Recently I decided to break down and purchase a deck that I've had my eye on for about a year now: The Hermetic Tarot. It's the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's pride and joy (aside from all the authors they pumped out over the years) and still remains a favorite among readers and practitioners alike.

Though there have been some other decks I was looking at, and ALMOST purchased if I didn't stop myself beforehand.

Whenever you're purchasing a tarot deck, get something that resonates with you and that you'll be able to connect with. Make sure you'll be able to see yourself using it in the distant future, or until it tells you it wants to be passed on.

So here are the rules:

1. Don't fall into that whole "you need to be gifted your first deck." That's New Age bullshit.

2. Unless you want to study Qabalah for about a year, I'd really suggest you begin with something self explanatory. Divination cards are great for this reason, since there's almost zero Qabalistic influence over the cards in any way.

3. Christian/Islamic/Judaic tarot sets are expensive as all hell and incredibly rare. Master Tarot is an example of this.

4. GET A DECK THAT MIRRORS YOUR OWN PATH. Do not just buy any deck that "looks pretty". Though it's not a necessity to purchase a deck that aligns with your belief system or method of practice, it's easy to become bored of a deck you can't relate to. For example, don't purchase the Gothic Tarot of Vampires deck if you're going to be practicing Islamic mysticism, since matching up definitions with cards can become confusing and more work than it is worth.

5. Get something you can learn the definitions of fairly quickly and then progress from there. The Mystic Faerie Tarot is great for this exact reason (if you're just starting out and have no idea what system works best for you, or you're looking to develop your own). In all reality, this is probably one of the best decks out there right now for anyone, anywhere since it doesn't hold ground in anything specific.

6. Once you get your deck and things start "being read" for you or your friends/family, avoid getting freaked out. Just go with the flow.

7. There are free tarot decks out there, and the best one is undoubtedly the Discordian Tarot.

8. Don't do readings to just do readings, do it to actually solve a problem or help someone. Wasting energy on "wowing" someone will only result in repressing the problem. Get done what needs to be done.

9. Tarot is meditation, not divination. Divination is divination.

10. Don't ask "yes" or "no" questions. There are no such questions in the Universe. There are only "maybe" questions.