how old were u when...??

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Jun 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Tarot Babe	10 Jun 2004
Heyyy ppl, I wanna ask a question, just outta curiousity. I'm 14 rite now en i'm learnin tarot. HERE's THE QUESTION: How old were you when you started learning tarot AND whats ur age now? :)

Le_Corsair	10 Jun 2004
I was right around 14, also. I'm 43 now. Bob :THERM

Kiama	10 Jun 2004
I was 9 when I started learning Tarot, and I'm 19 (almost 20) now. I feel so young in comparison to most people here! Kiama

Staramber	10 Jun 2004
13, at 15 I took it more seriously. I'm 17 now.

Ravenswing	10 Jun 2004
...my first deck at nine. That's... um...thirty-seven years ago. Hey Kiama-- Your wisdom and knowledge certainly belie your age. fly well Raven

Flavio	10 Jun 2004
The first time I tried to learn I was in Junior High School, but at that time only got a book and was totally clueless on where to get a deck, nobody I knew could help me, so I quit my Tarot quest. Now I am 30 and started again learning Tarot. My advice to you is to study a lot and enjoy the benefit to have a wonderful resource this Forum is. Best Regards

miss_apples	10 Jun 2004
I was 18 when I started learning tarot...Im almost 24 now :)

cjtarot	10 Jun 2004
Hi, I didn't actually buy the deck till I was 18..then I read for a year or two, put it down. Got serious when I was 28..I fell in love..with The Arthurian Tarot http://www.learntarot.com/ledesc.htm been collecting ever since.. Blessings, CJ PS my 9 yr old daughter wants to learn..so I guess she's more on track than I was.

hedgecub	10 Jun 2004
I was 18 when I started learning tarot, and I'm only 20 now. Damn but I feel like I'm a late arrival on the bandwagon ;)

mingbop	10 Jun 2004
before I went to school I played with the cards.....and I'm now 54 and STILL playing with them !!!!!!!

Melissa`	10 Jun 2004
I was 20 or 21 when I bought my first deck. I'm almost 26 now. I wish I had studied them then entire time but have only been on and off more seriously now for 2 years. Melissa

tao51	10 Jun 2004
I was 7 or 8 but I was only playing around with them. I became more serious at 18. I was also studying other oracles. Now, at the age of 53 I find I am still enamored by these cards. I am excited by the explosion of new decks. Oooops--that' an obsession of mine!--Tao

deranged_walrus	10 Jun 2004
13, almost 14, when I bought my first deck. was pretty sporadic with it since then. until I got to college last september and delved deeper into it. I'm 18 (19 soon).

Little Hare	10 Jun 2004
i was 12 when i got my first deck and now i'm 20 :) blessings pixie

Tarot Sparrow	10 Jun 2004
I was about 15 I think, I'm now 18 :)

Arnaud	10 Jun 2004
My first reading, i was 11 or 12, but it was not Tarot, but the regular pack of 32 cards (french pack, hearts, diamonds, etc ..). I then stop that for 20 years, and i bought my first divination Tarot deck last year. I am 31 now.

laura_borealis	10 Jun 2004
I was about 20, and now I'm 40. There were many years of hiatus in there, though.

Orion	11 Jun 2004
Hi Tarot Babe, I had my very first Tarot reading done when I was about 17 or 18 and I was hooked on Tarot! By 19, I bought my first deck, the Rider Waite. I am currently 29... but I feel like I am 12!! :)

tarotbrat	11 Jun 2004
i was 17 and now i am 33, i also went through hiatus periods as well.

Major Tom	11 Jun 2004
I first starting playing with the cards around age 10 and conceived the desire to design my own deck. I began my serious studies at age 23. I'm 48 now and there's still so much to learn! :eek:

Luminessence	11 Jun 2004
Let's see... my dad gave me a tarot deck when I was fifteen, but I wasn't really interested in it at that point. I really only started being interested in it about a year ago, when I was sixteen. So I really haven't been at it for very long, compared to most of the people here.

Umbrae	12 Jun 2004
18 50

smokey	12 Jun 2004
I picked up the Rider Waite at 17,now I mostly use the Gilded at 47. Blessings!

