Buying Your First Tarot Deck & The Myth Behind If You Should

Buying your first tarot deck is exciting… but if you’ve started looking into tarot, you’ve probably already come across what I believe is one of the biggest myths in the tarot world.

“You can’t buy your own first tarot deck. It has to be gifted to you.”

Says who?

Honestly, I’ve heard this so many times over the years, and every time I see someone saying they’re waiting for someone to gift them a deck, I just think… why?

If someone buys you your first deck, that’s such a lovely gift and something you’ll probably treasure forever. But if you’re sat there waiting because someone on TikTok told you it’s bad luck to buy your own, I’m here to tell you that I don’t believe that for a second.

I bought my own first tarot deck.

In fact, it’s still the same deck I use for you all today.

My First Tarot Deck

When I first got into tarot, I spent ages looking through different decks. There are thousands out there, so trying to pick one can feel a little overwhelming. I remember scrolling through page after page thinking, “How am I supposed to know which one is right?” 

I kept looking at different decks, but somehow I always ended up back at the same one.

The Tarot of the New Vision.

I couldn’t even tell you why I was so drawn to it at the time. I just was. Eventually I stopped overthinking it and bought it.

Looking back now, it was honestly one of the best decisions I made. I’ve bought other tarot decks over the years because, let’s be honest, they’re beautiful and they’re very hard to resist! But whenever I sit down to do a reading for myself or for a client, I still reach for my first deck.

Every single time.

People often ask me why I don’t use my newer decks as much, and I honestly think it’s because we’ve grown together.

Every reading I’ve ever done.

Every client I’ve read for.

Every mistake I’ve made.

Every bit of confidence I’ve built.

That deck has been there through it all.

So when I pick it up now, it just feels right.

Why I Still Recommend This Deck

One of the reasons I still recommend the Tarot of the New Vision, especially if you’re just starting out, is because I personally find it such an easy deck to read.

The symbolism is really clear.

The artwork tells a story.

I never feel like I’m forcing an interpretation or trying to remember a list of meanings. Instead, I can simply look at the card and let my intuition guide me.

When I first started learning tarot, I wasn’t trying to memorise all 78 cards overnight.

I was asking myself simple questions.

What’s happening in this card?

How is this person feeling?

What story is this card trying to tell me?

Those questions taught me far more than trying to memorise pages and pages from a guidebook.

Of course, that doesn’t mean this deck will be the right one for everyone. We all connect with different artwork and different energies, and that’s exactly how it should be.

But if someone asked me which deck I’d recommend for learning tarot through intuition rather than relying on a guidebook for every reading, this would always be my answer.

If you’re interested, this is the exact deck I’ve used throughout my tarot journey please just pop me a message I’ll send you the link

So… How Do You Choose Your First Tarot Deck?

My biggest piece of advice?

Stop asking everyone else!!!

Seriously, because you’ll get so many different opinions that you’ll end up even more confused than when you started.

Some people will tell you it has to be Rider-Waite.

Some people will tell you it has to be gifted.

Some people will tell you you need to cleanse it under a full moon before you even touch it.

Before you know it, you’ve convinced yourself there are loads of rules.

There aren’t. Tarot isn’t that complicated. 

Choose the deck you keep going back to.

If you keep finding yourself looking at the same deck over and over again, pay attention to that feeling.

Tarot is built around intuition.

So why ignore your intuition before you’ve even shuffled your first card?

Learn the Story, Not Just the Meaning

One of the biggest mistakes I see beginners make is trying to memorise every single card before they’ve even started reading.

Please don’t put that pressure on yourself.

Tarot isn’t a memory test. It’s storytelling and trusting your inner voice. 

Every card is trying to tell you something.

Before you even think about opening the guidebook, spend a minute really looking at the artwork.

What’s the first thing you notice?

Where is the person looking?

How do they look?

What’s happening in the background?

What colours stand out?

How does the card make you feel?

You might be surprised by how much information you can pick up just by observing the image.

That’s exactly how I learnt.

Of course I used the guidebook too, and I’d always recommend keeping it nearby while you’re learning.

But I always looked at the card first.

I let myself form my own thoughts before checking the traditional meaning.

Over time, my confidence grew because I started trusting myself instead of worrying about getting everything “right.”

The Truth About Tarot

One thing I’ve learnt over the years is that your tarot deck isn’t what makes you a good reader.

Your intuition does.

Your willingness to practise does.

Your curiosity does.

Your confidence grows every time you shuffle your cards, pull a card, make an interpretation and learn something new.

That’s why I don’t think there’s a “perfect” first tarot deck.

There’s just the one that’s right for you.

If you’ve been waiting for someone to gift you your first tarot deck, maybe this is your sign to stop waiting.

Trust yourself and buy the deck that keeps calling you back.

Take your time.

Learn the stories behind the cards.

Don’t worry about being perfect.

The best tarot readers aren’t the ones who memorised all 78 meanings overnight.

They’re the ones who kept showing up, kept practising and learnt to trust themselves.

I’ll be back in a few days to teach you how to shuffle your deck 😘 

 

love you x