Sleeping with a deck

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 05 Feb 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

inanna_tarot	05 Feb 2004
Good morning everyone! Last night i felt i needed to get more of my vibes on my thoth deck, so i put it on a teddy in the corner of my bed (aww) and went a snoozing. But when it was there i had a very weird dream that i cant remember now but at the time wasnt very comfortable. When i put the thoth back on the shelf with everything else i slept fine. I've never had a problem with sleepin near my deck to put my vibes on them, any idea what this means? I did think ohh maybe it didnt want to be next to me, but it was the deck that gave me the idea to do it, if that makes sense. Sezo x

Moonbow*	05 Feb 2004
You had a bad dream!!...... what about the Teddy.... I call that cruelty.... :joke: Personally I wouldn't like the Crowley deck anywhere near me at night lol }) M*

inanna_tarot	05 Feb 2004
OMG! i didnt think about the teddy! How cruel am i? Better go and hug him so the royal society for the prevention of cruelty to teddys gets me! Sezo x

Diana	05 Feb 2004
Personally, I doubt a deck can give anyone bad or good dreams. To test though, you would have to do a proper experiment and you'd have to sleep with it for more than one night. Also, you would need to do a double experiment. One of these experiments has to be blind. In other words, you'd need to ask a friend to replace the cards with blank pieces of cardboard, but you would not know which nights you'd be sleeping with the cards and which nights you'd not be sleeping with the cards. Also, one cannot discard the fact that ones beliefs effect one's dreams and one's waking life. If one believes that pieces of cardboard can influence one's sleep, then I suppose one could auto-hypnotise oneself to believe this. If someone believes a black cat is bad luck, they'll probably notice all the unpleasant stuff that is happening to them. If they believe a black cat is good luck, they'll start noticing all the good stuff that is happening to them. Methinks a lot of people anthromorphise their decks way too much.

Kissa	05 Feb 2004
LOL ! Poor Teddy ;) I sleep with my Ancestral Path every night. No nightmares ;) My soft toy and my hubby or the pillows haven't yet complained about nightmares either... I don't feel any kind of attraction to the Thoth, the opposite in fact. If you really want to sleep with a tarot deck, choose a nice-looking one at least ;) I guess your experience with the Thoth was just a one night stand then ? Mwaahhhh Kissa

inanna_tarot	05 Feb 2004
yeah definately a one night stand! lol But if i feel brave enough i might try it again tonight, otherwise i'll just cuddle up with my Witches deck. lol. old favourite :P Sezo x

Moonbow*	05 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Moonbow* Personally I wouldn't like the Crowley deck anywhere near me at night lol }) M* I should have added "or during the day" too. But that's me M*

Kissa	05 Feb 2004
Geez innanna! even veeeery drunk i wouldn't sleep with a Thoth ;) !!! LOL Kissa Quote: Originally posted by inanna_tarot yeah definately a one night stand! lol But if i feel brave enough i might try it again tonight, otherwise i'll just cuddle up with my Witches deck. lol. old favourite :P Sezo x

Marion	05 Feb 2004
Was the dream so very bad? You can learn from dreams, even weird ones. Hard to imagine the Thoth giving fluffy bunny dreams, so why even expect that. It's energy is a bit weird., but I think you can learn from it.

Dark_angel	05 Feb 2004
Perhaps your dream wasn't so much to do with the deck itself, but with your perception of it. If you were meditating on the deck before you went to sleep, the images may have been the starting point for your dream, as dreams are essentially a collection of mental images. This would explain why your dream was disturbing - it's a very challenging deck. Diana's suggestion of doing a trial sounds very interesting - at some point, I think I'll give it a go!

Marion	05 Feb 2004
I suppose, but applying the scientific method to such fluctuating and personalized happenings usually yields disappointing results.

Kiama	05 Feb 2004
I third the idea of an experiment. I think it'll be good for you (you may get some really good insights from the dreams) and you may also find that the Thoth deck is not as bad as it is made out to be. So what, it was designed by Aleister Crowley? All that hype about him, the evillest man in the world, etc: all media hype. (Or a misunderstanding of what he really meant.) He wasn't a nice man to be true. But he wasn't evil, and his deck certainly is not. It's not a fluffy bunny deck though, so if decks can affect your dreams, I wouldn't expect it to give me 'comfortable' dreams at all. That's just the nature of the Thoth deck. Blessings, Kiama

inanna_tarot	05 Feb 2004
hmm just a thought, maybe the Thoth is testing me and my dedication to it? or am i prepared to change my perceptions for it. Hmm definately give it another go tonight. I would be nice to know more about the Thoth, i'll have to read the Thoth study group forum this evening lol. I'm not afraid of Crowley - well especially not after i've read some of his poetry. Deary me, if you fear him, read his poems and read how amazing he thinks they are. Its like peter andre in the jungle - hmmm maybe i shouldn't have said that? *runs off to do a banishing ritual :P* Sezo x

Moonbow*	05 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by inanna_tarot I'm not afraid of Crowley - well especially not after i've read some of his poetry. Deary me, if you fear him, read his poems and read how amazing he thinks they are. Its like peter andre in the jungle - hmmm maybe i shouldn't have said that? *runs off to do a banishing ritual :P* Sezo x Aleister Crowley and Peter Andre............. interesting! As long as they both stay in the jungle with the snakes we're alright! :laugh:

Orion	05 Feb 2004
I have heard of people sleeping with their cards to transfer their energies to the deck. I personally would never do it, I am such a 'messy sleeper'! I fear I would ruin my cards!

