Intensive Deck Study Support Thread ~ Part 2

Scion

Approaching the end of the 2nd official IDS and I'm stronger than ever with the Liber T.

Even while I was on my annual rough drafting sabbatical out in the boonies I kept my Liber T screensaver rotating... which continued to be uncannily accurate about what was going on back in the "real" world AND helped me with the writing i was doing. I really recommend this screensaver trick with your IDS deck of choice you get to where the deck beecomes the fabric of your day.

Still grinding out my pages for the larger Book thing which was inspired by (but not focussed on the Liber T, but rather Book T :D) 150ish pages. And pretty readable actually. St8ill a biut of a hodgepodge and I slacked off greatly during the time I was drafting this summer's rom-com, but I'm slogging away at it. :thumbsup:

Far as I can see, reading is the best kind of studying. In a way that's the kernel out of which all the other "formal" study springs. The one thing I'll say to those who are losing steam or "bored" with their IDS decks is to think about ways that you can break the deck open with some tangentialy related material. I never get bored with the Liber T because it draws on such a complex and rich esoteric loam. There is literally no end to the topics I can dig into if I start to feel like I'm hitting the wall. So it's a little bit like walking through a palace that's being constructed and expanded around me. I'll never run out of rooms... :)

I know that the "go with the flow" advice is popular, but as a fairly frequent teacher I'm in the opposite camp. Only my opinion of course, but I tend to think that if we all go with the flow, we end up in puddles. Action and attention are always the answer. There is something to be said for sticking it out and pushing yourself to find the new approach that takes you to the next level. If you can unearth the hidden surprises you may push through to something unexpected, wonderful and transformative, not just for Tarot but for Life. Mastery is a gauntlet, not a guarantee.



End of soapbox. :)

Just wannted to pop in and say that ithe IDS continues to be amazing for me. And I can't really imagine reading with another deck. I know I could, but why?!

X

S
 

SolSionnach

Hooked on TdM said:
Hehe, not really but thanks for trying! I did put them away though, after my son had a look at them! ;) He had to throw in a little jibe.. hehe.. asked how many decks do you have now, I only have two you know.. LMAO... Okay. back to the Swiss..

Mantra: Swiss, Swiss, I love Swiss.. Swiss, Swiss, I love Swiss...

Hooked

Well, Rodney spanked me for tempting you (yes, I was *bad* ;))
Of COURSE you only have 2! TdM + the Celtic Tarot + 1JJ...oops.

You love Swiss!! You love Swiss!! You love Swiss!!

I just got my Holitzka I Ching deck, and boy will it take a lot of study. I'd have to get out my Wilhelm (is that right?) I Ching book and make notes in the LB - all the names of the hexagrams are different from what I'm used to.

But that is a task for another day... if I ever get to the bottom of plumbing the depths of the TdM. Not likely ever, eh? ;)
 

SolSionnach

::snip::
Cat* said:
As I've posted in this thread before, I've thought about giving up my IDS, too, but I'm still doing my dailies and have also started participating in exchanges again. Maybe I'm just a learning-by-doing person. Maybe my way of doing this IDS is exactly the right thing (even when it gets boring at times) - I'm looking at the cards in context every time I look at them.

And now that I'm thinking about that, I realize that maybe I haven't done any single card studying (as in taking out a card, looking at it and writing some more or less coherent paragraphs about it, preferably to be posted in the appropriate study group) because my cards actually don't "mean" much to me - unless they are applied to a question, a situation, a position, a context of other cards int the spread.... Hm, that would explain a lot!

So, how about hanging out with me here in IDS limbo-land for some more time? ;)
I love what you wrote here, Cat*. I think that's what deep-sixed my BBC IDS - I wasn't reading enough, and perhaps there wasn't enough there to do a detailed card-by-card study without getting bored.
Scion said:
Approaching the end of the 2nd official IDS and I'm stronger than ever with the Liber T.
Way to go, Scion! ::snip::
Scion said:
Far as I can see, reading is the best kind of studying. In a way that's the kernel out of which all the other "formal" study springs. The one thing I'll say to those who are losing steam or "bored" with their IDS decks is to think about ways that you can break the deck open with some tangentialy related material. I never get bored with the Liber T because it draws on such a complex and rich esoteric loam. There is literally no end to the topics I can dig into if I start to feel like I'm hitting the wall. So it's a little bit like walking through a palace that's being constructed and expanded around me. I'll never run out of rooms... :)
Which is exactly how I feel about the TdM. There is so much "there" there; there is no end to where you can go with it. I've been plunging into the TdM/History forums here, and the amount of information is simply staggering. I'm sure that the same could be said for the RWS, Thoth, and Kabbalah forums, if folks want to really get deep into it with those decks. Between the forums and the internet in general, not to mention BOOKS, I don't think I'll ever get to the bottom of what's out there. And you just can't do that with the BBC, or any of a number of "theme" decks. Yes, you can read with them - the BBC reads great! - but study? I don't know.
Perhaps that's why folks end up bailing on their IDSs - I'm reminded how incredibly well afrosaxon did with the NOVT, but then found that the DotM didn't have enough "there" there to keep her interest... while Kat has gone on and on with Wheel of Change - that deck has it's own system that is marvelously detailed, and a lot to chew on. So one's choice of deck for this kind of study is *way* more important than we've considered - if one is going to do a deck *study*, there had better be a lot to study!
Scion said:
I know that the "go with the flow" advice is popular, but as a fairly frequent teacher I'm in the opposite camp. Only my opinion of course, but I tend to think that if we all go with the flow, we end up in puddles. Action and attention are always the answer. There is something to be said for sticking it out and pushing yourself to find the new approach that takes you to the next level. If you can unearth the hidden surprises you may push through to something unexpected, wonderful and transformative, not just for Tarot but for Life. Mastery is a gauntlet, not a guarantee.



