Are you meant for tarot??

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 May 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kazz	16 May 2002
Hi all, just curious, I was wondering how it is that we are all "addicted " so to speak, to tarot and all it holds for us? Is at just an Interest? Curiosity? Or are we meant for it? I beleive that i was, my closest girlfriend who has been reading proffessionally for years,gave me my Tarot deck (ryder-waite) as a gift and said to me (that was passed on to her ) that if you are given a Tarot Deck , you are meant for them. The cards basically pick the person. i have always been "interested " in the Tarot , but i remember years ago before i was given this wonderful gift, I thought only "psychics" could read the tarot. so it never entered my mind that i would some day have my own deck (very young i was) so let me know your reasons and how it came about for you? Cheers, Kazz :TQC

Mateo06	16 May 2002
I have been slipping in and out of tarot for the past year. I was into a lot like 5 months ago. but now i don't know. I want to get into it but it jsut doesn't hold my interest as much. But i actually got myself interested in it. One day i went into a new age shop and bought a wishing pyramid. and i went to an online forum and asked if i coudl use it more than once. while i was there i saw a tarot forum and read the posts there... and i was like i like this stuff" and i was set on buying a deck... and Here i am today

Violet Gargoyle	16 May 2002
This was one of those conflicting things in my childhood. As I have mentioned elsewhere, My mother gave me my first tarot deck when I was about 13. Conflict One: I was still going to Catholic School at the time. (the conflict within the conflict: I was never baptized, the nuns did not approve.) The church folk there said that "forchun tellin'" was sinful. I knew that Tarot cards were for "forchun tellin'" but couldn't figure out why they offended God. Conflict Two: My mother had these cards for years, she only played around with reading, but stopped after she thought the cards only predicted bad events. Why she gave them to me after this conclusion is a mystery that has never been explained. Just that she didn't want them anymore after about a year of not using them at all. Conflict Three: I never predicted anything bad with the cards. In fact, I never predicted anything at all with them. I couldn't read the thing at all. The major arcana was in french, for starters, and the minor arcana didn't have any symbolism in it (9 of wands were nine wands, like playing cards). So I resorted to many things that kids do with cards: making card houses, gin rummy, and poker. It took some years to realize that I wasn't an inept card reader, I just needed to try different cards and got a Waite. This faired better but I still kept having to consult the book. The first one that I didn't need constantly need a book for was the Medicine cards. This is about 10 years after I got the first deck, which I still have.

slinky_jo	16 May 2002
This thing about "giving tarot decks" really bugs me - Grrrrrrr! *bares teeth* I don't understand this - is it just as old wive's tale? Must be! I bought my own cards, always have, and I have worked with them with great results! My best friend got a gorgeous deck from her sister - Tarot of the Old Path - and never uses them, if she does, she reads from the LWB (she's had them for years). So I think that it's a load of codswallop. So there! :P Sorry - had to have a little paddy there - no offense meant to anyone, I'm just being grumpy :D

Zhritza	17 May 2002
I agree, slinky_jo, I think that whole concept is limiting. What if someone really wants a deck -- their first one, or a specific one, whatever -- and waits in vain to have it given to them? This is like if you are itching to read "On the Road," but someone told you that unless you buy the original scroll Kerouac wrote it on, for thousands of dollars, it doesn't count. Silly! Meant for tarot... hmmm.... In a way, yes, I think tarot and I were meant for each other. I am fascinated by the power of symbolism, especially that which is evident in many cultures throughout the world and its history. Scores of cultures have the idea of the resurrected (or dormant, waiting for resurrection) hero, for example, and the archetypes in the tarot are part of that pattern. I am finally getting to the point where I see old, powerful concepts in the minor arcana as well, although of course these relate more to daily human experience, whereas the majors are about stuff that is a Big Deal. Anyway, the tarot is the perfect brain candy for me. It stimulates my intuition and creativity, and also my rational thought. So I feel bettered by it, and the smarter I am, the more useful I am in this reality.

