Intensive Deck Study Support Thread ~ Part 2

Hello everyone,

I have not been here since a long time (Don't have access to internet at home in the week right now).

I have worked this month with the Archeon, I hadn't that much time to study it, but i need some change.

Right now I am in a Victorian romantic mood. I consider doing a VR/BG IDS, VR in the day and BG in the night.
I will just think about it this weekend and begin my next IDS for my birthday.

Have a nice day!

rwcarter said:

sravana,
The technique looks interesting, but I'll have to explore that thread some more.
I don't see the first part (about not needing pictures) but I guess I'll have to look through that forum one of these days when I'm ready to approach the TdM!
(BTW, I do have my TdM ducks in a row as far as decks go for the day when I do decide to jump off the TdM cliff.... )
I'll be interested in following your progress with the TdM.
Rodney

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Hi Rodney,
You don't need pictures on the pips, because you are looking at them based on suit and number, rather than element. Though there is more to it than this, this post (http://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.php?p=1540307&postcount=332) explains Mel's determination of how positive or negative a card is. It's based on some astrological understanding, as well as his thoughts on the suits (which are not based on any kind of elemental attribution). For instance, Wands are usually thought of as positive, fire element, spirituality, creativity, and entrepreneurship - but in Mel's way of thinking, Batons are labor, working class, and things that take quite a bit of effort. So if you have pictures on your pips (think 4/Wands, for instance), you'll get a completely different take on them... because RWS-derived decks are based on the Golden Dawn - which in turn is related to Kaballah (something that I find completely unrelated to the CHRISTIAN origins of tarot, but don't get me started!)

I'm pretty psyched (can't you tell!) about this, particularly since I have a good amount of astrological knowledge - though Mel brings geomancy into the mix. He does explain it pretty well, though.

Hooked on TdM said:

I come humbly to ask a question of you all!
I did my own "home" IDS with my Camoin TdM. I started around May 20th and finished up July 19th. I want to do an IDS on every single deck I own. (Yes almost all are TdM's, not the point. LOL) I used the Camion exclusively, and even now I have not yet used another deck.
So.. now I am loathe to switch decks! It's almost that I'm afraid that I'll lose that connection I have built with it or something. But I still really want to do an IDS on each deck. I just can't get past this bump.
So HELP. Any suggestions?
Hooked

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Go for it, girlfriend! If you want to stick with the Camoin, by all means do that! No need for a time limit - this is a do-it-yourself study, so follow your impulse.
I was going to study the BBC for 3 months, but after a month found Mel's TdM method, and I haven't been so excited in my life. (well, you get the picture). I'm counting the days until my Hadar gets here.

sapienza said:

As a side note...I'm thinking of starting an IDS soon with the Thoth. I never thought I'd be uttering such words to be honest. I had a dream recently that basically said it was time for me to work with my Thoth, which I've had for about 8 years but never really connected with. It's really calling me now and so I'm investing in a new copy (to trim...I'm scared) and some books and hopefully soon I'll get to work.
Hope you are all doing well with you current IDS.
Best Wishes
Sapienza

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Go for it, Sapienza! I loved the Alchemical, but could never make heads or tails of it. It's a beautiful deck... and as for the Thoth - it could be interesting to use Scion's Liber T pdf with that deck. Might be really enlightening.

thorhammer said:

I've now got three Thoths one of which is trimmed (but not cornered ), another small one that's untrimmed, and a large one that came yesterday AND IS A GREENIE!!!! I'm so excited. But anyway. I digress. What I wanted to say is, I really would get a big one to trim. The details are so much better, and trimmed, the small one is teensy. The big one's images are larger than the whole smaller cards, and they'd be sooo awesome trimmed.\m/ Kat

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I used to have a Greenie, and got rid of it before I learned that it was supposed to be a big deal. I thought it looked like hell! lol
re: trimming - I think a trimmed large Thoth would be just the right size. I have a smaller one, and if I trimmed it, it would be teeny... way beyond pocket-sized. Of course, it wouldn't be as spooky (oogada boogada!) as the large one..

Skimo said:

Hello everyone,

I have not been here since a long time (Don't have access to internet at home in the week right now).

I have worked this month with the Archeon, I hadn't that much time to study it, but i need some change.

