Do you categorize your decks?

[Rachelcat]

I have 335 decks, and I keep an up-to-date list. I like organizing things, so of course I categorize my decks!

In the past, I tried to put each deck in one category, but that kind of fell apart recently. Now I have a looser (well, a little) method of categorizing under two broad ideas: Systems and Themes. Systems are based on how a deck is organized, type of tarot (Thoth, RWS) or oracle (lenormand or I Ching). Themes are more broadly about the subject of the deck, like fairies or plants. For example, the Green Man Tree Oracle (based on the Celtic tree alphabet) is categorized in a system, ogham, and a theme, plants. I include tarot and oracles in all the systems and themes, except for the ones that specifically categorize tarot or oracle.

I don’t know if anyone cares, but since I made the lists, I might as well share. Here are my systems and themes! All subject to change. (Yes, I have at least one deck for each of these!) Enjoy!

Systems
Bach Flower Remedies
Egyptian Tarot
Etteilla Systems (tarot and oracle systems)
French-Suited
German-Suited
Golden Dawn Tarot Not Thoth
Hebrew Alphabet
I Ching
Lenormand, including with extra cards
Mantegna
Merged Decks (decks I keep shuffled together)
Minchiate
Non-Scenic Pips Not Historical
Ogham
RWS and Close Clones
Runes
Shemhamephorash (72 angels or names of God)
Spanish Tarot (Eudes Picard system)
Tarot Majors (majors-only decks)
Tarot Non-Standard Number of Cards
Thoth and Clones

Themes
Affirmations
Angels and Demons
Animals
-----Animal Tarot, one species per card
-----Cats, a cat on every card
Artists
Astrology
-----Chinese Animal Astrology
-----Moon
-----Sign Combinations
Buddhism
Crystals
Erotic
Fairies
Gods and Goddesses
Halloween
Historical Reproductions, original published before 1909
Humorous
Literature
Love and Romance Not Erotic
Native American
Plants
Realistic Contemporary Setting
-----Animals in Realistic Contemporary Setting
Sacred Sites
Science Club (math, science, and robots)
Shapes
-----Heart
-----Landscape
-----Round
-----Square
Sibillas and Tea Leaves
Wicca

[archimedes]

That's really interesting. You could do a Wordpress blog library with a blog entry for each deck and a tag for each theme they belong to.

I don't have that many decks, so for me it's just 'Tarot' and 'Non-Tarot' lol. Or perhaps 'decks I use' and 'decks I am too lazy to move on'.

I think themes are really useful to think about. I find that I sometimes want a deck that really speaks to the mundane: the So Below, the Housewives; I'd probably add the LS Pagan to that, and I think the Gay Tarot, and there are a bunch of others that are very much 'everyday people'. At other times I want the deck to focus on a higher plane and so the big mythological themes, the Druidcraft, the Arthurian will be more suitable.

[Rachelcat]

I find that I sometimes want a deck that really speaks to the mundane: the So Below, the Housewives; I'd probably add the LS Pagan to that, and I think the Gay Tarot, and there are a bunch of others that are very much 'everyday people'.

Yes, that's my "Realistic Contemporary Setting" theme! The Gay definitely belongs there. And the Pagan. Another deck like the Housewives that's very 40s-50s looking is the LS Zodiac Tarot (which obviously also has an astrology theme).

Thanks for the techy tip. I don't know if I'm up for the challenge, but it would definitely give me something to do with my categorizing itch.

You mention the Druidcraft and Arthurian, and now I'm wondering why I don't have an Arthurian or Celtic theme? Or a Matthews deck theme? And why I don't have the Druidcraft in my Wicca category? Back to the never ending tinkering with the list!

Thanks for your input!

[archimedes]

You mention the Druidcraft and Arthurian, and now I'm wondering why I don't have an Arthurian or Celtic theme? Or a Matthews deck theme? And why I don't have the Druidcraft in my Wicca category? Back to the never ending tinkering with the list!

Thanks for your input!

Glad to be of service

oh I haven't had my Matthews Celtic out for ... years. Must give it some lov.

[Griot]

During a lot of 2020 and some of 2021 I did a major overhaul of my "library" to turn it into a home office that I could actually walk around in, which involved converting it from an abandoned decluttering project that I could crab-walk into if I really had to put in a few hours overtime on a random weekend.

One of the things I really wanted was a better space for my decks, and it took me a while to sort that out. Eventually I ended up with some empty wicker baskets, so I started sorting my decks into categories:

• Faves - mine, mine, mine
• Keepers - these have potential, but we don't completely click yet
• Working Decks - if I have to take a deck out with me to read for someone and have ... concerns
• Loaners / Gifts - I may list these for trade here

I tied a tag to each basket. Most of my decks are unboxed in bags, so they also have tags so that I can tell them apart. The baskets sit on shelves.