Emily	17 May 2002
I'd delved into other forms of divination but saw the Rider Waite in my local bookshop and bought it, I also bought a small book for the R/W at the same time - then later a couple of other books and then found this site and then the other decks came my way lol The more I learn to use tarot, the more I learn about myself. I think the cards bring things to the surface, I don't use them just to 'fortune tell' (hate that word) but also as a means of self discovery lol

wavebreaker	17 May 2002
I don't know whether I'm "meant" for tarot. I only know that I came across it at the right moment. Somebody gave me the url of the Glastonbury Tarot website, where you can do online readings, and that's what got me interested, so I bought a deck of my own and started learning. And I must say the cards have already helped me a lot. When I first started, I was confused about a number of things in my life. Now, thanks to the cards, I'm seeing things a lot clearer and, most important of all, I feel so much better than I did a few months ago. So I guess in my case it's more that tarot was meant for me at this point in my life... ;) As for giving tarot decks: I don't believe a deck will only work if it was given to you, because I think choosing a deck is a very personal thing. A deck that works for one person might not work for somebody else at all. In other words, I agree with slinky_jo en qolus.

VGimlet	17 May 2002
I don't know if I would say I was meant for tarot. Certainly, as soon as I heard about Tarot cards (I have no idea how old I was) I knew they were "me". Since I've been using them, off and on, for so long, I would put it past even an interest. I really don't know what to call it, except maybe right now an addiction. :D And I've never been given a deck (although I keep hoping, LOL).

Kiama	17 May 2002
Hmmm... Good question! Y'know, maybe there are people who are more 'drawn' to Tarot than others... People with a certain midnset, or experience of life... Maybe certain traits we possess make us more or less likely to be attracted to Tarot? This would be interesting to study I think, but it would be difficult! Anyway... I think anybody, if they want to, is meant for Tarot. It is a system that practically anybody can use, and it is accessible to everyone. (Well, within Western culture, certainly!) But what defines whether or not you are meant for Tarot, possibly, is whether or not you want to be meant for Tarot! My little sister, who will be 11 in August, and my youngest sister who is 9, both want to learn Tarot, but at the moment don't really have the patience for it, and both tend to get a bit put off by things if they can't get to grips wit hit straight away. Maybe when theyre all they will be ready for Tarot, but at the moment, I still think they are meant for it... They have the interest, the access, and the wonderful open-ness that mostly only children have! They are both very intuitive, and I think this is another trait that might affect whether or not we are drawn to Tarot, and if we are, if we actually stay with it... Case in point: (This is very generalised, and there are, of course, exceptions!) There are very few people who use Tarot, who are unaware of how to use their intuition. Some professions also seem to have more Tarot readers in them than others, and it also seems that there are more women than men... (VERY generalised!) Any comments anyone? Ae their certain traits that you think might make you more likely to be drawn to Tarot? I think this is a pretty interesting thought... Kiama

wavebreaker	17 May 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama Any comments anyone? Ae their certain traits that you think might make you more likely to be drawn to Tarot? I think this is a pretty interesting thought... Yes, interesting question... I think to be drawn to tarot you have to believe in your own intuition or inner guide or whatever you want to call it. I think that's the main thing. Also, if you want to use the cards to improve yourself, I think you have to be able to look critically at yourself and be prepared to develop yourself further. In other words: to really listen to the cards and not just read in them what you'd like to hear. Hmm, can't think of anything else at the moment...

Diana	17 May 2002
edited

Liliana	17 May 2002
Um I kind of"evolved into" Tarot I started with little fortune telling games and decks when i was little(grade school) then i got an antique fortunetelling thing called a fan tell that was a little more serious. Then I got into runes, i loved their heavy, earthy feel but had problems memorizing meanings. Then i got a game for Nintendo called Taboo that read tarot cards for you. I ended up copying the deck from the game by hand onto index cards and taking them to school to try to read for others, and getting in trouble for having pornographic pictures because the loers hands were coering each others genetalia Then i just fooled around in genral for years tili met my husand and thats when i got into tarot seriously. Now Ive got runestones again And I getting a copy of fantell fro my mom But im still keeping tarot around lol

fairyhedgehog	17 May 2002
For me, Tarot is one of a number of self-development tools, along with things like visualisation. One of the tutors on my counselling course used Tarot cards for starting a story-telling exercise. The kind of traits in me that respond to Tarot are things like creativity, playfulness, making stories to make sense of things. Do you think we have an unusually high number of counsellors in our midst? Cos Tarot fits in very well with Gestalt counselling ideas in particular (in my view.)

