The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

A while back, someone told me that traditionally, people do not buy their own tarot cards; they receive them from somebody else. This was the first time I'd heard of this. He sort of implied that buying your own cards is "unlucky". While I'm not too concerned, since I got my first (and only) deck from my mom when I was 13, I was wondering if other folks had heard of this tradition and how many people actually follow it.

 
It's a belief some people have.  It's not one that I subscribe to, and I've never had any problems with the deck I bought myself.  I wouldn't get too worried about it.

As far as I can see, holding to such a belief might make sense in terms of ensuring that a person doing divination is in connection with other supportive people of the sort who might make a gift of an oracle deck, and maybe has gotten training from a person; buying your own deck runs more risk of practicing divination without training and guidance, which would lead to ill fortune, I suppose.  In that case, the risk can be mitigated by just making sure to connect with people who know more than you do and have your back.

A while back, someone told me that traditionally, people do not buy their own tarot cards; they receive them from somebody else. This was the first time I'd heard of this. He sort of implied that buying your own cards is "unlucky". While I'm not too concerned, since I got my first (and only) deck from my mom when I was 13, I was wondering if other folks had heard of this tradition and how many people actually follow it.

 
I've never heard that before. I've always bought my own tarot cards.

I gave my friend some money and asked him to buy me a deck so that it was a "gift" lol.  Ironically that's the only deck I've ever had trouble reading with.  Like everyone else, I bought the rest of mine myself and haven't had one problem.

 
Hah! I love that. (I mean, I don't love that you've had trouble with the deck, but... you get the idea!)

A while back, someone told me that traditionally, people do not buy their own tarot cards; they receive them from somebody else. This was the first time I'd heard of this. He sort of implied that buying your own cards is "unlucky". While I'm not too concerned, since I got my first (and only) deck from my mom when I was 13, I was wondering if other folks had heard of this tradition and how many people actually follow it.

 
When I was first learning (pushing 20 years ago now), this was an often quoted thing that appeared in a lot of 101 type books.  I bought my first deck, and was gifted one right after.  I like them both, but used the one I bought way more (the gifted one is one of those oversized decks, so cumbersome for reading, great for meditation).

I always thought this 'rule' was kind of like the 'don't read the cards for yourself'.  It is easy to read what you want to read, especially when you know all the particulars about a situation.  It is also easy to pick a deck because you think you should like it, even though it might not be the best deck for you.

However I think it is also not always a given that a gifted deck will work well for you, especially depending on how well the gifter knows you and how good they are at gifting (do they really pick what they think you would like, or do they pick something they would like that really isn't your thing at all).  

If I see a deck I really like, I don't have a problem buying it.  I also like to tell hubby which decks I want (like books, it is hard for him to get the wrong one, as he knows that they are pretty specific, so as long as I tell him which ones I like, he can get them or not get them as a gift)

A while back, someone told me that traditionally, people do not buy their own tarot cards; they receive them from somebody else. This was the first time I'd heard of this. He sort of implied that buying your own cards is "unlucky". While I'm not too concerned, since I got my first (and only) deck from my mom when I was 13, I was wondering if other folks had heard of this tradition and how many people actually follow it.

 
I bought my tarot deck from Borders when it was still open. I don't use them often, but we connect quite nicely. More often than not, if I'm doing a "this or that" spread, it'll give me the same answer multiple times, no matter how much I may not like said answer. "The cards don't lie" definitely applies to my deck.

A while back, someone told me that traditionally, people do not buy their own tarot cards; they receive them from somebody else. This was the first time I'd heard of this. He sort of implied that buying your own cards is "unlucky". While I'm not too concerned, since I got my first (and only) deck from my mom when I was 13, I was wondering if other folks had heard of this tradition and how many people actually follow it.

 
I've read something similar, numerous times from numerous sources (not particularly scholarly resources, for the record). But the actual bit I read was that someone starting out with Tarot traditionally steals or is gifted their first deck. Not every deck they ever own.

The logic behind that generally being the idea that the cards stolen or gifted would have already been "broken in" and already have a developed sense of their own identity and energy flow. Basically, easier to learn from because they're veteran and experienced cards.

It's a neat "tradition" but it's not one that I place a lot of weight in. I don't advocate stealing in the slightest (actually it rather p*sses me off when I see it). I've also never had any problems connecting with a deck that I have bought myself.

A more general reply: I didn't run into this idea until the very early '90s (which fits with what Kylara said), and by that time I'd been studying tarot for 20 years or close to it. I eventually got so exasperated with its pervasiveness, and curious, that I started a thread on TC, on what's now the archive board, asking about it, to see if I could pin down where it had come from. I didn't manage that (I think I've picked up more clues to it in this thread already!), but it was a really good convo on the subject.

Sunflower

 
Ohh, thanks! I'll check it out.