Someone recently asked me if some decks carried more magickal power than others. I thought that would be a good topic to address here on 78 Magickal Tools.

The magickal power in a tarot deck comes from a number of sources. The first and most important source is the power of archetypes. This power is inherent in virtually any tarot deck.

What are tarot archetypes? Each tarot card holds a specific energy. One of the ways we can describe that energy is as a theme or character with which we are all familiar. For instance, we can see the Fool as the seeker on an epic adventure - he is Frodo, Percival and Don Quixote.  We can see the Hermit as the wise old man.  He is Dumbledore, Obi Wan and Gandalf. We can see the Lovers as the syzygy, or divine couple - Romeo and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra, Liz and Dick.

The Minor Arcana is archetypal as well. The four Aces are the four tools of magick - the four icons of the Four Elements. The Ace of Cups is the Holy Grail. The Ace of Swords is Excalibur.

These archetypal energies will be present in any deck that follows tarot tradition despite how the deck is illustrated or what its theme may be.

Tarot archetypes are energies we can invoke, manifest or banish when we do tarot magick.

Some decks are designed and themed in such a way that they may bring an additional potency or invoke a particular energy to your magick.

For example, the Celtic Dragon Tarot by D.J. Conway and Lisa Hunt is designed to work with dragon energy. D.J. Conway sees dragons as spiritual entities that can assist us in our magick. Arguably, then, Celtic Dragon Tarot (Magician card pictured above) would bring the dragon energy to your magickal work.

A Goddess Tarot like Kris Waldherr's beloved deck could be used to bring the energy of particular Goddesses to your magick. Waldherr's Lover's Path Tarot might be particularly effective in the execution of love magick.

Could a specifically Wiccan deck be extra useful in Wiccan magick, or a Druid deck in Druid magick? While such a deck is not necessary for successful magick, if you have access to a deck designed for your particular tradition it would only make your magick more potent.

Another aspect of what makes a powerful magickal tarot is personal.  The history of the deck and your personal resonance with it can add energy too. The deck that was a gift from a special friend, the deck that was handed down from your grandmother or even your very first tarot deck would all hold special power above and beyond other decks. That power would certainly transfer to your magick.

Tarot magick is always powerful and effective. If you have only one tarot deck at your disposal you should use it as if it is the most powerful deck in the world. If you are lucky enough to have a tarot collection it makes sense to choose the deck that will be most powerful for the type of magick you are creating.

-Christiana