NEW MEMBERS - Tell us your Tarot Story

[yogi_holly71]

I am from a family of artists who love all things creative, tarot just being one of them. I have always practiced tarot as meditation and as a tarot reader. Of course I love tarot for many reasons and was glad I had it to turn to when processing my divorce and an unexpected traumatic injury over three years ago. The divorce and the injury are unrelated, just an FYI. I am doing much better ( EMDR Counseling has been a lifesaver). I have shared tarot with many others dealing with PTSD issues including many certified mental health counselors, many who already knew the benefits of tarot and at least one was very impressed when I shared with him.
Anyway, I love tarot. The name of this forum is awesome! I look forward to interacting with other tarot lovers!

[Joan Marie]

Welcome tarotman101 and yogi_holly71!

Glad you are here! Thank you both for joining us!

[harmonicvibes]

Hello! SO excited to find a new place to hone my skills and share with others. Make new friends here. I want to learn more lenormand as well

[Joan Marie]

Hello! SO excited to find a new place to hone my skills and share with others. Make new friends here. I want to learn more lenormand as well

Welcome and thanks for joining us!
We have a pretty good Lenormand community here, and in the new year we're going to expand our Lennormand studies area and reading groups.

Great to have you!

[nicolefae]

Hello all. I was very pleased to come across this site and see some familiar names. (I am a former ATer as well) Thank you so much for the welcome.

How did you get started in Tarot? Oracles? Lenormand?
Many years ago I had in my hands a Mythic tarot deck. I don't recall if it was gifted or bought with lunch money but I have loved Tarot ever since.

What was your first deck and where did you get it? Mythic

Do you have a favourite deck? Why? My favorites rotate with my environment and mood. I don't have one specific deck that I reach for every time though my original deck is separate from my others.

Do you have a favourite topic or area of interest in Tarot, for example, symbolism, history, reading groups, collecting, etc..?
All of the above. I love seeing the new interpretations and ideas.

[Joan Marie]

Hello all. I was very pleased to come across this site and see some familiar names. (I am a former ATer as well) Thank you so much for the welcome.

Thank you for joining us! And thanks for introducing yourself and sharing your tarot story!

[Curiosity]

Hello
I don't reallt have much of a history with tarot yet. I have always been curious about it, but had never really held a deck. I played around a bit with a friends Lenormand deck as a teenager, but that was it. I also had some people reading to me, but I had never tried. Then lately I don't know why I have been feeling really drawn to it and two weeks ago I bought a deck, and decided to start learning. It is "The golden tarot" by Liz Dean. Coincidently, my coworker had heard me saying I wanted to buy a tarot deck a few days before that, and wanted to give me one cause I was her secret santa. The decks were way more expensive then the price range we had set though, and she bought me a Fnac giftcard. I went there and I found another deck that I liked and that was exactly the right price, so I got it as well. It is "the vivid journey" deck, very colourful and beautiful. I actually like this second one best.

I am still very new to all this, starting to make sense of the meanings and the combinations, but I guess it gets better with time. Looking forward to developing my intuition.

Thank you for accepting me here

[Joan Marie]

I am still very new to all this, starting to make sense of the meanings and the combinations, but I guess it gets better with time. Looking forward to developing my intuition.

Thank you for accepting me here

Welcome!

You may have noticed we do not have a "beginners" or "newbies" section. Instead we have one called Learning Your Craft.

That's because the more you know the more questions you have. None of us ever stop learning. By the same token, we all bring something to this when we start. Life is the greatest teacher of all.

For those of us with endlessly curious natures, the Tarot will keep us busy for a lifetime! Even the "fundamentals" are so layered that we never stop learning them.

Thank you so much for joining us and for learning with us.

[Blissful]

Hiya peeps,
I started reading Tarot cards when I was a teenager, back in prehistoric times... er, well... the late '70s. I still have the first deck I bought, though I prefer to read with others that I own. I'm not a collector. I have about 8 decks and that's plenty for me.

