Recently I’ve had to pare down a great deal of personal belongings. I have spent months doing this, going through my bookshelves, cabinets, trunks, bins, and boxes. I’ve gone from collecting to letting go. Among the things I have had to let go of were over a hundred tarot decks or other divination sets, as well as numerous books, both spiritual and non-spiritual.

Downsizing

This isn’t the first time I’ve had to do some real downsizing, and I’ve passed along tarot decks many times over the years. Sometimes I have a few I am giving away, or maybe a dozen or so. It typically makes just a tiny, barely noticeable dent in my collection. This time though, I knew it would have to be many more all at once. It felt more permanent. There is a bit of uncertainty in my living situation right now, where having less will definitely serve me better. Once I passed these latest many decks on, I knew I wouldn’t be rebuilding my collection.

I have done this latest downsizing in stages. I grouped decks and sets together by my interest level, or simply put, how much I liked them. Then I went through each group at a time and narrowed it down slowly from there. Some decks had never resonated with me. Or I’d never liked the artwork much, or the overall messaging of them. Those were the easiest to let go of. The hardest to let go of, of course, were those I liked but not quite as much as others. Those had to be added to the donation or gifting pile. I don’t (and won’t) have room for all of them.

Small is still a collection!

So, my tarot collection as it is now, fills just two small moving boxes! I haven’t had this few tarot sets in a very, very long time! I have found though, that small is still a collection 😊 I have my favorites, and there is a comfortable coziness to this.

I am okay with this smaller amount. I thought it would be difficult, but I actually don’t feel I have lost anything. My feelings towards a collection – tarot collection, any collection – have changed. More than ever, I’m valuing space, and valuing simply having less (less to make room for, less to worry about, less to organize and manage). Besides, having too many means not being able to spend as much time with some as with others, and not getting to know them as deeply.

Family inspiration and influence

When I think of collecting, or collections, I can’t help but think immediately of my grandmother. She must be my source for the inspiration and influence in collecting. She loved to say, “this will be a collector’s item someday!” She collected antiques of all kinds – furniture, glassware, clocks, dolls, and costume jewelry. She also collected things like McDonald’s character glasses, or political campaign merchandise. One of her favorite items as a collector was a watch with an unflattering caricature of Richard Nixon’s goofily grinning face. She also loved owls, and I couldn’t count how many were in her collection, whether in jewelry, decor, needlework, book, or even plushies.

The problem with collecting

I never purposefully set out to build a tarot collection. I ended up with a collection of tarot decks over the years. Over time the number of decks I had turned into a collection – quite a collection, as far as numbers go – and it became overwhelming for the space I had for them. When I began going through them all I was surprised by how many I had forgotten I had, and hadn’t even looked at in years. That’s one of the most obvious problems of collecting anything, having something but not fully enjoying it.

Realizing meaning in our stuff

My life has gone through some big changes in the past few years, and I anticipate some more big changes in the next year or two. At the same time, I’ve had to go through the households of my dad and my in-laws, making decisions in what to keep. These have been hard decisions, and it has been a sometimes painful process. Having acquired that experience has made this process of going through my own things far easier. I have been able to look through all of these sets and determine which had the most meaning to me, which were the ones I really wanted to devote my limited space to, and which I would want to “pay to move” when the time comes.

It’s a few months out since I started this process and have passed so many on, and I have to say I don’t miss them. I don’t miss having a large number of decks. There aren’t any that I’m wishing I had held onto. It’s also good to imagine that those I passed on have found their way into the hands of others who will now be able to learn from them and grow with them, enjoying their particular art or messaging.

What I have to be careful of in the future, of course, is not amassing another huge collection!

Thoughts? Feelings?

What do you think? Do you like having a growing collection of decks, or do you like sticking to just a few favorites? I’d love to know!

If you’re curious about any of the decks that are visible in the above image, reach out to me. A favorite of mine and a true collectible deck (in my opinion), is the Madam Lydia Wilhelmina’s Tarot of Monsters, the Macabre, and Autumn Scenes. Another, cuter, truly collectible deck is the Australian Animal Tarot. Check those reviews of mine out, then go discover your own new collectibles!

As always, thanks for reading.

~ Nellie