I remember hearing about the tradition of receiving your first deck as a gift when I was younger, and it felt like such a romantic notion - waiting for the universe to deliver the perfect cards through someone else.
But do people really do this? How many of us have waited to be given our first Tarot deck and how many bought one for ourselves?
I think there’s also something beautifully intentional about selecting your own first deck and getting it for yourself. Ensuring the cards came to you with love and purpose, which you can absolutely provide for yourself.
Not trying to take away from anyone’s belief about Tarot traditions but I can see this going either way and I’m curious about others. I bought my first deck for myself and I’ve since bought decks as gifts for others.
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Forget the old superstitions - just go ahead and get a deck if you want one. There’s no rule that says someone has to gift it to you. If this is your first, then go with a beginner’s Oracle deck or a solid, cheap deck.
The cards don’t care who bought them. If you see a deck that catches your eye, grab it. Your intuition is probably telling you something. Trust your gut and pick whichever deck appeals to you.
Maybe those old-time readers just didn’t want people buying their own decks from other people. Kind of a weird gatekeeping thing.
Just pick whatever deck catches your eye. Doesn’t matter if it’s your first or your tenth.
Imagine if we applied the gift rule to other magical tools, would witches sit around waiting for someone to gift them their first cauldron?
Picture a wizard in a pointy hat just lurking outside crystal shops, hoping someone notices their empty hands. What if your future deck is already sitting on a shelf somewhere, basically screaming ‘HELLO? I’M RIGHT HERE!’ while you’re waiting for Aunt Susan to remember you mentioned tarot that one time at Thanksgiving?
I bought my first deck a few years ago-still the only one I have. When I saw it, it just felt like it was already mine.
Side note: there’s something about finding ‘your’ deck. Sometimes it feels like the cards pick you, too, even if you’re the one paying for them.
That old tradition about not buying your own first deck is just a myth that’s been passed around. There’s no rule against it.
I went looking into the history of it and there’s no non-commercial reason. Some people will have been gifted a deck but most these days will buy their own and it makes no difference.
I bought my first deck too. It was nice to pick the cards that spoke to me. You build a connection with your deck by using it over time. Doesn’t really matter if someone gave it to you or you bought it yourself. What matters is spending time with your cards and getting to know them through practice.
I’ve bought so many decks based purely on their aesthetic appeal that my bookshelf is basically a tarot collection at this point.
I just go with whatever deck catches my eye. If I get that instant vibe from it, I’m probably buying it.
I’d say go for it and buy your first deck. There’s something nice about picking out the cards yourself and choosing ones you actually like. You’re buying it for yourself, which makes it yours from the start.
The whole ‘wait for someone to gift you a deck’ thing is fine if you want to follow it, but plenty of people buy their own first deck. Trust your gut on which cards feel right, that’s kind of the whole point anyway.
I’ve bought all my tarot decks myself. I started when a friend gave me two decks he wasn’t using anymore, he’d lost interest pretty quickly and just handed them over. But right after that I bought my own deck, which was maybe my real first deck, and I’ve been buying my own ever since.
I’m way more attached to the ones I picked out myself. I don’t get why people say your first deck has to be a gift. There are a lot of these rules in the tarot community, you have to keep them in silk, only you can touch them, etc. Do whatever works for you. They’re just cards. Buy the ones you like.
I’ve always thought picking your first deck is pretty personal, like choosing who you want to date. Would you want someone else to pick your romantic partner for you? That’s how I feel about tarot decks.
The connection needs to be between you and the cards, so it makes sense to choose them yourself. Plus there’s something nice about walking into a shop or browsing online and feeling which deck speaks to you.
I’ve heard that superstition too, that someone else has to buy your first tarot deck. Honestly, I don’t buy into it. The cards don’t care who paid for them. What matters is if you connect with the deck. If you see one that speaks to you, just get it.
Trust your gut when picking a deck. If the artwork draws you in or something about it feels right, that’s what counts. I’ve bought all my own decks and they work fine.
There is no need to wait for someone to buy you a deck. If you want to, just go ahead and buy your first deck. The old superstition don’t work in modern day society. There is no harm in buying your own deck.
I’ve always bought my own decks too. I’ve handled a lot of different editions over the years, there’s something about checking out the card quality in person before buying. When you’re in the shop comparing decks (like feeling how US Games cards are matte versus the glossy Lo Scarabeo ones) you get a better sense of what you actually want to work with. Some decks just shuffle better because of the cardstock weight. I’ve found the 350gsm ones feel really nice.
The printing matters too. Good decks have clean lines and the borders line up properly. The blacks in cards like The Tower should be really dark and rich. When a deck is well-made, it just feels better to use.
Has anyone noticed those ‘deck angel’ programs on Kickstarter? Where you can sponsor a deck for someone who can’t afford one?
I bought my own first deck but ended up becoming a deck angel later. Kind of cool how some indie creators are bringing back the whole gifting tradition in their own way.
Get your own deck. That whole ‘gift only’ tradition never made sense to me anyway. Picking your own deck means you get something that speaks to you I don’t know who came up with this insane lie or why it stuck around so long but I don’t know anyone who takes it seriously.
If you want a deck, just buy one. The cards work the same whether they’re a gift or not.
I bought my first deck myself. Choosing my own cards felt right.
The whole ‘wait for a gift’ tradition is nice, but picking your own deck can build its own connection. If one keeps calling to you, that’s enough for me.
I’ve been reading tarot for a while, never seen anyone have bad luck from buying their own deck. That whole ‘someone has to gift it to you’ thing is just superstition.
The tarot community is pretty chill about this stuff. Nobody’s going to ask how you got your deck or judge you for buying it yourself. It’s probably nice if someone got you a deck, but just because they probably meant it as a meaningful gift. My partner had their deck given to them by a close friend, but I bought mine. Notice no difference whatsoever.
Just get whatever deck speaks to you and start practicing. The cards work based on how much you use them, not where they came from.
The deck I was gifted had this medieval art style that everyone loved, but I never connected with those stern court cards and muted colors.
When you pick your own deck, you can choose artwork that you actually like, minimalist drawings, watercolors, geometric stuff, whatever. My gifted deck just sits there while the contemporary one I bought gets used every day because I like looking at it. The images need to match how you see the cards, not what someone else thinks looks good.
What’s interesting is how this ‘gift tradition’ seems really strong in Western tarot communities. But when I studied with a reader from Brazil, she told me they do things differently there. They actually encourage buying your own first deck as an act of personal sovereignty - they call it ‘claiming your sight.’
She shared that in her grandmother’s generation, women would save coins specifically for their first deck purchase. It was about financial and spiritual independence. The gift tradition might come from times when tarot was harder to access or more taboo. Having someone else buy it gave you a kind of permission or protection. But now we can browse hundreds of decks online, so maybe the tradition is just changing.