myth or fact?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Feb 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

tearingmascara	26 Feb 2005
i heard someone say that you shouldnt buy your first tarot deck. well my first was given to me anyways, but what i'd like to know is what does everyone else feel about this. is it just a myth, or is it really bad luck? what about your second deck, ok if you buy that on your own right?

The Dreamer	26 Feb 2005
That's a complete myth. Everybody buys their own decks. I bought all of mine, and no bad luck resulted. Of course, it's nice to have someone give you a deck as a gift, people often say. There's nothing to be afraid of in getting a deck. That's a silly story that keeps getting repeated.

seneris	26 Feb 2005
Caged Flame started a thread about this, maybe you could find some useful info there: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=37813 As for me, I got my first deck from my aunt, who bought it at a flea market. I've never gotten a deck from anyone since (well, apart from the caring psychic family-thingy), so if I had to go by the 'myth' I would only have one deck. I like buying my own decks, I haven't experienced anything bad from it.

HudsonGray	26 Feb 2005
I think if most people waited to get a tarot deck from someone there'd only be four or five people on this board. Buy what you want, it's the only way to get the decks you like. Unless you hint a lot at Christmas time! Don't believe the myths, they're not true.

Dark Inquisitor	26 Feb 2005
I wish we could track down the originator of this persistent rumor and punish them. They are probably long dead and still laughing.

huredriel	26 Feb 2005
I've only got one deck and bought it myself. Although I'm a beginner, I don't seem to have had any problems with it ;) ((touches wood)) LOL

Phantom Goddess	26 Feb 2005
I just had this conversation with a classmate. I can't believe how many people believe this. I live with people who do not like Tarot. If it were bad luck to buy your own decks then many of us would be over our heads in deep trouble ;)

Seed Crystal	26 Feb 2005
That myth to me is a variant of "if you think or choose for yourself, you'll only find trouble".

WalesWoman	27 Feb 2005
Myth!!! You are hearing a whole lot of mythinformation, disregard all of it, no matter what it is, unless it's..."If it feels right for you, then it most likely is"

Ahria	27 Feb 2005
If I had to wait for someone to buy me a deck, I would still be waiting and that would just be a waste of time I could have used to learn more :) I am for myth definatly all my cards like me :)

psychic sue	27 Feb 2005
Utter rubbish! When I bought my first deck 25 years ago, they were very hard to come by - there was no internet, and in UK, people still thought they were the tools of the devil! I had to search high and low to get my Swiss 1JJ deck. I've never had any kind of bad luck in relation to the cards, in fact quite the opposite. Go ahead and buy a few more decks! And I would like to wish you luck and enlightenment and I hope your relationship with your cards lasts forever. They are an amazing tool of self discovery, as you will see... Love Sue

Umbrae	27 Feb 2005
Since we agree the myth is simply a myth… Any ideas on how it began? Why would such a myth start and gain such ascendancy over other Tarot Myths. Any speculations on how the “your first deck must be a gift” began? And what has kept it alive for so many years?

Fulgour	27 Feb 2005
Umbrae wrote: Any speculations on how the “your first deck must be a gift” began? Maybe it had something to do with a '56 Chevy, parked along the lake by the light of a full moon.

The Dreamer	27 Feb 2005
Maybe it's a way to try to create some sort of Tarot priesthood into which one must be initiated. Or perhaps people wish for such a thing to exist. Some mystical person would arrive, and gift one with a deck, and then one would be chosen; and those who tried to arrive at the Tarot knowledge otherwise would be punished. Most religions and other organizations have initiatory rituals. This might be a reflection of the desire for that. It's often said that hazing in colleges and high schools persists because young people desire more formal initiatory rituals in their lives. Perhaps based upon the desire to be part of a special group, which keeps others out; with the members being viewed as having special qualities, or having done special things.

psychic sue	28 Feb 2005
The Dreamer wrote: Some mystical person would arrive, and gift one with a deck, and then one would be chosen; Going back to when I bought my first deck, I wasn't really looking for them that day, and they were in a shop where you wouldn't necessarily expect to find them. I like to think they choose us.

Eco74	28 Feb 2005
Umbrae wrote: Any speculations on how the “your first deck must be a gift” began? My theory is that it was once a kind of initiation. I also believe that aside from the wealthy who could order any fancy little trinket they wanted, the "true readers" were also involved in other things than tarot, such as healing, knowledge of plants, witchcraft of sorts etc. and when initiatied into these arts a tarotdeck could be part of the initiation as part of the sacred work to be done. Now, I'm most certainly not saying that there were no "true readers" amongst the wealthy either but just to give a little perspective on the ways of the world "way back when" I decided to word it like that. Most of all, I think that to be certain that what one had was a 'real' tarotdeck it would have to be gifted (or atleast provided) by one of those who had mastered the art of reading the cards.

smokey	28 Feb 2005
A friend that gave me a Tarot deck once said simply that it was just a matter of: 'good luck'. (that's it!)...hmm...looking back, it's been so long ago, I really couldn't say How my luck went!...

Logiatrix	28 Feb 2005
Umbrae wrote: Since we agree the myth is simply a myth… Any ideas on how it began? Why would such a myth start and gain such ascendancy over other Tarot Myths. Any speculations on how the “your first deck must be a gift” began? And what has kept it alive for so many years? I imagine back when tarots were harder to find, that such a superstition helped the only reader in town to maintain a solid niche in a limited market. Or perhaps it added that "olde worlde" element of being a handed-down art. Either way, you can't have just anybody finding a deck and learning to read the cards, or why would they need you? Maybe it came from that, or another theory here, but I think it's more likely from an amalgam of sources through history. I think it's the false image of a mystical tarot that keeps those kinds of myths alive. A lot of people still view tarot as mysterious and unaccessible, except to those who have special powers. Likewise, they see the tarot deck as a super-potent tool, meant to be weilded only by those special ones. That is not to say that there isn't a powerful experience to be had from reading the cards; it's just that I don't think the power is in the tarot deck, or limited to a special group. One reason why people still see tarot in that arcane way is because of those practitioners who keep perpetuating that Shroud of Mystery around it. They load heavily esoteric elements onto the otherwise simple structure and study of tarot. True, the esoteric image of tarot cards is certainly more impressive than the unmagical reality of ink on pasteboard. In the end, I doubt that a silly myth will be an obstacle for one who is meant to have a tarot deck. A similar belief was stated previously; that, if a spiritual tool is meant for a someone, then it will find that someone. :)

tarotbear	29 Apr 2005
Bump!

The myth or fact? thread was originally posted on 26 Feb 2005 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.