I read intuitively, and stopped looking up and referencing the "book meanings" long ago. For me, Tarot really stimulates my intuition. I prefer the kinds of decks with artwork that does not rigidly incorporate the symbolism of Rider-Waite. For me, the more off-beat unusual decks, while still within Tarot's structure, the better for how I read. There are always exceptions, though. One cannot always predict what kind of deck will resonate.

I have been wanting to create a deck of my own for a long time now, and I've got many ideas for specific cards swirling in my head. Just haven't taken the plunge yet. If there is going to be another community-created tarot deck here, or if anyone knows of another forum or group creating one, I'd like to get my feet wet by contributing a card or two. Feel free to PM me or post here to let me know of any community decks looking for creators.

I'm also seriously researching what I need to do to start reading professionally.

Glad to be here.

Blissful

[Diana]

I started reading Tarot cards when I was a teenager, back in prehistoric times... er, well... the late '70s. I still have the first deck I bought, though I prefer to read with others that I own. I'm not a collector. I have about 8 decks and that's plenty for me.

Welcome to CoT, Blissful.

You've got me curious. Which deck was this first one, and what are some of the other 8 decks that you have ?

[Joan Marie]

I have been wanting to create a deck of my own for a long time now, and I've got many ideas for specific cards swirling in my head. Just haven't taken the plunge yet. If there is going to be another community-created tarot deck here, or if anyone knows of another forum or group creating one, I'd like to get my feet wet by contributing a card or two. Feel free to PM me or post here to let me know of any community decks looking for creators.

Hi Blissfull! Thanks for joining us!

We will no doubt be embarking on another group deck before too long. Probably this spring and I already have something in mind. So it will be great to have you join in!

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this place and find lots of interesting things for yourself!
Welcome.
Joan Marie

[Blissful]

Welcome to CoT, Blissful.

You've got me curious. Which deck was this first one, and what are some of the other 8 decks that you have ?

The first deck I bought is the Rider-Waite. I'm not home at the moment, so hopefully I'll remember correctly the names of the rest of my decks. In no particular order, I have: the Wild Unknown (love!), Tarot de Paris (also love!), Neuzeit Tarot (very odd and quirky), Tarot of the Master (beautiful artwork, also love), Celestial Tarot (I'm not into astrology anymore, but I click with the artwork), Legend Arthurian Tarot, Feng Shui Tarot, and Tarot of the Pagan Cats (the last three I need to be in the right mood to use).

I feel like I'm forgetting one. Hmm, I have more decks than I thought! I did own the Crystal Visions Tarot and Tarot d'Or but couldn't relate to either one AT ALL so I sold them.

Back in the 90s I discovered the Voyager deck and wanted one so badly, but for whatever reason I never bought it. I'd still like to get that early version, as I believe it was updated. I also remember wanting Salvador Dali's deck for a time, but it was way out of my reach, price-wise. The only other deck I'd love to own is Margarete Petersen's.

[Diana]

I feel like I'm forgetting one. Hmm, I have more decks than I thought! I did own the Crystal Visions Tarot and Tarot d'Or but couldn't relate to either one AT ALL so I sold them.

I've never heard of anyone who knows of the Tarot d'Or. It's a lovely deck to use with children. They can really relate to it.

I don't know what Joelle Balle did with the minors (I suppose I could check on youtube). We were quite friendly at one time, and I seem to recall that I translated her LWB from French to English for the Majors. But life then caught up with us, and I think it was when she started working on the minors that we lost contact. I still have the original Majors only deck.

Once I went on one of her weekend courses where she explained the cards (the Majors) and how to read with them. It was very interesting. She went into a lot of thought when designing the cards.

