Pro Readers - Worn, Torn Cards?

This has been on my mind since December, when I got a reading from a professional astrologist/tarot reader. She had the state-of-the-art astrology software on a lap top, and gave me a thorough and comprehensive reading, with some very interesting advice for the year.
Then she asked me to draw five cards from the deck on the table. I didn't recognize the deck and the card pictures were not familiar to me at all. I thought it may have been an oracle deck but found out as she read that it wasn't. The point that stays with me is that this deck was very well-used and some of the cards I drew were actually torn, like almost half the card. One even had a chunk out of it; still readable, I assumed (or hoped). I thought at the time if this deck is an old reliable tool for her, OK, but unfortunately I'm also thinking "this deck is tired." (I didn't want to have that thought, of course, but there it was.) Yes, you ask, but how was the reading? Not nearly as good as her astrology. And she had me draw five cards at a time in quick succession - too fast for me to absorb anything, and I felt that she was hurrying. I can't recall any of it - I have to listen to the tape to bring it back. This is a reputable center with a great reputation, and they charge a fairly hefty fee.
I had another reading some time ago in the same center, different reader who was very intuitive and went into a trance-like state as she read. At the time I was fairly new to the Tarot, but she took the time to explain why she had gone back to her old RWS after experimenting with a new deck. Her RWS had been through many readings, but it was still presentable and I felt great trust in it as she passed it to me to shuffle.
Yes, I may be picky about this sort of thing, for example I can read a paperback from cover to cover and the book still looks like it just came off the seller's shelf. So I'm careful about that, even though they're not the tools of my trade. And for somebody like me, the feel and look of a deck has that first impression that's hard to overcome in the heightened senses of this situation. Any thoughts?

~B~

My first thought is that the tarot reader probably wasn't very good, or just wasn't really "on" that day when she read for you . . . and whether her cards were old or new didn't matter much.

But . . . it sounds to me as if her deck wasn't just worn, it was completely worn out. Opinions will vary, of course, but I wouldn't use a worn out deck when reading live for a querent - if cards are torn and falling apart, it's time for me to replace the deck.

Now, a nicely worn deck is a different matter . . . some edgewear, a nice soft feel to the cards - that makes it look as if you've had a lot of practice, as if you know what you are doing. I wouldn't want to use a shiny, stiff new deck that still smelled of chemical laminate when reading for a querent.

Ultimately, yes, I agree with you - a querent's first impression of a deck can make a real difference.

Well, if it wasn't a deck you recognized, it may have been one long out of print that she couldn't replace. I surely can identify with someone who has used a deck forever and ever and can't replace it continuing to use a tattered old raggedy deck like that. But still, if it were me, with so many new decks on the market, I think I'd try to adapt to one of the newer ones. Maybe that's what she's doing on her own time at home so she can replace that old raggedy one eventually.

You know what my first (cynical maybe) thought was? (Hey, I'm old, give me a break ) It was that maybe the old raggedy deck was for effect. To make it seem as though she'd been reading tarot forever and ever and ever with that deck. Maybe she's got a Tarot of Dreams and a Ma'at at home that she uses. Or maybe she got the old deck at some second hand store and uses it for effect but doesn't really get into tarot at all at home. Just dabbles in it for work.

The dicotomy of state-of-the-art desktop and software combined with a bunch of old cards that need to be retired is a strange one.

My first thought is that the old, battered cards were there to give a sense of 'respect' or 'antiquity' to the proceedings - that way certain groups who created a lot of this stuff wanted you to think it was 'old or older than ancient' to add to it's mystery. (Who would be impressed by; 'Hey! I got drunk last night and came up with this orcale thingie - let's see how it works now that I have a hangover!')

If, on the whole, you feel that your experience was a good one- even though you say her cards were not as accurate as her desktop- let it ride. Perhaps you were expecting her to bring out a deck as shiny and new as her laptop? Might that not have given you the impression that she has little or no experience is what she was doing? Perhaps it is the first deck she ever owned and uses it like a charm - her 'lucky deck' as it were. No matter how high tech she gets she keeps her old deck with her for 'old times' sake.'