Dragons_Wing	12 Jun 2004
i was 18 when i bought my first deck...didn't at all connect with it so stopped for 2 years and bought a RW deck at 20 and couldn't stop buying decks for the next year and half :) and i'm going to be 22 in two weeks

Aun	12 Jun 2004
Started with 19 and now I'm 38... Half of my life indeed :-)

Red Emma	12 Jun 2004
I'm living proof that you're never too old to learn.....I'll be 78 in a couple of weeks. I bought my first deck eight years ago. It's fascinating stuff. Gives me insight into problems, and helps with decision making.

ScarabFlight	12 Jun 2004
I remember "playing" with the Rider Waite deck with my mom when I was little, we would ask questions and see what the cards would say using the LWB (little white book) and I remember being amazed at how accurate the information was. Many moons (read: many many years) later I felt the need to buy another RW deck, but it sat on the shelf for a year or so. Within this past year I guess I was ready because the tarot bug bit hard, I now have seven decks and I try to read a little bit every day. :D

lawguy51	12 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Umbrae 18 50 Very close to me, Umbrae 21 51 Lawguy51

Sillanza	13 Jun 2004
I started with cartomancy (the regular pack of playing cards) when I was 20 after receiving a particularly moving reading, and read steadily for about 3 years, then went on a long hiatus. I started reading tarot cards only 6 years ago (is that it? It feels like it's been longer!). I'm 39 now. *gasp*

ferrous	14 Jun 2004
I've only recently got into tarot. I was introduced to it by a close friend & she taught me that it wasn't this evil thing which is what I'd been taught in my Christian upbringing. I'm 32 now & bought my first deck only a few months ago.

kerri28	14 Jun 2004
Got my first deck at 16 and read for high school friends. Not very well mind you. Left tarot not that long after leaving school. But got back into it last year. I'm now 30.

MAR	14 Jun 2004
I was 29 and now I'm 31 :D

Never_Mind	15 Jun 2004
I do not remember how old I was but I remember that I could already write full sentences.

janstar17	15 Jun 2004
I'm a late bloomer. :D I think I was around 26 when a friend of mine and I went to a tarot reader on a lark...we thought it would be a fun thing to do. The woman made a huge impression on me!! That was 25 years ago and I can't tell you how many times things she told me during that reading have rung true. About 15 years ago, I began collecting decks hoping to find the one she read for me...I'm still collecting. LOL But I've only been reading for myself and a few close friends for about 5 years. I wouldn't consider myself an experienced reader by any stretch of the imagination!!

ferrous	16 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by janstar17 About 15 years ago, I began collecting decks hoping to find the one she read for me...I'm still collecting. LOL So did you ever find that deck, janstar17?

janstar17	16 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ferrous So did you ever find that deck, janstar17? No, I never have! At least, I don't think I have. :| It was a long time ago...and I was new to tarot so everything about the reading was exciting and new to me (tarot had never even been mentioned in my white-bread-mix-of-lutheran-and-catholic home). My memory of the event is far better than that of the cards she used though I remember they were old and well-worn... She began the reading by having me look at 4 piles of cards on her mantle (I now understand those piles were different decks!) with a card facing up on each pile. She asked we which pile I was drawn to...they were four different Fool cards. It was not Crowley and it was not RWS, for sure! More jester-like, actually...but not Marseilles. To be honest, I was more fascinated watching her than the cards...see was very engaging in a calm, serene way. She did the reading at a small table on a small enclosed porch looking out upon her small (but very tidy and pleasant) garden. She had a couple of birds in a hanging cage in one corner -- canaries or parakeets -- and a HUGE tabby cat that lounged nearby. The room was light and bright and inviting -- not anything like I had anticipated!!! LOL [[oh, yea...she also had a windchime...had never seen one before...i collect those now, too!!! hopeless, i am]] I know one thing for certain...she read my life in those cards that day!!

janstar17	16 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ferrous I've only recently got into tarot. I was introduced to it by a close friend & she taught me that it wasn't this evil thing which is what I'd been taught in my Christian upbringing. I'm 32 now & bought my first deck only a few months ago. I'll warn you, Ferrous, once bitten, you'll likely be lost to the world of tarot!!! I have over 70 decks...would have more but I tend to give decks away if a friend admires one. If you haven't come across it already...have a look at Sandra Thomson's "Pictures from the Heart"...a great book about the use of imagery in the tarot though it does emphasize the RWS deck. Have fun on the journey!!! After all, it isn't the destination that counts, it is the journey that takes you there.

linabeet	16 Jun 2004
I was 18 when a boyfriend encouraged me to buy a deck. He's longlong gone but the cards are still with me. It was the haindl deck which I didn't get at all. I persevered through and am here surfing before work today. I was fascinated with playing cards as a kid, games, tricks, houses...no divination in my catholic home though. I'm now 30.

Meg	17 Jun 2004
i'm 16 now, i began learning tarot when i was 11 or so.

TTiana	18 Jun 2004
I remember first hearing about it and playing with some cards with my friends when I was maybe 12. I've been thinking about it for years and finally a month ago I bought my first deck at 17. It was kind of like a birthday present. Right now I really feel like you only live once so who cares?

ferrous	18 Jun 2004
Wow, so many who were quite young when they started. Sometimes I wish that I hadn't grown up with such narrowmindedness. There are so many things I would have explored & searched & did & read about.

Red Emma	18 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ferrous Sometimes I wish that I hadn't grown up with such narrowmindedness. There are so many things I would have explored & searched & did & read about. Double Amen, Ferrous! Red Emma

The 78th Fool	06 Jul 2004
I was 12 going on 13 when I first came into contact with the Tarot (through watching the (in)famous James Bond film. I'm now 37, have designed my own deck and I'm just starting to do readings professionally. Chris. x

Brandaluna	06 Jul 2004
I was around 9 when I got my first deck, but I didn't know what they were. I used them as prompts for stories and actually called them story cards. When I was 26 or so, I bought a deck and book but didn't really do anything with them until just recently at the age of 28.

inanna_tarot	07 Jul 2004
Ive always had tarot around me because my mum let me play with her cards when i was small. When i was 9/10 she bought me my first deck and i've been taroting since. I'm now the ripe old age of 18 lol. Blessings, Sezo

DarkElectric	07 Jul 2004
I got interested in tarot the last year of high school. I didn't read then, my friend did, but was terrible and gave it up. I was 19 when I started to take it seriously. That was almost 11 years ago (omg, that long!!!!!!!)

WolfyJames	07 Jul 2004
My mother started doing cartomancy when my brother and I were children. I was raised with her doing readings for friends and herself. Some times after my parents separated, my father got a tarot deck, specifically a Tarot de Marseille, I was around 8-9 years old. I was excited when my father brought them home. I've never seen a tarot deck before and I didn't know what they were. Let's just say that once I saw the hideous and repulsive Tarot de Marseille, my enthousiasm went flat, worse, under zero. I tried to read the LWB, but it looked so complicated, that I never went close to this tarot deck, or any, again. I bought my first tarot deck later, I was 19 years old. It was the Enchanted Tarot that converted me to tarot, specifically the Moon card on the box. I just couldn't resist. After that, it's been an on and off relationship to tarot, until I found this place, of course. Now I'm 29 years old.

Alta	07 Jul 2004
:D 22 55 With some long breaks in the middle.

Indigo Rose	07 Jul 2004
I have enjoyed reading people's posts about the age they began Tarot. There are some who were but babes and have had this gift nurtured all along the way. Then there are others who have come to the Tarot in stops and starts; while still others have discovered this beautiful gift in the winter of their lives. One thing that stands out in all of these accounts is the undeniable pull that TAROT has had in our lives. For me the interest started at 7 when my dad took me to see James Bond 007-Live and Let Die. WOW!! I was in love with the High Priestess and dreamed of being her someday. At 12, my step-mother did a reading for me with playing cards. I thought that was just the coolest thing. However, it would not be until the age of 17 that I would buy my first Tarot deck(RWS) and begin my own journey. It was short-lived(about 6 months), because that same said step-mother walked in on me doing a reading one afternoon and freaked out. She condemned me to hell and let me know that I was doing the Devil's work. This scared me to death, being a Christian, and I gave it up. It was a bit confusing to me however, because of her previous use of playing cards to do the same thing. Reflecting back on that, I think she didn't want me to develop this gift because of some fear other than what she presented to me. I would be on leave from further study until age 25. At which time, I purchased my second RWS deck(the old one had been discarded :( ). I spent yet another 6 months getting into Tarot, before my ex-husband found out and once again condemned me to hell. Finally, at age 34 as I was going through a divorce from my first husband, and "finding" myself, I returned to TAROT and purchased my 3rd and final RWS deck. This time I made up my own mind. NO, I don't believe I am condemned to hell for Tarot. Instead I see it as a gift, and it enhances my faith in a beautiful, creative, and loving GOD. I have some wonderful decks, that I cherish and have been studying Tarot for 4 years strong now. I AM SO THANKFUL to have finally reached a point of maturity where I could make up my own mind. Blessings to all who are on this journey with the Tarot. Indigo Rose :)

ferrous	07 Jul 2004
Well said, Indigo Rose. Well said. :)

Ivy Rhiannon	08 Jul 2004
I've always been interested, started at 17, now I'm getting ready to turn 21!

jlbvt	10 Jul 2004
My first brush with Tarot was (get this!) at a Halloween function at my Catholic Church! I was about 7 or 8, and it was a big Halloween party. There were trick or treat stands outside, lots of creepy gross-out stuff, ghost stories, bobbing for apples, and a Tarot Reader. She was dressed up like a gypsy, and to this day I don't know whether she was a serious reader doing quick light-hearted readings, or someone who grabbed a deck and was just making it up on the spot. I don't remember all the things she told me, but she said I would marry a guy with dark hair and dark eyes. Pretty good odds of that, I guess. Anyway, it's close to coming true. I was fascinated by the whole Tarot thing- it was new to me, yet it seemed familliar. I sort of forgot about Tarot until I was 14, when I read the Tower series by Stephen King. I can't remembar how the story went now, but it was twisted- the character kept going in and out of reality, and I think Tarot played a major plot role in the story. That set my wheels in motion- slowly. Fast forward to the summer of my 18th year. I was friends with (and then dating) a guy who I fell for because we were both reading the same book at work one day. (I think it was Huxley, but I was reading a lot back then, so I may be wrong about that.) He then introduced me to Camus, Kerouac, and Crowley. I loved Crowley. Diary of a Drug Fiend opened a door for me. Magick was real! I knew it all along, but now it was concrete. Then I read Moonchild... I had to get a Tarot deck then. So one day before work, I ran up to the mall and popped in the bookstore. I asked the lady at the counter where the Tarot decks were. She eyeballed me, and said they were kept behind the counter- she pointed... there was a whole shelf full of them. I asked her what the difference was between tham, but she didn't know or care. She picked up one that was opened and showed me the cards inside. wow. 78 cards! Too much for me to figure out. What's that? I asked, pointing to a much slimmer box. RuneCards. Ralph Blum. Ok! I'll take those. I actually liked them- they were just right for my knowledge level then. I know now how limited they are. (the Blum cards I mean) I didn't actually get a Tarot deck till I was 21 or 22. I was out of college, setteling down, and trapped in a really bad relationship. I ordered the Thoth deck from Amazon. (The green one) I was pushed from within to get that deck, and it was perfect timing in my life. I was ready. The guy I was with had no respect for me or anything I owned. nothing was safe. One day I did a spread about him, and I got almost all majors- at least 10 out of 15 cards! With the Tower right in the middle. When he took my Thoth deck and flung it across the room (out of box, cards scattering everywhere) I knew I had to do whatever it took to get away from him. I still have that deck, and quite a few others now. I don't use that deck much though, it has a wierd feeling to it. I am 27 now, almost 28. Joan

generation	10 Jul 2004
I picked up one of those "bargain" deck+ book combos when I was 33, and got hooked. I'm 35 now.

TaranRavenfrost	11 Jul 2004
I bought my first deck, RWS, when I was around 11 or 12. I slept with them under my pillow, and I started having very prophetic dreams which scared the holy living crap out of me! I cried and told my Mom, and prayed to God to take away my gifts. I am now 15 and have only 4 decks, my favorite of which is my brand new Thoth deck. (I am also Pagan now, so I understand my gifts, and they have returned, full force.)

Shy Priestess	11 Jul 2004
I was 19 or 20 when I had my first hour long tarot reading carried out by a well known clairvoyant. He did me a tape - and how I wish I'd kept it! I don't know where it got to. The only thing I remember is that he said I would return to education (I went to Uni aged 27, graduated age 31) and he said I would have a child later in life and there would be a special bond. (Still waiting and hoping for that one...) :) I started having tarot readings again (somebody was recommended to me) when I was having trouble in my last long term relationship. She straight away told me that I was bored (4 cups) and I remember seeing the tower. We didn't last long after that. I bought my first Rider Waite aged 37. Age now... 37. :)

Ace	11 Jul 2004
To use Umbrae's style: 21 33 51 51 I first found out about Tarot and played with them in College. This was the early 70's and I was finding books witchcraft and the occult, and besides, it was the COOL thing to do. Someone had an IIJ deck and we used just the Major's (how can you use the rest, there are no pictures on them!) I was really coming out psychic at that time, getting dreams that came true, hunches that were hard to ignore and always right, and finding parking spaces like you wouldn't believe! But I read for a fellow student and (because I was intensly jealous that she was engaged to the hottest guy I had met at the time) I told her I wasn't sure they would live happily ever after (and I found out later, frightened her badly). When they broke up two weeks later, I blamed myself. I stopped reading. Stopped getting hunches. And I didn't drive, so I don't know if I stopped finding parking spaces! I went on to a career, and a life, and when I was 33 a friend showed up at WindyCon (a SF convention) and said "look at what I just learned how to do!" and pulled out a Rider-Waite deck. Within a couple years, I was reading at Psychic Fairs and I haven't stopped yet. (and I started finding parking spaces again, since now I could drive!) With help from a mentor, I finally recounciled to that old bad reading (I was probably seeing it on the verge of breaking off, but I didn't want to say it. And I didn't know to lay out more cards to try to see a way to change that outcome either!) But I got into a cul-de-sac. I wanted to read and have everyone think I was cool, I didn't want to be bothered finding out why or how all this worked. So now, at the ripe old age of 51 I am starting over again. A friend recently did an Askaskic record reading for me and I asked how I could get better at serious readings. the answer was "get back to A-B-C and 1-2-3" So I am a beginner again. You all are my teachers and I teach myself too! Lesson: don't let it frighten you ! Just face reality and realize you still have control over the future! And you can change it if you want.

blackroseivy	11 Jul 2004
I was 12 when I first started to study a RW deck that my weird uncle got for my sister for Christmas. I was more interested in it than she was, really, & get this: it was a set that had 3 books, & which of them got me interested? The very blatant & graphic "The Sexual Key to the Tarot"!! All very '70's, man, let it all hang out! (groan!!) I am now 38. I started to read for people in earnest in college.

September Pixie	11 Jul 2004
I was 10 when I got my first deck and 13 when I actively started studying :)

Calliope	09 Aug 2004
My mom gave me her deck when I was about nine or ten I think. I tried reading with them and nothing connected at all. I tried the LWB, glancing at it continuously, and I ended up getting frustrated. Over the years, I kept going back to that deck (Cagliostro) and it still didn't connect. Finally I discovered eBay when I was 15 or so and I bought another deck. And another. And I attempted again. LWB and all. Didn't run through my head to get on the internet and try to find an actual book that might teach me something. LOL Now I am 20, almost 21, and am starting to really commit to it. I just bought my fifth deck (Universal Waite), with a sixth on the way, and I decided that I really want to learn how to read them.

blackroseivy	09 Aug 2004
I was 12 when my sister get a RWS for Christmas. I was more interested in it than she was - it didn't hurt that the set came with a "Sexual Key to the Tarot"!!

Lady Anna	09 Aug 2004
I've always been interested, but I was 18 when I started learning tarot...Im almost 22 now...

acolyte	10 Aug 2004
Well when i was around 25 or so i saw an ad for a tarot reader and even when to visit her store as she also sold books about spiritual matters and parephenelia.anyway all my life i have had an interest in spiritual stuff and at times i could tell things and once in a while influence things.anyway i took a look and ignored it but a year later i do not know how and why but i found myself back at her shop.I had a reading done and she told me that she could sense that i was a very old soul and that i had done such things before hence my fascination with it.anyway to cut the story short i bought my first deck and i am still 26.very old as compared to sum of u who started so so so early.Nonetheless i see alot coming my way via tarot.

The how old were u when...?? thread was originally posted on 10 Jun 2004 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.