I didn’t start tarot with a big moment or some dramatic realization.

It actually started pretty quietly.

Back in college, I randomly came across a book called Secrets of Tarot at a local bookstore. It caught my attention, so I bought it.

I remember hiding it from my mom.

She’s very religious, and I knew if she saw me reading anything about tarot, she’d immediately think I was “worshipping the devil.” So it became this private thing I kept to myself.

At that time, I didn’t even have a deck. Tarot decks weren’t easy to find where I was, so it stayed as something I read, got curious about, and then eventually put down.

✦ How I Got Pulled Back In

Years later, during a company outing, a friend brought her tarot cards and offered to read for me.

I said yes, mostly just to see what it was like.

The reading ended up being really accurate. Not vague, not general. It actually made sense to what I was going through at the time.

That was enough to get my attention.

After that, I knew I wanted my own deck.

✦ Finding My First Deck

I went to the biggest bookstore in the city, expecting it to be easy.

There was nothing. Not a single tarot deck.

I left, frustrated, and continued with my errands. But something about it didn’t sit right, so I went back and asked one of the clerks.

They said they might have something in stock, but they couldn’t find it.

So I left again.

Still, the feeling didn’t go away.

I ended up going back a third time. This time, I didn’t ask anyone. I just searched on my own, checking areas I might’ve missed.

And that’s when I found it.

A small corner shelf that people don’t usually go to. Easy to miss if you weren’t really looking.

And sitting there was just one deck.

The Victorian Fairy Tarot by Lunaea Weatherstone.

I was originally planning to get something like my friend’s deck, or even the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Deck.

But this one felt right.

I remember feeling this mix of relief and excitement when I saw it. I even let out a small squeal right there.

Out of that entire bookstore, it was the only one.

So I took it.

✦ Learning the Cards

When I finally had my own deck, everything started to click more.

The Victorian Fairy Tarot ended up being perfect for me.

Looking back at Secrets of Tarot where the Rider-Waite-Smith system was used, I realized it didn’t fully resonate with me at the time. I understood it, but I didn’t connect with it.

This deck was different.

It helped me learn tarot through storytelling. The imagery felt whimsical, detailed, and easier to interpret in a way that made sense to me. Instead of memorizing meanings, I was understanding them through the scenes and the flow of each card.

The guidebook was also a huge help. It gave enough structure without feeling rigid, which made it easier for me to build my own way of reading.

That’s really where my practice started to form.

And looking back, it also makes sense how everything eventually led to the name The Whimsical Arcane. That tone, that style—it was already there from the beginning.

✦ My First Readings

My office colleagues / friends became my first practice clients.

I read for them, tested what I knew, and learned as I went.

Seeing their reactions was what really pushed me forward. They didn’t expect much at first, but when the readings actually made sense to them, you could see it.

That shift from curiosity to “okay, this works.”

That’s when it stopped being just something I was trying out.

✦ Where It Went From There

From there, everything grew naturally.

I kept learning, kept practicing, and eventually started reading more seriously.

Nothing about it felt forced. It just built over time.

✦ Looking back, tarot didn’t come into my life in some dramatic way.

It started with a book I had to hide, a reading that caught me off guard, and a deck I almost didn’t find.

And somehow, that was enough to change everything.