End of soapbox. :)
Stands and applauds! :party:
Scion said:
Just wannted to pop in and say that ithe IDS continues to be amazing for me. And I can't really imagine reading with another deck. I know I could, but why?!

X

S
:heart:s and flowers to you, dude!
 

thorhammer

NOTE: I'm not having a go - you know I think you're very wise and knowledgeable and have boundless respect for you.
Scion said:
Far as I can see, reading is the best kind of studying. In a way that's the kernel out of which all the other "formal" study springs. The one thing I'll say to those who are losing steam or "bored" with their IDS decks is to think about ways that you can break the deck open with some tangentialy related material. I never get bored with the Liber T because it draws on such a complex and rich esoteric loam. There is literally no end to the topics I can dig into if I start to feel like I'm hitting the wall. So it's a little bit like walking through a palace that's being constructed and expanded around me. I'll never run out of rooms... :)

I know that the "go with the flow" advice is popular, but as a fairly frequent teacher I'm in the opposite camp. Only my opinion of course, but I tend to think that if we all go with the flow, we end up in puddles. Action and attention are always the answer. There is something to be said for sticking it out and pushing yourself to find the new approach that takes you to the next level. If you can unearth the hidden surprises you may push through to something unexpected, wonderful and transformative, not just for Tarot but for Life. Mastery is a gauntlet, not a guarantee.
I just wanted to say that while you make a good point, the rest of us are not necessarily natural or trained scholars, as you seem to be. For some of us, research and study come very hard to us. This is a matter of habit as much as natural tendency, as I have noticed my own propensity for study is now much less than it was when I was doing my Science degree, when I lived and breathed study. Now, it's harder. Study just is too close to work and it is hard to enjoy it unless I'm in the right frame of mind.

And that is what the "go with the flow" advice boils down to :). Some of us need to wait out the cycle to be able to get anywhere because forcing it results in the opposite effect to that desired - we drive ourselves away from our goal.

As I said, not having a go, I just wanted to let you know how it is from a mere mortal's perspective :D

I got the PDF, btw, thanks :) It's huge!!! And I'm excited; I've printed it out at work and I'm about to go down to the report prep area to use the binder (there are some perks to working in an office!) and then I'm going to put it away until I've finished with the WoC. Which I can feel will be happening sometime soon ;) End of the cycle approaching, you know? ;)

:heart:

\m/ Kat
 

Disa

Thanks, Rodney! :)


Cat* said:
To be honest, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who is "just" reading with their IDS deck. :)

Actually, now that I think about it, if I had to pick between the two, I'd rather be "just" reading (and learn about my cards as I go along) than I would be "just" studying my cards (and not reading). Which is not to say that I think that either of these generally is better than the other or that other IDSers aren't combining the two quite beautifully.

As I've posted in this thread before, I've thought about giving up my IDS, too, but I'm still doing my dailies and have also started participating in exchanges again. Maybe I'm just a learning-by-doing person. Maybe my way of doing this IDS is exactly the right thing (even when it gets boring at times) - I'm looking at the cards in context every time I look at them.

And now that I'm thinking about that, I realize that maybe I haven't done any single card studying (as in taking out a card, looking at it and writing some more or less coherent paragraphs about it, preferably to be posted in the appropriate study group) because my cards actually don't "mean" much to me - unless they are applied to a question, a situation, a position, a context of other cards int the spread.... Hm, that would explain a lot!

So, how about hanging out with me here in IDS limbo-land for some more time? ;)

Ok, lets! Limbo land looks good to me.

