Intentionally "Gimping" Your Deck

I found a post that mentioned withdrawing specific cards and leaving them out of a reading. Their reasoning was due to the presence of younger folk being read for.

Have you ever intentionally left cards out of a reading/off to the side/overlooked them entirely? If so, why?

No never, it wouldn't occur to me. If anything I would use a deck where the cards were gentle, vanessa, gianan, but I doubt I would eliminate cards...

I most decidedly would not remove cards from a deck, although if I knew the sitter had certain sensibilities, I would maybe use a deck that didn't have explicit, or at least realistically depicted, nudity. Probably most folks would be comfortable with the RWS, since the drawings aren't realistic, but I would most likely not use, oh, say, the Archeon Tarot with its abundance of boobs, or Dame Fortune's Wheel, with the Star card's, er, prominent maleness (which actually makes me a little uncomfortable, but that doesn't stop me from using the deck). Or the my recently acquired Pictorial Key, which has pretty graphic nudity wherever it is depicted.

Absolutely not. If I had a very young sitter, I'd use a non-threatening deck - Baroque Bohemian Cats or Inner Child or something.

No, I would not ever do that. And I don't use extra cards either that some deck creators include. Just the way I read. Of course I would pick a less (possibly) offensive deck if I felt the querent would be made uncomfortable by some images.

I have seen it posted though of readers removing the 'scary' cards for readings at a group festive event to keep the readings and the mood light.

Never. I'd regard that as profoundly disrespectful to the cards. Nor would it occur to me to dumb down a reading just because a child was present. Children are tougher and wiser than we give them credit for. If it was the parent who felt their little snowflake was too delicate to be exposed to such things, I'd probably refuse to read at all.

I never have. But I don't rule out the possibility that I might do it someday. I mostly read for myself and if there were a card I felt I wasn't ready for, or that the artwork just sucked, or maybe I was just in the mood for a particular thing that day. And although people are saying that they have never taken a card out, many people read for specific events with just the majors, or just the courts, or some other mixture. It's really not so different. You decide what mixture you wish to read with for that particular day or issue, and do so. I really don't see why its a big deal myself. But then I'll read with various oracles, or random cards that I've made and stuffed in a bag. For me its about the particular moment with a particular image. Call it the chaos factor if you will. A card appears, or a dream, or a funny shaped puddle on the road. And it triggers a reaction. I don't think we need to control where that image comes from or what set it can be chosen from. I think if our minds need to make a connection it will.

Nope, I would not remove any cards from the deck. I'd try to use a non-threatening deck, like the Hanson-Roberts, the Enchanted Tarot or the Gummy Bear.

That said, I don't think I'd EVER read for a child, unless the child AND the parents really wanted. I feel very unqualified to deal with childhood and child-raising questions, and I think that problems with kids should be taken to qualified therapists.

I would read for children as the third-party in a reading, if the parents wanted a reading. Not directly for the child. As spiritually strong as they may be, they are still children and have a long way in emotional/intellectual development - I'd not like to meddle with that.

I'd read for teenagers older than 15 years old, but still I'd not remove any cards. For them I think I'd use any decks.

If I specially wanted to keep any 'strong' imagery away from younger sitters, I think I'd end up using normal playing cards. They are my main divination tool anyways.

Hmm. Interesting question.

I don't *think* I've done it but I may have... certainly when I've drawn a really crap spread I've at times shuffled it back saying, "rubbish, give me something I can use!"

I guess the obvious candidates here are maybe death, the tower and the ten of swords, if you really don't want to face some difficult issues, depending on the deck. But then you are really hobbling the deck. So as Gregory says, I'd probably choose a deck that has less threatening versions of those cards. But if I knew a querent was going to be really obsessed over a card, I'd give it some thought. There are other ways for the deck to talk about change, rebirth, death, and destruction.

The other possibility is that if there's a prominent issue in your life that maybe would overwhelm a reading - you know when there's stuff that just keeps coming back, or a person that keeps showing up - and I knew there were specific cards that spoke to that issue regularly - I might try leaving them out as a way to help focus on other issues. Possibly.

As a general rule I wouldn't do it, but it could be something worth considering.

Never on purpose. Like others have already said, if I was reading for a child, or someone who was very religious I would use a deck to reflect that, rather than leaving cards out.

I will say that once in awhile I have accidently left cards in the box, and realized I've been reading without them all week.