Right now I am in a Victorian romantic mood. I consider doing a VR/BG IDS, VR in the day and BG in the night.
I will just think about it this weekend and begin my next IDS for my birthday.

Have a nice day!

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Happy soon-to-be birthday, Skimo!
That sounds like a regular Magic Realist Press extravaganza!

Skimo said:

Right now I am in a Victorian romantic mood. I consider doing a VR/BG IDS, VR in the day and BG in the night.
I will just think about it this weekend and begin my next IDS for my birthday.

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I bought the VR. On first pass, it didn't do a whole lot for me in and of itself. But as I looked at each card and imagined its dark sister, I could see using the VR in conjunction with the Bohemian Gothic. So I wish you well on your new IDS and look forward to the insights you find from studying/using both decks together.

Rodney

sravana said:

You don't need pictures on the pips, because you are looking at them based on suit and number, rather than element. Though there is more to it than this, this post (http://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.php?p=1540307&postcount=332) explains Mel's determination of how positive or negative a card is. It's based on some astrological understanding, as well as his thoughts on the suits (which are not based on any kind of elemental attribution).

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Interesting. And I'm sure that there's method to what appears to be madness.... I'll have to explore that thread in more depth when I'm ready to explore non-scenic pips (whether TdM or not).

sravana said:

I'm pretty psyched (can't you tell!) about this, particularly since I have a good amount of astrological knowledge - though Mel brings geomancy into the mix. He does explain it pretty well, though.

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I have a book on Geomancy by Franz Hartmann put out by Ibis Press. The layout on the cover bears some resemblance to Mel's reading technique that you referred to in an earlier post.

Good luck!

Rodney

rwcarter said:

Interesting. And I'm sure that there's method to what appears to be madness.... I'll have to explore that thread in more depth when I'm ready to explore non-scenic pips (whether TdM or not).

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I think it's a great thread to bookmark - completely turned *my* head inside out.

rwcarter said:

I have a book on Geomancy by Franz Hartmann put out by Ibis Press. The layout on the cover bears some resemblance to Mel's reading technique that you referred to in an earlier post.

Good luck!

Rodney

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I googled Hartmann on amazon, and came up with this: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&tag...ncy by Franz Hartmann&sourceid=Mozilla-search

I see the book you're describing - and now I'm wondering if Melancholic has any thoughts on those books.
Mercy. Just what I need - more books that I haven't read yet!

Thanks sapienza and sravana! I am going to stick with my Camoin for awhile. I am going to focus on doing readings and try to get more stranger, face to face readings on the go. I think for study I will sit back and read the pile of books I have waiting for me and get those all caught up. Thanks so much for the encouragement and the personal experiences!

Hooked

Didn't realize he'd written more than one book on the subject! Sorry. The one I have is #7 on the list that comes up for me - Geomancy: A Method for Divination.

sravana said:

Mercy. Just what I need - more books that I haven't read yet!

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I have over 300 tarot books, and you can be certain that I haven't read them all yet! I'd be surprised if I've read 10% of them! I have my own personal library for research purposes. That's my story and I'm sticking with it!

Rodney

Offering readings to IDSers

After 4-1/2 months of study, I'm ready to start reading for others with my IDS deck. To that end, I've started a Readings Exchange thread here. I've reserved three readings for IDSers (from round 1 or 2). Any readings that aren't claimed after a week will be opened up to other people who might want them.

Swing by if you're interested.

Rodney

Psyched about Hadar..

OMG, I'm really psyched about using the Hadar TdM.
I got the deck yesterday, and spent about an hour last night going through the deck card by card and comparing it to my Fournier TdM and my LS Tarots of Bologna (a really sweet repro deck which I think is OOP) http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/ancient-bologna/
Oh, no, it's not OOP - you can still get it from Alida as Antichi Tarocchi Bolognesi. I highly recommend it! I'd get a second copy of it if I had the extra $$$. The nice thing about that deck is NO HIDEOUS KEYWORDS, and the backs are not a copy of one of the cards. Very nice backs. It's narrower than the current LS decks, and there is no LB - just a series of about 8 cards with keywords for each card printed on them in several languages.

