Age to start tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 05 Jun 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

rainwolf	05 Jun 2005
I had to decide between asking 'when you started tarot' and 'when do you think you should start tarot', and i chose the 'should start.' So at what age is it good to start tarot? I'm guessing no one will say above 20, so that is the cutoff. This is a multiple, public vote.

Rogan	05 Jun 2005
I said over 19 - There are too many kids out there who have seen "The Craft" one too many times and who think it's cool to whip out the cards for freinds. There's too much at stake when working with a higher power other than your own - And to mess around, even if you THINK you're doing the right thing, is something that takes a more mature approach... I believe.

light2000	05 Jun 2005
Hi!! I had started whith 8. I cant say that i was a tarot reader at that age. But i had my first deck at that age. It was very good, because at this age we are very imaginatives so i had done a lot of storys. Most of them i use now. I dreamed whith the cards, and learn a lot. Of course i didnt use any spreads, or use the meaning of the cards, i only imaginated storys.I gave names to the cards, and played whith them. I think that was very important for me, i think that whith my actually age i cant do a lot of that storys. Hopefully, i wrote all of them, because at that age my dream was becoming a writer.But i have a lot of friends that had begun whith 15.

BlueLotus	05 Jun 2005
Although I voted for 18-19 this is not etched in stone for me . It is from my own personal experience. I know people who can comprehend and have the will, courage, understanding, and responsibility to start learning and owning Tarot decks and/or books at this particular age. If the household is OK with this, particularly the mother, who herself may have been consulting Tarot in front of family memebers, then I think some kids will think it OK to do and learn from her and start their own journey sometime even sooner for some others. But if they never encountered that same experience, they may carry some guilt doing this on their own, let alone having to sneak around with their tarot related material; But overall I say that an 18-19 year old can start their own independent journey with Tarot, whether they are supported by their family memebers, peers or not.

Emeraldgirl	06 Jun 2005
I started at 11 but I went off them for a while when I discovered boys and clothes and teenage things. Got back into them when the Craft came out decided most of my friends didn't know s**t cause i took them more seriously than they did. I voted for around 16 years of age but it all depends on the person I think some people may want to start it eariler some may wait til later in their lives and some like me may go back and forth between readings and not reading and a happy middle.

Woof	06 Jun 2005
Couldn't answer. It depends on the person. Many full blown adults don't have enough common sense to deal with tarot responsibly much less kids. And there are some kids with plenty of common sense. Chronological age is not a determining factor: maturity is. Woof

rainwolf	06 Jun 2005
Good point Woof, i guess the ages i posted correspond to average maturity at the age.

rosesred	06 Jun 2005
I am curious why people think that you should be mature and responsible before you can read with the tarot? I think the tarot is one of the few things that is interesting no matter what age you are. Think some cards are to scary for the kiddies? I think the witch from Hansel and Gretel or in Snowwhite is a whole lot scarier. I don't think children will be very likely to make their whole life dependent on the answers of the tarot. Co dependency is more of an adult thing. It is much more likely that they will pick a card as a kind of game. Like all childrens games, it will be both lighthearted and very serious. Sure, as a child you do not need to know all of life's mysteries, but then again, you are unlikely to learn them from tarot. children can only pick up on things that they can place in their view of life. My nephew of 4 accidently saw a scene of hellraiser with a lot of blood and gore. When he couldn't sleep that night his father felt horribly guilty, untill he learned that the reason the kid couldn't sleep was because the episode of the smurfs had been so exciting. So, what happens when children who you do not think are ready read the tarot?

Astra	06 Jun 2005
I said over 19, because I didn't find the Tarot until I was 23, and that was, obviously, the best age for me (since it didn't happen any other time). I think the best age is whenever you decide to do it, whether you're 15 or 50. I tend to think a bit of maturity doesn't hurt, because it can be a major experience, and change, and having enough life experience to cushion it can be really useful.

rainwolf	06 Jun 2005
I think by maturity we mean that a person won't misuse the cards in abusive ways (manipulating others through the cards, showing them off, not taking care of them). Imaginative is good, misuse is baaaaad.

