SoulCards are too Intense?

DesertDream

First of all, I love these two oracle decks by Deborah Koff-Chapin. Its the first decks I have that I consider worthy enough of having their own little decrative pouches! Ive done many readings with these decks and probley have bonded closest too out of my whole collection. But since I have started an IDS with them, I find that im avoiding them more than ever. Whenever I enter into intense study and elaborate journaling the images cut down into the marrow. I wont try to take the images into dream time because it might dig in too deep. After journalling my first two cards which were in a spread old pain reared its head. The cards are very psychological! I feel like when im done with the cards it will be a very shamanic transformative experience, and it already is! So I was wondering if anyone had advice for continuing on in my deck study? Maybe from people with similar experiences or who works with the deck itself. Ive broke most of my IDS rules lol. But I atleast still want to keep the two card a day rule if I can. But these card images hold the power if a double edge sword!

Thanks

OceanicWanderlust

Maybe it's because they're more of a channeling deck than an oracle deck. I tend to use these in combination with tarot and other free form oracle decks. Usually for shadow work. I think the purpose of these cards are to going deep into our subconsciousness and address issues we are not uncomfortable facing or have suppressed. Especially when the images can be quite confronting.

DesertDream

OceanicWanderlust said:
Maybe it's because they're more of a channeling deck than an oracle deck. I tend to use these in combination with tarot and other free form oracle decks. Usually for shadow work. I think the purpose of these cards are to going deep into our subconsciousness and address issues we are not uncomfortable facing or have suppressed. Especially when the images can be quite confronting.

Intresting. How would you further define a channeling deck? I agree with you on the purpose. I find it hard taking questions that dont fit in a certain peramiter or asked in a certain way so it does have its demands in how it wants to answer you and these cards are definatley all about the inner you. It allows the "you who knows the answer" to come through and pour into the image and the image pours back. Id only reccomend this deck to people experianced in digging deep and knowing thyself so they could handle the transfprmation this tool can give you, if its a deck used for your path. Divination wise id highly reccomend it but when reading for others you must have a TACT with these cards because they are so wild and primal. But they wont answer clearly some more of the popular divination questions unless i strain myself to answer so i avoid the questions (done lots of reads with them for others). Do you use them for others or just for yourself? This is a very intense shamanic psychological deck and i didnt touch its depths as hard as when i did all the suggestions in the book with one card. Talk about bonding with your deck! Dang! I now know bobding is more than a good friend. Its a merging into your body. How do you think i should best continue on with this study? Ive done reads with this but yet return to intense study, sadly.

lark

Having worked with this deck I found that you can't really study it.
Each card has no specific meaning...until it is pulled in the context of a question.
I usually start my question with...
what is behind...?
or what am I not seeing...?
or what is the shadow side of...?

And no it doesn't answer questions well like... Does Johnny love Sally?
It might answer why Johnny has commitment phobia issues

But it isn't a good study deck....IMO
I keep it on my tarot table and pull a card as a clarifier to tough questions within the context of another tarot readings.
Or sometimes do a 3 card spread when I am trying to get to the bottom of an issue or emotion.
They are very emotion based..and not at all system/ logic based.

They have the distinction in my tarot reader circle as being known as "The only deck that can make a grown man cry."
So as experience has dictated.... I tread lightly with them...
I have often heard people say a deck is powerful...well this one actually lives up to that reputation in my eyes.

Another deck that has this same energy, but in tarot form is the Tarot of the Crone.

DesertDream

lark said:
Having worked with this deck I found that you can't really study it.
Each card has no specific meaning...until it is pulled in the context of a question.
I usually start my question with...
what is behind...?
or what am I not seeing...?
or what is the shadow side of...?