Emily	05 Feb 2004
Hi Inanna, You should try it again, you said the dream was weird and made you feel uncomfortable but you can't really remember what it was about. The Thoth is a deck of strong energies anyway, and maybe you went to sleep with the deck on your mind and that could have caused a bad dream, not a nightmare just a strong dream. I like the Thoth, not too good at reading with it but I have slept with it by the side of the bed, I couldn't remember my dreams in the morning but its a deck that fascinates me. Hope you have better dreams next time. :)

13thFaeChylde	05 Feb 2004
I've been known to sleep around....with my decks, that is! A different deck every night, sometimes two! (sorry, I just couldn't resist :))

Mystic Zyl	05 Feb 2004
I accidently fell asleep with my deck and had all sorts of wierd bad dreams. I thought it my just have been a fluke that it happened. The next night the same thing happened, it seemed all the cards were taking at once and it made no sense. So the next night I tried just one card and everything went well.

Phoenyx*	05 Feb 2004
Everytime I get a new deck, I take a nap with it immediately afterwards, with me curled up around the deck. I find it helps meld our energies together.

LadyMedusa	06 Feb 2004
Sleeping with a deck definitely influences my dreams. I usually fall asleep on my side with one hand under my pillow. I find that it helps focus those last few thoughts as I drift off toward the cards, when I have a deck tucked under the pillow. I have had some insightful "aha" dreams this way, as well as some VERY disturbing ones. The more of a struggle I am having with a deck the more disturbing the dreams. The Greenwood my favorite seems to bring on the most vivid and longer lasting dreams. LadyMedusa

BlueLotus	06 Feb 2004
No, I wouldn't sleep with my deck scattered around, not even one card of it. I make sure that I tuck all cards safely in the box, before I go to bed. I like to think that it is just me, but I think not... Because sometimes I would have a 'weird' feeling that someone is in the room with me, when I am reading certain decks. It could be my imagination, but I wouldn't take the risk, while my mind is at rest. I usually say a prayer before I go to bed every night, so I guess a prayer should be in order for you as well, just in case...!

full deck	06 Feb 2004
I would rather sleep with a woman; there is far more to do with Tarot in that much.

lunakasha	06 Feb 2004
Speaking of the Thoth and getting "bad vibes".... The other night I picked up my Thoth deck, which I have literally not touched now for several months...for no particular reason other than the fact that I cannot read with it, and Crowley's book is, IMO, incomprehensible...like trying to read something written in Chinese! Anyway, I picked up the deck so I could pull out the "extra" cards (which I use as bookmarks for my tarot books). As I was pulling them down off the shelf, I dropped the deck on the floor, but it was strange because it almost felt like they "jumped" right out of my hands!!!! Believe me, I haven't told anyone else about this, but I figured it was safe to do so here...whether you believe me or not :) Now, I have no idea *what* exactly happened, but my first impulse was to pick up the cards and count them, to make sure none of the cards were missing...and then I immediately put them back on the shelf, as they were, extra cards included! The Thoth is definitely a mystery to me...I don't think I will ever really read with them again, yet I know they will remain in my collection. There is just something special about them. :) Luna

Imagemaker	06 Feb 2004
Lunakasha, did you notice which ones were face up on the floor? Yes, they jumped--they wanted to tell you something!

lunakasha	06 Feb 2004
I don't remember seeing any of the cards face up...usually I watch for that sort of thing, like when I am shuffling the cards before a reading, if a card or two "jumps" out, I figure that those are the cards I should be using in my reading. Either they all fell face-down, which is highly unlikely, or I was in so much of a hurry to pick them up that I didn't notice the cards that were face-up...damn! A missed opportunity, I am sure! Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Imagemaker. I will try to be more attentive next time! :) Luna

inanna_tarot	09 Feb 2004
OH okie, i'll be honest, i've been abit apprehensive of cuddling up to thoth again - but then i've had a few emotional days, and i wouldnt want my ovaries interferring with the Thoth. Somehow i dont think it would appreciate it lol. Possibly tonight - but with valentines day looming, i get abit emotional at this time of year. Sezo x

