10/06/2016 Update: I have exciting news to announce soon enough! For the time being, I’ve de-activated the zip file download link in anticipation of the cool news to come! All my love.

10/08/2016 Update: Read about the exciting announcement of a new deck to be released here.

I don’t know how you feel, but I really like how this deck looks.

And the card backs. I love the card backs. Oh, wait you probably can’t see it that well in the above pic. Here you go.

Two versions. Two different card back designs. Two different sizes. I like the big one better. That’s the black one above on the left, at 3.5″ x 5.75″.

This is the second version. Can you spot the difference? One has astrological/elemental correspondences in the top corners and this one above does not. There is a third version, too, but we’ll get to that.

September 20. That morning I pulled the Ace of Wands from the Tarot of the Holy Light and thought it pertained to this book I’m working on at the moment. So to heed the divinatory message, I was outlining and note-taking for the manuscript. For some reason (won’t talk about it now) I needed to look up card images from the Grand Etteilla. Then a bunch of loose ends connected with each other in my head. Now I wonder if maybe the Ace of Wands had nothing to do with that book I was/am working on and instead has to do with this, what this post is going to be all about.

A few days prior I had a conversation with a friend who was lamenting about how she wanted to learn to read tarot with reversals but she found the upside down images visually distracting, so much to the point that she couldn’t get over it. I then thought about how the card layout of the Grand Etteilla would work quite well for someone like her, if the larger box featured the card image upright and the smaller box had it going in the opposite direction.

Let me explain.

In The Fool card upright below (left), even though the RWS Fool has been sliced, when that card appears upright, your eyes connect the two parts and the bottom part that’s in reverse doesn’t bother you too much because the majority of the image is upright. Also, your mind and imagination connects the two into a cohesive, coherent image. So there’s no hindrance to reading the cards upright.

Meanwhile The Fool reversed (right, above) shows a sliver of the card “upright” (the feet by the edge of the cliff and white dog) but the majority of it (the bottom box) is in reverse, so you still get the ill-dignified vibes of a reversed card. Now the “upside down image” of the reversed card doesn’t bother the visual senses as much, because you’ve got that top sliver that’s “upright.” Throughout the deck I also tried to choose a “sliver” that helps go toward interpreting the ill-dignity of the card.

This structure enables a novice reader to read card reversals with ease. The divided-then-spliced bidirectional image is a visual compromise to help acclimate a novice or even intermediate reader to read with reversals (or at least in the RWS system).

Additionally, I’ve integrated keywords for both upright and reversed positions. The keywords are not intended to be card meanings, but rather prompts that should trigger an internal set of keywords toward the card meaning. (Plus, accompanying the download are instructions and all specs on how you can edit the keywords on the card images to feature your own.) In so many ways, this is the perfect RWS study deck, though that brings me to the next loose end that got connected.

Another friend of mine, not a tarot reader and not that into the woo (actually, an IP lawyer), finds tarot intriguing and wants to be able to read for himself, more as a tool for inner reflection and–half-kiddingly, he was totally joking around–see if it can help with litigation strategy. He wants to use the RWS but also wants easy-trigger keywords on the deck so he doesn’t really have to, you know, get all psychic, because that’s not what he’s about. For someone like him, it helps to have flashes of keywords integrated into the divinatory experience, because the keywords are part of the intuitive triggers for him.

Keywords not only help him, but will also help the friend who wants to learn to read with reversals for the RWS. And finally, I’ve also included the astrological and elemental correspondences for the cards, written out rather than with glyphs for those who are astrology and alchemy novices and don’t recognize the glyphs by heart. Now even the novice can deepen the tarot reading experience with astrology, by looking up what the astrological correspondence means, in addition to the meaning of that card. For example, the Six of Swords below– a novice reader can see it’s Mercury in Aquarius, and subsequently go look up indications for Mercury in Aquarius to enhance the reading.

So now we’ve got a tarot study deck that helps you get acclimated with the RWS system, build your confidence in reading with reversals, and integrates keywords as part of the intuition triggers, which really helps for those who are more verbal-oriented than pictorial.

And I know I already mentioned that every facet of this deck is fully customizable by you. Do you like 50% of the keywords I went with but hate the other 50%? Well keep what you like, change what you don’t! I’ve given you instructions on how to modify every aspect of these deck files.

I’ve also created a beginner’s tarot deck using the original 1910/1911 Rider-Waite-Smith images, shown above. If you want to learn under the RWS system, then Version 3 of this deck makes a great first deck.

Plus, if you want to indulge in superstitions, i.e., the silly one that says you can’t buy your first tarot deck, it needs to be a gift, then think of this as my gift [or a gift from the public domain…] to you. You’re not buying your first tarot deck per se. If you upload and get it produced by a print-on-demand service, then you’re paying for printing services, not the tarot deck. The tarot deck, as it is, has been gifted to you. See the loophole there?

