarily speak to you. My very first deck was a gorgeous artist's deck, but it was completely silent. I couldn't connect with it at all and ended up giving it away to a friend. My most efficacious decks are often ones that don't match the aesthetic I'm normally drawn to. Sometimes we need a deck that makes us a see things in a fresh light.
• Are the suits the classic wands, swords, cups, and pentacles/coins? Some indie decks have substituted these for alternative representations of the suits. If you're just learning and using a guidebook this can be a little confusing. 
• Does it come with a content rich guidebook? A guidebook with the artist's interpretations of the card meanings can be very helpful and a great supplement to a general tarot guide (we recommend WTF is Tarot...And How Do I Do It?).

Hopefully this has given you some helpful things to consider when choosing a black and white deck.

Thanks so much for reading!

Lots of love--Myra xx

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