I got into Tarot during my teen years. I'm in my late 20's now. I had always been into horoscopes and palms and what not, but not taken a serious interest to it. I was in sixth grade and there were cutout cards in YM magazine. A girl noticed me looking at my silly little set told me she bought real cards at Waldenbooks, and that my cards were fake. I felt so embarrassed. Once at Hot Topic around 8th grade, my dad refused to let me buy a boxed set of astrology, palmistry info, and Tarot cards. I was so upset that he referred to them as the "dark arts." My father is a Catholic, and I was seriously considering leaving the faith around that time in my life. So of course, I thought he was just overreacting.
Later on some time after that, I was out with my grandmother and other family at a Barnes and Noble. I spotted the yellow Rider-Waite box with the Eden Gray book. My grandmother decided to buy it for me. I was in the 9th grade at the time. I never really liked the Eden Gray book because it was too simplistic and confused me more. I would read for friends, and its divinatory meanings made no sense in any context. I also wrapped my cards in a scarf, slept with them under my pillow, and made seekers cut the deck in three piles with the left hand in the left direction. Iju st wanted to get it right! I remember once in study hall, my teacher noticed me and said that I needed to put the book down. She had a student who once read for her and blew her away. I was embarrassed yet again, but still unsure of how to find reliable information (THIS WAS BEFORE GOOGLE, ok?) But, unfortunately my Tarot search was halted by my father since I was also a rebellious teen not doing my best in school. He considered my cards a distraction, and confiscated them. It wasn't due to the cards, I'll tell you that! I was so devastated, but ended up doing better in school. My sister found the cards for me, and I would see them and put them back where my father hid them.
I did purchase the Tarot of the Sacred Rose during the time my Rider deck was away from me. Hated it. I can't even tell you what happened to it. I also got the Cat People Tarot. Very 70s. I still don't know where that went. I discovered a site called "Aeclectic.net" that I believe heightened my fascination with Tarot. At that point, I simply went to Barnes and Noble, mortar and online. I was limited to their selection. But with Aeclectic, I was exposed to hundreds of decks. I wish I could have had them all! I did notice a different version of the Rider deck called the "Universal Waite" on this site. Love at first sight! I preferred this deck to the harsh Rider deck. I went to a metaphysical shop around my neighborhood and purchased it on my way home from school one day. There were so many more details noticeable here than with the Rider pack. I held onto that deck for almost ten years, and have had some amazing readings with it.
I got to a point where I charged 50 cents for readings in high school. People asked silly questions, and I gave them silly answers. Some were good. I told a girl her dad was changing jobs, and her mother hated it. She approached me, shocked a week or so later telling me how the outcome played out. I did also read for my grandmother's clients at her hair salon, charging the same amount. I told one woman she had success at work and to "beware the Black man." She thought I was silly since she preferred lightskinned men. Her own husband was light, and was not concerned about her being around a darker male friend she begun to take a liking to. Almost a decade later, my grandmother still laughs at how she left her husband and now has two children with this darkskinned man.
I didn't have a consistent relationship with the cards. I went to college, and occasionally did readings for myself, recording them in a journal. I had a weird experience with two males. One was my ex, the other my future boyfriend. Both wanted readings, over and over. I passed out after feeling dizzy and overwhelmed. The outcome in my future boyfriend's card was the Queen of Pentacles=Taurus=Me. I was shocked because I wasn't trying to date him. We eventually dated for five years after that.
After college, I was still inconsistent with the cards. Life gets in the way of hobbies. I did acquire a World Spirit which gave me more meaningful, although less specific readings than Universal Waite. I used to refer to it as my "psychology" deck. It was less about "fortune-telling" and more about getting to the heart of the issue with that deck. I did buy a Thoth deck, but passed it along to a friend. Not my style.
It was getting to the point where I would bring my cards out only by request. I noticed that reading took a lot out of me. It was very intense. I would have emotional reactions to the cards, and my voice changed and I sat straight up in my chair. So my family says. My grandmother thought I was possessed, and didn't want the cards in her home. They're still here, but I don't bring them around her. My sister requests readings and I can tell her all about her personal life although we don't really gossip much to each other.
This year, my passion was awakened. I went on a Tarot binge, and my collection doubled within a very short time. It is small compared to other collectors, but I never really set out to be a collector. I just love the cards! Being younger, I used to select decks because they were pretty. Today, I seek decks that have substantial imagery and symbolism.
Whew! Next time I'll talk cards. Real, actual cards I swear. Thanks for keeping up with me! I told you I'm playing by ear over here!
Shuffletrumps.
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