2010: how is it going to be for you?

Le Fanu said:

So how do you see 2010 for you in tarot terms?

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Good question. I don't know yet, so I asked my cards. The cards say 4 of Pentacles.

So it looks like 2010 will be a year of establishing boundaries, what works for me tarot-wise I will keep, what doesn't work for me I do not bother with. I will hang onto the decks I have and be choosey about new cards I let in. This is necessary for reasons of space and finances. I will work more with the psychic aspect of reading the cards because I have allowed that part of my skills to slip in order to practice a more mundane style of reading. Hopefully by the end of the year I will be able to successfully wed the two approaches.
Consolidation of working techniques, and being more conscientious about grounding and centering so I am less vulnerable to the energies of others.

My plan for the year is to continue studying my Haindl exclusively until I feel as if I know it as well as one possibly can in-and-of itself. But I do think that Haindl Study without Thoth study has a ceiling on it that can only be shattered by studying Thoth itself. So that's the very-long-term plan. Haindl--Thoth--Haindl.

Other than that, I plan to continue doing the COS and IDS exchanges every week.

And, like Le Fanu, I will certainly keep buying any deck that crosses my path and catches my fancy...

Lee said:

Also, I never get to read for real live people, so I'm looking forward to the Readers Studio in NY, where maybe I'll get the opportunity to read for some real live victims -- um, querents. Maybe I'll even bring my playing cards.

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Yay - another AT'er at RS...I love it when my tarot worlds collide! Please do bring your playing cards; I would LOVE a reading!

I hope to do more readings and study this year, but one of my main goals is to work with a lot more of my decks. Even if I pull out decks that were mainly bought for artistic value, I want to do "something" with each deck I own. A week of readings, a CC, a daily pull, meditation, pull a card and write a poem or short story, journey or pathworking, anything. I don't want to leave any of my decks stagnant. I won't get through them all in one year, but I plan to have a blast with it!

I think I'd rather focus on tarot itself and the decks I do have rather than the ones I don't. I would like to spend more time actually reading the cards than reading about them, as well. I'll probably never do an IDS, but I do want to actually do more study and less going to do more study one of these days when I have more time... because it seems like I am never going to have more time and simply have to make time.

I aim to be more confident about offering my services, and handing out my business card. I'm confident reading for strangers, just not actively marketing myself just yet.

Also, looking to buy more from indie artists, and small publishers, and less from major companies. I'm really interested in showing support to the artists. Small time, handmade, rare stuff. That's what I want to focus more on.

Later in this past year, I fell away from spending constructed "me" time with the cards, time that I set aside just for reading, and studying. I need to bring more of that back in my life.

Keep with the IDS and the 78 week study - if the IDS finishes sometime this year that's OK but I don't see it somehow; the 78 week finishes in, um - 74 weeks

I'll buy when I see something that grabs me, but find I much prefer self published decks these days - they seem to have more freedom about them.

I want to stay with the Circles, expand my f2f reading (thinking of trying a cafe this summer) and go out to clients instead of letting them find me.

Aside from that, I want to find ways to incorporate tarot much more into the spiritual side of my life. Gotta work on the ways I can best do that. With the Ironwing.

My intentions are:

* I have joined the PDR, and will be writing about the Alchemical Tarot Renewed every sunday on my tarot blog.
* I'll wrte more about tarot on my danish blog.
* I will get back to working on my take on the numerical value for the pips - working with the Marseille Fournier.
* I have one or two or three books I will read this year.
* I'll continue to offer f2f readings, and read for whoever comes along. For this I'll use The Universal Waite.
So I'll only work with about three decks and hence realising that I don't need that many;
* There is only three decks I consider buying in 2010, and I guess I'll stick to them, at least two of them.
* In fact I've considered to trade some of my decks or simply give them away, but I'm not sure - yet.
* Last but not least, I'll be hanging around in here.


- so I guess I'll be quite occupied tarotwise in 2010.

For 2010 I'm going to narrow my focus a little.

I have finally accepted that for me tarot isn't about reading cards for people. Tarot is just my way of making sense of the world. It's the framework I use to find meaning. I want to continue to do this and not feel pressure that I 'should' be a 'tarot reader' or everything I do with tarot is a waste of time.

So, this year I'd like to focus on my 'Big Three'. Not 'the' big three, but rather my own big three :

1. Tarot de Marseille. I'd like to really spend some time getting comfortable with TdM's. I know this will involve lots of comparisons with historical decks in my collection but ultimately it's the Marseille I really want to work closely with this year.

2. Thoth. I have a love/hate relationship with this deck but this year I really want to take it on on my own terms. I want to spend some time working within the Golden Dawn system and really focusing on the astrological associations, especially in the minors. I find working with this alongside the TdM's works well for me.

3. Mythic. This was my first ever deck, I've been working with it on and off for 12 years. I've decided to go back and re-visit the deck, re-read the companion book and use this exercise to reflect on how far I've come in my tarot journey. The Study Group has been re-started (thanks Rodney) and so I'll join in with that as much as I can.

I have also set a little writing project for myself. My aim is to work through the deck one card at a time and write down everything I know about each card just off the top of my head, without referring to any books or anything else. By the end of the year I'd like to have all 78 cards done and then I'll have a permanent record of what I knew about tarot in 2010. I wish I had done this ten years ago. I just think it will be a great thing to have to look back on another ten years down the track.

I also plan to continue to teach my tarot workshops as long as I have an interested audience.

As for my collecting....I find I've got less and less decks that I actually want to buy these days. I know I'll buy more, and I won't feel at all guilty about it, but I'm being a lot more selective in the ones I do buy. I want to get the Flornoy Dodal at some point but other than that I don't have a lot on my wishlist, which is a good feeling.

Finally, less time on-line and more time actually spent working with my cards. This is going to be the hardest one for me!

Apologies for going on and on, I just really wanted to lay down a plan for what I'm doing this year so I can stay focused. Somehow posting these things in a public forum makes them seem SO much more real.

sapienza said:

Apologies for going on and on, I just really wanted to lay down a plan for what I'm doing this year so I can stay focused. Somehow posting these things in a public forum makes them seem SO much more real.

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Dear sapienza

Actually I do find your reflections really interesting, so I don't think that you are going on and on.

I can't do a IDS, because I can't stick to one deck. Therefore I'm doing a PDR with the ALchemical, and I've noticed that you have been written a lot in the Alchemical Tarot Study Group - which is highly valuable on my journey with this deck. Thanks for that.

So, this year I'd like to focus on my 'Big Three'. Not 'the' big three, but rather my own big three

1. Tarot de Marseille.
2. Thoth.
3. Mythic.

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To me that would be Alchemical, Tdm (Fournier) and The Universal Waite which I use for readings for others.

I have also set a little writing project for myself. My aim is to work through the deck one card at a time and write down everything I know about each card just off the top of my head, without referring to any books or anything else. By the end of the year I'd like to have all 78 cards done and then I'll have a permanent record of what I knew about tarot in 2010. I wish I had done this ten years ago. I just think it will be a great thing to have to look back on another ten years down the track.

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This sounds really exiting! A good project. Would like to hear more about that, if you feel like sharing.

I want to get the Flornoy Dodal at some point but other than that I don't have a lot on my wishlist, which is a good feeling.

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Well, that is one of my three on my wishlist.

I hope it is allright that I've commented specifically on your goals, I just find them inspiring and interesting.

Good luck, sapienza.