One Deck Wonder Resurrected

Carla said:

Precisely what I'm doing. Trying to get my head around Golden Dawn!!

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Good luck, it's certainly a challenge that will work best if you are focused on one or two decks. It's great timing for you after working with the Thoth as well.

Entering my second month of the ODW! It's been fabulous so far, and I've really enjoyed everyone's company on this journey. I can hardly believe I've been working with only two decks and am not getting anywhere near being remotely tired of either of them. I occasionally think about other decks but don't have any real trouble leaving them in the boxes. Every card, every day, even the repeats, feels fresh and new and always applicable to the day. I the ODW and I all of you!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE the Nigel Jackson tarot??? I am SO enjoying working with this deck that I've surprised myself. I am quite convinced that if it wasn't for the different elemental correlations (ie. Swords are Fire, Staves are Air) that this deck would be one of the most popular decks ever. The artwork and colouring are gorgeous and the Majors are the best I've seen in any modern deck. I may be a bit biased of course. It's just lucky for me that I've come around to the Swords-Fire thing and in fact now I can't even imagine using any other system. If someone had told me a few years ago that this would be the case I would have thought they were crazy. Funny how things can change.

Hope everyone else is going well with the ODWs.

sapienza, it's good to hear that you are enjoying the Nigel Jackson. It's a wonderful deck. Personally, I don't have a problem with switching the elements between decks. For me, it's all about feeling it. When I look at the Nigel Jackson swords, I feel heat, the wands, breeze.

Right now, I feel like I'm teetering on the edge of ending my ODW. I feel strongly, however, that this is the period I've been waiting for -- the test. Usually, it comes within days or even minutes of taking a pledge to stick with one deck. This time, though, I've lasted weeks. Wait a minute! Did I just type "lasted"? I should have typed enjoyed! That would be more accurate. I've felt immense enjoyment until the past few days. So, I'm hanging in there today, waiting to see what happens. Can I do something with my attitude?!

Madame Squee said:

Right now, I feel like I'm teetering on the edge of ending my ODW. I feel strongly, however, that this is the period I've been waiting for -- the test. Usually, it comes within days or even minutes of taking a pledge to stick with one deck. This time, though, I've lasted weeks. Wait a minute! Did I just type "lasted"? I should have typed enjoyed! That would be more accurate. I've felt immense enjoyment until the past few days. So, I'm hanging in there today, waiting to see what happens. Can I do something with my attitude?!

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If you WANT to hang in there, hang in there!!! And it sounds like you really do want to. Maybe ask the cards if there's something you can do to change your attitude, or make the process feel fresher again?

Madame Squee, you might also try amending your original one-year mission statement to something much shorter or do as I did and say "for as long as I feel like it." I think if you try the latter, you might find that, perversely, the freedom ends up causing you to "feel like" continuing your use of the deck.

Also feel free to not do anything with the deck for a few weeks--again, until you feel like it. ODW is not a marathon training program--or at least, it need not be unless you want it to be so. For me, it's more, "Whenever I do go running, my running partner is predetermined."

Chiriku said:

Madame Squee, you might also try amending your original one-year mission statement to something much shorter or do as I did and say "for as long as I feel like it." I think if you try the latter, you might find that, perversely, the freedom ends up causing you to "feel like" continuing your use of the deck.

Also feel free to not do anything with the deck for a few weeks--again, until you feel like it. ODW is not a marathon training program--or at least, it need not be unless you want it to be so. For me, it's more, "Whenever I do go running, my running partner is predetermined."

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Very good points, Chiriku, as usual

I've noticed a few people who have ended their ODWs only to return a day or two later saying they just couldn't stop thinking about the ODW deck. Maybe setting it aside for a while and giving yourself the freedom NOT to use it is just the ticket!

I love the "running partner" metaphor!

Thank you for your support and ideas! You guys are great!

I love the running-partner metaphor, too! It makes me wonder, though... If Tarot is my running partner, who is Lenormand?

For right now, I'd like to go ahead now and amend the ending of my original ODW pledge to coincide with my grandmother's birthday on April 10. That's a 45-day journey with the Illuminated Tarot.

I should be back soon with my next ODW plan. It might be the Illuminated, or it might be something else.



ETA:

I've decided to test the Cosmic Tarot in the Deck of the Week thread. I've been there 24 hours. So far, so good...

Ok, where to begin. About a week ago I decided to finally undertake the task of taking my tarot collection out of boxes and moving them (decks and books) into a new home. I have to say that the process of doing that has been somewhat of a challenge to my ODW. I've still been doing daily draws with the Nigel Jackson, but a lot of my time has been spent looking through other decks. Just the process of doing that launched me into a frenzy of looking at new decks on-line, updating my wish-list....you know how it goes. I feel like I've come back to normal now but am questioning the choice to do a ODW. I'm feeling like my tarot practice is very rigid and I'm wanting to get a bit more flexibility to be able to adapt to different systems between different decks, if that makes sense. I'd also like to challenge myself with the task of trying to learn to like the RWS deck and actually be able to read with it. But, there is no way I could commit to a ODW with that deck so I'm not sure what to do at this stage. I'm really loving the Nigel Jackson and it's definitely the deck I come back to for serious readings, but I have enjoyed playing around with other decks too. I guess having been away from tarot for quite a long time made it easy at first to stick with one deck, but now is making it harder. Anyway, I'm going to see how I go over the next week or so before I make a final decision. Feeling a bit of a failure but then I never was very good at sticking to things. I know I COULD continue on and stick with it, just not sure it's what I WANT at the moment.

Sapienza, stick with it a while longer. Just tuck the other decks away. They will still be there, and your fondness for the Nigel Jackson will come back when those other decks are all abed.

For myself, I am quite happy with Cosmic Tarot and Golden Dawn Magical Tarot. When my ODW is up at Summer Solstice, I'm already thinking of my next deck. I think I'll do Ancient Italian Tarot.