Rogan	06 Jun 2005
I just dont think that anyone under the age of 19 would have the ability, no matter how mature then think they are, to consult and converse with the Querent on an emotionally sound and mature level - Sure, they can interpret card meanings - But lets face it - A reading from a kid isn't going to have the same meanings and interpretations, let alone the ADVICE that an "older" person can offer. And I know there are going to be people out there who say "I know immature adults, too" and "I know young kids far more mature for their age than others" - But I believe, when done correctly, Tarot deals with issues and concepts that are complicated for anyone under the age of 19. Im sure my comments may offend people out there in the forums. For example - I totally lose hope in "Reading Exchange" when i read "I'll do it when I get home from school" or "Mum and Dad are kicking me off the computer" because I suddenly realise Im not going to get the reading I was hoping for. I dont believe anyone under the age of 19 is going to offer me insight into things I can't already work out for myself as an adult. Some people may think this is a harsh, but it's what I believe.

Astra	06 Jun 2005
Rogan, I have to agree, and disagree. There are some readings I'm not sure I'd trust to anyone under 40, and there are some readings that might just as well be done by a talented teenager. Whatever feels right at the time. Besides, apart from the "deep emotional significance", the Tarot is FUN, and if someone wants to try reading at an early age, more power to them.

Tarot Sparrow	06 Jun 2005
I voted before 10. I understand concerns about kids 'fortune-telling' for fun and the whole Craft thing (understandable), as well as the fact that kids can't comprehend things as well as adults, but I believe that as long as it is approached with interest, enthusiasm, and at least some seriousness (as much as one can have at a young age) then it is very appropriate to start early. Practice makes perfect, and the more experience a person has, as well as the earlier the exposure, the greater the ability. It's the same thing with psychic abilities; some people may not believe in them but children are more receptive to 'seeing' things than adults, and the same goes for any other special abilities. If these are nurtured rather than neglected as children there is a greater chance of maintaining them in adulthood. I started tarot when I was 15 and was quite serious about it. There will always be people who think it is a game, but I don't believe serious interests should be discouraged in adolescense just because certain people aren't. I think it is a parent's responsibility to judge whether the interest is genuine or just a silly game that could get them into some sort of trouble (not that it necessarily will). I plan to have kids some day and I want them to be open and exposed to my tarot practices at a young age so they can decide for themselves whether they have a genuine interest in it; and even though such young children often can't comprehend such practices as adults can, I believe they are at the best age for learning and that early exposure will benefit their receptivity and ability later in life... Just my two cents...

Fudugazi	06 Jun 2005
I voted "before 10" because having seen the pleasure (unCraft-like) and benefit that my nephew and niece are finding in learning the Tarot, I could not choose any other! But I wish there'd been a category for "any age" - since the question is "what age is best?" :) Rogan, let me reassure you - I don't think they "consult with querents" in that serious way yet - though three weeks ago my nephew gave me a remarkable 4-card reading, which has already turned out accurate. Children go to the essential, you see, and never worry that they can't do something, they just get on with it. They are also tapped into their intuition far more than most adults and if tarot can help them keep that connection, then so much the better.

closrapexa	06 Jun 2005
Today, at my advanced age, I can look back at all the years and wonder... Actually I'm 24, and I started when I was 13. I did not vote in this poll because I have no idea as to what the answer may be. I mean, sure, I know more now than I did at age 13, and my readings are better, since I know enough now to relate with the issues presented. But whenever I see the words "should" or"should not" the little mischevious imp inside me tells me to make trouble. If anyone had told me at the age of 13 that I should not or cannot lear Tarot, most probably I would not have listened to them. Mind you, I wasn't all that good at it from the start. I started, then left off, got a new deck, continued, then left off, etc. But why not? Especially at puberty Tarot can provide a great viewpoint for the troubled teens. No one said you have to be good at anything right from the start. A white belt come to learn karate after seeing Jackie Chan movies, does that mean that he should not learn? Maturity come with knowledge, and knowledge from experience, which come from embracing as much of life as possible. Edited to add: In the end I did vote. Couldn't help myself:)