Oh by the way, I did mention I’ve granted all my work to the public domain, right?

Now to be clear, read that sentence a few times so you understand what I wrote. I have granted all of my work to the public domain. In no way am I giving any legal opinions on copyright issues here. I did the due diligence for myself and have consulted intellectual property attorneys for legal opinions so I am informed and educated on my own uses of the images I’ve sourced. It’s important that you do the same! Don’t look at me like I’m your lawyer. I’m not. For all intents and purposes of this blog and website, I’m not even a lawyer. I’m just a writer and dabbler of metaphysical interests, and use this site to share my dabblings.

Here– a PDF read-me (click below). In the read-me you’ll get the background and purpose for this project and also step by step instructions on how to use a third party print-on-demand publisher (my recommendation is makeplayingcards.com) to upload the image files and order your own copy of the RWS study deck. Also, if you don’t like my keywords, the PDF explains how to edit the card images with your own preferred keywords.

Read Me PDF

For the love of god please, please read the “Read Me” before you contact me with questions.

So on that September day when everything connected in my head and I decided to create this Waite-Smith Tarot Keywords Study Deck, I couldn’t do anything else but put together this deck, and that is what I did until completion. Then I granted everything into the public domain so anyone and everyone can have access to these image files to create their own study cards or do as they will with the deck, personal or commercial, but most important of all, enable people to learn tarot under the RWS system.

I personally think this is a pretty good beginner’s deck to study tarot on, especially if you want to read with reversals. And if you don’t, there’s Version 3. I also think it’s a great deck for those who don’t really want to deep-dive into learning tarot but still want to have easy access to reading for themselves. The deck is a compromising balance between visual-oriented folks who were having trouble with the “upside down images” of card reversals and verbal- and analytic-oriented folks who welcome the integration of keywords. The best part: you get to customize and choose your favorite card back design or heck, create your own and have a completely personalized RWS deck.

There are three versions, bundled together in separate folders when you download the zip file below. You’ll see five folders, as follows:

01 Waite Smith Tarot Study Deck Card Back Designs

02 Waite Smith Tarot Study Deck Version 1

03 Waite Smith Tarot Study Deck Version 2

04 Waite Smith Tarot Study Deck Version 3

05 Miscellany

Folder 01 contains a couple of public domain card back designs (generally reversible) you’re free to use. However, you’ll probably want to personalize and use your own custom designed card back. The subsequent file folders contain the three different versions of the RWS study deck.

Version 1 only has the keywords and card titles, no astrological and elemental correspondences. This version is for the tarot novice who pretty much wants to be able to read the cards right away and want the benefit of the card reversals.

Version 2 has the keywords, card titles, and the astrological/elemental correspondences per the Golden Dawn attributions (I say that to clarify, because there are many different systems).

Version 3 features the original RWS card images as-is, within the keywords design layout concept. This one has the astrological/elemental correspondences, along with card titles and keywords. The version 3 file folder also includes non-reversible public domain card back designs you can choose from.

The Miscellany folder contains blank templates to scale that you can use if you want to tinker with the existing image files, i.e., change the decorative border or make adjustments to the top and bottom blocks of card images. If you’re curious about the sources for the images used to create the deck, all of that information is in this folder. Finally, there’s a template for a tuck box (for the tarot deck size, 2.75″ x 4.75″ only) in case you want a custom designed box to put your RWS Keywords Study Deck in. If you know a bit of graphic design, you can even tweak the box and add on your name! Or tack on a label with the version of the study deck you’ve printed out (1, 2, or 3). Or whatever you want.

Click below to download the zip file:

I like using makeplayingcards.com to print my personally created decks.

Here are some direct links:

For 3.5″ x 5.75″ (recommended for this study deck), click here .

. For 2.75″ x 4.75″ (standard tarot dimensions), click here .

. For custom designed card box options, click here .

. For the 2.75″ x 4.75″ cards tuck box to go with the standard size tarot cards, click here.

And now if I may say so myself, you’ve got access to a neat beginner’s or novice RWS tarot deck, where two of the three versions will have the splice that helps you acclimate with reading reversals.

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10/05/2016 Update: If you downloaded the zip file prior to today, the King of Cups in all three versions has a typo– the card title reads “King of Wands.” Correction to the King of Cups card made on all three versions.

10/06/2016 Update: I have exciting news to announce soon enough! For the time being, I’ve de-activated the zip file download link in anticipation of the cool news to come! All my love.

10/08/2016 Update: Read about the exciting announcement of a new deck to be released here .