Second Hand

Many people feel that second hand goods are not desirable. I once knew a woman who never would accept a used book. She didn't like the idea that "someone else's energy was all over it" so she only wanted new ones.

On the other hand, there are people like me who feel that there is something special about used things. For example, many times I have been delighted to be in a used bookstore and find a copy of a book that is out of print or hard to find at a very reasonable price. There have been times when I went to a big bookstore looking for a particular title only to be told that they did not have a copy and could not get one, yet I found a copy in a used bookstore. Because I really wanted to read what was in the book, it did not bother me at all that someone else had read it previously. In fact, probably someone else interested in the same subject used it previously.

Used music CDs can be that way too. Sometimes great recordings that just never got that popular will be in a used music store. Or perhaps they are popular old classics and now there are so many of them around that good copies are available at a bargain price.

I also have used tarot decks. Some of them are unusual designs that went out of print years ago. When I feel them, it feels like there is a history of being used, and I like that feeling. I feel like I am continuing to extend the life of the deck by reading with it and I feel that the deck has talked with many people and now it can talk with me and my clients as well. Cards feel different after they are broken in. They are softer, and give up their stories more easily because they are used to giving up their stories.

Think about antiques. People pay a lot of money for furniture or jewelry that is old and has been used. If we can find them out, there are often fascinating stories that go along with them.

For that matter, if you go to a library you are reading books that other people have read. If you rent DVDs or videos, you are watching movies someone else has watched.

If you buy something used, such as a tarot deck, CD, or book, you can always cleanse it by smudging, clearing with crystals, and then finally make it your own by using it yourself.

Second hand provides great opportunities. Major stores, chain stores tend to only stock what is popular right now. But there is great value in what was popular in the past as well.

And in today's economy, you get the added thrill of a great deal.