Do tarot cards have to be gifted to you?: Fact or fiction

Do tarot cards have to be gifted to you?

Short answer; it depends entirely on what you believe. 

Long answer; not entirely but this thought came from the idea that if a deck is gifted to you it will read better and connect with you better. And while it’s hard for me to argue, tarot is a lot trickier than that. For example, I was gifted any first deck, not because of a superstition but because my parents were willing to allow me to explore my spirituality. Years later though, I fell out of touch with the deck and in general didn’t feel the connection I once did with that deck, so when I started teaching someone new I gifted them that deck as their very own first deck. 

Later on I’ve bought my own decks and been gifted decks all the same, but I’m someone who doesn’t use tarot often and when I do I often stick with my kawaii tarot deck that I had bought for myself. 

Decks come in all shapes and sizes and what you love may not be what another person fancies, tarot cards will always have their own personality and enjoy being read for certain things after all, my main deck only really fancies being read for romances so if I need something financial read I have to go to another deck and utilize my demon tarot. 

The longer you’re with a deck and the closer you get to said deck the more you’ll start to understand it’s little quirks. 

If you have a deck you’ve fallen out of love with or became distant with like an old friend it’s up to you to keep it for later when you’re ready to reconnect or pass the deck onto someone new as a welcome to the craft. 

And while I believe that gifting is a wonderful thing, it’s not necessary and moreover it can such to be gifted a deck by someone only to realize you don’t feel a connection with it. It may even convince you to keep trying with the deck until you’re blue in the face!

I recommend if you find a deck you like, get it for yourself! And if you find one for a good friend or want to pass on an old deck then do so, but don’t be upset if they choose to pass on the deck or never really use it. It’s just apart of the craft.

If you do get yourself a new deck! You’ll want to cleanse it first thing, and a good way to do that is leave it overnight in a bowl of salt, try not to get the salt too much into it as getting the grains from between the cards can be a real pain.

You can also lay your deck on the window under the moon or the sun depending on which one you feel most connected with, like a crystal!

Except after that, you’ll want to charge it with your own energy just like you would rune stones or other divination tools by keeping it under your pillow while you sleep for a night. 

It’s up to you whether you’re comfortable letting another touch your cards, but it is recommended to cleanse them between readings if that’s the case.