Perhaps since this was at a 'center' you might say something to who is in charge- not an attack, but merely a statement that you respect their work, but thought that a bunch of cards- some almost ripped entirely in half or missing chunks of card - was a poor presentation - and presentation is everything. A used deck is one thing - a deck ready to be tossed out with the trash is something else entirely!

Thanks

Thanks, all of you - I was frankly a little insecure about all that until you replied.
OK, so what about the three five-card spreads in quick succession? Do you buy that? Can you actually DO that? That really startled me, frankly - it was almost a feeling of not having respect for the cards.

~B~

Astrology is very easy to do with a computer - think of all the astrologers in centuries past who had to do all those calculations out by hand over and over for each client -- the PC was a great tool - not that I respect her less for using a laptop to give you a years' astrological reading - but for $130 you can buy a similar program for yourself and do what she did, too.

As far as the "whip-out-5-cards-heres-yer-answer-now-have-a-nice-day" routine - quite realistically it was done to keep you from going out and spending $130 to buy an astrology program to run on your PC. The five cards thing was to be the 'hands-on' portion of your appointment. Where they shuffled, or did you just pull five cards off the top of a stationary deck?

********edited to add:
RedEmma is looking for an astrology program on CDROM - does anyone have one they can recommnd or advice on where to find such a program? I just did an ebay search and found a company called 'Chronos Ventures' and their astrology software was $130-$300 - so I raised my prices a little bit in this post.

I don't see how you could shuffle a deck in that condition, no matter what shuffling technique was used. It will be interesting to see your answer. I wonder if she could just use a laminator and laminate those cards like you would a social security card or something.

tarotbear said:

Astrology is very easy to do with a computer - think of all the astrologers in centuries past who had to do all those calculations out by hand over and over for each client -- the PC was a great tool - not that I respect her less for using a laptop to give you a years' astrological reading - but for $60 you can buy a similar program for yourself and do what she did, too.

Click to expand...

Now I'm really glad I started this whole thing, because now that you mention it the astrology reading did not have many personal touches - some things she told me really hit home nicely, but now I think it was all thanks to a general profile provided by a pretty comprehensive program.

tarotbear said:

As far as the "whip-out-5-cards-heres-yer-answer-now-have-a-nice-day" routine - Were they shuffled, or did you just pull five cards off the top of a stationary deck?

Click to expand...

Shuffled at the outset, but after the first five just drawn from the top. And I was only expecting one draw. How's my "psychic receptivity" when I'm thinking "what the hell is she doing?"

That's another thing!

Lyric said:

I don't see how you could shuffle a deck in that condition, no matter what shuffling technique was used. It will be interesting to see your answer. I wonder if she could just use a laminator and laminate those cards like you would a social security card or something.

Click to expand...

Yes! That's right - I had to be careful not to snag the torn ones and make the tear worse! Sort of like handling a Dead Sea scroll.

~B~

I would worry about pulling the torn one too often or having that card "stand out" as a result of the tear...that's me.

I recently got a Waddington Press IJJ Swiss...it was quite worn, but none of the cards were torn or damaged. I used the fanning powder treatment, but somehow forgot a few cards and left them in the bag with the powder...

When I dug in to get them out, one of them bent and there was a visible crease in the card...but..once the fanning powder was on all of them, that card fit right in...just a a crease, but shuffled beautifully. So I use the deck because I love it.

Personally, though, if I had pieces of my cards torn off, it would bother me since I like to do a good riffle shuffle and if I couldn't, I would probably "retire" the deck.

You could always stop by and ask.....I might have said something after the reading just out of curiosity...like...

Wow...you must really feel good about this deck...using it even though it is so worn and torn...

Five five-card readings...one reader I went to over a year ago, kept turning over three cards after three cards, until most of the deck was turned...then she said that she wasn't really a "tarot" reader. She just used the cards as tool.

You'll see every kind of Tarot card use out there.

The final question...did you gain some insight as a result of the reading?
Was the reading helpful?

If so...then take what worked and either don't go back, or go back because, despite this reader's style, you received some guidance.

I think you can also get the very slick reader who has a whole bunch of memorized generalizations, who uses a great deck and a Tarot spread...but leaves you flat.



terri