NEW MEMBERS - Tell us your Tarot Story

[pjane92]

My first deck was the Marseille Tarot. I was playing with printed cards when I was about 13 years old. Now I use the Rider Waite and the Belline Oracle (or decks that are based off Rider Waite structure).

I'm also an empath.

[Chrystella]

Hello, everyone; I just joined. I haven't participated in a tarot forum since Aeclectic, so it's nice to be here.

I became interested in tarot when I was about 16; I was in high school and friends with some of my artsy hippie teachers. My English teacher read for me and later gifted me her deck as a graduation present. It was an RWS, an early 1980s Yellow Box, which I still have and remains my favourite for sentimental reasons.

My favourite tarot is RWS. I also love TdMs and have a soft spot for historical decks. I don't know if I'm a collector. I have more decks than my neighbour, but probably less than Mary K. Greer

I enjoy exploring the symbolism of tarot, but it's very much a practical tool for me.

[lettyletty]

Hello, all! My name is Letty and I've been practicing tarot for over ten years now--since around 2008. For a long time I was very active in the community, particularly on Aeclectic, but a second graduate school run, a kid, and a move knocked me off my practice, so I am happy to be back.

I use Tarot primarily as a spiritual and psychological tool. I use it for shadow work, life decisions, and self discovery and really connect it with my work as a therapist and a lot of transpersonal therapy ideas. I also appreciate that it is a practical tool, though I admit I don't use it practically all that much but that's something I hope to work more into my life as well--tarot really is my primary spiritual practice so I'm hoping to incorporate it more into my everyday life.

I'm a sucker for decks and love many. The ones I currently use most are the Victorian Romantic Russian version, Druidcraft, and Grail Tarot. I also enjoy oracle decks.

Looking forward to digging in here--I am really ready to deepen my tarot experience.

L

[Red Moon Venus]

Hello, I am Caroline and happy to join you all
I am french and have been reading the RWS for some years now, but I started with the Marseille tarot.
I have been a member of the AeclecticTarot forums in the last years of its existence, my user name was CaroJulie ; and then I joined a couple of tarot forums that started when AE closed, and I really loved the communities. But a few years ago I went through some personal difficulties and retreated into my shell for quite a while - I still feel bad for leaving people hanging and disapearing without giving any news at the time.
I have been active again since 2019, mainly on FB, and I am happy to come back to a forum format now.
For the last two years I have had a very small YT channel called Red Moon Venus, where I occasionnaly upload a tarot video either in french or in english.

Thank you for reading !
Now I'll go and read some posts !

[Joan Marie]

Hello, I am Caroline and happy to join you all

Thank you so much for joining us!

What you describe about leaving the groups, that happens a lot. People move in and out, then back in, and sometimes out again, etc. with these communities. It's totally normal. I think people understand. Lovely that you found us. I hope you enjoy it here.

[justjennie]

Hello! My tarot journey began about 15 years ago when a friend invited me to a class. I’d heard of tarot, but knew very little about it. So I purchased myself a RWS deck, attended my first class, and haven’t looked back! And of course, it’s led to an interest in other esoteric avenues. A few of my favorite decks are The Radiant Waite, Hush Tarot (the art work, omg), Tarot of Mystical Moments, and I have to include Shadowland Tarot in this list. The packaging, the deck, and especially the book…Monica Bodirsky is brilliant. Oh, and Relative Tarot is another favorite. I’ve joined several amazing tarot communities like this one, and believe tarot will be a life long study because there’s always more to discover. I’m happy to be here, and look forward to joining in some rich discussions! Happy New Year!

[Joan Marie]

Hi @justjennie !

Welcome to The Cult of Tarot! It's great to have you here.

[maideng0ddess]