Osher	09 Feb 2004
I keep my Old Path tarot in my bedside cabinet. It just feels right to keep them near me. Even when I go away I usually keep them next to me, in their wooden box.

ros	09 Feb 2004
I put some of my decks in my pillowcase, on my bed,for a few days & just leave them there. I'd never put Thoth there. There is something about that hole 'Thoth' thing that doesn't sit right with me. I have bought the Thoth in the purple box out of curiosity & nothing happened. To me Thoth is like the Ouija Board game, you Never know what will be brought out of the game you play.

sirona86	09 Feb 2004
all this about the thoth is scaring me.. come to think of it i've been sleeping with my thoth at one end of the bed the past few nights and i've been having strange nightmares! including a terrifying one of a snake biting me thrice on the foot! but then again, i cant immediately attribute that to the thoth, without considering other factors, like stress.. does the thoth really give out a 'bad vibe'? i do find it kind of a dark deck, but at the same time i find it a joy to read and the cards are attractive to look at.. to each his own i guess.

lunakasha	09 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by sirona86 all this about the thoth is scaring me.. come to think of it i've been sleeping with my thoth at one end of the bed the past few nights and i've been having strange nightmares!.. does the thoth really give out a 'bad vibe'? i do find it kind of a dark deck, but at the same time i find it a joy to read and the cards are attractive to look at.. to each his own i guess. Sirona, I don't really think of the Thoth as a "bad" or dangerous deck...but it is a powerful one, and although I find it impossible to read with these cards, I have great respect for them, or I should say for the work that went into their creation. As I have said before, I am clueless about Qabala and alchemy and...well, the Crowley Thoth book just didn't make sense to me enough to discuss it intelligently, so I won't pretend to try! ;) But I guess my point is that the cards will usually reflect your own attitude toward them; if you get a negative "vibe" from them, then maybe you shouldn't sleep with them, because sub-consciously you may absorb that negative energy. You are correct in saying that it is probably stress, rather than the cards, which is causing you to lose sleep....have you tried sleeping with the Hanson-Roberts or Moon Garden decks??? Sweet dreams indeed! :) :) Luna

Phoenyx*	09 Feb 2004
There is no denying it, the Thoth is probably, one of the most powerful decks around, that I've ever experienced.

inanna_tarot	10 Feb 2004
OK, i kinda wussed out abit. I got the majors of Thoth, Tarot of the old path and my old fav witches tarot and put them all in order. As i was doing it i felt i was clicking with the Thoth, because its just sensory overload! All the colours, symbols, vibes etc, its not that scary just too much to percieve at once. It definately deserves more study before i read with it, but one day i will lol. Maybe night i wont be such a chicken and sleep with my thoth majors next to me alone lol. I did have that uncomfortable watched feeling for abit, but mostly i felt my heart and third eye chakra unable to shut down but there was a link that didnt want to be broken, so i left them there and slept like a baby after a while. Just thought i'd update you all :P Sezo x

Phoenyx*	10 Feb 2004
I slept with my Thoth on the pillow next to me last night, just to see what would happen (I'm such a sucker for torture and experimentation :P), and went to sleep right after I watched a scary movie. And you know what happened? Nothing. No nightmares, no wierd disjointed dreams, no overpowering dreams, nothing, just my usual sleeping patterns. Maybe my Thoth likes me enough to be gentle. ;)

Lady Eclipse	10 Feb 2004
Hi, I agree with Moonbow, I wouldn't want it near me at night either. But, I don't sleep with any of my decks. I don't think it's necessary and... #1. Have too many decks to sleep with. #2. Hubby wouldn't like it. #3. I have my bed and the decks have their own special place and never the twain shall meet. :-) Joy to you, Maralee

Emily	12 Feb 2004
Reading these posts has me thinking - I can't remember the last time I slept with a deck by the bed - I know I did it on holiday last year but that was just to make sure the cards were safe. I think I'm in need of an experiment :D - tonight I'll have the Thoth next to me, I could do with a little dream inspiration, and see what happens. :)

inanna_tarot	12 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Triquetra I slept with my Thoth on the pillow next to me last night, just to see what would happen (I'm such a sucker for torture and experimentation :P), and went to sleep right after I watched a scary movie. And you know what happened? Nothing. No nightmares, no wierd disjointed dreams, no overpowering dreams, nothing, just my usual sleeping patterns. Maybe my Thoth likes me enough to be gentle. ;) Maybe your Thoth is just luring you into a false sense of security - or not happy about being used as cheap entertainment! lol :P Sezo x

sirona86	13 Feb 2004
some new info has come to light that makes me think that it's probably not my thoth that is causing me my nightmares. i suspect there might be yet another unwelcome visitor in the house. i sprinkled salt in all of the corners in my room last night, and i slept soundly for the first time in about a week.

The Sleeping with a deck thread was originally posted on 05 Feb 2004 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.