Can You Mix Two Tarot Decks? Decide What the Extra Cards Are For

Perhaps one deck makes emotions easier to describe while another has clearer everyday scenes. You want to use both, but wonder whether they need separate jobs or can be shuffled into one stack.

The short answer: you can use two tarot decks in one reading if the method suits your practice. Keeping them separate with named roles is usually easier to follow. Combining two complete standard 78-card decks creates a 156-card pool with two copies of each card identity, so the same named card can appear twice. Repetition is possible by construction; it does not prove a message is more certain.

Method one: keep the decks separate

Choose the role of each deck before drawing. For example, take three cards from your usual deck for situation, need, and next step. Then take one card from the second deck for “a perspective I have not considered.” You can also stop with the first three; the second deck is an option.

Write down which deck supplied which card and position. If the same named card appears in both decks, read each instance in its own position. A Strength card in “need” and another in “next step” need not say exactly the same thing.

This method lets you compare artwork without making one deck the judge of the other. If the interpretations differ, describe the difference and return to the question. There is no need to keep drawing until both seem to agree.

Method two: combine the cards into one pool

If you want one combined stack, count what you are including first. Two complete standard decks contain two Fools, two Queens of Cups, and two of every other standard card identity. Both copies can appear in a spread even when you never put a drawn physical card back.

If you add only selected cards from the second deck, the distribution changes: card identities with extra copies have more entries in the pool. That can be an intentional creative exercise, but it is a different setup from drawing from one complete deck.

Different card sizes or backs can also make some cards easier to spot or handle. You can choose separate piles if combining them is awkward. For the handling itself, see how to shuffle tarot cards.

Keep each deck’s language visible

Decks may rename suits, change court titles, or include extra cards. Check the accompanying guidebook instead of assuming that matching numbers or pictures always carry the same intended meaning.

If one deck has extra nonstandard cards, decide whether those belong in this reading before you start. A blank card deserves its own check too; you do not need to invent an alarming meaning to justify finding it.

Try a comparison before a full mixed reading

Lay the same named card from each deck side by side without shuffling. Notice one detail each artist emphasizes. Then write two possible questions the images bring up. You might find that one version of the Four of Cups brings your attention to rest while another makes you notice an overlooked invitation.

This is a study exercise, not two independent confirmations about your future. It helps you see how imagery shapes your interpretation before adding more cards to a live question.

Choose a stopping point with the method

A useful plan might be: “Three cards from deck one, one perspective card from deck two, then a written next step.” If the reading remains unclear, record what is unclear. Another deck cannot establish facts you do not have.

Your method can be personal and still be easy to explain. The aim is to know what you drew, why it was included, and how it relates to a choice you can actually make.