I had to keep the title. Why not? I know that it’s part of the first blog post template that WordPress gives you, but considering this is a blog regarding tarot and divination, it seems only appropriate that the first entry should be about the Journey.
So who am I to be talking to you about divination?
I got my first tarot deck when I was 15–well, I say my first ‘tarot’ deck. I read over and over again that I needed some form of divination, and since I really ejoyed the pass time of shuffling a deck of cards, tarot seemed to be the track for me. However, the very little I knew about tarot–being that it was a stack of cards that you read the future with or something–led me to pick out a deck with beautiful depiction of wolves and other animals. I spent my time with the deck and poured over the images and the little booklet it gave me.
But for all that I loved the deck, it wouldn’t read well for me. So I picked up a tarot book (actually, I think that I borrowed one from my friend’s mom and never gave it back. I’m pretty certain I actually still have it), and discovered that literally nothing the book said matched any of my cards.
I gave up.
For about two years I gave up on cards, and really any divination for that matter. I had some vague interest in numerology, and I liked learning about my own sun sign, but knew nothing really about astrology or too terribly much about numbers either.
It wasn’t until I started working for this fantastic hippie shop in the mall (I know, sounds contradicotry, but it worked) called Magickal Gaerdens when I was 17 that I was contemplating cards again. We hosted quite a decent selection of them, and even had decks that were on display. These decks had been removed from their boxes, had a hole drilled through them in one corner and were kept together by a metal ring or a help string loop.
That was where I found my tarot soul mate.
I ended up buying the display version of the Spiral tarot for $8, and learned on that. It’s been my main deck for the last 15 years. The edges are warn, the booklet is in complete tatters, but it still lives near me, either in my purse, my backpack, my desk drawer where I write from, or my coat pocket. But it’s always by my side.
A Bit of Experience
Over the last decade and a half I’ve had dozens of decks, which I use for different purposes. I have decks that I’ve just passed along, that I keep safe for other people, that I share with my otAnd her soul mate (she owns a mystical shop called The Stone Moon in Washington State, where I’m from), and I have some that I keep somewhat sacred, and use only for very personal readings.
I’ve gotten to know the Thoth Deck very well, and while many of the decks I have and used are based on the images of the Rider-Waite deck, I’ve only recently had my first copy of it a couple of years ago that I use for things like this blog.
I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the Tarot, and that is what I want to share with you.
What To Expect Here
I hope that this will develop into a hub for tarot and divination. I want a place in which a community can have conversations, where guest bloggers can frequent, and where knowledge can just be shared. Tarot and really any occult or divination has such a tarnished reputation (thanks Hollywood) that I’d like to remedy that.
As time goes on, the website will grow and hopefully be more readily navigatable. There are some really amazing tarot sites I look to in awe, such as Biddytarot.com
I in no way plan to be as vast and advanced as Biddy Tarot, but I hope to go my own direction with this blog.
I also hope that you, dear reader, will contribute your thoughts and questions for me to answer where the blog is lacking. I can only get into your guys’ heads so far. You might have to give me a hand the rest of the way.
Happy Reading.