What was so different about the RWS deck?
Beginning with the Visconti-Sfroza deck to the Marseilles deck, the ‘pips’ or the Minor Arcana cards never had any pictures of events on them. They normally contained a stylized version of the suit element in an elaborate design. The Thoth deck also follows this pattern. The cards, however, also have a keyword on them. However, among all the older decks, the Sola-Busca deck of Tarot cards had pictures on the ‘pips’ or the Minor Arcana cards. So did the RWS deck.
What is it about the drawings on the ‘pips’ or the Minor Arcana that makes it more important?
It’s a matter of ease, I suppose! Honestly, it becomes that much easier to remember what a card stands for when you see the pictures. Earlier, each card had a keyword and a bunch of meanings. You would have to learn them by rote and keep remembering them while doing readings. There were pictures only on the Major Arcana Cards and not the Minor Arcana Cards. This made the learning and reading process quite time consuming and tedious. The pictures on the Minor Arcana have made it easier for would-be readers and practiced readers to get more from the cards in terms of meanings and interpretations.
Perhaps, that is the main reason why the Rider-Waite-Smith deck is still popular today, since its publication in 1910. I learnt with this deck and always use it for my workshops as well. Apart from the historical significance, these cards are simple to understand for a beginner – and become more and more interesting with their symbolisms for a practiced reader.
Learning with the RWS is a continuous flow. So they are the best cards to begin the journey with.
Many cards, including that of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, have the woman clasping the lion’s jaws. Another feature of the RWS deck is a lemniscate hovering over the woman’s head. Other decks have the woman sitting upon the lion, or merely with one hand upon it. Some decks feature just one of the characters; flowers are often presented on this card.