What influenced you to delve into the tarot?

[poopsie]

This question was sparked by a thread I saw about tarot and children and it got me to think on what influenced me to go into tarot. I asked this because I was never raised in a tarot-friendly environment. We were Catholic and my parents and grandparents never got into it. My dad got into handwriting analysis and interpretation of dreams though and that was about it. I realized I got into Tarot more because I saw it on TV watching wizards and sorcerers and I was so amazed about the "power of being able to see through the pictures". As I grew up, my interest deepened and when I joined AT, it definitely made me clear that Tarot was something I wanted as a major part of my life.

I'm wondering about others ... I read that a number of ATers had grandparents and parents who also did Tarot, and that must be cool ... imagine inheriting all those vintage decks ... and others who didn't but sought to go into it... I hope you can share some of your experiences on this one. What influenced you to get into Tarot? Is it family? Media? Friends? Curiosity? A calling ... I'd love to hear exciting tidbits of your experiences.

 

[Nineveh]

There was already, within me, a natural affinity towards mysticism. I'd have prophetic dreams, premonitions, etc. but I saw that as normal and thought everyone experienced such. Later, I progressed to documentaries on voodoo and rituals practiced by slaves (I'm from the South). As an early teen I'd go to the main library where all of the historical documents are kept and just read literature on various forms of "old world" culture, religion, etc. There is a popular social gathering place with a lot of shops where I live. That is where I received my first reading. The reading was vague and didn't mean a whole lot to me then. After that, came the media with Miss Cleo, psychic friends and the like. From there, I started to learn tarot.

I don't see tarot as a calling for me. In fact, I find myself involved in tarot the most when my life is at its worst. Or maybe, its just the opposite.

 

[NamasteIndia]

My mom was quite into spirituality she would run from one psychic, saint, mystic to another, visiting temples and different spiritual groups all the times.

I was exposed to many face readers, astrologers and psychics right from beginning. There were lot of books related to such stuff at home.

During a major depressive phase in my life i lost my job and self esteem at that point i found tarot in my life.

I was so excited to have tarot it could answer numerous question, guide me and help me out. I totally trust in the answers given to me by universe.

Also i read for others via my website. Lot of people and society consider such things taboo etc so i usually dont tell people that i know tarot etc.

Its my secret side and only online on my profile people come to know that im aware about tarot..

 

[gypsylady]

For me personally, I was drawn towards the Tarot from a very early age, but could never quite understand this "itch" that I had to know more about it. My mom was avidly against it and did not want it in her home, so I just put it in the back of my mind, but still felt like it was something I wanted to learn.
Finally, in conversation, my mom told me about my grandfather (I have never met her side of the family). My mom's father had gypsy blood in him and would practice cartomancy and tarot card readings at home for clients, as well as use a pendulum. It always made my mom uneasy growing up, which is why she did not want it as part of her life. Finally, a year and a half ago (I was 23), I went to have my cards read here in town by someone passing through. He was eerily accurate and I remember feeling this intense connection to the cards. At one point, he said to me "I know this is going to sound strange, but I feel like you have a gift" or something along those lines. Fast forward 6 months later with a different tarot reader, the same comment was made and then more recently (a few months ago) when I was out of town having my cards read. I had bought a deck, but felt overwhelmed at the cards (this was after my first reading), then I started a tarot journal and everything just clicked for me. I do have to tell you though that ever since I started reading, I have become a whole new person, almost as if I found a missing piece of myself. Perhaps it just has to do with going back to my roots
PS: My mom now asks me for readings and she is astonished by the accuracy of the cards

 

[Grizabella]

An online friend of mine sent me the Jamie Sams Medicine Cards and one day it occurred to me that maybe they were something like Tarot cards so I decided to explore Tarot, too. The rest is history.

 

[The crowned one]

Originally? Girls and magic. I loved both.

 

[zan_chan]

I was bored on a rainy day and went to the department store to look for a board game. A friend suggested that Uno might be fun, so we went over to the section with the card games. They were out of Uno, but did have a Rider Waite deck which I thought could be a silly way to pass that rainy afternoon. Three years later, I'm still here...

 

[Carla]

A journal/diary that I'd used for years, 'Sacred Journey Journal', had pages in it for card spreads at the solstices and equinoxes. I always ignored them. I originally bought the journal because it had the most space for writing in it of any diary I'd ever found. I finally decided in 2009 to buy a deck and do the spreads in the journal. instead of pasting exercise rotations or ticket stubs or what have you over those pages. Three years later, my entire spiritual path has changed. And I've got 30-something decks. (I think.) Funny thing is, I never did remember to do those spreads, and for 2012 I haven't even bought a 'Sacred Journey Journal'. I've moved on.

 

[RunningWild]

I bought my first tarot deck at age 20/21 and gave it away shortly after. I didn't like the images. That was circa 1982. The gal I gave it to still has it (plus another one I gave her last year).

I spent the next 20 plus years emerged in religion.

Then, three or four years ago I happened upon a group online and met a woman who was a tarot reader (she called it her passion). I was still unconvinced, though when she offered to show a small group of us how to do cartomancy with playing cards my interest was piqued.

After the group dwindled we stopped but our conversations would turn to the tarot. So I bought a cheap deck at the bookstore and tried to comprehend the cards. It wasn't long after that I found a deck much easier to use. The rest is history. I now have several decks and a whole tarot library and spend hours and hours researching things. But to date, I haven't done too much of reading for others. I hope to change that this coming year.

The cards helped me get through a very difficult period in life and I'm forever grateful to the woman who introduced them to me.

 

[frac_ture]

I've often had phases throughout my life in which I was convinced that the universe was telling me things, but I wasn't understanding the messages. Someone close to me recommended a book about finding your guides (upon hearing about this phenomenon from me, I mean), with the idea being that maybe strengthening the connections with my guides would aid in my comprehension of these "messages."

Some of the book didn't resonate with me, but some of it did...some quite a bit. One section talked a bit about how it's possible to use divination tools to engage one's guides more directly or more clearly, and Tarot was cited as a good, specific example. I'd known vaguely about Tarot for years, but for the first time, this truly lit a fire in me to study it, learn it, and explore it. My explorations have also kicked off serious interest in other "esoteric sciences," too (like Tree of Life concepts, astrology, Shamanism, psychic and magic realms...). Tarot seems to have been the "gateway field" in all this, and I actually couldn't be happier about it, as it all feels a lot like finally coming home!