Christmas Gift for Little Sister

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 14 Mar 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kiama	14 Mar 2003
I know, I know, we haven't yet reached Easter, and already I'm starting with the Christmas threads! Hey, what can I say, I'm organised! And since I'm trying to live on a student budget, I've worked out that it'll be easier for me to start buying Christmas pressies now, bit by bit, and spread the cost out, instead of causing myself bankruptcy from October to February! For my little sister, who will be 12 years old this Christmas, I was thinking of getting a Tarot starter pack... I got the idea from the 'Complete Tarot Kit' I saw in the bookshop today, with the Crowley-Thoth and Rider Waite deck, a Tarot journal, spread cloth, and quick reference guide to the cards. I think I'd like to help my sister start out on the right foot with Tarot (She's been itching to learn since the age of 7), so I want to get her all she'll need... I was thinking that the idea of the Crowley-Thoth and Rider-Waite decks are an excellent idea, cuz then she could use them as study decks and reference decks, and I feel they are essential to understanding many of the more modern decks, and of course, they are useful for understanding the tradition from which modern Tarot came. I was also thinking I might get her a deck she would be able to read with.(She won't like the art on the Rider Waite, and the Crowley-Thoth she would find very difficult and overwhelming. Plus, Crowley-Thoth, to be fully understood, needs a Book of Thoth, and she is far too young and doesn't have the understanding of Qaballah or the Western magical tradition to get through that book at all!) I was thinking a Hanson-Roberts (She has very small hands, just like me!) or a Robin Wood... Or both? After that I was thinking of possibly making her a folder of Tarot spreads, some which I have collected over the years, some which I have created myself, etc. I was also considering a Tarot journal for her, but I'm not sure if I should give her one which gives you cues, or a blank one and leave her to her own devices. After seeing cjtarot's beautiful spread-cloths with pockets, I was thinking that one of them would go nicely in the gift package, along with a couple of pretty crystals. Then I thought... Book? Which one? I could write her one myself, maybe over the Summer since I'll have lots of time then, and perhaps a dictionary of symbols... Y'know, what colours mean, what numbers mean, etc. I know there's something else I should put in there, but I'm not quite sure what. So, over to you guys: Got any suggestions for me? Kiama

Vita-morte	14 Mar 2003
Okay I have no suggestions to contribute...it seems you've covered most everything... but I do have a complaint: Why don't the rest of us have a big sis- like that?

Umbrae	14 Mar 2003
No Book!!! Or pehaps ANY book, and some matches?

jlbvt	14 Mar 2003
Book: Tarot for a new Generation, by Janina Renee Deck: Fey, Moon Garden, Tarot of the Teen Witches(pre-release on Tarot Garden) Your idea for the Robin Wood is good too.

RedWood	14 Mar 2003
I agree with Umbrae...NO BOOK..if she has questions she can write to you....Journal..leave it completely blank....Maybe you could get her a gift certificate so she can pick out her own deck? or help her do it...Like a bonding experience.. Sounds like a great package...maybe the book on tarot games? but would she have anyone to play them with? i know i liked games as a kid...(still do...I need to move closer to some of you tarot folks)

raeanne	14 Mar 2003
Kiama, I also have small hands and I really like the Spiral tarot because it is smaller. It has enough of the RW imagery to be familiar but it also includes the Hebrew letters and some other symbols from the Thoth deck. It might be a good deck for your little sister. As far as books are concerned, I would suggest a "workbook" type book like Mary Greer's Tarot for Yourself. Your sister is still young and in school so the "lesson" structure of this type of book should be fairly comfortable for her. She could do a lesson each week and then discuss it with you. Sounds like fun to me!

truthsayer	14 Mar 2003
i disagree about not having a book if you explain to her that a book is a travel guide of the scenery, it is not a map of how to gain tarot knowlege. i think "a magical course in tarot"or "the beginners guide to tarot" set by juliet sharman-burke would be great. or just refer her to joan bunning's web site or bunning's book "learning the tarot". she's seems to already have gained knowledge of tarot just thru the osmosis of being your sister. she may be further along with trusting her intuition in reading cards than you realize. getting her a book will simply reaffirm her own intuition and make her aware of other esoteric traditions. the deck's i'd recommend would be the fey book and cards set, moon garden, hanson roberts, universal waite, or the mythic.

RedWood	14 Mar 2003
if there has to be a book involved...I liked Tarot Reversals the best of any of them...Or you can make your own book..that way it may be easier to explain intuition and things of that nature.

