How did you find Tarot?

I have always been into pen & paper RPGs, weird stuff, the paranormal etc. My parents never had any issues with any of my interests - even being raised a Lutheran. This tolerance I was taught by my mom an East German widow, while my dad's relationship with God was always on his terms, as a close Pastor friend recalled. In the mid 80s in a gaming magazine- I saw an adaptation of the Tarot for game purposes. Curious I got a Rider-Waite deck but I was never comfortable with it and gifted it to a close friend in college.
I've always seen the validity of much of the esoteric and arcane while being a Lutheran. There is a quote that I may be paraphrasing that I hold true - " There is more upon this earth under God's eye than man can comprehend."
20 years ago a close friend of my wife and I gave me a set of rune stones she had made. I used these occasionally and was quite surprised how bang on things were. During this time I found a divination book and added dabbling in the I-Ching through dice.
Between then & now - I lost my dad and mom and over the last 8 years I've been dealing with grief & depression. Strangely enough last summer I saw the Alchemy 1977 deck and purchased it. During this time my issues with stress at work came to a head and my sister a very active member of our church suggested I see a psychic - which I did in December. To keep a long story short - she said in a past life I read the cards amongst other things and that my card was the Ace of spades,and my fate number 11 and indeed saw with me -an old soul - a crowd of spirits (of passed friends & loved ones).
Well here I am now falling deeper into the mysteries of the cards, and maybe in the readings my mom is coming through.

(Hope I wasn't to long winded )
Jim

I had always been interested in the occult despite being raised Catholic. Perhaps I was subtly influenced in my childhood by my now deceased cousin who used to draw dragons for me, and who I heard had dabbled in things he was not supposed to. Anyway, about fifteen years ago I got it in my head to try Tarot so I bought one of those kits that included a deck and a beginner's guide, as well as Doreen Virtue's Healing with Angels. I couldn't really enjoy them though because of the guilt I felt for owning "demonic" items so I threw them out eventually. It wasn't until just a few months ago when I met an energy worker who showed me several oracle cards that I took an interest in Tarot again but this time unburdened by any guilt from being an atheist (although the Devil card still creeps me out). That led me to google-fu, then to this forum. Now, with my wallet significantly lighter I'm enjoying myself quite a bit.

I moderate a paranormal/occult subforum within a guild, and one our members who is a seasoned tarot reader started a thread on the subject. I'd always been skeptical of tarot but never mentioned that, and I followed her thread, making inquires. She was very forthcoming in answering my questions, I did some research based on her suggestions and my interest was piqued, so I acquired a deck to test it out. I read the companion book that came with my cards, plus two other books before I tried anything. I'm a medium and a psychic and I'm used to people being skeptical about me (to put it nicely), so I opened my mind and cleared it of doubt to give the cards a fair shake, and my first reading was spot-on. The next few were accurate as well so I put aside my skepticism for good.

I found tarot throught interior design

I came by my first deck of tarot cards in the process of decorating my space (and unadmittedly looking for spirituality). I thought a giant deck of these cards would serve as novelty and really inspire a mood in my space. I searched for a local metaphysical shop and bought the Giant Rider-Waite Tarot. From then on, my interesting in tarot deepened profoundly.

I've always been interested in Esoteric/Occult things.
With the birthday and Christmas money from my Grandfather I bought a gift set of Tarot cards. I tried to learn it but it was a horrible book and the deck was gross... Un-Illustrated Pips and weird artwork. (This one http://www.amazon.com/Tarot-Basics-Book-Gift-Cards/dp/0760795215)

Then I too got sick and rediscovered the Occult and such things and I began buying books and then I bought The Steampunk Tarot by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell. I am now hooked and have gone from a couple of decks to about 9 or 10 now and too many books on Tarot!

Oh yeah, the Destiny deck. How decks like that get approved is beyond me.

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/destiny/

I was always fascinated with magic shows as a youngster. Tarot came as a more grown-up version of 'magic' and I got my first tarot deck at the mall at a Spencer's gift store. They always had fun, unique stuff going on in there. I haven't been to one of those stores in years, but it looks like they've gone off on a little dirtier end, and I see no tarot cards in sight now!

Audelia said:

Or should that be how did Tarot find you?

I always love hearing stories of how people stumbled across their first deck or started throwing down the cards.

For me, Tarot came into my life when I was 12 years old. I was recovering from a pretty drastic surgery at the time which meant I was out of school for months. My poor mother was having a hard time entertaining me - by this stage I was fed up watching TV, I couldn't go outside and play because of my illness and I had read everything in the house. One day she went into town, came home and shoved a deck of cards into my hands. I remember her telling me that a person in the bookstore told her it would take years for me to master reading them, so I was likely to be entertained for quite a while.

I still remember that deck (it was cheap, printed on really awful cardboard and with the most hideous pictures) but I was obsessed with it (and so surprised that my super religious mother would even bring me home anything like it!)

After reading the cards for a few years, I found out one evening (after some drinks had been poured) that my grandmother (my father's mother) had been a reader although it wasn't spoken about much. I never got a chance to meet her before she died, but I like to think she urged my own mother to pick up that deck that day.

What's your story? I'd love to hear it

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In one sense I believe you are right that things find us when we need them, not us finding them.

For me, it was a very painful period in my life. Having a very hard time dealing with the feelings. I saw an ad for an computer generated reading site. At the time I did not AT ALL believe Tarot could possibly ever work. But at that point in my life I was desperate enough to try anything. S

So I went there and lo and behold it WORKED. I was getting help, comfort and wisdom. I kept going back there for that. Then one day there there was an ad for AT. And I came here and knew i had to learn to read on my own. Looked up the decks here, found one I felt drawn to, ordered it on amazon and started to learn to read with the aid of Joan Bunning's site.

And things progressed more and more from there.

Babs

Astrology and divination has fascinated me since childhood. Also, my life was dotted with things/events that I knew would happen or thought so, but I'd never say anything. As I grew I ignored that stuff as best as I could (Darn Catholic upbringing), although I secretly continued my fascination with astrology.

A few years back I had cards read for the first time. I had passed the "booth" but something struck me to go back. Without knowing anything about me she did a general reading using several cards I chose. The reading was quite accurate to the point of "how could anyone or cards know that?" I've thought about that reading every day. It has opened my acceptance and understanding of divination as a source of universal communication.

So I began reviewing internet readings and astrology forecasts to help with meditation. I decided to purchase Silver Witchcraft, Barbara Moore, because the RWS seemed to be used all the time and I wanted a different "look" to start out. I think I picked those because they look simple for a beginner. I don't know much about different decks yet but after several months of readings I quite like them. Readings are accurate and I'm amazed every time.

I feel confidant doing this. I've just ordered the RWS because I now have a book about them and realize the benefit in knowing/use this traditional deck.

It must have been around 1980. I was looking for a gift for my mum, and on impulse bought her a set of Rider Waite I found in a book shop. I can't remember why, because she'd never mentioned Tarot or shown any particular interest up till then. Anyway, she took to them like a duck to water and it wasn't long before I bought a deck for myself too. Hanson Roberts it was. I had a couple of other decks including an Ukiyoe and a Marseilles. I read for a few years, but when my first marriage broke up I kind of drifted away from it for a long, long time. I don't know what happened to those cards...maybe my ex still has them, or more likely he threw them out. I recently bought another Hanson Roberts just for nostalgias sake, even though it's not really my style any more.