Hey Everyone!
My name is Cheryl and I am happy to have found this forum!
To be totally transparent, I was looking for places other than ebay to sell the used decks I own. A place where people actually know their worth.
I just can't see holding onto them if someone prefers them, and I also just need the money.
I have been into Tarot since my early teens. I am now a grandmother, so over 40 yrs... holy cow!
My first deck was the Cagliostro Tarot deck that I purchased on Amazon in the early 80s. (I think).
I have never counted my decks but I have quite a few. Some I just recently sold on ebay.
I own decks that range from Scat, Tarot, Lenormand to oracle cards
I really lean toward Lenormand cards more than tarot these days, well actually since 2012 ish?
I poked around with Lenormand back in 2001 but found them again and use them almost daily since.
I was part of the Lenormand revival groups in 2011/2012 before all of the new books & decks were published. I was truly blessed to learn from the best and also with them.
I was also a member of the Tarot Association back then and even have been quoted in one of their small tarot series books. "Tarot Inspire". ( page 48 if ever you run across the book or own it.)
As far as favorite decks, Given I am a more "visual" person I would say the edgy Rohrig Tarot Deck is my favorite deck by far. I love the edge and the artwork... eye candy to me. This may be why I own The Cosmic Tribe Tarot deck and book set as well... talk about edgy! haha
As you all know different decks are used for different readings. I did not get that until I owned a few. You get a different vibe from each of them, and my Rohrig along with my Thoth, do not candy coat anything hahah
ok so in order to not go as far as to give my shoe size here I will leave it at that.
Thank you for having me and look for some for sale signs soon... now off to the place that employs me.
peace and love... ciao

[jarstudionyc]

Hey all! My name is John, and I am an artist living in New York City. Discovered this forum by accident, but am so glad I did.

I have always been interested in Tarot, but (probably like many others) I grew up going to a Baptist church, so anything even remotely lefthand-leaning was condemned. Only really started to learn about the cards as an adult.

I was gifted a deck by my partner -- the now-ubiquitous Wild Unknown Tarot -- and was enamored by the artwork (still am). About a week later, I met a woman at a party who is a Tarot reader and told me, "When someone gifts you a deck, you have to learn to read the cards." So I began to mentor under her.

She had a wonderful collection of decks, and I got to experiment with different imagery to see what spoke to me. I was fascinated by Hermann Haindl's Tarot -- it was the first time I ever realized that Tarot and fine art go hand-in-hand. Each of his cards is a piece of art that could easily be seen hanging in a museum. I knew that's what I wanted to do.

When the pandemic began, I found myself with the time and creative direction to actually bring my deck to life. It's called MINDSCAPES, and it launches on Kickstarter in about a month. We'll see where the winds of fate take it.

Anyway, thanks for having me and listening to my story. Looking forward to meeting the rest of you!

-John

[AngelaYoung]

Hey Y'all! Thanks for letting me be a part of this group. I can't wait to dive into the forums!

How did you get started in Tarot? Oracles? Lenormand? I use Tarot and Oracle cards. I've not tried Lenormand yet. Still learning Tarot and Oracles. I have been very curious about Tarot for quite a while. But am just now really giving it a go.

What was your first deck and where did you get it? My first Tarot deck was the Tarot In Wonderland by Barbara Moore. I purchased it at Reverend Zombie's House Of Voodoo in New Orleans.I wasn't even looking for a deck that day. This deck just kind of called my name. My first Oracle deck I bought was Alice The Wonderland Oracle by Lucy Cavendish. I ordered it from Blue Angel Publishing.

Do you have a favourite deck? Why? My favorite Tarot deck is Gilded Tarot Royale. I really connected with this deck. My favorite Oracle deck is Oracle of the Unicorns by Cordelia Francesca Brabba. This deck is amazing. Always seems to tell me what I need to know.

Do you have a favourite topic or area of interest in Tarot, for example, symbolism, history, reading groups, collecting, etc..? Right now, I'm more of a collector. But I really want to get into reading them. Not for others so much, but for myself.

[clauclau]

Hello everyone,

I am just starting my tarot's journey through The Mythic Tarot. I've been studying quite a bit and tryink to link with astrology - language that I study since Iwas 17 (58 now). I found the group trying to find a pdf. Very happy to meet people alike. I am from Brazil. Nice to meet you, fellow travelers.

[Pen]

Hello clauclau, welcome to the forum. 'Fellow travellers' is a lovely description...

[tarotmania]

Hello to all,
I am Eugene Vinitski, Tarot and Oracle creator since 2012.
Professional artist and illustrator from Switzerland.
I am author more then 14 Tarot decks and Lenormand.
Among them such a famous: Madhouse Tarot, Kabbalistic Tarot, Venetian Tarot, Money tarot...etc
Most of then well known in the world.
You can see them on my website here:
www.tarotmania.ch
Happy to meet here Tarot and card's lovers!

[KamiYugure]

Hello everyone!

