Deck for kids - switch to Thoth?

Having observed the psychic potential in my nine-year-old, and noting her fascination with my Tarot practice and philosophies etc., I decided that for her recent birthday she'd be old enough for a starter deck. I spent a bit of time reading a bunch of decks-for-children threads here and gleaned a lot of great wisdom, and decided that the Inner Child deck would be a good choice.

Now we're facing a bit of a problem which I did not think through very well, before. Since my own personal deck is Thoth and my mind is very, very oriented towards that system, I am having a heck of a time helping my daughter with her questions about her new deck. She is not nearly at the reading level to find use for the companion guide on her own. My difficulty is that I am forced to dig into her guide for each and every question she has as they come up in various settings, and since we don't carry it around with us all the time I'm forced to delay my responses in many cases, which creates some unnecessary mystery and potential frustration for her in her Tarot learning process. Plus the deck she saw first and fell in love with was Thoth, and Inner Child, while absolutely wonderful, does not appear to grab her in quite the same way (so far).

So I'm wondering how problematic it might be, if I were to give her a Thoth deck now? I realize the symbolism is quite advanced in many cases, but the imagery is so rich and often intuitive, and my own grasp is pretty good.

The alternative is, I will have to take much more time out to study the Inner Child system than I had planned to, and among other problems this has the potential of slowing and interfering with my own personal education with the Tarot. I'd much prefer to stick with one system in this phase of the learning process.

Thoughts?

Not trying to sound cynical but I'm pretty sure there will be very few "go for it!" responses here...

Get her the Thoth.

I love this deck, I have always used it. It's a deck that can last a life time.

Of course, many of the symbols etc. in it are too old for a child her age, but so would be the symbols etc. in any other deck worth having.

As you will be the one helping her understand what the cards mean, you can tailor your answers to her level of understanding.

Just like when she asks you questions about current events, or reproduction, or any of the other things kids ask about.

It seems (from what you have said) she is familiar with seeing your deck.
So the images on the cards would be no surprise to her.

You can even get a small one for her small hands.

The thoth can be understood on so many levels, and not all of them include the extremes of Crowleys philosophy.

Actually I'd also say get her the Thoth. I think it's great she's taken an interest in tarot at such a young age, though it is best to keep in mind that a very young child may have trouble grasping everything there is to know (just think of what WE go through!) even if she is very intuitive and alert. But if she is drawn to the Thoth, and it would be easier for both of you, I'd say go for it--that's what counts the most. There is no neccessity for her to read a RWS-based deck with illustrated pips, even though most children may feel more into the pictures. Perhaps your daughter is better with numbers and simpler symbolism? Try it out, ask her if she likes it better, see how the learning process goes. And if that fails maybe let her pick out her own deck, one that she feels most drawn to by looking at it--even if the pips are illustrated, you may find that she can learn just as well on her own. If she asks you what something means, you can ask her--what do you think it means? If she's as intuit as you say she is I'm sure it will come quite naturally. After all, our own interpretations are the most important ones. Just remember to let her have fun--a young child deserves a great education but you don't want to make things too serious or complicated for them either, or they may lose interest.

I agree with Lillie and Star Spirit . . . go ahead and get her the Thoth.

It sounds like she's already somewhat familiar with it and comfortable with it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with giving a copy of the Thoth to a child - just because Crowley did some off-the-wall stuff, it doesn't mean that the deck he helped to create is somehow bad or dangerous. And you know that already, because you use it yourself. So why not go ahead and let your daughter have a copy too?

I agree to go for the Toth. If that is what your daughter is drawn to then there shouldn't be a problem. I agree with Annabelle althought Crawley himself might have done some things that people disapprove of doesn't mean that it carries over to the cards.

I agree too - go with the Thoth.

You say she has already fallen in love with the artwork, has seen you use it and you could help her learn the basics of the deck until she decides she wants to know more.

The Thoth Deck

Yep, the Thoth is appropriate. The deck has her full attention and captures her imagination, that's reason enough. She won't understand all the symbolism, but does anyone fully grasp a tarot deck upon receiving it? Maybe, if you created it, you'd be a step ahead of everyone else, but you're still in that discovery process.

Now! There are several decks that are simply reworkings or repaintings of the Thoth deck. It sounds like you were looking for nos and you didn't get alternatives. Here's one I thought of, a deck similar to Thoth. Here are a couple that I know of:

The Via Tarot is a rendition painted in colored pencil.

The Liber T: Tarot of Stars Eternal.

I hope this helps. I think the Thoth deck isa really good deck, and these two decks here are part of my wishlist.

Hi everyone!

Wow, so many positive replies for Thoth. Frankly, I made a skewed assumption in my early research on this board, having seen so many recommendations for other decks for children, and seeing several comments about Thoth's symbolic complexity etc. I really should have sat down and meditated, or asked the cards, or posted my own question, and I didn't. No is not an answer I was hoping for, just expecting.

So I've placed an order for a mini-Thoth and am on the hunt for a mini bag. My daughter is happy to have both and I think they may complement each other well. I'm actually quite taken with the Inner Child deck, I must say. In fact, it even helped me when I was least expecting it, during a meditation, when one of the major arcana cards made itself known in connection to the subject, and provoked a chain reaction of realizations.

Perhaps I'll post back here later when she ramps up her practice...

Hi. I'm glad your daughter is happy with her Thoth. Sounds like you made just the right decision.

Just for the record, I have to recommend AGAINST Liber T for children. (Or for anyone, really.) It's little illustrations include graphic sex and lots of violence and gore. (I had so looked forward to this deck, and then when I got it, UGH! I traded it right away. So really, this rant is nothing but the wrath of a tarot collector scorned!)

Another kind-of Thoth clone that could be good for kids is Tarot of the Sephiroth. The illustrations are colorful and a little humorous. Plus the kids might like getting on the floor to assemble the giant Tree of Life. I know I did!

rachelcat said:

Just for the record, I have to recommend AGAINST Liber T for children. (Or for anyone, really.) !

Click to expand...

Judging by the games they play on Playstation 2, I should think adolescent boys might get a lot out of it