Help! Proper deck disposal-stolen deck

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 23 May 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

breena	23 May 2005
Please help. I was given a tarot deck, and have used it twice. I have recently discovered that the deck was stolen by the person who gave it to me. He stole it from someone whe had already used and bonded with it. I have tried to find that person so I can give it back, but cannot find her. How can I properly dispose of the deck, as I do not wish to use it and am uncomfortable having it in my possesion. Please let me know if you have any information on this subject.

jmd	23 May 2005
If I were you, I would keep it until you see or have a means to return it. I know that for myself, if such occured, I would rather the holder of the deck look after it (and even use it), than dispose of it :) The theft wasn't yours, and you are striving to find its rightful owner... be blessed with it until you do.

Eco74	23 May 2005
Sticky situation indeed... How did you find out that the deck was stolen? Could you get more information from that same place? Do you know who the original owner is so you could get a message to her somehow, or is she unknown to you? (If you can get a message to her through a shop she goes to, through a mutual friend/aquaintance or another way, that would also help.) I'd feel a bit wierd myself if I had been given a stolen deck and finding the person it was stolen from would be the best thing by far. Could you confront the person who gave it to you about whom he stole it from? This might be uncomfortable, but if you really want to make a clear statement about it, that might be the way to go. You could also do a reading with it on the topic "how can I get you back home" to gain some further advice in the matter. I'm sure neither the deck or the original owner would have anything against that. [edited to add] Just as JMD states, I would also be happier knowing that the deck was taken care of rather than shunned. No need to put in on a piedestal, just keep it safe.

Lillie	23 May 2005
As others have already said, I guess it depends on wether you have any hope of ever finding the owner. If you know who they are, their name, mutual friends etc. then you have every hope of locating them and returning their property. In this case you should hold onto it until they can be found, and whilst you look for them you should feel no guilt about having the deck. On the other hand, if you donot have anyway of ever finding them, if you have no way of finding out who they are then you are likley to never be in a position to return it. In this case, if you do not feel happy in posession of the deck you should find something else to do with it. Perhaps donate it to charity or something. The thief that gave you the deck has a lot to answer for, putting you in a position like that. But the crime was not yours, it was theirs, and if you are trying to find the owner then you are doning the right thing, and the deck is better off with you than with anyone else. God luck with resolving this, it is an unplesant position to be put in!

lark	23 May 2005
You live in the US so you could use information (on the phone ) to find out her address. Pop the deck in a padded envelope and send it back to her. You could do it anonymosly if you wanted to avoid alot of questions. Probably be the best surprise of her life to get her deck back like that. I know we have a few member on the forum that have had decks stolen and it has been a real source of sorrow for them.

breena	23 May 2005
Thank you all for your advice and usefull ideas, especially the very inciteful one about asking the deck what to do. I was worried because when I tried to use it the deck gave me half truths and predictions of doom where other oracular devices saw none.

The Help! Proper deck disposal-stolen deck thread was originally posted on 23 May 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.