I disagree. In my own personal experiance there is volumes to be learned in this deck because they reflect the volumes inside of me. My practice was using most of the card study suggestions on each card and the results blew my ever loving socks off. My first time was using the cards in a two card spread that had posistions of inner and outter me and it reflected with such precision of a surgeons knife what i have been constantly reliving this year and im at its most intense apex at the moment. So doing the multiple ways of card study ontop of a situation that has onion layers deep and thick. So after that theraputic breakthru of epic porportions i said to myself im not going to study these within the context of a spread anymore! And just go by the cards without positions. I also did that because i did not want to color them with two much of my own perspective of my specific situations. Kind of tricky to do but possible! So the next two cards i did all the suggested practices and still dug deep w/o questions or posistions. So it is possible and its what the deck is predomibatly for, oracle divination wise seems like an after thought in her book.
The cards do have specific meaning but its meanings come from within us other than the author.

lark said:
And no it doesn't answer questions well like... Does Johnny love Sally?
It might answer why Johnny has commitment phobia issues

True. It definatley a different demographic of questions that defo would answer better Js phobia issues haha i like this example. I also have to rephrase questions specifically for this deck to use. If you dobt ask the question right if will seem more elusive and confusing but i think its more of a mental thing. Like when your mind tries to attribute the question to the card it does not speak until you look for deeper issues.

lark said:
But it isn't a good study deck....IMO
I keep it on my tarot table and pull a card as a clarifier to tough questions within the context of another tarot readings.
Or sometimes do a 3 card spread when I am trying to get to the bottom of an issue or emotion.
They are very emotion based..and not at all system/ logic based.

It is an excellent study deck imo. The book is filled with nothing but suggestion too study the deck. Ive foubd personally its very intense and cuts to the nerve of things if you let it. Yes its emotion based but it i think personally, emotions that lead to a mental opening rather than a dexk that opebs the mental THEN leads to
Emotions. But the cards go either way depebdibg on the personality of the user.

lark said:
They have the distinction in my tarot reader circle as being known as "The only deck that can make a grown man cry."
So as experience has dictated.... I tread lightly with them...
I have often heard people say a deck is powerful...well this one actually lives up to that reputation in my eyes.

Another deck that has this same energy, but in tarot form is the Tarot of the Crone.

Yes ive seen your post on other SC threads and found it intrigiuing. Yes it does carry a powerful potentienial with its users and when you use them in full effect with the sugguestions in the book it blows socks off. But its intense like me so its a force i can contend with once i get use too addressing my inner world again which im used too but then again its been a while.

lark

Well you can surly do what you want, you asked for opinions and that's mine...I do work with them.... even as recently as two nights ago...and they are great in small doses, and very insightful.

DesertDream

lark said:
Well you can surly do what you want, you asked for opinions and that's mine...I do work with them.... even as recently as two nights ago...and they are great in small doses, and very insightful.

Yes your opinions are welcome thank you for sharing. Im interested in all peoples reactions & also interactions with these two decks i find it fascinating. Small doses yes too even though i use them frequently. But maybe in a IDS small doses turn into tripping hard LOL on your own little world. There is no way to combat it unless maybe i take a break from them and come back to it with a fresh eyes and mind or only do a card a day instead two. Idk. Maybe ill just have to face this tidal wave full on and in the end come out with a long beard, braids wearing thong sandles and carrying a staff. Hehehe

lark

DesertDream said:
Maybe ill just have to face this tidal wave full on and in the end come out with a long beard, braids wearing thong sandles and carrying a staff. Hehehe

LOL maybe you will....if we don't hear from you in awhile we'll send someone in to check on you.

lark

Oh I was going to say the other night when I did a reading one of the cards was a guy peering through 3 fish floating in front of him.
I know this card, I've seen it many times, but this time it gave me the creepiest feeling.....reminded me of the movie The Gift.

DesertDream

lark said:
Oh I was going to say the other night when I did a reading one of the cards was a guy peering through 3 fish floating in front of him.
I know this card, I've seen it many times, but this time it gave me the creepiest feeling.....reminded me of the movie The Gift.

I pulled that card today as to why im stuggling spiritually with something i think. I dont know what to think about it. It can be positive or negative as with most of DKC cards but i didnt like it either. I never seen the movie, how do you think it relates? I assiciate it so far for some weird reason the christian fish symbols the ithlcys (spelling way wrong lol) or something. I didnt like the feeling neither.