How did you get started in Tarot? Oracles? Lenormand?
I think I've just had a fascination with Tarot for most of my life. I've had a few decks gifted to me and have a friend that is very well versed and good at giving readings. I have mostly dabbled in private, sometimes wanting to give other people readings but mostly just being afraid of embarassing myself by taking a long time or getting something wrong. I think I've given just a couple actual readings to other people but I was attached to guidebooks the whole time. Though my friend who is very good at this has done readings for me and others where I got involved a bit. She has a lot of knowledge already about card meanings but she also reads intuitively and by interpreting the art of cards she pulls, etc. And once she gets going and starts pointing out certain details, I've found it's got me to look at the cards more closely and sort of do that a bit myself. I am still terminally attached to guidebooks with meanings for each deck though. I just worry about being wrong, I guess.

The first Oracle deck I ever encountered was one that my grandma had and let me play around with a bit when she learned I was interested in Tarot cards. I didn't realize that an Oracle Deck was a seperate thing so I mostly found the deck strange and confusing since I thought I was being given a Tarot deck to look through. My very first Oracle deck was actually a very recent thing - a Tulku Oracle deck that I got through backing it on kickstarter.

What was your first deck and where did you get it?
I am actually not sure what my first deck was - I feel like I had a very small sized rider-waite classic deck a long long time ago. The first deck that felt significant though was a Celtic Dragon deck that my boyfriend at the time bought for me while we were exploring a bookshop together because he saw that I liked it. He actually kept me from purchasing it for myself and was the first person to tell me that a tarot deck should be gifted from someone else. Though most of my current decks aren't, it was still cool that he was not only supportive, but somewhat knowledgeable as well. I'm just sad that a few life events have taken a lot of my older decks away from me. I no longer have the Celtic Dragon deck and I really miss it. I loved the theming of it and it had lovely art. Plus it was a gift so...

Do you have a favourite deck? Why?
I miss that Celtic Dragon deck but since I no longer have it, I'll pick from among the decks I actually have now. Most of my current decks are ones that I received through backing tarot and oracle deck kickstarters. For the really cool/interesting ones, I backed at a tier that allowed me to get one deck for myself and another for a friend. I actually have a few of those dupes lying around, waiting to be gifted when I have the time and money.

Anyway I really like the most recent Tarot deck I received which is the Alleyman's Tarot. I loved the concept of having a bunch of different cards from many different artists and existing decks. Not just for the idea of it being an Alleyway Tarot Readers' deck thrown together from cards he picks up and all that, but also just for that aspect of a bunch of people working together to make something really unique. I loved having the opportunity to support a BUNCH of different artists' work and it always just lights me up inside when people work together to make something great.

Also I have a Prismatic Light Tarot deck (?) That I've connected with a bit more than the other decks I've acquired from backing kickstarters. I don't know what it is but it feels like maybe I'm a bit more attuned to it than the other decks I have?

I do still worry sometimes if I am sorta fooling myself on all that though. If maybe these decks won't connect with me since none of them were gifted but also it feels.... significant? that in getting these decks, I was supporting artists and designers to help them bring a vision to life and that feels like... I gave a gift to receive the deck? I dunno.

Do you have a favourite topic or area of interest in Tarot, for example, symbolism, history, reading groups, collecting, etc..?
I love art and symbolism in Tarot. I guess in some aspects I might be considered a bit of a collector because my love for finding and supporting Tarot kickstarters in particular. Almost every Tarot or Oracle deck I own right now was from such a project. The only exception being a full sized classic Rider-waite deck. I think I'd be interested in reading groups but don't know much about it. I'm mostly here trying to learn about giving readings and to try to connect with the decks that I currently have.

[Charlie Brown]

Hi Kami,
I guess what I enjoy most is the craft of reading. That is, being able to see the same cards arranged in different orders in response to different contexts and be able to interpret them into different meanings. That's part of the reason that I usually prefer reading with the tarot de marseille. Working with a set of new pictures every week strikes me as the opposite of what I value.

[Pen]

Hi Kami, I've gone through many different fascinations with the tarot. The first was history - both documented and fictitious - mysteries are always delicious . This was followed by the art and the creation of a number of tarots and oracles; collecting (but only the ones I loved) and learning the meanings and symbolism generally. How the art has evolved through tarot's history! I've read occasionally for myself more or less from the beginning, but planned to stop collecting when I had 100 decks. In the event the number went up to around 130, but I really have stopped now..!

The first deck I bought was Tarot Obscura (published by Adam McClean), or maybe it was the Haindl - I can't be sure.

[Grasshopper]

My name is Al. Cartomancy has been in my life for a long time. Not a day goes by without me shuffling the cards. My current deck is Tony Meeuwissen's Key to the Kingdom Enchanted Deck. My wish is to share my readings and improve my skills with others in the community. I live in the UK and am very spiritual. Sharing good energy with people and respecting the world in which we live brings much happiness. It is great to be here, and cannot wait to get to know you all. Much love and magical blessings, Al.

