A lot of people have been talking about pip decks lately. They have been wondering if they should use them, trying to figure out id the CAN use them, and a whole bunch of other things. So lets talk about them and figure this out together. What is a "Pip Deck"? A pip deck is a tarot deck where only the Major Arcana cards and Court Cards are illustrated. The rest of the cards might look something like this: Or, Since when were Pip Decks "a thing"?
Well darling, Pip Decks were the original thing. The first versions of a tarot deck was created in Italy by the Visconti family in the 1440's. These decks were pip decks and weren't even being used for divination. They were actually being used for a card game (don't ask me how to play it) and were not used for divination until the French occultist Etteilla got his hands on them in the 1750's. A.E Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith were the ones who got those cards are began drawing all sorts of fun pictures on them, hence the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. How am I supposed to read with these? Because of the lack of scenery and people in each picture, it's important that you are pretty solid on the basics. By the time you start using a pip deck, someone should be able to say to you "What does the Six of Swords symbolize?" and should should be able to give an answer without having to look at the Rider-Waite-Smith version of the card. Using these cards can help you use your intuitive side even more if that is what you are looking to work on. I'm still not convinced. What are some advantages of using a pip deck? If you are looking to work on your intuition, using a pip deck can definitely help you out. Not having those pictures on the minor arcana guides your mind to say what you are really getting without bias. Also, if you simply don't like the pictures on most decks because you feel they are not representative of you and your life, using a pip deck may be great for you. Lastly, if you use the tarot for mediation and don't want all that background noise of the picture cards, this might be a viable option. My recommendation? Once you have gotten your tarot meanings down pat, try out a pip deck! Even if you don't love it, I think it's good and important as a tarot reader to try different things to advance our practice. Have fun!
6 Comments
Nancy
1/1/2016 04:45:37 pm
I would love a list of pip decks other than the TDM. Is there a list posted anywhere that you are aware of. I would like to find a deck that has beautiful art for the illustrated cards and unillustrated pips? Thanks 😊
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1/30/2016 11:24:43 am
I don't know of any lists, but if you want help understanding how to find them, then you're not going to be searching for "pip decks," but "Marseille decks." The Marseille Tarot is the best known Tarot with non-illustrated pips, and anything that isn't Rider-Waite-Smith is usually called a Marseille-style Tarot.
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3/30/2016 11:51:19 pm
A friend of mine who is an awesome artist was commissioned to paint a series of painting to be turned into a tarot deck- which is amazing in and of itself- but when I went to the gallery opening that unveiled the paintings I just fell in love with the whole series. I ended up buying the painting and one of the decks.
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Nirmala Edelstein
9/7/2016 06:58:37 am
Hello there! Just discovered your blog, it's fab! I was wondering if you could tell me what the name of the deck is in that first picture there? I've been looking for some really nice pip decks, but never saw one as lovely as the one featured in this post (the first one there, not the Marseille one). Thank you so much!
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Ashley Oppon
9/10/2016 09:42:30 pm
The pip deck in the first picture is the Royal Thai Tarot! I love it!
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Paula E
1/14/2018 01:25:19 pm
I understand PIP decks are the minor arcana without illustrations. Can you please tell me WHAT PIP actually means? There must be an original meaning why PIP started to be used.
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