Ross G Caldwell	06 Jun 2005
I voted "before 10". I think it could be learned first as a card game, or as a way to tell stories - clearly appropriate activities for youngsters. If they show aptitude for divining, then that aspect could be included in tarot "play" as well. The important thing is early familiarity with the cards. I started at age 13, after watching a movie in which a mysterious stranger reads for 3 people on a train - each one heads for doom, and in the end the stranger is revealed to be Death. Spooky stuff, but then I was a spooky child. But I wish I had learned tarot as a card game, easier and more colorful than Bridge, but more interesting than childish games like "Go fish" and "Crazy 8s". Clearly, if you want to allow the magical side of tarot to emerge for the child, it would be preferable to use the TdM or an Italian pack for play, rather than the Tarot Nouveau (the modern pack used for the French game), but then maybe the Tarot Nouveau, having early 19th century daily-life pictures, would be just as mysterious to a child as the TdM images, and would exite the story-telling capacity just as much.

rainwolf	06 Jun 2005
I've been dealing with other's emotions long before 18--hell im not even 19 but I have had to deal with many people's emotions: my parents divorces, my depression, my friend's suicide tendencies....it's unfair to assume that before 19 and because they go to school that they are inept to counsel another person's emotions. Sometimes it seems children are better at it too because of their innocence they intuitively understand and say things that mean something on a greater level. Young people around 12 may not have the intelligence (sometimes) as someone in their 20's (mind there is more than 1 type of intelligence) but their social abilities take them further than their intellectual abilities. I wish I had started tarot a year or two before i did because when i started, it changed my spiritual and mental nature. I wish I could've experienced that sooner. RW

-=Light=-	06 Jun 2005
I chose 18-19 category as a generalized choice, but I wanted a chance to explain why. I don't see a problem with starting to learn the cards and how they interact with each other in a form of a reading at an early age. Any where after 10 I think would be ok to start to learn. For the reading of the cards for people and situations, I feel that there might be some material that could be too young for children under 18. When an issue involves, sex, violence, and other mature themes, that is when I would feel that it is inappropriate for reading for everyone. Now if someone under 18 wanted to do light readings for family and friends .......... I guess it would all depend on that individual and how mature they were with life's situations and how objective they could be. The individual would also need to know how to offer community support to those friends or family that could have serious problems simmering under the surface. To be honest it would need to be on a case by case basis. I know some children that have more maturity than some adults ! edited to show an example: As an example of how mature some children can be, I will explain briefly what my nephew at age 6 told my sister. He said "Mommy why don't you just divorce daddy because he drinks too much". My nephew knew exactly what divorce was and that daddy wouldn't live at the house anymore. He also knew the difference between sober daddy and drunk daddy. He could see how unhappy my sister was and told her it would be ok if she left daddy. To this day my sister hasn't left because she doesn't yet have the strength that her 6 year old had. Light :)

Arcana	06 Jun 2005
I didn't vote, because these things are too personal and too differentiated to generalise like this in a poll. It completely depends on the nature and personality of the person, or child. And it also depends on your motive for using the cards... Children can 'use' the cards the way they listen to fairytales. The journey of the Fool, as described in the major arcana, is basically the same story of initiation as most fairytales and myths. The symbolism may not trigger conscious understanding in kids, sometimes it doesn't in adults either, but it does have impact on the unconscious. And letting the kids imagine their own stories to the cards is certainly not a bad thing in my opinion, it stimulates their imagination and creativity. And the story can tell the parents a lot if they know how to listen to it. As for using the cards for divination... Children do use their intuďtion better and more naturally than most adults. Especially the so-called indigo and crystal children, and they can show remarkable insights - even if they use 'simple' words to communicate them. But it's a delicate business, people shouldn't bestow too much emotional bagage upon these kids. Doing serious readings for grown-ups is out of the question as far as I'm concerned. And then there's the question about why and how to use the tarot as an adult. Using the tarot shouldn't be taken lightly. I'm not crazy about trying to predict the future with the cards. I've always considered the tarot a way of going beneath the surface of things, and using it in a superficial manner seems... sacrilege, or something. Use it to gain understanding of yourself and the universe, and for personal and spiritual growth! I'm not sure how most people in this community feel about this. I don't mean to offend anyone, of course. If I have, my apologies. (But it does say something about yourself if you are taking this personally...)

