Am I the only one?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Apr 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Darla	01 Apr 2004
Hi! I often find myself surfing the web for decks that I don't possess and putting them on my wishlist :rolleyes: or spending too much time on AT :P instead of actually do work with the decks that I already have. Or read about all the wonderful things you can do with Tarot instead of actually doing them. I should read more, study more and value and getting to know the decks that I already have instead of yearning for others. Does this situation sound familiar?

WolfyJames	01 Apr 2004
This is exactly what I do! I feel better to know that I'm not alone in this. Maybe we should start a group to help each other. ;)

Diana	01 Apr 2004
Devil reversed. Get him upright and he will help you overcome your procrastination and your addictions. He is our biggest helper in times like this (and god only knows, how often the Devil reversed crosses my path each week in different ways to yours - so I know how you feel.) And start reading with so-called unillustrated pips - for example, with a decent Tarot of Marseille. You will stop looking for the perfect deck that way. Tarot is more than pretty pictures. That doesn't mean you can't go out and buy new decks with pretty pictures and enjoy them and use them with pleasure. But this will aid you in LIVING the Tarot, and not just consuming it.

inanna_tarot	01 Apr 2004
Cheers Darla for posting a thread that i think most of us have been on - especially if you start out on AT. I am a tarot deck 'collector' but it means i find it hard to settle on one deck. and thanks Diana for suggesting a pip-style deck, ohhh i'm just going to have to buy one now!! lol Blessings Sezo x

cartarum	01 Apr 2004
my first deck was slips of paper in plastic protector sleeves, like the kind for hockey cards. its all in the mathmatics. although,an image on the card may spark your memory and lead the way for a more comprehensive reading.

Moonbow*	01 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by inanna_tarot I am a tarot deck 'collector' but it means i find it hard to settle on one deck. Yes........ I admit it.......... I am a collector too! I keep kidding myself that I'm not, but gone are the days of just owning the Spiral.......... those were happy days........ I used to do a reading every day - now - I'm deck searching - although - to me its a bit like collecting books. I am learning so much, and I have a deck to play with at the same time.

Star Spirit	01 Apr 2004
I love looking at decks. You should see my list.

Moongold	01 Apr 2004
I think this is something really worth thinking about - the enchantment people often feel when they discover Aeclectic and the wonderful people and themes here. For some of us there is a sense of coming home, of finding kindred spirits and we swim in these cool spiritual waters for some time, still enchanted by the hundreds of ideas and pathways we see. For some there is a sense of the deep, unarticulated needs and wishes of a life time perhaps having a voice and finding resolution here. For some others Aeclectic is simply a place of spiritual refreshment to dive into once a day, or every so often, where they can touch base with the "core" and then go on with daily living. I think I may have felt all of those things at different times. Aeclectic is a wonderful community. It is a matter of balance for me. I don't regret any of the above phases but the reality is in my daily life, and what lessons have I learned from Tarot if I don't implement them in my ordinary life, in the here and now? The challenge and the peace of life in the present moment. :) My nature is such that I prefer to look at the sunset and the mountains, only to miss the beautiful reality of the streets and gardens before my very eyes. I only have 15 decks, and I'm not buying anymore for quite a while. I am studying the Marseilles at the moment and learning a lot about Tarot generally and a whole lot of other things as well. At this stage, I want to do this thing well. This is only me, not anyone else, but I just thought I'd share it because it somehow seems connected. :) .

Emily	01 Apr 2004
When I first came on this site, I had only one deck - the Original Rider Waite. It didn't take me long before I had decided to treat myself to a new deck - The spiral, then the Hanson Roberts I think was my second. These decks were supposed to be working and study decks but there was always another deck that caught my eye. I buy new decks all the time now. I didn't consider myself a collector in the beginning, until I realised that some of the decks I buy for the artwork, Rohrig, Haindl, Diamond tarot to name a few. I am a confessed collector now, well I have to be with over 30 plus decks I think lol, but I have slimmed down my working and study decks to four - Morgan Greer, Quest, Sacred Circle and Thoth. The Morgan Greer being 'my' deck, the one I searched long and hard for. I am starting to realise that its better to stick with a couple of decks and to get to really know them but I still see decks that I add to my wishlist. lol (Eagerly awaiting the Golden Tarot which is in the post :) )

jema	01 Apr 2004
You are by far not the only one. And this is not somthing that goes for just tarot, it affects other areas in life too. I find that when I talk and write a lot about meditation and spiritual work it is because I am not actually doing any of it. I am not saying this is all bad though. Sometimes we need those periods of time to regroup, gather information etc before we dive back in and continue with the actual work. As for tarot I found it best to do a few readings with the new decks and then just go back to the 5 faves that I have. I given up the thought of being connected to all my decks. I can still enjoy them and learn from them.

miss_apples	02 Apr 2004
See now...I use AT to get to know my decks better. Theres only so many tarot readings I can give myself and theres really no one around here to give readings to so I give them to people on here.

diane drizzy	02 Apr 2004
Hi Darla! Sounds just like me! On the other hand I've learned so much about so many decks, it's like visiting an art gallery. And yes I do have a wish list for my many moods, but my pay can only go so far. So as the expression goes it's a "wish list".

Darla	02 Apr 2004
Nice to know there are other people who have the same problem. Knowing the people at AT I should have searched for another more suitable headline. Maybe something like: Addicts please line up here! :) But seriously, I wouldn't call myself addicted or a collector. I have about 6 decks and my wishlist includes 6 too so nothing compared to other people on AT but my problem is that I should devote more time to my decks and their possibilities than admiring decks I probably won't buy anyway because I'm not a collector. And I've given up the idea of finding the perfect deck because I need different decks for different moods. When I'm in mood for the Gothic Vampires then don't show me my Vision Quest or the Celtic Dragon!

