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?
Kim
Abundant Life Tarot 🌺
Abundant*Life*Tarot 