Should You Buy Your First Tarot Deck or Wait for a Gift?
Asked by
TarotExplorer99
I've recently become interested in learning tarot as a way to reflect and guide conversations with those seeking my advice. While researching, I've come across the notion that your first tarot deck should be given to you as a gift rather than purchased. I'm curious about how widely accepted this is among experienced readers. Is this a common tradition, or more of a persistent myth? I'd really like to hear from those who have practiced tarot—did you receive your first deck as a gift or buy it for yourself? If it was a gift, how did you go about getting it?
Answers
The idea about receiving your first deck as a gift probably comes from an old tradition where the person gifting would also be your mentor, helping you learn to use it. Nowadays, with so many resources available, it's easier than ever to learn tarot on your own. From my experience, most gifted decks didn’t really resonate with me, so I ended up buying the ones I truly connect with. My actual learning deck was one I chose myself, not the gifted one!
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It's a symbolic thing, for sure, but it really depends on the situation. In the past, you typically needed a mentor to learn tarot, and often they would pass their deck to you. Nowadays, with the plethora of resources available, you can just buy what you feel drawn to without the need for a 'gifting' ritual. I personally have 57 decks now, spanning tarot, Lenormand, and oracles, all of which I bought myself!
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I bought my first deck myself. Honestly, I felt it was meant to be, as I found it at a site that turned out to be scamming others. So, it was kind of a wild experience!
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DeckSeeker: Thanks for sharing that! It's really interesting to hear the background behind the tradition. I never thought about how different things were back then.