Ross G Caldwell	06 Jun 2005
I think the game aspect is underrated. Many tarot card games are suitable for any child who is old enough to count and big enough to hold the cards. There need not be any sense that the cards are sacred religious objects, or powerful magical objects, to be approached with fear and trembling. In France, I know many people who learned tarot (the game) when very young, and who are also very interested in the mythology of the cards and their deeper meanings. Some even read the cards - for them it makes no difference that you can play games with them too. Since tarot is, besides its mystical aspect, a card game (there are actually around 230 known games), and children under 10 love card games, I opted for "before 10" - because the question was "what age is it best to start with tarot?", and not "what age is it best to start reading tarot cards?". If the mystical side appeals to the child, this will develop with time... if not, they have at least learned a delightful and intriguing game for the rest of their lives.

jumptothemoonyea	06 Jun 2005
As I see it, it comes by itself, at any point in ones life. Some have it early, some late. It hits or it enters gradually - by the power mostly outside our control. It would be best to include Tarot class in the kindergarten and up. The earlier the better - the more natural will be the merging :)

mercenary30	06 Jun 2005
I can't answer this question as such. I think it really depends on the personality of the person in question, whether or not they are open to it, AND if they are mature enough to understand what the tarot are about. It isn't like language arts and math.

Vadella	06 Jun 2005
My son is 8 and he begged me for a deck. I bought him one. He takes very good care of it. He also only plays with it for himself. I told him it is a serious matter and that he must learn his cards first. He actually amazes me because I will ask him what he sees in some cards and he's pretty good at it. My 12 year old niece, however, just got hers and she immediately thinks she knows what she's doing. My sister told me that my niece took them with her to visit her father and she said she is going to give her friends readings. Well, I'd like to know how. lol I told my sister to call her and to let her know that it's serious... she has to learn first. Knowing my sister... she doesn't really care. I am the only one in my large family that takes these things seriously. I bought my first deck at 22... but I haven't tried to learn it until I was 27. I've been more focused on analyzing life and death since I was little [that is a lot of hours analyzing]. Then I went to Astrology, dream interpretation... last stop- Tarot. It's turned into a new and wonderful hobby- reading and collecting decks. I am so grateful.

HearthCricket	06 Jun 2005
I voted for 19 or older. I received my first deck at age 12 and played with Tarot throughout my teen years. Mind you I said "played". I didn't become serious until I was 21. By then I feel you bring a maturity to the cards, as well as a commitment, and it is no longer a fun game or fad thing, but rather a spiritual and learning experience that you have chosen to tap into. It did help that I was already somewhat familiar with it, but it still didn't become very real to me until I was older. That being said, everyone's journey is different and it is a hard subject to catagorize.

inanna_tarot	06 Jun 2005
As someone that was bought her first deck at the tender age of 9 and continued by study and reading of tarot since then (with the guidence of my mother and her many books) I can't see any reason why children can't use tarot. True there are sensitive things that some teenagers wont be able to deal with like sex, violence etc in an 'adult' fashion, but for reading for yourself and your peergroup it just isnt a problem. I have no faults in the way I learnt tarot and anyone that has had a reading from me wont say my style is childish or fluffy (being 19 I am fully aware that some people consider me too young to call myself Pagan let alone read tarot effectively). But, I have ticked any of the boxes, because I see tarot is only best learnt when the person is really keen to learn it. I had tarot around me all my life, they are and will be pretty pictures which I can use to help myself and others. I asked for my own deck at 9 and was rushed to the nearest tarot shop lol. I started my pagan path because of some of the things that the movie the Craft highlighted to me which just seemed right and clicked. I wouldn't say that my pagan path is fluffy or dangerous, I take both my tarot and pagan side very seriously and an integral part of myself and my lifestyle. But I know when to have a laugh, I know when to just play with my cards and let my inner child just be wide eyed at the amazing art and pretty colours. Bit of a ramble, but I see no reason why age should matter in learning the tarot, religion or anything. When the time is right its right and we shouldnt get in the way of a child's individual development. Blessings, Sezo x

azuremoonchild	06 Jun 2005
i voted 12-13 i think it was... because you should start yoiung but you also have to be mature enough to know when to keep it a secret... like at school and such... and in regaurds to the comment about the movie the craft... i have never seen it but i hear its really stupid...

