good thing i have more than one...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 07 Sep 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

azuremariposa	07 Sep 2003
hiya! well, i got myself into a pickle recently and i've yet to figure out how or why, so i thought i'd share my experience and see if anyone had any tips/advice they'd care to share... for 15 years i've read w/the same deck (not literally, i think i've had three copies total), the Rider-Waite Smith...earlier this year, i became fascinated w/the idea of using another deck and proceeded to purchase a few (which is how i found AT & the forum as i was looking for pics and such :D)... i acquired the Sacred Circle, the Osho Zen, the Victoria Regina and the Fey (i now also have an oracle deck, but i digress)...i've used a few of them and liked reading with them, but always fell back on my RWS for bigger or more detailed readings... so, about two months ago i was going through a kick where i wanted to practice more w/my Fey deck...i offered three card readings w/the Fey all over the place (here, on my weblog, and thru email for friends)...i was truly enjoying using this deck and got more comfortable w/it as time went on... about three weeks ago a friend asked for a reading and i knew i'd need to use a bigger spread (CC probably as it's my fave), so i whipped out my RWS...and drew a blank... can we just say that i freaked out completely?! lol...i mean, after all these years i certainly know what the cards MEAN...but they were not "speaking" to me at all...i was befuddled, confused, and terribly upset... i stopped reading entirely for these past three weeks b/c i was so freaked out by this...what had happened? were my cards mad at me? ;) (kidding) in all seriousness, i couldn't figure out why they had gone "silent"... a few days ago, i tried them again...and nothing...nada...zippo...zilch! i got nuttin' from them...for the helluvit, i pulled out my Fey deck...did the layout for the friend (three weeks late, you can't imagine how bad i felt about that one), and bam! there it was, i "heard" it clear as day... so, now it seems, i can read quite well w/my Fey, but i cannot read w/my RWS, the deck i've used for ages upon ages... what is up w/that?? i was surprised that i could read a CC spread quite well w/my Fey, b/c i had tried it w/my Victoria Regina and lemme tell you, it did NOT work! lol...i've been able to use the VRT w/smaller spreads, but anything more than 5 cards just throws me off... now, i'm not complaining, b/c i absolutely love my Fey, but it disturbs me that i'm not getting any vibes from my RWS...i haven't stored them anywhere different, i haven't done anything different w/them at all...i just get a total "blank" when i try to use them... has anyone else had this happen?? i mean, i'm happy that i can use my Fey, but i love my RWS too (actually i've been coveting the Universal Waite, and was hoping to just switch over, but now i'm not so sure...:( heh)... so, does anyone have any advice, suggestions, or experiences to share on this? b/c this is really making me feel like i'm crazy or somethin'...thanks in advance! much love and many blessings, ~azure

Astra	07 Sep 2003
This just popped into my head as I was reading your post - feels right, so we'll try it... Each deck has a different style, different symbolism - to an extent, it speaks a different language to its reader. And some languages are more flexible, more adaptable, contain a wider range of concepts than others. It sounds as though you've been immersed in the language of the Fey, and have been finding new meanings, better ways of saying things, different perspectives than the RWS gave you. And when you tried going "back" to the old language your mind thumbed its nose at you. This doesn't mean you can't read with the RWS, but give it enough time that when you pick it up again it has something new to offer you. It will - as you grow and change the symbolism will connect differently and offer you new insights. A note - I suspect that if there were ever an emergency and all you had available was the RWS, you would have no problem with it, because your mind isn't going to ignore a safe port in a storm.

Alissa	07 Sep 2003
I've gone through spells of similar, but with my (beloved) Universal Waites. It was my first deck, and the one that I've used by far the most, like you describe your RW's. But, while learning some of the past year's recent deck acquistions (a definite risk once landing at this site ;)) I did find myself not "connecting" with my UW's. Very similar to what you're describing, just not feeling *anything* from the readings energetically. I think Astra's analogy of speaking in symbolism is an inspired way to describe this phenomenon though. It *does* feel something like Tarot translation problems that crop up, to me at least. I put away my UW's for about 4 months or so, and focused on other decks that were working for me (like the Shapeshifter). Interestingly, now I've gone back to using my UW's more than I use the SS deck. I think these things are fluid that way, and can oscillate. Go with the flow. ;)

Cerulean	07 Sep 2003
There are times I connect with a certain style of deck--say my Thoth. Then after awhile the reading impulse with this style fizzles out. I sometimes need a pictorial equivalent but not the Rider Waite, so I know what you are saying. I'm glad you had the Fey in this case. Sometimes you need a gentle deck and sometimes you need a stronger one. The deck doldrums happen to lots of us...so keeping the Fey just in case or working with a pictorial equivalent can keep one going. By the way, did you try anything with your Osho? I just found a new book related to that deck and it is helpful for me...I did two readings in the reading forum and some of the cards that I pulled were pretty harsh...I used the practical and positive bits from the Osho book just give a reflective take on the reading. The book is called Tarot in the Spirit of Zen. I may use it as a companion also with the Fey... Mari H.

lunalafey	07 Sep 2003
Maybe after so many years the Freshness of the Fey has a hold on you. I read with one deck for 7(?) years. I love the deck, but I felt it was time for something new....I stumbled upon Legends one day and knew this was my new deck. I have called it my faithful deck because it is just like the RWS to you. But the FEY!!!! There is definatly something about them~ perhaps it's something in the air, for I'm quite Fey focused these days. I don't really draw a blank with other decks, but things don't flow as smoothly.

Little Baron	08 Sep 2003
I can relate to this. I have also used the RWS mostly out of all of my decks and it has been my most used deck for learning. Me and RWS have not been working much togther lately. One of my friends asked for a reading recently and once the cards were laid out, I looked at them and felt nothing. They were almost like symbols and I could see nothing past what the original LWB meanings had to say; that was all that went through my head - no intuition, no nothing! I have been getting on so well with the Phantasmagoric lately - learning from the stories, getting to know the characters, stepping into the world, looking from so many different angles. Even though I love my RWS, with this in mind, it was almost as if I had outgrown it and needed whatever it was the PT was giving me in my relationship with it. I feel guilty, if that is the right word, because I want to be able to read with all of them, but at the moment, the PT is the one that I am tuned into. With the RWS, it felt like going throught the motions. I am sure that it will pick up again one day but for now, maybe we should appreciate the depth we are getting from our other decks. Best wishes. Hope that things work out. Yaboot

Ravenswing	10 Sep 2003
Hi Blue-- Similar thing happens to me when I immerse myself in a new deck. Seems to take a while to get the old pathways back. You might try this, it works pretty well for me: Do a spread with your Fey Deck. Then match it, card for card, with your RWS. This cross-over should help. fly well Raven

Astraea	10 Sep 2003
All of the comments and suggestions you've received are excellent. I don't know one serious tarotist to whom this scenario isn't familiar -- have had plenty of experience with it myself, and all I can say is that this, too, shall pass. It's wonderful that you are able to relate to the Fey, even though the RWS seems to be on vacation -- it might return with many gifts for you!

The good thing i have more than one... thread was originally posted on 07 Sep 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.