magicmadrigal	17 May 2002
I can't say for others, but as for myself I was definitely meant for the tarot. I think we all have various abilities and it's just a matter of finding what works for you. I consider myself to be very creative and come from a fairly creative family. My sister and I have always loved doing crafts. Although everything she loves to do, I hate to do and visa versa. Many years ago I dragged her to a weaving weekend where we got rigid heddle looms and learned to weave. I hated it and never touched it again. She fell in love with and went on to get a degree in fiber arts and has many looms and now has a gallery where she sells her hand dyed/hand woven scarves, jackets and capes. She's really talented, she was even commissioned recently to do a scarf for Bonnie Raitt! It took me another decade or more after that to find my true creative outlet and this is after trying silk screening, painting, pottery, you name it. I found several years ago that my creative medium is metal. I took classes for several years and found the silversmithing resonated with me. It's very theraputic and cheaper than a therapist. Not to mention you get to make all kinds of cool stuff to wear. I think this is the same with divination. Some can scry well, I can't, some like runes and oracle cards, some are just plain psychic and don't need a focal point. For me it's the cards, and not all tarot cards work for me. I am really repelled by Crowley's deck. Now, had that been the first deck I picked up I probably would never have looked at them again. I have no idea why they repell me, they just do. So, I listen to that inner voice and it continues to lead me down a very interesting path. Magicmadrigal

Aerin	17 May 2002
fairyhedgehog, I got into Tarot when one of the tutors on my NLP course started talking about it. And I went on from there ... Aerin

Jenny-Li	17 May 2002
In my case I very much believe I was meant for it, since I never decided to learn, nor did anyone else decide for me (by giving me a deck - there is noone around me who'd know to do so!). The cards decided for me, or rather somehow the idea was planted in my head, I'm fairly sure I had never heard about Tarot, but all of a sudden I was in a Spanish department store and just knew I had to go buy one. That particular one I don't use for any spiritual work, my hubby and I play cards with them when we're on holiday (we never play with them in Sweden, only when we are abroad - isn't that strange??), but getting that deck meant taking the first, impulsive step (which I still haven't figured out how and why I took!), and after that there was just no stopping me! :D So I'm fairly sure I was meant for this, and I become more and more sure the more joy and confidence it gives me. Even though I probably never will be able to figure out exactly what forces made me get into this, I've a pretty good idea of why: My soul was tired of getting more and more tied inside a cocoon of uncertainty that wasn't really me, and so fate threw me a tool to start working with myself! And it has worked..! Light and love, Jenny :)

fairyhedgehog	17 May 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Aerin fairyhedgehog, I got into Tarot when one of the tutors on my NLP course started talking about it. And I went on from there ... Aerin So maybe there is a connection with counselling?

Jimilyn	17 May 2002
I couldn't really tell you exactly why I was drawn. Only that I was. I have felt the draw of many metaphysical/intuitive/occult things for most of my life...also spent a great deal of time and energy repressing those calls. But about 3 years ago, it finally convinced me. I inquired in a store about purchasing tarot cards. The cards help me to tap into my intuition better and understand myself and others better. The cards are a tool to help me do that...takes the pressure off of just having to know or intuit. Now, I've got a nice little stack of decks sitting beside me. :) 16 tarot decks and 8 oracle decks. All but three of those decks have been acquired since August 2001. I just can't stop! LOL! Jimilyn

truthsayer	18 May 2002
i think i was meant for tarot. my interest in divination was encouraged at an early age. i found out about tarot purely by accident by a high school teacher. i got a deck and just bonded w/ the cards. i didn't understand their nature but i spent years learning them and loving them. they are one constant link of spiritual continuance that i have in my life. when other ppl read their bible, i read my tarot cards for spiritual guidance. learning to read tarot always felt right to me like i've always known how but had to refresh my memory. whenever i start pulling away from my tarot studies, it seems my mental health just goes down. i'm a creative person. i love to write and do art. i worked as a counselor for 13 years. i was really good at it b/c of the years i had spent learning how to do readings and counsel querents. i used to joke around that counseling someone was like doing a tarot reading w/o cards. i couldn't always get a bead on someone but the fact i was so intuitive actually set me up to being more receptive to the negativity of others. i should have shielded myself but at that time i was in denial about my intuition and empath abilities. if i hadn't worked w/ tarot so many years prior to going into the field, i doubt i would have been good at counseling. tarot made me more sensitive to others.