The thing is, I've studied cards for years, it's time to apply what I've learned to see if I know anything at all. The only way I can do that is to just do it. I think it's the natural progression of things for me. I was afraid to read without knowing the basics in the beginning, now that I have a pretty good foundation, I have to go further. I totally get what you're saying, Cat.
 

rwcarter

Disa said:
The thing is, I've studied cards for years, it's time to apply what I've learned to see if I know anything at all. The only way I can do that is to just do it. I think it's the natural progression of things for me. I was afraid to read without knowing the basics in the beginning, now that I have a pretty good foundation, I have to go further. I totally get what you're saying, Cat.
Disa,

Do what I did - offer readings in the Personal Readings and/or Readings and Exchanges Forum(s). I've done two so far and have gotten very self-empowering feedback about the readings I've done. Number three (and the largest yet at 16 cards) is tonight. (So why am I on the forums? Decompressing after a long, hard day at work. A glass of wine's going to help that too. Then I'll do the shuffling and laying out of the cards even if I don't get the interpretation finished. ;))

Rodney
 

Scion

thorhammer said:
As I said, not having a go, I just wanted to let you know how it is from a mere mortal's perspective :D
Not at all... I totally understand and I take it exactly as you intended. The thing is what I'm describing above is more of an ideal, but it's also a position gets VERY little airplay in the purple fields of AT so every once in a while I think it's worth tossing it out there. :D

I totally respect people's ability to know when enough is enough, but at the same time I think that that breaking point is also another name for the boundary of the exercise. I think anything that people do by way of paying attention and challenging themselves will have benefits. It's the scale of the benefit that shifts based on that line.

There's a great anecdote about the Russian swimteam that's applicable. About a decade ago, one brilliant coach realized that if the Olympic swimmers trained when they were feeling happy and healthy and rested, the end results (and their scores) were MUCH better than if they were forced to train like machines. Their progress was exponential, even though they weren't training as drastically and fiercely as they had been prior. In essence, he recognized that the "spirit" of the athlete had to be as present as the body. That being said, he then went on to make sure that every single member of the team transformed their life so that those grounded, inspoired days could come more frequently. It became their DUTY to make sure they were grounded as often and as deeply as possible. No wiggle room. So they stopped practicing like machines, but they had to take responsibility for making swimming the vital, enthusiastic cornerstone of their beings. Great lesson there, and (like I said) an ideal to which we can all aspire. :thumbsup:

Anyways, I hear you talking, sweet Kat. And please know that I wasn't finger-wagging, just gently reminding my fellow IDSers that if we always do what we always did, we always get what we always got. })

XOXO

S
 

thorhammer

Scion said:
And please know that I wasn't finger-wagging, just gently reminding my fellow IDSers that if we always do what we always did, we always get what we always got. })
I'm gonna type this out in huge font and put it up over my desk.

It might urge some imagination in this damn office :) }) and in myself . . .

\m/ Kat
 

Hooked on TdM

sravana said:
Well, Rodney spanked me for tempting you (yes, I was *bad* ;))
Of COURSE you only have 2! TdM + the Celtic Tarot + 1JJ...oops.

But that is a task for another day... if I ever get to the bottom of plumbing the depths of the TdM. Not likely ever, eh? ;)

Hehe actually by that count it would be four.. TdM+Grand Ettila+ Celtic+Gareth Knight.. ( I count the Swiss as a TdM, despite it's variations...)

No not likely! I'm thinking I have embarked on a course that could keep me going for a few lifetimes!

I did manage to study three cards today and do a daily draw... :) Back to the grind.. hehe

Hooked
 

Cat*

Scion said:
The one thing I'll say to those who are losing steam or "bored" with their IDS decks is to think about ways that you can break the deck open with some tangentialy related material.
I know thorhammer suggested something like this to me before, but maybe I just needed a repetition when my ears were actually open. ;) So, maybe I should get out Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" to go with my Housewives deck? That might sound quite non-tarot-ish, but it might indeed be just the thing for me... I'll go look for a copy at the library, I think. :)

I know that the "go with the flow" advice is popular, but as a fairly frequent teacher I'm in the opposite camp. Only my opinion of course, but I tend to think that if we all go with the flow, we end up in puddles. Action and attention are always the answer. There is something to be said for sticking it out and pushing yourself to find the new approach that takes you to the next level. If you can unearth the hidden surprises you may push through to something unexpected, wonderful and transformative, not just for Tarot but for Life. Mastery is a gauntlet, not a guarantee.

End of soapbox. :)
Soapbox to me anytime, Scion! Maybe it's that thing with the open ears on my part, but I really appreciate this advice - and believe it to be very true. Such challenges I can hardly resist, so now I feel really motivated... :D

thorhammer said:
Some of us need to wait out the cycle to be able to get anywhere because forcing it results in the opposite effect to that desired - we drive ourselves away from our goal.
Scion said:
I totally respect people's ability to know when enough is enough, but at the same time I think that that breaking point is also another name for the boundary of the exercise. I think anything that people do by way of paying attention and challenging themselves will have benefits. It's the scale of the benefit that shifts based on that line.
[...]
if we always do what we always did, we always get what we always got.
Thorhammer, thank you for sticking up for the ones who actually need a break so they can move forward after that.

Scion, thank you for still repeating what you intially said while incorporating thorhammer's perspective. And thanks for that last line. I'm tempted to print it out, too, to hang it over my desk. :D

And a general thanks for a great exchange of perspectives and approaches that managed to stay respectful all around. All of you have made my world a better place. :)