Disrespect of Cards

[moderndayruth]

Once upon a time, I abused my deck. I hurt it so bad, it had to retire.

In my defense, it was an accidental homicide. Death by lemonade.

The good news, by dying it transcended (as do we all) to become something bigger.

I was the lucky recipient of three of those cards. One of them is with me for the foreseeable future (forever ? )and the other two respectively went to two of my great friends who live abroad - one back to UK, London, other to Rome, to people who knew their story and were honored to be the part of the magic.
So, yeah, i love the cards, but i don't make "golden calf" of them, if you know what i mean.

 

[nisaba]

OT:

Damn..... I was pretty sure that I was alone. I'm not sure if I'm excited or disappointed to find that someone else plays this too.... But I am truly (and naively) disappointed to learn that I didn't invent this.

<cackle> We can be special together.

 

[Demon Goddess]

I love my cards but for two very sentient reasons only.

1. My dear Zachlost painted them, sometimes I like to think he did so just for me, but he knows better.

2. Because Melody likes them enough to speak to me with them.

Other than that, they're easily replaceable cardboard and as Melody tells me, (but I don't listen well yet), I can hear her just as well without the cards if I'd only listen.

 

[tigerlily]

As a kid, I read the Ayla novels (you know, lots of caveman sex), and there was one scene where a member of the clan thanked the spirit of his tools before starting his work. The idea being, that if the spirit was unhappy, either the tool itself would break, or it wouldn't do the work it was meant to do properly. In an animist worldview, everything has a spirit, a sentient energy, even if it's not alive in the usual sense. I liked this idea a lot, it somehow made sense to me.

But I fail to treat my decks as if they're inhabited by Spirit. I really think it's a shortcoming from my side, but I'm too far removed from this time and its worldview to really feel this way. I do treat them well, though, because I'm poor and because I was taught that wastefulness is sin.

 

[WyrdRaven]

Right after I got my Wheel of Change Tarot, I took it over to a tarotist friend's house so we could look at the cards together. I really liked the deck as a whole, even though there were a couple of cards that didn't "wow" me, and then I got to the Prince of Wands. "Oh, this is SO stupid!" I told my friend. "I can't stand this card!" (it was just too anthropologically incongruous for me). Well, after we'd looked at the deck, I started arranging the cards into their categories and counting them, to make sure all were present, and guess what? The Prince of Wands was missing. Went through the deck another time, card by card, and it was still missing. Did it again, and still no card. It wasn't until the third or fourth time through (by this time I was doubting my sanity) that the card popped up again, as if by magic. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I fervently told my deck, over and over. Eeek! Sometimes you'd swear they are alive! Well, after that, I never again said anything derogatory about any of my decks... at least while the cards were out and "listening." I really learned my lesson about disrespecting the cards that day!

 

[Nevada]

I believe in treating tools with respect, but not as if they were sentient beings. But to each his/her own, right? It's fine to vent, but don't expect everyone to do as you do.

To me my cards are very special belongings, but not as special as, say, my wedding ring or the quilt my grandmother made for me. They are not pets, either, though they're as important to me as some of my more treasured books.

I do my best not to damage them, within reason. But shuffling is going to take its toll. I have some old, well-used and wearing out decks that I also treasure. I don't feel that I've abused them by letting them get worn. I've used them, as they were intended to be used. I don't pray to or thank my cards. I do pray to or thank the deity(ies) and/or guides that help me read with them. I thank people who allow me to read for them. The cards are belongings, though. I'll treat a plant or tree as another living being, but not my tarot cards. But, you know, I eat plants (animals too, come to that), so even that respect and care goes only so far. I don't think it would serve any higher purpose for me to starve myself in order to keep all plants alive. They are intended for that purpose, I believe that, otherwise they wouldn't be so perfectly suited for that purpose. I feel that way about my cards. They're made to be used, and I use them.

 

[hazlit]

A kindred spirit {(~_~)}

Thank you 13WM for your posts, I really appreciate your feelings - I have a similar approach to my cards as well as the other tools I use when reading. I treat these tools with deep respect not because I see them as having the ability to feel or perceive subjectively (and from your posts, it seems as though you don't look at them this way either), however I do believe that the energy field around the tools I use (i.e. their immediate environment and how I handle them & think about them) has an effect on how I perceive them, which is critical to how I relate to them. To me, this is a reflection of the respect I show to myself and those for whom I read.

Such an approach is clearly not affiliated with the majority (if the posts in this thread are any indication) and that is not an issue for me - each to their own. I'm adding my bit to the minority who understand where you're coming from. All power to you 13WildMoons

 

[Carla]

I like my cards and I do keep all my decks in individual bags, because I think that's a lovely tradition. When I finish a reading, I usually do a 'clearing' shuffle before I put them back in the bag, and that's pretty much my only ritual. I am not a professional reader, I just use the cards for myself. To me, the 'magic' comes from the intuition of the reader, not from any inherent qualities of the cards themselves, so I don't really feel that I could be disrespectful toward my cards, no matter how I might handle them, just as I am not disrepectful toward my ballpoint pen if I leave the cap off or toward my hair dryer if I coil the cord around it. It might decrease the lifespan of the item, but these are items that can't be respected or disrespected. The only outrage I would feel is based on the monetary value of a deck. I'd hate to see someone riffle shuffle and put an elastic band around a very old, valuable deck. But that's not because its spirit or whatever is demeaned.

 

[Storm82]

This is more of a vent but please feel free to comment...

One thing that really bothers me about other profession readers is how they treat their cards. It's as if they have absolutely no respect for them.

It seems that they take them for granted. That's where my biggest peeve is.

I consider my decks, crystals, candle, scrying ball, pendulum, - everything that is with me when I do a reading - my coworkers. Yes, coworkers. They all have very special energies that are unique to say the least. Therefore I feel like it's very important to treat them with the deepest respect and consideration. Especially since I work with them almost every day and I earn my living with them.

I'll start every day when I work with them with a thanks for them choosing to work with me. At the end of the day I will let them know that I appreciated what they did for myself and those I read for.

I don't just take them out and throw them on the table at the start of work and start reading. Nor will I just throw them back in at the end without removing energies and cleansing. Which I must say I have seen a large number of readers do in many different situations.

I'm not saying I'm a better person or a better reader because of this. Nor am I trying to tell others how to do things. This is just something that has been on my mind for a long time.

I have really respect for cards and crystals . like you I cleanse and store them well.
my reading cards and some of my most important crystals no one can touch! ever!

I do belive that you get what you give: if you threat you deck with respect and honor them, they will pick up that energy and respond in same way

 

[nisaba]

I do belive that you get what you give: if you threat you deck with respect and honor them, they will pick up that energy and respond in same way

I used to think that about children, and spent many years being a good parent and a polite, respectful parent.

As a result, said child thinks I'm dirt, walks all over me and swears at me. She took it as proof of her superiority and thus my inferiority, not our equality. A lot of us say our decks are like children to us ...