[Blissful]

Oh! Sorry, mine was the French version of Ciro Marchetti's Gilded Tarot. Tarot d'Or was all I could remember about its name - that was on the box - and I could not recall the artist's name either. I was going to say it was the Golden Tarot but knew that wasn't right, so I just looked it up. I really disliked that deck. Sorry for the confusion.

I've never heard of anyone who knows of the Tarot d'Or. It's a lovely deck to use with children. They can really relate to it.

I don't know what Joelle Balle did with the minors . . . .

[Diana]

Oh! Sorry, mine was the French version of Ciro Marchetti's Gilded Tarot. Tarot d'Or was all I could remember about its name - that was on the box - and I could not recall the artist's name either. I was going to say it was the Golden Tarot but knew that wasn't right, so I just looked it up. I really disliked that deck. Sorry for the confusion.

Oh, well that makes more sense! Marchetti's a fine and talented artist. He's been around for such a long time, he's kind of part of the tarot universe furniture. As to his interpretation of the Tarot.... well, we all have our opinions and I'll leave it at that. I wouldn't use his decks even I were paid to do so I think. And this is also taking me back to memory land and some clashes we had online when he was busy designing some deck, maybe his first. But lots of people appreciate his contributions to Tarot. One man's meat is another man's poison.

[Blissful]

Yeah, the artwork - not my cup of tea. But the cards were just so thin and slick, like something I imagined one could pop out of a magazine. The shiny finish probably bothered me almost as much as the imagery!

. . . . I wouldn't use his decks even I were paid to do so I think. . . . But lots of people appreciate his contributions to Tarot. One man's meat is another man's poison.

[Blissful]

I just remembered the other deck I have! It's the Vintage Wisdom Oracle, gorgeous and deep (another love!).

[Diana]

I just remembered the other deck I have! It's the Vintage Wisdom Oracle, gorgeous and deep (another love!).

Goodness, it is a beautiful deck of cards indeed. I just went to look it up. I don't know much about decks and oracles - I'm a Tarot of Marseilles person sort of exclusively with an occasional but rather brief excursion into other tarot traditions.

That Intuition card I've fallen in love with. And a few others too. Oh, thank you for sharing this. I'm utterly broke at the moment - too generous at Christmas I think and I need a few months to recover - but honest, I'd love a deck of cards like this one day even though I'm not a collector. I think I could use an oracle such as this one. I'd remove though the cards I don't fancy so much. One can't do this with a Tarot deck, but with an oracle I think that one can readily make it more personal.

Most of the oracles I've seen I find ridiculous. And that's a euphemism. The Vintage Wisdom is lovely.

[iMoodyCrab]

Hi Everyone!

My tarot journey is just a few months old. I started off because of a friend who was learning at the time and did a reading for me (I was her guinea pig).

The first deck I ever purchased was The Lost Tarot of Nostradamus. I'll be honest, I've only ever read once with this deck and it wasn't easy at all. When I started my student program with SaturnCeleste as my mentor (on another platform) she recommended Radiant RWS, and it has been my favorite since then. My personal preference is reading tarot cards with oracle cards, especially when attempting to grasp the energy behind the reading.

My first deck purchase of year 2020 is now my new favorite, The Sacred India Tarot. It just speaks to me, especially the mythical references. Perhaps it's because I relate so much to it, which makes it just a tab bit more easier to read. Having said that, I still hold the Radiant RWS very near & dear to me.

I would love to participate in reading circles, it helps me learn. My latest fascination is TdM & Thoth. Although I find Thoth to be slightly dark and disturbing when I try to meditate over individual cards. Perhaps something is not right with my deck and needs cleansing.

That's everything I could think of. Hope to be able to learn lots more from here too.

[iMoodyCrab]

I just remembered the other deck I have! It's the Vintage Wisdom Oracle, gorgeous and deep (another love!).

Definitely agree! I love that oracle deck... it's my first Oracle Deck purchase of 2020 and totally worth every penny!

