Inaugural Intensive Deck Study (IDS) Support Thread

I haven't had a great day today with my Alchemical. I did a few little readings and found it so hard to interpret the cards. I find that I really understand this deck on an intellectual level but it's difficult to transfer that understanding into reading the cards. I'm not even sure if that makes sense. I'm going to log off now and spend the evening actually working with the cards and see how I go. I was tempted today to pick up a different deck, but I have resisted the urge which I'm pleased about. I'm feeling pretty happy that I've stuck with the IDS but some days, when I am struggling to connect to my deck, I wonder what on earth I'm doing this for. Still very excited about the Alchemical though which is one good thing. It's definitely a deck that deserves quality time so I'm pleased I've chosen it for this IDS.

I hope everyone else has (or has had) a great day with their decks

Kat, thank you for posting the numerology (is that the right word??) from the Wheel of Change book. I think it will help! I'll be interested to hear whether you end up finding that the spread made sense for you.

I MUST try some readings. Oh, but it's sunny today!

And that seems to relate to the Cunning Man (Magician) I drew last night as my card for today - he's dancing in the spring sunshine.

sapienza, I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with the Alchemical. I really do understand where you're coming from, as I thought long and hard about this for a while before I started the original thread, considering if I wanted to really work through just the sort of tough patches you're experiencing. And I do. I honestly think that once you're through this patch, you'll find a whole new level of understanding of your deck.

Course, then there's the next rough patch . . . . . . hence the thread. I hope that knowing we're here to help gives you a bit of a pick-me-up, and that you've had some success with your readings tonight. Here's to you!

oak_woman - no worries at all. Yeah, I did the spread today, and I must somewhat retract what I said before, or at least clarify it. It's not the spread's fault it's my failings as a reader. I did finish it, and I saw a lot of links in it that I didn't expect (although I should have ) and I think the reading came out well, and my sitter's quick f/b as soon as I PM'd her reinforces that. I'll update on the relative success of the reading as more f/b becomes available .

See, in the absence of instructions on how to lay the spread out, I simply put the cards out in a 4 x 3 grid, with three rows of four cards. This meant that cards 1 and 5, 2 and 3, 4 and 8, 5 and 6 were the same suits, and that was meaningful. I got a lot out of the spread, and I think I will do it again, but it took me a total of five hours or so, including typing, and covered almost five pages of paper handwritten, so it's not one that'll be an "all the time" spread! It did work out nicely, though and I'm proud of myself.

I hope that the sitter resonates with it, because of late I've been seriously doubting my ability as a reader, especially after some of the ordinary feedback I got from my last few reading threads. I've been wondering if I'm pushing myself far enough, if I'm getting anything meaningful or helpful from the cards, or if I'm just rehashing "book meanings". I don't know. I hate self-doubt - and it occurs to me so rarely that when it does strike, I have no idea of how to cope with it!

Ugh. I sound like my own personal pity-party. Shutting up now.

\m/ Kat

How interesting--seems everyone is running into the Magician in their decks lately, and that's exactly the card I was working with yesterday!
I feel I've been a bit of a slacker lately. My stepfather had minor surgery a few days ago, and he's fine, but that sort of thing gets everyone in a flap for a while and I haven't been feeling like I've been paying close enough attention to what I'm doing with my deck. Then Mr. Magician pops up, reversed--in my deck he's old Dr. Faust in his study, looking through one of his great books of no doubt arcane and fabulous wisdom. So I'm trying to figure out what he's trying to tell me, and trying to clear the cobwebs out of the brain

Update VR IDS

I'm really enjoying this IDS, I think it was just what my reading skills (!) have been looking for. I'm continuing with my daily draws, and recording them when possible. I've surprised myself by not having felt the need to run back to the Universal and compare cards when I feel a bit wooly.

I did a sort of reading (other half agreed to shuffle and ask a question that I knew nothing about). I had no positions but laid three cards and then another two to clarify my response. I just sort of told the story that I saw and what felt right - I have no idea however, how accurate it was, lol! But the point being that it was the first time I have read in front of another person and spoken about what the cards showed me.

So, a strange sort of progress!

Thanks, Kat, for starting this - it's very inspiring.

Well. As mentioned, I'm useing the Wormweird for my study. For those of you who are unfamilier with it, the Wormweird is...unique to say the least. It draws on inspiration from horror, the strange, and absinthe. Visually, it's like stepping into a Wonderland of the macabre where your brain dosn't know where to take you. It's a surrealistic nightmare where monsters, ghosts, and the damned dwell.

http://www.poepuppet.com/

The imagery is unlike anything else I've encountered. This is truely a deck to study. Not only does it differ on imagery, but the Minor Arcana suits have been renamed as well.

Shadows are the wands
Absinthe is the cups
Flames are the swords
Nails are the pentacles.

I've decided to work with the Majors first.

raventepes said:

Well. As mentioned, I'm useing the Wormweird for my study. For those of you who are unfamilier with it, the Wormweird is...unique to say the least. It draws on inspiration from horror, the strange, and absinthe. Visually, it's like stepping into a Wonderland of the macabre where your brain dosn't know where to take you. It's a surrealistic nightmare where monsters, ghosts, and the damned dwell.

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A very interesting, and weird, deck indeed. Not for me, but I can see the appeal of it. I hope you are able to make a great deal of progress in understanding it, raventepes.

Essjay that's great that you read for someone else! I haven't read much for others either, but when I did those readings for my mom it gave me the confidence that yes, maybe I CAN do this for strangers. In a way, it's easier than typing out the readings isn't it?

raventepes that is a very cool deck. I don't love horror movies and such, but something about that deck is horrifyingly beautiful. I agree it's definitely a deck that requires some study. Thanks for sharing.

I feel like the Alchemical Tarot and I have finally bonded.

Last night I switched off the computer and spent some quality time working with the cards. I worked through some of the exercises from Mary Greer’s ‘Tarot for Your Self’. The exercises I did required me to choose cards face up that represented certain aspects of my life. I really felt this was a great help. Not only was the exercise very valuable for my own personal growth but it has helped me to assign personal meaning and associations with many of the cards, and as a result giving the deck a new depth for me.

The most amazing this was that when I was finished the exercises from the book I thought I’d just do a quick spread to get an overview of things right now. I used the expanded three card spread from the same book, which uses a total of ten cards. Of the ten cards I chose (randomly, after shuffling really well) six were cards I had chosen face up from the previous exercise. One of those cards, which indicated the way forward for me, was the card I then drew this morning for my daily draw card! Amazing. This has been just what I needed to remind me why I’ve committed to this study and also a good reminder of the value of time spent in front of the cards rather than in front of the computer.

So, overall, a big breakthrough for me. If anyone has Mary Greer’s book I’d highly recommend some of the exercises in it as a fantastic way to work with a new deck. It’s been a huge help to me.

sapienza said:

So, overall, a big breakthrough for me. If anyone has Mary Greer’s book I’d highly recommend some of the exercises in it as a fantastic way to work with a new deck. It’s been a huge help to me.

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That sounds nice Sapienza! Congratulations!

What exercises from the book did you do?

Gazel