What got you started?

[nicky]

My mom bought me a Hoi Polloi when I was about 15 or 16- it was the early 70s and I think she felt I would like the hippy look to the set- she always enjoyed metaphysical things and she hit the nail on the head as far as me finding the deck interesting. I recall sitting in my room with the candles lit and trying to make heads or tails out of the the ambiguous little white (more like large worthless brown) guide book and trying to figure out how to use the darn things but I knew I sure wanted to and I loved how ooky spooky cool it felt to have them. I am 56 now - although I went through periods where I left the cards to gather dust - but I never stopped loving metaphysical things and I cant imagine not having tarot in my life.

 

[spinnachie]

When I was 16 I bought my first deck, it was the Mythic Tarot and I bought it frome Chapters...I chose that one because it was the only deck they had in stock at the time, and also because I didn't know there were sooooo many other decks to choose from so I assumed Mythic Tarot was the only tarot in the land...silly me!
I was so excited but when I got home I wasn't entirely resonating with the cards, and I wasn't understanding any of it either, so I had put the deck away and hadn't looked at it for about a year...I then was cleaning out my closet and found it and ended up giving it to my cousin because I didn't think I would ever use it again...
fast forward about 10 years, I was living with my cousin, I bought myself the legacy of the devine deck, I loved this deck, so beautiful, and I was really starting to get a feel for it, when I misplaced it...I asked my cousin if she knew where it was and she said she had it...low and behold it was my mythic deck! I told her that wasn't the one I was talking about but she told me to just keep it because I would get more use out of it then she would...from that point on it became a regular part of my life...

I did end up finding my legacy deck a few weeks later too!

 

[ravynangel]

deleted

 

[SweetIsTheTruth]

Tarot De Marseille at age 18. Jeez, that was more than three decades ago.

 

[caridwen]

I've always been interested in the occult. It started out as a child loving ghost stories, then horror films and when I was about 16 Tarot. I didn't buy my first deck until I was in my 30s. It was an Original RWS which remains my favourite deck. I was living in a place for a while where I could not buy tarot decks so my first deck I suppose was my own that I made by following pictures on the internet. My first experience with a professional tarot reader was really really horrible. He was a bit of a tool and put me off ever going to see a professional again lest I have the same experience. I was reading books on the occult for years before I got into tarot though and was very interested in witchcraft etc from an early age.

 

[Rosewater]

I've already posted my story, but have to add how fascinating I'm finding this thread. It seems that so many of us are "fated" or innately drawn to tarot. And this is regardless of when in life we discover it, what decks we use, or however long we sometimes wander away from from it. Please - keep sharing!

 

[Grayce]

My mom picked up her first tarot deck when she was pregnant with me and I grew up around it. I've always been jealous of her ability - she has a knack for 'seeing' where the cards belong and she just 'knows' what the spaces mean. She basically creates a spread after the cards are laid out. When I was growing up, I didn't think I could compete (and still don't) so I didn't pick up my first deck until after college. I started with the usual RW deck and a standard book for meanings, but I became frustrated when I couldn't read without it. I discovered this officially at a weekend tarot workshop where the leader sent us outside with a deck and a journal and that was all! After being so frustrated, I started looking at the other's decks and fell in love with the shadowscapes. Turns out, someone had brought their extra one, and gave it to me that day. I now read intuitively and devoured the book it came with. I was also intrigued with the steampunk deck, which a friend gave me a month later. I am still struggling when I get it wrong - as I did recently, but that's current events.

As a side note, I read this yesterday and wasn't actually going to post until I saw this:

When I was working and a new co-worker started there, who is a psychic, the day she met me and shook my hand she held onto my hand tightly and looked me in the eye and exclaimend, "OMG, do you have any idea how psychic you are?"

I thought to myself "gee, I wish someone would say that to me, it would be a great affirmation". Today one of my friends told me that although she knows I'm skittish of my gifts, I shouldn't be, as they are powerful and she feels it every time she's in my presence. I wanted to share that here, and I felt obligated to share my story while I was at it.

Thanks for listening <3

 

[Twize]

I have to say thank's for the inviting me here on this prominent question.
From my point of view and from my point of living, there would never existed one single moment in my life that someone in my surroundings should come visits me or even talked tarot. It's an highly personal area for me and want to keep it that way as one of my own most nearest and dearest interests. I'm careful of my reputation as well and it shouldn't work and no one would understand. It started back in my past when searched for guidance and nothing I regret. Big fan of Rider Waite Deck and the cards illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith. It's usual to hear that tarot has a touch of occult or mysterious things that's defined with the esoteric field in opposite with traditional christian or equal religious believes we may have in general. For me it stands for guidance, brightness & clearness in how I look at my own life and live in conjunction with all the different sides of my life where I may lack the picture for one reason or another. Life is many times a complicated thing with many different kind of perspectives. I'm always careful in never simplify anything in a reading. Like I use to say, as more freedom and space I give the cards to play, as more they tell.

Thanks for reading.

 

[daphne]

I'm careful of my reputation as well and it shouldn't work and no one would understand.

Tarot can damage your reputation?

And welcome here, it was your first post.

 

[Twize]

Tarot can damage your reputation?

And welcome here, it was your first post.

Thanks but hey, do I look like a freak to you?