[sharmaakshay]

hey everyone
i am interested in knowing tarrot cards

[Boris2336]

Hi all.
I love Italian Renaissance painting. The first deck Was Visсonti Tarots from Lo Scarabeo.
Then I was interested in Waite's reflections on this subject.
Now I am studying the magnificent Sola Busca deck. I found excellent material on the forum and I think that the Sola Busca deck is made in an interesting manner and allows you to maximize the Tarot potential.

[mirasont]

I am a journalist, writer and artist, author of the detective stories. Over the past twenty years I studied astrology, numerology, tarot, oracles, runes, and other occult sciences, which I use now in my practice as an Astrologist and Tarot reader.
The story of the creation of the Tarot deck “King Solomon's Magic” is full of magic and mysticism itself. Please take a look what it is -
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mi ... reator_nav
I have been practicing magic and occultism for almost ten years. From early childhood I felt inside me some power, drawing me into the unknown and esoteric world.
I loved to draw and once painted, as it turned out later, a prophetic picture, - a man with a grey beard, dressed in a mantle, raising his hands up to the Heaven during the prayer.
I have been practicing magic and occultism for almost ten years. From early childhood I felt inside me some power, drawing me into the unknown and esoteric world.
I loved to draw and once painted, as it turned out later, a prophetic picture, - a man with a grey beard, dressed in a mantle, raising his hands up to the Heaven during the prayer.
Many years have passed since then. Now I recognize myself in that person. I became a journalist, writer - author of detective stories. Mysticism and magic have always occupied my imagination. Apparently that's why over the past twenty years I studied astrology, numerology, tarot, oracles, runes, and other occult sciences, which I use now in my practice as a magician. I help people to find their destiny, improve health, gain wealth and prosperity, obtain love and a soul mate.
I often thought about the nature of my unusual “gift”, about the source from which I draw my spiritual power. And one day I decided to participate in a regressive hypnosis session with a very experienced hypnotherapist to determine where my origins began, whose blood flows in my veins.

I spent three hours in hypnotic trance, wandering through my past lives, looking for the roots of my bloodline. And I eventually found myself in a magnificent palace. Everything there was very strange, unexpected and mysterious for me. I was dressed in an antic tunic and reclined on a couch in the guest hall. Beside it stood a low table with some fruits on golden trays, jugs of wine and golden goblets framed with gemstones. From the other side of the table there was another couch, trimmed with gold - apparently for a host.

After a while, a richly dressed man entered the hall..and oh!..I was overwhelmingly surprised - he looked exactly like the person from my children’s drawing. He smiled through his gray mustache and beard.
I did not understand his language but intuitively I felt that I could communicate with him without words - telepathically! Silently, only in my mind, I asked him questions and he answered me in the same manner. I was stunned and confused - this man turned out to be King Solomon himself!

My first impulse was to kneel before the great King of Israel, but he stopped me with a gesture and asked to listen to his story, from which I realized that I was his relative from the distant future. My forefather was the son of King Solomon and one of his Egyptian wives.

Gradually I began to come to my senses and noticed that I look very much like Him, but a bit younger. He understood my silent question and asked to show the right palm of my hand. I did...and he pointed on the intersection of my “Life” line with the lines of “Head” and “Saturn”, that formed a clear letter “M” on my palm. Solomon showed me his right palm..and Oh! Almighty! - I felt that goosebumps run over my body...The same letter “M” was on his hand! “What does it stand for?”, - I asked him.. “ MIRACLE” - was the answer, -“The sign of a Magus”...
Images before me began to fade, surrendered in the dense fog - I slowly got out of a trance.

Now I know, and I’m sure it’s not a mental disorder, that I don’t have..trust me - I have other evidence, who my ancestor is - The great King and Magician - Solomon! The builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem.

I realized that I also had to do something GREAT in my life. Although I am humble enough not to build the Temple in my honer, but I want to leave at least a small footprint on this earth in memory of King Solomon. I studied Solomon's heritage, prayed and meditated, asking him to show me the right way to fulfill my destiny.

And it has happened! During one of the rituals, on the deserted beach, minutes before sunrise, after making Kabbalistic cross and the lesser banishing pentagram, in the mystical trance, I received a vision - TWENTY TWO MAJOR TAROT ARCANA…

Having finished the ritual, I immediately went home and sketched the images which I managed to remember.