inanna_tarot	06 Jun 2005
azuremoonchild wrote: in regaurds to the comment about the movie the craft... i have never seen it but i hear its really stupid... hehe yeah, it isnt the most educational of starts, but it inspired me to look into it all that bit deeper, made me read widely and learn and practice my beliefs and my way of doing things. How you get into tarot or anything else isnt important, its that you learn these things that enrich your life and who you are. Blessings, Sezo x

raeanne	06 Jun 2005
Hi all, I voted for "before 10" because the question asked what age should someone START with tarot and I think it is best to start as young as possible. I was 14-15 years old when I got my first deck. I went through cycles of "on again/off again" for a number of years before I settled into a regular relationship with tarot. As with anything else, it is individual. The right age for one person won't be the same as the right age for another but I still feel that the younger, the better.

Moonbow*	06 Jun 2005
I voted for under 10 and the reason being is that I have seen with my own daughter (who started at 11) that children seem to connect to the cards in a way that some of us adult find difficult. She could well have started prior to the age of 10, but perhaps it varies on the child to some extent, and their concentration. I believe that if a child enjoy books, artwork and using their imagination, that they will also enjoy Tarot cards. At 14, she now has 4 Tarot decks and 8 Oracles and she still uses them. She is a natural for noticing symbolism and for making up stories about her cards. She can also remember the meanings (her meanings in some cases) for all of the cards. She is very good at art, and has started to make her own deck, but will also at times be found copying a card in large scale and painting it. As for reading them, she does that for just family. But she uses them as a trigger for imaginative play, I think that is a very important way to start with the cards.

Fudugazi	06 Jun 2005
I like Ross's idea of learning to use the tarot in all sorts of ways very young - card games (some wonderful ones), but also storytelling and situations, characters, etc. My nephew and niece are interested for different reasons - though both like to do short "readings" - but for them it is a game, like playing at princesses and knights. In fact the images of the Tarot can teach all sorts of things. My nephew loves Greek myths: and knowing that, a very kind person on this forum sent me an Olympus Tarot for him, which he loves to go through. He knows the myths with ALL the characters. The cartoon style is fun for him. He also loves history and art - so the Tarot of Prague, which I brought back for him, is teaching him to appreciate both even more (he knew and liked it before, as he had admired my own deck). My niece loves animals and beautiful things, so is getting much pleasure out of Baroque Bohemian Cats. Both are interested in the Tarot de Marseille as well, because its symbolism is so clear and strong. With the unscenic minors, they count and make patterns, and ask me about the meanings of numbers....My niece also has some Majors based on the RWS, and a wonderful Majors deck called Le Tarot D'Or, which I'd recommend for any child, because it was made by a mother tarotist for her daughter and is a charming way to get to know the Major archetypes. I have to say, these two children live in Paris and their parents have spent a lot of time taking them to the Louvre and other museums, so they have a well-trained eye. They also, in common with most children, love to play-act and invent new games - so Tarot fits into their life that way. They also like to draw and often copy or create tarot cards. There are an example of their tarot art on the Tarot garden website (Kat, Karen, Alex, Cirom and Lee - tremble ye in your beds!!;)): here is Juliette's: http://www.tarotgarden.com/library/misc/kidsgallery03.html click on "next page" to see Alex's. Both loosely inspired by Oswald Wirth :)

Kiama	06 Jun 2005
I ticked all of the boxes, because I don't think that age is the final factor on which we can judge these things. Some 25 year olds aren't ready for Tarot, some 7 year olds are. I find that whenever you want to start is right for you, and I really can say that I have experienced no difference between the readings, insights, and experiences of readers on Aeclectic who started Tarot under the age of 10, than those who started over the age of 10. It truly disgusts me when anybody makes a judgement about somebody's reading ability or readings based on their age (and yes, I am afraid Rogan that it is your post I am commenting on.) I've only just got out of the teenage years (I'm 20) and for years I was judged as 'no good enough' or 'not competent' at Tarot reading because I was 'only 19' or 'only 16'. This is despite the number of years I had been reading and studying Tarot. True, yoing children may find some of the concepts within the cards difficult to understand at first - but they are exposed to them via the Tarot, and thus they are more equipped to recognize them, deal with them, and understand them later on in life. This is certainly what I've found. And of course, they don't need to understand 'everything Tarot' straight away - Gods, even some 40+ adults don't understand the difficult concepts in the cards! What a child gets out of the Tarot is precisely what is appropriate and useful for a child to get out of the Tarot, and I think it is wrong to demean that. And so what if they start out by 'just whipping the cards out for their friends'? Is there some law that states Tarot should be some spiritual, high-minded, magical and downright serious thing? Hell no! In fact, some of the best uses I've made of Tarot have involved Tarot Games (see the book, Tarot Games, by Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw for more on this), Tarot stories, reading for fictional characters, and doing 'silly' 'disrespectful' readings for my teenage friends asking "Does so-and-so fancy me?" and "Who will I marry?" When I was a teenager, that was pretty much the extent of the questions I asked with the Tarot, along with the usual questions about exams, (which I still ask), teachers, what Mum will say when you tell her you're going out with somebody *gasp* 3 years older than you... But the point of these readings, ultimately, was not to get true, serious, life-changing answers. It was to learn the process of reading - a skill that can be picked up no matter what your age. So what if the 'does he fancy me?' question was trivial - it taught me how to see the links between cards, and it taught me how to deliver bad news in an effective, and comforting way. It taught me about making up new spreads, and it taught me about the flexibility and sensitivity of human emotions. In just under 2 weeks, I will be standing in front of a large crowd at Witchfest Wales and giving a talk on the Tarot Court Cards: A new approach. I am 20 years old. Last week, I was rejected from a club because I look so young. It is attitudes like yours, Rogan, that have prevented me in the past being taken seriously, despite my sincere love and experience with the Tarot, and despite the fact that I feel I have some interesting ideas about the Tarot - as do so many other under-19 readers I have spoken to. I still fear walking into that conference room and seeing the estimation of me go down in my audience's eyes because I am 'only 20' (and look about 17-18 apparantly.) Because of attitudes like this, I have to try that extra bit harder to prove I have something valuable to say - because people judge based on age and looks, and that judgement colours how they listen to what I say. Dammit, this kind of topic always gets me raving and bashing away at my keyboard like there's no tomorrow! Blessings, Kiama PS - I know inanna_tarot in real life, and have had a reading from her. She may be 19, but I remember that reading as being absolutely spot-on, compassionate, dealing effectively and sensitively with quite a sticky issue. :D *Hugs*

inanna_tarot	06 Jun 2005
Awww thanking you most kindly Kiama :) You give wonderful readings too! Age is something I do bash on about as well. Recently had a rather large bash about ageism in paganism. I had a few rants and will continue to do so. Age does not mean wisdom, and certainly what you look like doesnt mean diddly about who you are or how old you are. Ive been told I'm an 'old soul' since I was 15ish In short, tarot is for anyone at any age that seeks to learn it, age means nothing :) Blessings, Sezo x

Fudugazi	06 Jun 2005
Hurray for Kiama!!! And all the best for your Witchfest Wales talk - I am very excited for you. Will you publish the transcript? Will you share it with us afterwards? (hint hint). I'm inclined to think that as soon as a child is not going to chew a card and choke on it, she's old enough to be introduced to tarot. Just as an 80-year old lady is young enough.

Moonbow*	06 Jun 2005
I have to agree with Kiama and Inanna_tarot. I wish, dearly, that I had started reading tarot at an earlier age (no I won't say) because in my opinion my daughter is a much better reader than I am and she has no pre-conceived ideas about what she 'should' be saying, she just talks. She doesn't have the fear that she wants to be right, she goes with want she feels and that is important in tarot reading, we should have 'all' our senses open to us and not just the ability to remember card meanings. There is no substitute, in my mind, for learning Tarot at an early age.

The Age to start tarot thread was originally posted on 05 Jun 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.