78 Weeks of Study: Overview; Dates; Thread links

jmd

Background ___________________________

The first 78 weeks of study arose some 78 weeks prior to the 2005 Melbourne International Conference organised by the Association for Tarot Studies, and out of which arose two decks: Major Tom's Tarot of Marseilles and N. Joy Neish's Creative Fire Tarot, each published in limited runs, and each quite an amazing achievement, aside from the timeframe!

The second 78 weeks of study arose out of a desire to either start anew the study, or, for those who joined mid-stream, to complete it. That second series was completed at the end of April this year (2007).

The idea is to take the time to systematically and slowly go through the 78 cards, one a week, focussing and making notes (if appropriate - and whether or not these notes are added to the 78 weeks threads linked below).

...and so now we enter the third 78 Weeks of Study.

What to do ___________________________

The idea is to reflect, meditate, or even draw each card... and spend a whole week daily doing such - five minutes daily can be far more effective than an hour here and there. Ideally, each day will have the same five minutes set aside, whether it be morning, afternoon or evening...

Though there is a list of dates that follows for those wishing to partake of a common sequence, alternatives may be preferred. For example, some may prefer to interchange the cards suggested for weeks eight and eleven to bring it in line with a deck being used - or any other alteration, or even randomly choosing the card for the week. Apart from determining one's own sequence, there are no specified decks, no particular book, nor presumed associations with other systems.

The deck (or decks) used for the study is up to each of us!

I would also suggest using a calendar, such as Major Tom's Tarot Lovers' Calendar, or a diary, on which to write the card beginning (and ending) the week. Also, some amongst us prefer to begin the week on Sunday, others on Monday. Please alter the suggested dates below accordingly.

Most of us will of course be making notes in our own ways in our own journals or diaries. Using a standard template style for these notes may help especially in the beginning and during more difficult periods. Gregory and I offer two - please use and modify these to your preferences (and also please give us feedback in order to improve them!):
download gregory's template (word document);
download jmd pdf template - A4 size or USLetter size
Merely engaging in a 78 week study, knowing others are also doing the same, can be both challenging, supportive, and certainly highly rewarding!

Suggested order and titles used ______________________

In the list that follows, I have used an alphabetic system (suggested by Ross Caldwell in a post in the Marseille Forum):
  • Atouts (Major Arcana); Batons (Wand); Cups; Deniers (Coins); and Epées (Swords)
For the court cards, I have adopted the preferred titles used on Tarotpedia (even though I still prefer 'Cavalier' than 'Knight'!): Valet; Knight; Queen; & King.

Within your own posts, of course, please feel free to alter these in any way you see fit, or given the specific deck being used. Having a common thread title makes for ease of reference and commonality of study.

For the Atouts (Major Arcana) sequence, I have used the standard Marseille order, and placed the usually un-numbered Fool last (as per one of its three common positions: first, penultimate and last). PLEASE alter your preference accordingly.

And please do make use of the open discussion thread (without feeling the need to read all previous posts therein!): 78 Weeks of Study: General Discussion.

If you're up for the challenge... be prepared to persevere through difficult weeks :):):)

[size=+1]Moderator Note About Blogs[/size]
Use of blogs for this study is discouraged because blogs divert traffic away from Aeclectic. Because Aeclectic is a learning forum, it's better to have all information in one place (Aeclectic) than spread out across the internet. Also, if the information is here on Aeclectic, it's less likely to get lost or deleted than if it's out on the internet.
 

jmd

Suggested dates: 2007-2008 ________________________

To assist those who wish to use the common sequence, the following dates are listed with a suggested card - please alter the card to the one you prefer!

Following these dates will also mean that the full deck will have been completed in time for Christmas 2008 ;)

[size=+1]Moderator Note About Dates:[/size]
This study has morphed from one with specific dates to an ongoing study that begins and ends according to one's own schedule. The dates below have been left because they provide a quick link to the cards. Participants are encouraged to study the cards in whatever order they like according to whatever schedule/timetable they like.


May 2007:


June:


July:


August:


September:


October:


November:


December:


January 2008:


February:


March:


April:


May:


June:


July:


August:


September:


October: