A gift deck?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 Aug 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Pook	18 Aug 2004
My younger sister is having a birthday next week, and I have had a hard time choosing a gift for her. This is mostly because I haven't lived with her in about 6 years and I dont really know her that well(she is turning the big 18), and I know her life is very complicated right now. I wish someone had given me my own deck when I was going thru some 'stuff' back when I was her age. Is a tarot deck an appropriate gift for someone if you don't really know if they're interested in it? I know she likes astrology, and for me, tarot wasn't a very long stretch from my early interest in the stars. And also, if it is an appropriate gift, is it ok for it to be a used deck. I was thinking my old RWS, since I know it's easy and traditional, plus it seems like it would mean more that way? Has anyone given a gift of tarot blindly like this?

Shalott	18 Aug 2004
Howdy, I'd think when giving a gift of a deck, about the only way it would be terribly inappropriate is if they were anti-"occult" or "divination," but if she's into astrology you're probably safe. I'd think of it as something she may grow to love even if she doesn't dive right into it, someday she may be very glad to have a deck!

zoso	18 Aug 2004
I think if she's interested in astrology, she probably will be inclined to Tarot. But, I would give a different deck, a prettier one (I like the RWS, but there are some very beautiful decks too.) Your thoughtful gift could result in a new bond between you two, helping to bridge you together with the same interest!

Teranar	18 Aug 2004
I blindly gave a gift like that. I gave an old astrology book to my ex's mother who I was actually seeing just how much she would put up with, since I also introduced myself as an evil pagan. It turned out she was an ex-wiccan and loved the book. Only parent of someone I dated I ever got along with.

Alta	18 Aug 2004
I am struggling with this as well. I would really love to gift my two nieces with decks (they are 19 and 22, not children), but, argh, how to know for sure? I am such a chicken.

jlbvt	18 Aug 2004
MoonDreamer, I think a deck is a perfect idea- and maybe a book on Tarot to go with it. I think that giving your old deck would be a great idea- the more used, the better. My Brother is 6 years older than me, and our relationship wasn't always great to say the least. But I have a few old books of his and I treasure them. If your sister knows you are giving her something that was meaningful to you, she will appreciate it. Don't be afraid of giving her Tarot! And you can also get her a "more artistic" deck for Christmas... Joan

MeeWah	18 Aug 2004
Perhaps offer a (pre)birthday reading with the RWS first & see the reaction. That is a method I employ to determine the feasibility of giving a Tarot gift to someone whose view may be unknown or uncertain. Afterwards, consider the type of deck & accompany it with a book, such as Power Tarot by Trish MacGregor & Phyllis Vega. Excellent for the beginner to advanced, it contains basic information on Tarot; possible meanings for each card in particular areas such as general, work, romance, finances, health, etc & also an abundance of spreads of 1 to 24 cards. An RWS or a clone usually recommended since there exists abundant reference sources in print & online.

celeste	18 Aug 2004
I was just gifted with the Haindle deck and love it-even though it has been used by my sister. Perhaps another idea is to just buy her a gift certificate from a metaphysical shop so she choose what she likes.

dolphingirl	18 Aug 2004
I like the idea of offering her a reading to gage her interrest. I think the rider Waite you have would be a good choice. If you decided to buy a deck I would probably recommend for a first deck a pocket Universal Waite, or the Tarot to go kit that comes with a little book and a pocket Hansen Roberts deck (the book is not good but the set is only $7.95). For a first tarot book I would heartily recommend Joan Bunning's "Tarot for Beginners" It is a great teaching book with lots of fun things to do with the cards. I don't know if you can sew (I certainly can't) but I think either a handmade bag or a notebook that you start for her with maybe info and spreads written in it by you would be a great idea to go with (and very economical as well) I like to use the hard covered notebooks that you buy at the store for science class for this kind of thing. You can also decorate it with card images and create a page for each card with some of your personal meanings, keywords, images from favorite decks, spreads you find useful etc...

zoso	18 Aug 2004
Yeah! Or a fancy journal and a candle!! Ooooh, makes me wanna give a gift.

Pook	18 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by zoso Yeah! Or a fancy journal and a candle!! Ooooh, makes me wanna give a gift. LOL...Glad I can inspire somthing so charitable!! ;) I sent her out a package just a little bit ago with two astrology books, a book about feng shui (she's supposed to be getting her very first own apartment), the rider waite in one of my hand made velvet tarot bags and Nancy Garen's tarot workbook. Part of my indecision was because she lives right now with an older relative of her boyfriend and I dont know how she would react to having the cards in her house. (We all know how people can react when they even hear the word tarot) But I wrapped the deck and workbook together in one package marked "Open this one when you are alone" so if it would be offensive to someone, perhaps they don't even have to know its there. I'm glad you guys talked me into sending the deck. My reservations almost got the best of me.

Pook	18 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Marion I am struggling with this as well. I would really love to gift my two nieces with decks (they are 19 and 22, not children), but, argh, how to know for sure? I am such a chicken. Marion....my advice is just do it. I dont know if my sister will even appreciate it, but now it's in the mail on its way to her and I dont feel bad about it at all. If anything, I'm excited that I could be the one to introduce her to tarot. You never know until you try. If they dont like it, ask them to pass it on to someone who might.

blackroseivy	18 Aug 2004
I'm going to give my (older) sister a deck for her birthday, too - it's because she's into Buddha stuff & I think that the Buddha deck would be perfect for her. There are so many available, think of a theme she would appreciate.

The A gift deck? thread was originally posted on 18 Aug 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.