MeeWah	15 Mar 2003
Kiama: Your idea of a Tarot Starter Pack sounds great! I would vote for Robin Wood & Hanson-Roberts, which have excellent books for them, too. Your sis is so fortunate to have ye as a big sister!

amyel	15 Mar 2003
I bought my 16 y.o. neice the Sherman-Burke/Caselli starter deck for XMas, and she loves it. I was drawn to it because my first ever deck was the Mythic (Sherman-Burke) and the art style of this starter deck is very similar. It uses Rider-Waite symbology, so it is easy to use with a variety of books. I didn't have much opportunity to leaf thru the book that came with it, so I can't say much about it, but if it is anything liek the Mythic, it is probably a good start. I'm pretty sure you can get the deck on Amazon.uk (assuming the selection of amazon is generally simialr across the world - *not* certain of this at all!), but when I checked amazon.ca around Xmas, it didn't have any images loaded. I bought it at my fav store instead (sorry aclectic!).

coldsuns	19 Mar 2003
Oh! Kiama is a female? =X Anyway Kiama..i've something to tell you. I'm your long-lost brother!! Dont forget my Christmas Gift too,okok? =X If i'm your sister, i rather get my own set of Tarot Deck than having my sister choosing for me. It is a very own thingy.Even though i choose a deck that is hard to use, i'll learn it slowly bit by bit. If is something that i like, not after a long time, i'll master that thing fast. ^_^ You can actually start to take your sister to the shop and ask her which one she like. Pretending to be asking for "advices" and see what type of Tarot Decks she always want you to use. Hehez..hope that help. Your brother...=X

Kiama	19 Mar 2003
Coldsuns, you make me laugh! Thankyou long lost brother! ;) Luckily I already know which decks my little sister likes best, cuz she's been through my collection enough times, and I let her use some of the more suitable decks, and observed how she did with each one... Hanson-Roberts and Robin Wood she got on really well with. :D (She takes after me) Thanks for all your advice guys! Kiama

Amythist	19 Mar 2003
I fell in love with the element tarot it is east to understand and plus the book is great. Or i started off with the illustrated tarot the decks is alwful but the book is blinding. Maybe get her that set and a new deck. The book can be used with any deckAll decks are a good choice

HudsonGray	19 Mar 2003
If you have about 3 hours to kill online with her, why not sit her down here at the main aeclectic board & go through all the tarot decks there & see which speak the strongest to her? It'll take you a few hours...there's about 400 decks I think, more if you look through the oracle ones too. But you can go over the reviews, she can see the artwork, and it'll give you some brother/sister time!

Kiama	20 Mar 2003
Quote: Originally posted by HudsonGray and it'll give you some brother/sister time! He he... I've recently discovered that many on the forum think I'm male... It is a strange concept for me, because in real life I am very distinctly girly. Maybe I write male-ly? ;) ;) To all those who are unsure: I am DEFINITELY female! Thanks for all your advice guys! I've got my little sister coming to stay with me for a week in the Summer, so ew can browse Aeclectic together then! Kiama

sagitarian	20 Mar 2003
Hanson Roberts was my first deck, and I think it really does speak to the teenagers' psychic eye. I think the Hanson Roberts deck is PERFECT, but the other thing you could do is have some tarot catalogs around (you can order them from on line from us games) and have her go through them with you. Have her show you which decks appeal to her, or even take her on line and show her some decks. As for the journal, I would leave it blank, but with explanation. Explain to her that this is for her to write down how she interprets the cards, and to try to interpret them first on her own before refering to a book for guidance. I was first taught tarot by my tutor literally throwing the book out the window of a moving vehicle. I didn't have a book to refer to (lol) but in the long wrong, I think taking the book away completely (including the lwb) helps develope your intuition vs. reliance on a book. But, if this is done, then she will need her mentor there constantly to help guide her through the reading when she feels blocked. Otherwise, if you can't be there for her much, then the book that I would STRONGLY recommend is "78 degrees of Wisdom". After ten years of reading tarot, I still learn a lot from that book. Let us know how it all works out!

coldsuns	22 Mar 2003
Kiama..your name make you sounds like one but your character(the way you type) doesnt. I agree with Hudson that spending hours at a place choosing a Tarot Deck among 400 of them. Maybe your sister wont want a Deck like yours. She might like to have her own special deck ^_^

The Christmas Gift for Little Sister thread was originally posted on 14 Mar 2003 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.