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Hi, I have a 30-40 year old Rider-Waite deck my father passed down to me, I'm just learning tarot, but I'm having a difficult time fanning out the cards in a half-moon shape and shuffling. It takes at least 10 minutes to set them up. I think they're paper, so I'm not too sure about using talcum powder or cornstarch. Do you know if there is a way to make them slide smoothly again without damaging them? Thank you.

I'm not really sure how to answer your question directly, but I have found that it can be hard to get accurate readings with Tarot cards that weren't mine to begin with. Every reader has different energy and a 30 to 40-year-old deck would definitely have a lot of leftover energy on them. I recommend that if you are just starting Tarot and learning your own style, you get a deck that is new and exclusively yours. Once you have a better command of your own relationship to Tarot, it might make more sense to read with someone else's deck. I do like the Ryder-Waite as a starter deck, but I also encourage people to find at least one deck with imagery that speaks to them more. I don't go directly by the book, and tend to apply a lot of intuition to the cards and generally if I bond with a deck more it allows for that intuition to flow more naturally. That's just my take on things. Good luck!

Thanks, I think I will! I was considering that option, perhaps getting a new Rider-Waite deck, just to start myself off. However, I'm still interested in helping my other deck too. I've been carrying it around with me for 12 years, and it's incredibly important to me. It seems to give accurate readings too, so who knows. But the wear is really starting to show, maybe it's time to retire it. I just don't want to bury it yet.