[Diana]

The first deck I ever purchased was The Lost Tarot of Nostradamus. I'll be honest, I've only ever read once with this deck and it wasn't easy at all. When I started my student program with SaturnCeleste as my mentor (on another platform) she recommended Radiant RWS, and it has been my favorite since then. My personal preference is reading tarot cards with oracle cards, especially when attempting to grasp the energy behind the reading.

My first deck purchase of year 2020 is now my new favorite, The Sacred India Tarot. It just speaks to me, especially the mythical references. Perhaps it's because I relate so much to it, which makes it just a tab bit more easier to read. Having said that, I still hold the Radiant RWS very near & dear to me.

I would love to participate in reading circles, it helps me learn. My latest fascination is TdM & Thoth. Although I find Thoth to be slightly dark and disturbing when I try to meditate over individual cards. Perhaps something is not right with my deck and needs cleansing.

That's everything I could think of. Hope to be able to learn lots more from here too.

Warm welcome to Cult of Tarot, iMoodyCrab. Is your Crab always moody ? I hope he/she is in a good mood in that case - lol !! Glad to hear you've found a deck that resonates with you. And with Saturn Celeste, you had a good mentor - she's an excellent tarot reader so you got lucky there !

Why do you think you have to "cleanse" your deck ? I thought this kind of superstition had died out a long time ago along with the strange idea that one has to keep one's deck in silk - if people knew how silk was made, they'd probably change their mind about that one - they boil (or gas) the poor little silkworms who are alive in the cocoons. For one kilo of silk, about 6'500 silkworms get boiled alive. And let's not speak of the conditions of the workers who make the silk. Another superstition that was very popular at one time was that one should sleep with the deck under one's pillow. Thankfully I haven't seen mentioned for a long time.

So where did you get this idea of "cleansing" from ?

Cards are just pieces of cardboard with ink on them. They're not magical nor do they have any power. They're inert.

I think the Thoth deck is supposed to be a bit disturbing in that it's not there to sugarcoat things for people. It was produced by someone with a rather unusual mindset.

I look forward to your contributions and chatting with you!

[iMoodyCrab]

So where did you get this idea of "cleansing" from ?

Cleansing is a very integral part of my way of life... I cleanse energies in my house by heating Himalayan Salt almost in every corner of the house. Sometimes I use something as simple as a water fountain to keep energies flowing, and at times we just burn incense sticks or bakhoor. Depending on mood of the day, and the kind of cleansing I seek.

I don't know where I get it from, maybe cause my grandpa & mom do that a lot... or could be from all the ashram learning... perhaps its the yogi training and all that meditation? I'm not sure where I get it from, to be entirely honest. But I do believe in energies and auras. Everything has a colour and temperature.

Thoth cards have a dark energy... it mentally disturbs me, sometimes. Like an acid trip gone bad. Especially when I try to meditate on the card... It's not negative, just dark... Not even gloomy or depressing, just dark... like shadows, or lack of sunshine, or plants without flowers, or a dense jungle without the chirping of birds.

I don't know if any of the above made sense, but I assure you it totally does in my head

[Diana]

So where did you get this idea of "cleansing" from ?

Cleansing is a very integral part of my way of life... I cleanse energies in my house by heating Himalayan Salt almost in every corner of the house. Sometimes I use something as simple as a water fountain to keep energies flowing, and at times we just burn incense sticks or bakhoor. Depending on mood of the day, and the kind of cleansing I seek.

I don't know where I get it from, maybe cause my grandpa & mom do that a lot... or could be from all the ashram learning... perhaps its the yogi training and all that meditation? I'm not sure where I get it from, to be entirely honest. But I do believe in energies and auras. Everything has a colour and temperature.

Thoth cards have a dark energy... it mentally disturbs me, sometimes. Like an acid trip gone bad. Especially when I try to meditate on the card... It's not negative, just dark... Not even gloomy or depressing, just dark... like shadows, or lack of sunshine, or plants without flowers, or a dense jungle without the chirping of birds.

