I grew up watching my mom & her friends reading Tarot in the 70's and 80's and it scared me a lot. They used Rider-Waite & some of the images were so strange (7 of cups anyone?). I remember that we "had" to cut the deck 3 times with the left hand only, and to the left. When I was 14 I took a solo trip to LA and my Uncle's girlfriend at the time took me to the Bodhi Tree for my first deck but flipped out because I wanted to buy a used one and she was like absolutely not!
I'd like to hear others thoughts on these ideas and other lore/superstition they picked up and if its valid & something to be aware of.
Greetings @Shannon - what a lovely question - I had Tarot cards when I was a lot younger. I had no family or friends into esotercism - I think it was just because it was seen as dark and myserious and I liked to do things out of the norm.
I was in the Lower Sixth at school - so about 17 - and we were studying the symbolism of Tarot in the poem by T S Eliot, The Wasteland and I took my pack into school. I think it was also Rider Waite. There was another girl in class who was the daughter of the local vicar and she compltely flipped out when I took them out. She was so upset being in their presence she left the school. How's that for superstition!
I dropped the Tarot - along with a lot of other stuff - in my twenties and only really picking it up now.
My personal view is second hand anything is better than new in terms of recycling etc. I'd quite happily use a used deck though I would do quite a serious cleansing ritual on them, leave them out in the full moon etc and then spend some time handling them and getting used to them so they become 'mine' .
I think it is always about whatever you are comfortable with. If someone just cannnot work with second hand deck no matter how much cleansing they do then that's fine. It comes back to the superstition and what we THINK we 'have' to do, i remember all kinds of things about wrapping them up in black silk etc. If all of that floats your boat then fine but i dont believe any of it is really necessary. The only aspects which are necessary are those that help you work with the cards. For me it is treating the cards with respect bu also knowing they are nothing more than a tool BBX
That’s great you were exposed to the Tarot at a young age. 😃