OakDragon	02 Apr 2004
The same thing has happened to me since I joined AT. My deck wishlist keeps getting longer and longer and I spend entirely "too much time" on this board. LOL

Alissa	02 Apr 2004
I had only one deck for years and years, until I ended up on Aeclectic. I actually used to believe that people with more than one deck were being silly. I figured it redundant to have more than one... can you IMAGINE? :eek: I think I have about a dozen right now... I'm really not sure.

Kissa	02 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by jema As for tarot I found it best to do a few readings with the new decks and then just go back to the 5 faves that I have. I given up the thought of being connected to all my decks. I can still enjoy them and learn from them. I second every word of jema here. I buy decks, look at them, feel sometimes disappointed by the pictures, sometimes connected or not despite the wonderful pics. And the decks go on my bookshelf. Once in a while i feel extremely guilty and go for trading, which is easier than selling. Trading often gives the opportunity to meet new ppl and connect more deeply with the netties here. Many decks I don't use but will not trade for some reason. That's it, i start to get used to the idea that i'm a collector. It's as good as another collection or passion. It's like with tea, I gotta have all kind of different teas to taste but always go back to the same one ;) I too find myself too often here than with the real cards. But i also know that i can live without the forum, for some time. Usually i take a break in the summer (belive me with eight months of winter here, you don't want to miss a SECOND of summertime being stuck in front of your screen !!!) It goes by periods, i buy decks by periods and trade them by periods. I'm very cyclic... This forum is wondeful, it is friendly, renewed and updated all the time. It can be very addictive, i must admit! Should we sue Solandia????? ;) Don't worry, Darla, you are definitely not alone! :D

smokey	03 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Moongold I think this is something really worth thinking about - the enchantment people often feel when they discover Aeclectic and the wonderful people and themes here. For some of us there is a sense of coming home, of finding kindred spirits and we swim in these cool spiritual waters for some time, still enchanted by the hundreds of ideas and pathways we see. I just thought I'd share it because it somehow seems connected. :) . Moongold, I find that simply beautiful... In fact, I read your response in its entirity 3 times!!! Thank-you , Diana , for the G-R-E-A-T tip re: procrastination. Darla, you are by far NOT ALONE!!! I find myself spending more & more time @ the P.C. browsing decks when not at Aeclectic doing all else. ( couse then there's the Tarot catalogs I get thru the regular postal; ARUGH!!!)I'm only hurting myself neglecting my new books 2 study I order...

bellatrix	03 Apr 2004
Hi darla, we could have been separated at birth! Since I discovered tarot I have been studying studying (if that makes sense??hmmm) Hopefully joining this forum will be a kick up the bum to actually DO SOMETHING. Don't worry you are not alone. bellatrix

Darla	04 Apr 2004
Yesterday I made a decision: Although there are four decks on my wishlist screaming at me I will not buy any of them in the next three months. Instead I will get to know my five main decks properly. So proud of me :D

Black*Cat	05 Apr 2004
Hi Darla - Good for you!! It's great to have made a decision, and after you've followed it through & done all of the hard work - you can reward yourself with one of the decks on your wishlist! But still, I do know how you feel - I'm new here & still caught up in all the wonderful decks & threads - everything's so enticing that you can just get lost in the possibilities without grounding yourself in what the Tarot means in your own life! I thought Moonbow* put it beautifully when she talked about the stages she went through when she became part of AT (that post should probably be put up somewhere for all newbies!) - it certainly resonated for me. You seem to have found resolution between desires & reality for the next few months - do let us know how it turns out in the end. Black*Cat

Darla	05 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Black*Cat Hi Darla - Good for you!! It's great to have made a decision, and after you've followed it through & done all of the hard work - you can reward yourself with one of the decks on your wishlist! That's exactly what I'm planning to do! :D Maybe then I will buy a good Marseille deck to go back to the roots and learn more about Tarot. Diana suggested it and Jewel-ry just gave me an amazing accurate reading with a Marseille deck so I've become curious. I love what you said about the need to ground oneself in what the Tarot means in one's life. Thanks and of course a big thanks to everyone who gave me a suggestion or who shared his or her experiences.

Kittaine	09 Apr 2004
I'm only two months into Tarot, but I think I know what you guys feel. If the area that I live in wasn't so Tarot-depraved, I'd have gotten myself 12 decks at the drop of a hat. When I got my first deck, I thought each of these decks is worth knowing and getting connected to, because each is influenced by a different force, or at least that's what it feels like. e.g., the Celtic Dragon is backed by dragons; the Tarot of the Saints, by the philosophy of Christianity; the Elemental Tarot, by the 4 elements; etc. If I feel like I wouldn't be able to connect with a certain thing that influences the deck (like the Shining Tribe, the Arthurian Legends), then I just don't buy the deck, no matter how pretty the art is or how good the reviews are. Well, that's just what I think. Hope that helps in any way.

ncefafn	09 Apr 2004
I think part of the attraction to collecting decks is the search for our "soulmate" deck, the one that clicks with us the way no other deck ever has or will. I've got plenty of near-misses on my shelves, and a few regrettable one-night-stands stuffed into the bottoms of my dresser drawers. However, I have acquired two decks that never fail me, one that gives me deeply layered meanings, another that gives me straightforward, no BS readings. I wouldn't have found these if I hadn't start collecting. Luckily, there's no constitutional amendment proposed to outlaw poly-deckous relationships. Kim

The Am I the only one? thread was originally posted on 01 Apr 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.