I don't know if any of the above made sense, but I assure you it totally does in my head

Oh, well if it's part of your daily practice and life, I understand better.

Acid trip gone bad ? Well, Crowley was a keen adept of artificial paradises, to quote the French poet Baudelaire. Maybe he had some bad trips himself. He was a keen user of heroin but also cocaine and a host of other things. His first published book was called "Diary of a Drug Fiend" largely based on his experiences. Crowley was a misogynist. He described women as "moral inferiors" who had to be treated with "firmness, kindness and justice". And that "the female body becomes beautiful in so far as it approximates to the male. The female is to be regarded as having been separated from the male, in order to reproduce the male in a superior form". He also had some very disturbing ideas on "race" which included anti-semitism. And don't get me started on his ideas of a perfect world government !

He was a very confused man. He should have solved his Mummy issues I think - it would have made his life a lot easier. Freud would have had a field day with him.

He was a genius though. There's no doubt about that.

[Joan Marie]

So where did you get this idea of "cleansing" from ?

I don't know if any of the above made sense, but I assure you it totally does in my head

His first published book was called "Diary of a Drug Fiend" largely based on his experiences.

I read "Diary of a Drug Fiend" years ago. It was mostly a book about how to cleanse ones-self from the scourge of addictions. I think it helped a lot of people and maybe could have helped more if not for the reputation he acquired, some through his own actions and some through the many distortions and misrepresentations of them that have become Crowley lore.

He also said in the "Book of Thoth"

The fundamental formula of the Universe is Love.

As simple as that sounds is as complex as it is.

IMoodyCrab, I know you haven't asked for any recommendations, but if I may make one (because it sounds like you are interested in connecting to your Thoth deck) you might want to try out Lon Milo DuQuette's book, "Understanding Aleistar Crowley's Thoth Tarot."

This book was recommended to me and it opened everything up about that deck to me. I don't mean to say I understand it fully, I maybe never will, but I learned about the true beauty and depth of what is behind each card and the deck itself. It's a wonderful book written with clarity and humour by a great scholar of Tarot and of Thoth in particular. (I did an interview with DuQuette for this forum. You can see it here)

I know some of the cards of the minors look dark. To be fair though, I don't think any of them show any women with a bunch of swords stabbed into their back or tied up at a stake.

I find the images on the Trumps and Courts very uplifting and celebrations of the human spirit and it's capacity to love and better itself.

One thing Diana that may endear him to you just a teensy bit is that in his Thoth deck he returned the 8 and 11 to their "proper" places according to the tradition of the Tarot de Marseille.

A quick note regarding cleansing. When Benebell Wen sent out her Spirit Keeper's Tarot decks, she blessed, anointed and named each one. Each one felt special to the person receiving it. In fact it was. Some of us shared the names of our decks, others felt the name was private or holy or whatever you want to call it and chose not too.

Cleansing, blessing, banishing, praying...these are things people do to connect with their environment.
Many people, myself included, feel very strongly that everything, every single object has a spirit and that spirit comes from it's connection to the living things around it, be those plants, animals or people. Everyone connects to their environment in different ways.

[Diana]

One thing Diana that may endear him to you just a teensy bit is that in his Thoth deck he returned the 8 and 11 to their "proper" places according to the tradition of the Tarot de Marseille.

That is why I petitioned the librarian of the Tarot Library in the Sky to give a proper place to the Thoth deck and to not put it in the dusty little corner with the RWS. My petition was accepted. The librarian then told me that the RWS is on the list of decks and traditions that may be removed completely from the library. They've set up a committee to discuss this and come up with a solution.

I think Crowley's deck is brilliant. The man I think was a lost soul. But as all of us here, he was looking for a meaning to life and a path to follow so I do recognise him as a fellow traveller. We just don't dine in the same dining car.

The interview you mention with DuQuette is indeed well worth reading.