Same as Sapienza and Silverlotus, actually.
I don't think there's undue negativity, Grizabella, I think you just noticed a spate of bummed out posts 6 weeks in. Nature of the beast, I'd say. I'm probably more of a hardass about this than others, but I believe in something Mary Pickford once said, "
What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down."
For me it's been a totally positive experience and my "Page a Day" codicil has really paid off (in time for the Reader's Studio too
). Actually, since we started this I've had over 30 requests for my PDF because of people following the Liber T stuff in here. And as I revisit the material I've made more discoveries which in turn have fed the book project which in turn
... etc etc
From what I can tell, people seem to have struggled with the IDS when the deck they selected either conflicted directly with what they have going on in their lives (BG's dark worldview etc) or when they've felt stressed out by the prospect of setting up their own "course of study" without a sort of curriculum overview. When you add to that the challenge of being monogamous with a single deck while existing in a swirl of deck love and deck convos, I think it can be hard. But not negative.
Moreover, I think this speaks to a distinction betweeen the IDS and the One Deck Wonder. The International Icon is supported by every WS tarot book printed. It is completely stripped down to "pure" symbolism. With the IDS people selected decks based on whim, mood, passion or whatever. Those aren't necessarily the things that make for depth. There's no reason why it shouldn't be. But then we're back to what people want to do. I'm not saying this as a criticism but as an observation. Everyone CAN learn to read with any deck, but that doesn't mean they want to or they will. Any processs of improvement requires different things from different people and your mileage may vary. The important phrase there is
mileage may vary, and that can be as much a choice of your vehicle, your own stamina, and the road you travel.
If I remember correctly, the original ODW had the same issues. It's there in the threads if you check. Some people had transformative lifechanging experiences that changed the way they read and study Tarot. Some people got bored or claustro or "adulterous" with other decks before the finish line... and chucked it. But that's true of anything challenging: every marathon is littered with people on the sides yacking because they didn't want to go another step. When the student is ready, etc etc. For all I know, the people who have decided to be finished with the IDS got what they wanted out of it and felt ready to move on. By the same token, maybe they weren't getting ANYthing out of it because of habits, preconceptions, or circumstances. Either way, it isn't a gulag. No one is forced to learn anything, ever.
Totally positive for me. It's made me focussed, calm, and productive. Can't beat that with a stick.
Scion