Tarot legends and Myths (A Rant)

[firemaiden]

Oh yes, elf, what an interesting post.

Now you have me wondering, instead of curiously seeking out the Crowley Deck in my tenderly ripened and well-aged 40's, what if, someone -- an aunt, a friend, or a tall dark stranger on a foggy night... had reached under his cloak, and pulled out a deck, saying "here you go little girl"...

Would I have embraced spirituality a few decades earlier?

Even the most hardened cynic has to admit a curiosity when faced with the 78 cards for the first time, and their little book. Certainly, though hardened against it all, I might have taken a peek, and thought... "what if... what if... this thing actually works? And what if I were to actually learn something I don't know?"

And I might have given spirit a chance, in secret.. (that is, if I found the deck to work better than the hot curlers I was given at age nine, which contrary to the pretty pictures in the booklet, did not change my long straight mane to something perfectly coiffed and permed.)

The tarot is a powerful tool, some of us have discovered, for some it opens psychic doors. What if, being gifted with a deck, means, someone has seen that it was now the right time for us. Gifting as secret initiation, as Umbrae has suggested.. it is a tantalizing concept. Perhaps a person will observe that someone is already on the path and offer him a deck to carry him to the next step. It makes me think of the magical ways in which Harry Potter acquired his magical objects - the invisiblity cloak, the marauder's map... (what else?)


But... what if a person were to offer the gift at the wrong time? Perhaps an unwise or malicious person? offering the tool to someone who was unready to use it safely?

hmmmmm.

It is a big risk to offer someone a deck. Have I ever given anyone a deck? no -- have I ever thought of giving a deck to someone who is not even into tarot yet? noooooooooo...

What would make someone take that step to offer a deck?

 

[Imagemaker]

I've given decks to people who knew nothing of tarot, but I knew they were open to new experiences. And each was fascinated, took up casual reading, and continue to talk tarot with me.

The oldest was 81 and the youngest was 20. I figure the recipient should be of legal age

I bought my own decks, found classes, and bought books. I'm glad to share tarot with anyone who expresses the slightest interest!

And I don't teach them any myths, legends, or superstitions. Just how to read.

 

[Esme]

So let’s examine another myth; that You should be given your first Tarot deck (as a gift).

Doesn't this originate from the times/places where Tarot was prohibited, and therefore any deck would have been automatically considered contraband?

 

[prudence]

Umbrae, are you gonna start sleeping with your decks too?
That will really charge them up, eh?

I do this, and don't consider myself a fool, nor a personality disordered unfortunate with a heaping dose of "magical thinking" thrown in. I try not to live my life according to the DSM. I have a very strong background in the "psychological arts", and had also been pretty convinced of the truth of terms like magical thinking and the like....One cannot approach spirituality with such terms in one's head.

I also must state that when the term magical thinking was used by Doc's, it was never in response to any Christian type spiritual thinking, only in response to patients who belived in "alternative religions"..(the belief in Immaculate Conception, Okay. The belief that we can sense the energies of others, Not Okay) How fair is that? Wonder what the DSM says about Therapeutic Touch these days? It sure wasn't very long ago that homosexuality was listed in it.

How can one be a member of a tarot forum, yet hold onto ideas about members who have slightly different beliefs? Are we talking about varying degrees of insanity? I am less insane than that guy...The Doc's I worked with would lump us ALL into the same category...just a bunch of tarot nuts.

 

[Umbrae]

You should store your Tarot decks in a wooden box (wrapped in silk).

Like…what’s up with that?

As has already been discussed elsewhere, silk is an excellent insulator…but what’s with the wooden box?

Times have changed. Back in prior centuries, vermin were more prevalent than now.

Fact is – a small rat or a mouse can turn a deck of Tarot cards into nesting material in one night. Bags, cardboard (pasteboard) boxes are invitations for rodent destruction.

Tarot decks also appear as an entrée on roach menus.

Wooden boxes help preserve your deck.

Remember folks, fact is – the world was not monetized until after the First World War. Back in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it’s easy to find essays by some of the worlds greatest thinkers about the evils of currency.

So you have 20p. What do you do? Feed your family or buy a deck of Tarot cards? And in a eurocentric-church driven culture, how would that be perceived?

Yup – replacing that Tarot deck may have been cost prohibitive, so you cared for what you had.

We’ve moved on (thank the cosmic toaster or the rubber chicken), but wooden boxes may not be such a bad idea, depending on your living conditions.

 

[Sophie]

We’ve moved on (thank the cosmic toaster or the rubber chicken), but wooden boxes may not be such a bad idea, depending on your living conditions.

In Congo (no no, stay with me, this is not a long boring "when I lived in..." story!!) the climate was so hot and wet (A/C only in Kinshasa, and only sometimes), that wood would rot. But silk is very good! Keeps the bugs out, no question. Of course, Europe hasn't got the same climate as Congo - and wood preserves against the winter...

But actually, wait: weren't ALL boxes made of wood before tin boxes came along, cheap, easy, good for biscuits? Might not that be a reason for the wooden box myth?

And silk - if you can just about afford 2 sous for a tarot pack - are you likely to afford a silk hanky?

Mmmm. Rubber chicken considers. Muses. Rubber from Congo, mayhap. It never rots

 

[Umbrae]

Hey here’s another chestnut I was told when I got my first deck…

You must store a Tarot deck on an eastern wall, preferably at shoulder height or higher, if possible above a point of egress.

Like…what’s up with that. Never did it. Still don’t. And no I’ve never won the New York State Lottery. But then I’ve never played. Hell, I don’t even live near New York…

If you go into an Orthodox Jewish home, somewhere – perhaps behind a picture – you will find a portion of an east wall that is left unfinished, or a more apt description – un-repaired. And by Jewish custom it shall remain until the Temple is rebuilt.

Ever notice how all sanctuaries of Christian churches have the Altar to the East? Many cultures, religions, creeds, and sects revere the East. The sun rises in the east and illuminates us.

Why at shoulder height? Well it could prevent damage from floods, it also helps rodent and vermin infestation…

Near a point of egress?

Well now I can grab it on the way out in case of fire (remember the fire department did not always exist…I suppose you are all too young to remember the great fire in London in 1666?

Just a thought…

 

[firemaiden]

Certain kinds of wood - cedar for example also repell moths. (Do moths eat tarot decks?)

Wood would be much easier to come by than metal, and certainly more of a rodent deterrent than cardboard.

 

[RufusJ]

Dang! I don't even have an eastern wall. Our house is all catty-wumpus from the cardinal directions...

Back to the gifting of a deck: in my mind it was always an old beloved deck, being passed on to a younger neophyte-- and with the deck passed the some of the gifter's power that had built up over use. Were decks even sold centuries ago? I know they were commissioned by royalty and the rich but could one walk into a store and buy a deck 200 years ago? Perhaps the myth came about because one couldn't buy them; they had to be given a deck if they were to have one.

Our mice tend to like wood so that's out. Years ago though wood probably was the easiest material to work for boxes, and silk would ensure the deck was at least treated nicely.

 

[Clau]

Hey here’s another chestnut I was told when I got my first deck…

You must store a Tarot deck on an eastern wall, preferably at shoulder height or higher, if possible above a point of egress.

Well , that one is one I never heard of...