VGimlet	18 May 2002
I feel many people who are drawn to tarot, as well as other metaphysical, or alternative schools of thought have open minds; new ideas facinate them, instead of frighten.

jema	18 May 2002
i think i am meant to enjoy life and tarot gives me joy. i do not believe in "Destiny" or that i would have any more of some magical "Gift" then anyone else. tarot is about having fun, being patient and sticking to it. just as you need to practise to be good at tennis - you have to train your tarot-skills. and i really don't think it matters wether i buy my own racket (deck) or is given one.

Maalin	18 May 2002
I remember being very small when I had a 'sweets oracle' that I made up myself: I used to get bags of mixed boiled sweets and I gave meanings to all the different types based on their wrappers and what the sweet inside looked and tasted like. I used to draw them at random, interpret them and then eat them! :D Over the years I think I've come across most 'forchun tellin' methods, and although most were very interesting & I learned things from each of them none of them ever really felt like 'me': i like astrology, but there is too much maths and fiddling with rulers for my liking, runes are nice'n earthy but a bit blunt and I Ching goes way over my head... When I first met Tarot (again wandering into a random shop in the Brighton Lanes on a bored afternoon) it really 'clicked'. I'm quite a visual person so images appeal to me. Also, I can relate to the Western/European/monotheistic background & symbolism of the RW, because that's my own background & so feels quite natural and inuitive. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.... Love, Maalin PS This probably belongs in a different forum, but could somebody explain what the various types of envelops in the left hand colum mean? I still don't have quite figured those out...

Juccota	19 May 2002
I am not sure if I am meant for the tarot but I just feel like I am being drawn to it, I don't know how or why but I just started searching about the tarot on the internet and started learning from the site learntarot.com and then I started looking for my first tarot deck. From then on I have been reading up more and playing with the cards, I just love the images on the cards and how they relate to our lives.

raeanne	20 May 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Maalin PS This probably belongs in a different forum, but could somebody explain what the various types of envelops in the left hand colum mean? I still don't have quite figured those out... [/b] Maalin, If you scroll down to the very bottom of the screen with all the envelops you will learn what the different types mean. The different styles/colors of envelopes show how many replies there are, etc. Hope this helps answer your question. (BTW, the black dot means that you have contributed to that thread.)

SharonElizabeth	22 May 2002
I can relate with the feeling of being called to tarot, or being meant for it. I bought my first tarot deck (it was a mythic deck) in my early teens. I don't remember exactly when, but I remember what store and even the location of the shelf I found it on. I never really connected with that deck, as as teenagers do, I lost the deck. When I was fourteen, I bought a rider-waite deck. (At the same book store, but they had moved the shelves to a different place.) I would try to read from it using the LWB, and had some sucess making sense of the cards but it didn't really click. Over the years I had cards read by professionals, and I always wanted to know how they did that. What they said about the cards never really matched what was written in the LWB. About a year ago I found www.learntarot.com, and everything changed. I bought a goddess deck, which also didn't quite click with me. I once again set my tarot cards aside and looked at them everyonce in a while saying that I should make an effort to learn these things. So about a month ago, not really knowing what came over me, I picked them up, and started really making an effort to learn. I bought a couple more decks, (yes, I'm beginning to collect) and finally found two decks that click with me, the Halloween deck, and the Hanson Roberts deck. I find that I'm really picking up the idea of doing this, intuiting the meanings from the cards instead of memorizing the phrases from the little white book. The keywords used by Joan Bunning on www.learntarot.com are also a big help. It's become some thing very powerful in my life, and I how I got on with out it all these years. Looking back I'm amazed that it's been in my life for so long. I grew up in a somewhat strict roman catholic household and just the fact that I had tarot cards was amazing. Well, I've rambed enough. I do relate with that feeling of being meant for tarot, but as earlier in the discussion, I don't think you have to be given a tarot deck to be meant for it. Just the fact that you went to the new age section of the bookstore, (which is almost always hidden in the back somewhere) and decided to pick up a tarot deck, well that's a sign of something just as being given a gift of a tarot deck is a sign of something. Sharon

The Are you meant for tarot?? thread was originally posted on 16 May 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.