Connolly study?

Sophie-David

Sounds fine, MoonMaiden! I hope once we start some others will join us, I think there must be quite a few Connolly decks out there. I think exploring the cards together does make each one more personal. Of course in some sense we will be exploring what "other people think the card" by doing this, but what make this positive is that you can enter into a discourse about it which often deepens the understanding for everyone involved.

All the best!
David
 

wandking

Sounds good to me... I started with the Connolly and bought all three books written by her... To her credit, the majors are beautiful and convey plenty of meaning... her minors are too soft though, which is why I switched to RWS. I learned a great deal from her writings on court cards, particularly the pages.
 

Sophie-David

Welcome Wandking

It looks like we have a third! BTW, I have been enjoying your posts on the Papesse in the History section. The team in that thread seems to be covering some new ground together as each contributes her or his research and analysis.

David
 

tarobones

me2

Hello, I look forward to participating in the Connolly study. Hope it begins soon. Many blessings.................Michael
 

Sophie-David

Welcome Michael!

I'm sure we'll have something up over the course of the weekend. This is very encouraging that we already have four people.

Cheers
David
 

wandking

an unusual use of Connolly cards:

I have a funny story about an unusual use of the Connolly deck... Not too long ago I met this woman online and we decided to get together... I went to her place for a weekend... Her parents, who were staunch fundamentalist Christians, lived on the same large parcel of land, not far away. The gal I was visiting wanted to hide the fact that I was writing a book on Tarot from her parents. Unfortunantly, her mom walked up to the porch where we were discussing a reading I had just finished and over-heard us speaking about Tarot. There were some cards on the table but they were not my Connolly cards. She had shown me how You-ghi-oh cards had names in common with Tarot. When her mom asked about Tarot, I told her about my writing and simply picked up the the kids' trading cards and began turning them over while asking the mom did she find the imagery evil. If you've ever seen these cards, you'll agree they feature symbolism much darker than most Tarot decks. The mom mistook the cards for Tarot and said they were indeed very evil. I then told her these were cards collected and used by her grand-children and brought out the Connolly deck. It didn't take long for me to find the 9 of Cups, which appears to offer a representation of Jesus. I then produced the Sun, with those cherubs on it. To make a long story short, I was reading the moms cards within minutes and she no longer perceived Tarot as evil.
 

Sophie-David

Wandking, I have a somewhat similar story about myself. Shortly after the union with the Inner Beloved in April 2004, the newly emergent Sophie requested that we go for a Tarot reading with my creativity teacher. Similar to when one's spouse or intimate partner makes an important request, I knew that to ignore Sophie's leading would be to do so at my peril. :) Before the union I would not have even considered doing so, since I thought the Tarot was the work of the devil. I certainly trusted my teacher, but I didn't trust the Tarot - was the knowledge from God, and wasn't knowing the future in itself a curse?

Realizing my concerns, my teacher or mentor suggested we use the Connolly deck. I prayed the invocation from page 214 of Tarot: A New Handbook for the Apprentice and all went well. I tested the cards by asking, "Who Am I?" We proceeded with a Celtic Cross and the very first card I turned up, for Situation, was Death/Transition, which was exactly what I had just been living through. The reading was very accurate, and ended with the Star in Outcome. :) For the second reading my mentor used the Goddess deck, which is her favourite.

Connolly was a wonderful way to be introduced to the Tarot, and a natural choice for my own first deck, together with Tarot: A New Handbook for the Apprentice, which I bought in mid-September 2004.

David
 

wandking

"wasn't knowing the future in itself a curse?" that's a pretty profound concept... One that made me stop and think... I believe, with your permission S/D I'll use that statement from now on when I read cards... It sets the kind of tone I attempt to achieve when it comes to predicting the future... As you might have guessed I feel Tarot is better for understanding the present and empowering my seeker to face an uncertain future. BTW, S/D, you'll probably really enjoy the second book in Connolly's series, called the Apprentice... Try that "FULL AURA SPREAD" she offers... it's perhaps the most profound spread I've ever seen.
 

Sophie-David

Of course, you are very welcome to use that quotation. :)

Thank you for the tip from the second book. My mentor has that book too, so I will ask to borrow it when I have a bit of time.