It’s that time again when we catch up and share what decks we’ve been loving during the month.
I did not buy any decks in October – I stayed strong and shopped my collection! I have spent $194.79 of my $250.00 budget so far this year on decks. I have a remaining $55.21 in my budget. How shall I spend my remaining $55.21?
We explored what was the oldest and newest decks we used in the month of October during this livestream. We also asked where are the most random places we store our decks. I had such a great time catching up with my Tarot-loving friends!
There are three main ways to work with me via Ko-fi:
We had a great time catching up during September’s Month in Review! Check it out!
Are you a collector, a reader, or both? Where are you at in your collecting journey? We will be exploring this topic this month on the channel. My Depth Year update: as of now, I have spent $194 of my $250 annual deck budget. I seem to be on track for not overspending this year on decks and I am grateful for what I already have in my collection. I now want to go deeper into connecting with my decks in 2025. I have mastered lowering my spending on decks, and now I want to become more intentional in using the decks I have on my shelves.
There are three main ways to work with me via Ko-fi:
We had a great time catching up during August’s Month in Review! Check it out!
I shared a recent experience with a first sighting of a centipede in my Reading Office! Needless to say, I was terrified.
We also discussed the low-buy versus no-buy Depth Year for deck collectors and it was great to hear from others on their experiences. As of now, I have spent $154 of my $250 annual deck budget. I seem to be on track for not overspending this year on decks and I am grateful for what I already have in my collection.
Here are flip-through videos of the decks I purchased in August:
There are three main ways to work with me via Ko-fi:
Here is a look at what caught my attention and captured my heart in the month of May – at least with Tarot and Oracle decks! I also discuss what’s going on with the channel, Poised to Leap Membership, and what’s coming up in general. I also shared on a Bibliomancy reading I did for a client using the Journey through the Gaian Tarot Guidebook. I had a great time chatting during the Premiere of this video – thanks to all who joined me!
I am bringing back an oldie – Monthly Favorites to the channel. I also shared on what’s going on with me and my Depth Year for 2024 – how have I done so far in the month of January? This video is timestamped for your viewing pleasure!
I started collecting decks in 2016 and started tracking my collection at the beginning of 2017. I realized that I loved the feel of the cards and admired the beautiful images that spoke to my soul. I was a collector and a proud one at that. I purchased at will, hardly ever adding to an official wishlist. I had the income that afforded me the luxury to buy some of the absolute sought-after indie decks that were coming out. I was in the acquisition or waxing moon phase of my collecting journey.
Over time, I came to realize I was buying lots of decks, and although I did want and enjoy many of them, some just sat on the shelves untouched. I began to feel a way about that. My YouTube channel grew because I was sharing my unboxing of these decks, but I longed to do deeper dives into the decks and even do readings for the collective.
I am glad I decided early on in my channel to diversify the type of content I engaged in on my channel because I now have moved quite a bit from consistently uploading deck unboxing videos. It is not that I never upload unboxings, because I am still a collector. But, I am in the full moon phase of my collecting journey.
I have to be authentic in everything I do and share on social media. If I am not buying decks at the moment because of life changes, then so be it – my subscribers will get it. Life changes for me included quitting a 20-year career, selling most of my possessions, and moving to the Caribbean. I also became a homeschooler and run my reading and coaching business full-time. I am a mini-homesteader now, too! There has been so much change between 2020 to 2023 for me, and there was simply not much room to add new decks to the collection.
Now, I did still add decks to my collection after my 2020 Depth Year, but this time I am so much more intentional about what decks to add. I now look for decks that will work well in client readings looking at functionality and compatibility. I even started making my own working Oracle decks and managed to make 10 of them! My relationship to collecting decks has evolved over the years and that is what I am speaking on in this post’s video.
Even the decks I have added to my wishlist are not ones I will necessarily end up getting and that is for a variety of reasons. Some decks may end up going out of print. Other decks may not end up working with me. I also do readings on whether or not to add a new deck to the collection and if I get an icky feeling, I just don’t bother to buy it.
Sweet souls have gifted me decks and that has been such a blessing for me and my collection! It makes it even that much better that I drastically slowed down my purchases because now I have room for the gifted decks that mean a lot to me.
I share my deck-collecting journey to inspire others to look at their collection with a sense of curiosity and honesty. Just like hairstyles, deck collecting is personal and no one needs to judge others on where they are at in their journey. I created a whole free course on the topic of mindful deck collecting and a bunch of videos on the topic. I saw many people struggling with FOMO (fear of missing out), deck envy, and feeling like their shopping was out of control. It mattered to me to share my experience to spare others from some of the pain points that come from deck collecting in a materialistic world.
Tarot Study for the Facebook group was something that was also born out of my desire to deep dive into a deck with others. I am always looking for ways to celebrate the decks we already have in our collection. However, I also love celebrating when people find a great new deck.
Another series I began on the channel was called, “Where is the Deck Now?” This allowed me to give reviews of decks that I featured on the channel and to share what actually happened to them after so much time had passed. I was able to be honest in whether or not I still had the deck and if I ever really used it.
Will I still collect decks? Absolutely! Will I continue to be more intentional about what decks I purchase? Absolutely! I am in a happy place. I can now “shop” my collection – whenever I feel the urge to get a new deck, I take a look at my shelves to see what I haven’t worked with yet or in a while. Trust and believe, the urge to buy a new deck fades.
Where are you at in your collecting journey? What is your deck moon phase? Do you keep a wishlist and if so, what are the criteria for a deck being added to that list?
We had a great time discussing our deck collecting habits and our beloved deck collections today. Check out the replay and don’t forget to leave a comment here or on the video.
Join me on Thursday, January 20, 2022, at 2:40 PM Atlantic Standard Time for a YouTube livestream where we discuss what’s now on my shelf, collecting habits, depth year, and what’s next.
I experienced a low buy depth year in 2020 and it carried over into 2021. For my depth year, I pledged to myself to refrain from buying new decks, crystals, and books. It has turned into quite a life changing time for me! I have had a chance to reflect on my deck collection and collecting habits and I’ve learned a lot about who I am as a cartomancer and as a collector.
We’ll take a look at what’s on my shelves as I discuss my depth year musings, 2022 reflections on my collection, and what’s next for me in deck collecting.
I’m back in America and finally coming to terms with all of my Tarot and Oracle decks that I left behind when I moved abroad. I left behind 44 decks and now the day of reckoning has arrived. I am taking you on my journey as I trim my collection and decide how to get some to my new home in a new country.
Part 1: The Deck Boxes and Which Decks Are Ready to Be Sold…
Part 2: The Decks That I Want…But Some Need to Go…
Part 3: Some Straggler Decks That I Need to Discuss…
Are you struggling with your deck collection? Look no further than my FREE course Choosing Your Next Deck, Curating Your Collection. Whether you are a new or seasoned collector, this course can help you feel much better about your collection and tips on how to easily tweak your collecting habits.
I recently culled my deck wishlist, with the help of my friends on YouTube. During my YouTube live, I was able to cut my wishlist from 50 to 23. After a couple of days of tidying up my wishlist even further, I was able to get it down to 11 Tarot and Oracle decks.
I had to be really honest with myself on why I really wanted a particular wishlist deck to be added to my collection. Oftentimes, I found that the desire for that deck has waned and I no longer really want it. Other times, I was able to discern where a particular wishlist deck had qualities in some of my decks that I already own.
I added a “date added” column on my spreadsheet to track when I added a deck to my wishlist. This will help me to see how long a deck stays on the wishlist before I make a decision about it. I do track how much money the total cost of decks are on the wishlist and the grand total is $486.11, which includes shipping and customs costs. Out of the 11 decks on my wishlist, I identified five that are very likely to be added to my collection at some point in the future. The total cost of the decks that are “very likely” to be added to the collection is $186.17. All but four decks that are very likely to be added were placed on the wishlist this year.
It feels reassuring to have a solid wishlist that includes decks I want in my collection, reflects my current tastes, and is realistic in terms of my budget. My wishlist ballooned to 50 last year because I was in a Depth Year (where I refrained from making new deck purchases). A sweet spot would be about 5 decks at a given time on my wishlist, as I plan to limit deck purchases to no more than 5 in 2022.
A beautiful surprise happened for me during this culling wishlist process. A dear friend who was on the YouTube live session with me saw one of my wishlist decks and offered to give it to me, which is such an unexpected miracle – as it is out of print and very difficult to find. I did not expect that and I am so grateful.
I now have the task of updating my Tarot and Oracle tracking spreadsheets to reflect what decks are still in my collection, which ones have been sold/given away, and which ones I plan to send to my new home. I will also identify more decks to sell and giveaway, too, as I plan to cut my deck collection by up to 50%. I have my work cut out for this project, but it is a worthwhile endeavor and I promise myself that I will see to it that all of my decks make their way to their proper home – whether that’s to me or to a new person.
Not everyone needs a wishlist, but for those who do, it can be a great way to analyze your tastes, see your anticipated costs (don’t forget to add shipping!), and to help stay on track of getting decks that do not have “non-negotiables” or has qualities that are already found in another deck that’s already in the collection.
Do you have a wishlist? What do you find really useful about them? Where do you struggle with wishlists? If you don’t use a wishlist, what are ways you track your desired decks or changing tastes?
Abundant*Life*Tarot 