Everything Under the Moon

I know of the "Your first deck must be bought for you or else you'll receive bad luck" thing. But I have a different situation here.

I have plenty of decks, and a friend wants to purchase me one for Christmas. However her mom won't let her because her mother says it's bad for anyone else to buy you a deck. I've never heard of this before. She said she wasn't sure so I'm assuming her mom just didn't know what she was talking about. So can someone she'd some light on this? Is there a rule or was her mother just confused?

I've never heard of either "rule." Who makes these things up? I've heard of "traditions" that your first (only the first) ritual item is usually a gift, but not that it would bring bad luck if it was self-purchased. I'd assumed the 1st gift concept was meant as a welcome to the clan gesture. Hopefully some real tarot users (I'm not one) will chime in with more info.

Maybe under the idea that often advise for choosing a deck is something like “choose the one you’re drawn to” so if someone else picks it out, you weren’t drawn to it, they were. And, some people don’t like others to touch their cards in case the other’s energy rub off on the cards, thus affecting the reading. But with a new deck that shouldn’t be an issue, or with used a deck a proper cleansing should suffice as well. I think as long as your friend focuses on you and asks the decks which will be most beneficial to you as a gift then it should be fine.

Hi I’m new to tarot myself although I have a few decks in my possession I havnt plucked up any courage to use them at the mo.i have done a lot of research into them and have found out tarot cards can be inherited or bought as a gift but there a chance that you won’t bond to them.i was given a pagan tarot deck which has bad energy attached to them and I won’t use them at the mo but will get them cleansed as they are beautiful cards and see if I can get good vibes from them.most tarot decks are handled by a large amount of people during manufacturing and can arrive to you full of mixed energies good and bad so regardless if you buy your cards or get given a set give them a good cleansing the way experts advise

If you buy one for yourself it's about you. That can be profoundly unlucky because magic/spellcraft is not supposedly "me, me, me." How do I know this? I did it myself.

If someone buys it for you, on the other hand the thought "me" becomes "I want." It is natural to want in "society" rather than in "loneliness." It's a much more human-typical spell. That's what to expect.

Indeed buying (online in particular) is a spell. Every thought-deed is, according to the theory on magic. It's about trust. Trusting a shop means everything you buy from it is sound. Buying right things is right places for right reasons - retail therapy - bears a psychological proof of magic. It's "normal," is how you are to want magic itself. Do whatever suits you.

Abnormal magic, by the way, is called hypocrisy - that stuff only forgets itself.

I dont think it is "bad luck" but recieving a deck that you do not connect with probably weakens the connection with the cards. While gifting cards doesnt mean that there will not be a connection, to me if it is more random like " I was out shopping, thought of you by chance and got you these cards I thought you would like" it might be more meaningful, creating a better connection

My first deck was given to me, unopened. They were beautiful, but hard to understand. Then they were stolen. I wasn’t meant to have them.
I now have 2 decks n an oracle deck and I love them.
I was told years ago that the giving of ones first deck is like handing the wand to the next in line, a show that you have a gift, others see it and you are acknowledged.
I was grateful to be gifted my first deck and it was like a rite of passage for me.
MizLynn