After such a mental shock I fell asleep and when I woke up, I realized that these pictures were sent to me by King Solomon himself, and that my mission is to create a Tarot deck showing his life, deeds and magic. I understood that it is the right time to remind the people on planet Earth, that His Magic is eternal and that He is with us now, smiling through his grey mustache and beard...

Since then I am obsessed with this idea, and the mission of my life began to materialize..
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mi ... reator_nav

[Junkyardprints]

Hi, my name is Melanie. Let me tell you a bit about myself and my tarot journey. I was introduced to tarot after five years of abuse. When I finally escaped the torture of that situation, I found myself homeless and alone, with no friends or family. I fell into drugs and bad habits as a way to cope with my pain and hardships. One day, a woman named Cierra offered to do a reading for me. She pulled The Three of Wands, The World, The Knight of Wands, and The Page of Wands. I didn’t understand what any of this meant, not in the slightest, so she explained everything. The tarot was telling me new beginnings were coming, happier times full of creativity, and that I had the potential to flourish! So I did.

My first deck was the classic rws my favorite is this might hurt tarot hands down.

My favorite card is probably the 3 of cups, 7 of cups, or 4 of swords. It's hard to choose.

I now create and study tarot decks I was doing readings for a while as well but I could not maintain the proper spiritual energy to do this anymore it just wasn't my calling.

[veilofpsychictarots]

Hi All,

I'm Mike. I have been reading the tarot for several years. I really just use the 'Rider Waite' deck for readings... but I really enjoy looking at the Art on other decks too.

I decided to make a website:
https://www.veilofpsychictarots.com/the ... 56241.html

It's still a work-in-progress!

This website focuses on giving a lot more information on Tarot Combinations, than I see on other websites (and this is an area I think people have trouble with early on).

I am experimenting with different Tarot designs on Tee-Shirts too.

[TanjaTheWitch]

Hi everyone.
My name is Tanja and I first met Tarot when I was 14 at my friend's birthday. She threw cards for me and I got all Major Arcana cards. This was the first time I was like wow, something like this exists. A few years later, the same thing happened, at a student party I was again drawn cards - all Major Arcana. Only a few years later I started to explore a bit more... At that time there was no internet, at least not to that degree of common access. I even started to read Alister Crowley but understood very little.
So, during the research, I sort of accidentally started with a deck of cartomancy cards (got it from my dad as a present) and explored them for a few years. And then a few years later my then-boyfriend, now my husband bought me the classic RW deck. I stick to this deck and respect it deeply. I tried several other decks, but none of them got me as intrigued as the good old Rider Waite. I am even scared of some of the other decks I have
I am more or less actively exploring Tarot for more than 20 years. In the beginning, I did readings for myself, then friends, and later on for people I didn't know at all. I got intrigued by their positive responses and got me thinking I am good at that. Now, being 42, I got tons of notes on Tarot and at the beginning of last year I decided to start my website and I started to prepare my articles about cards: https://www.tarotsparks.com/ As you can see the website is still in the developing phase, but I feel so lucky to be able to explore and give my 2 cents on Tarot to the world. I have a deep respect for Tarot and I believe it reflects life - from all the negatives to all of its beauty.

[earthytarotgirl]

Hi everyone!

I hope your day or night is going great! I recently got into spirituality at a very low point in my life when I felt like I had nothing else to turn to. about two years ago I started collecting crystals and tarot decks and am somewhat learning how to interpret them. I sometimes even give my family members readings which makes me really happy! I started off with using the riders white tarot deck but then I soon realized I definitely love oracle cards more because I feel as though I can connect with them on a more deeper and intuitive level. Though I'm not the best at tarot readings I'm trying my best right now and I'm hoping joining this community with lovely tarot readers will help me expand my knowledge!

Night lovies

[joshw]

Hi everyone! I'm Josh, I'm new here. I really wanted to share my new site because I think it will be helpful to ya'll!

It's for Tarot card interpretations. You can see it here: https://mytarotai.com/interpret/strengt ... al/general

I wanted to help people who are browsing through Tarot definitions in two ways:

- See what the card could mean in different contexts and positions (e.g., past love). With this site, you can change the topic & position with a dropdown and get a different meaning.
- Make it easily accessible in different languages, such as Spanish and Portuguese.
- Easily navigate between cards rather than Google searching for each separate meaning. Once you go to the site, you can see that you can easily & quickly change the card selected.

Thanks again and just wanted to share. Glad to be a part of this new community,
Josh