I did not take notes (as I was sitting in bed ). I love the sweet, friendly expressions on the TdBologna faces, but when comparing them with the 2 TdMs, it was obvious that there was more to dig into with the TdMs.

Hadar Pros: great cardstock! Nice and flexible, and the edges aren't sharp, so no painful thumbs when riffle shuffling. Subdued coloration, with lovely shaded colors. The blue is a periwinkle, the yellow is a muted goldenrod, the red is a deep subdued red, and the green is a rich green. Actually, looking at the Wheel of Fortune in better light, I see that there are a couple of reds and a couple of greens - I didn't notice that last night. The images are clear and bold, a very nice restoration. The background white is a parchment color, so once again the contrast is lessened in a very pleasing way. There is a stark white border, but it's quite thin and less than noticeable. I won't be trimming this deck. The layout is perfect.
Hadar Cons: I wish that the black outlines of the images had been thinner, because when the lines are close together you end up with a much darker area, and it's noticeable (particularly the eyes and mouths). I would have liked the cards to be a wee bit smaller, so that spreads don't take up so much room. That being said, they are very comfortable to shuffle with my small hands.

I'm reading R. O'Neill's Tarot Symbolism as the beginning of my studies, and the TdM forum. I also bought the Huson Mystical Origins of the Tarot. While on my a.m. walk I decided to let the deck choose a trump to study first, and the first trump to show up was the Wheel of Fortune. I'm not likely to be journaling on these cards, rather just immersing myself in the forums and books, and reading the cards several times a week.

ETA: I also looked at all that Hadar courts together, and they started speaking to me in a different way. It was the beginning of a more intuitive understanding of the courts, which works way better for me than the Golden Dawn "fire of fire" etc.

I'm once again considering calling an early end to my IDS with the Housewives... I'll use this thread to list my pro and contra reasons, in the hopes that someone might say something to help me resolve this (no, I have no idea what eaxctly would be helpful, sorry).

Reasons for ending my Housewives IDS early
- I can't help feeling a lack of depth in that deck, no matter how surprisingly direct, "accurate," and/or humorous some of its answers are.
- I'm starting to get bored with the imagery. I've started missing some of my other decks. Suddenly, even the not-so-favorites seem awfully exciting... I also gladly accepted the temptation to do a Lughnasadh reading for my partner with the DruidCraft. And I find myself clicking on an awful lot of other deck links these days.
- I start to doubt the general value of an IDS with the Housewives, of all decks. Am I wasting my precious time when I could also spend it IDSing with the DruidCraft, the Camoin TdM, or maybe even the Manara? Should I maybe finally buy an International Icon Tarot and get back to the original "One Deck Wonder" idea? So may decks seem so much more worthy of IDSing them...
- And what's the point of doing an IDS at this time, anyway? As if I was in a situation where I could devote much time to doing anything besides earning money and writing my MA thesis! (Oh, and there's that relationship and that household and a million other things that I probably should do...)

Reasons for continuing the IDS with the Housewives
- I made a pledge and feel obliged to keep it. Come on, Cat, it's not that much longer. You can do it.
- Besides, focus is good for you. Remember how you felt when you couldn't decide what deck to read with? When all of them seemed boring?
- An IDS gives me a wonderful excuse to daily handle my cards, read on AT, and spend time on things that are more fun than my job and thesis.
- My boredom might be mainly a result of the daily readings - which of course do not offer spectacular insights each and every time I pull my three cards - not of the deck itself. (I haven't done dailies before, so I have no comaprison how they work for me with other decks. I still like reflecting on my days with my cards, however.)
- I still haven't done much actual study besides that very first attempt when I was last thinking about giving up the IDS (see post #367 in this thread). So I haven't really given the deck a chance to "be more interesting."
- All this desire to escape might just be what I need to get through to, well, get through to the other side. (Should I get out some of my old Doors tapes to motivate me? )
- Maybe I just need to modify my pledge/approach to the deck in some way that makes it more "deep," or, failing that, at least makes it more fun and ess boring? (But how?!)

I really don't know what arguments I find more convincing. My feeling goes back and forth just about every other day. Maybe I should head over to the Reading Exchanges and have someone else do a reading for me...

*sigh*

Thanks for listening, though.