Okay, with the (bad) family news that came in today, my IDS with the Housewives is definitely over. There's no need to stress myself out with stuff that isn't necessary at this time of my life.
I will, however, revisit my original IDS pledge and leave a few comments about what worked and what didn't. Maybe the new IDS people can get something out of it (or maybe not). At any rate, I felt that some official closure is in order.
Cat* said:
After some consideration, I decided to use my brand-new Housewives Tarot for an intensive deck study
. I believe this deck will be appropriate to study alongside the writing of my Master's thesis for the following reasons:
- They don't require me to learn a completely new system of cultural and spiritual symbols (unlike the DruidCraft or my also brand-new Jodo-Camoin Marseille - both of which are potential candidates for later IDSs when my time is less limited).
- I assume that their kitschy-campy perfecly-designed appearance is pseudo-superficial only and therefore expect them to provide not only an attitude of lighthearted fun but also a healthy dose of self-ironic humor and way more depth than the concept might suggest at first.
- My thesis topic is partly linked to the 1950s, so there might be interesting inspirations going back and forth between both of my areas of study/work.
- Last but not least, the idea of doing an in-depth study of a deck that usually seems to be considered a collector's item rather than a deck one can seriously use, fills my rebellious little non-housewifey heart with delighted curiosity
(after all, the Manara turned out to speak clearly and seriously to me, too!).
- I didn't have to learn a whole new system, but I believe that it might have been good if there had been some more "there" there. As is was, I found it difficult to find any suitable material to studay/read alongside the cards. And that got me bored.
- My assumptions about the tone of voice of the deck were correct. I often found it's ways of conveying a message quite entertaining. I also found it easy to verbalize the card messages/images. And it certainly went deep, although I would say that I got deeper readings from the Manara (for example). But that might be an unfair comparison because I never did dailies with the Manara and therefore my impression is probably biased.
- My thesis writing went slower than I'd thought, so the 1950s connection wasn't much of an issue, positively or negatively.
- I believe the not-so-serious "image" of the Housewives made it possible for me to even give the IDS idea a try. But to be honest, the deck didn't quite fulfill my expectations. (And yes, the Manara was one of the two decks that I had started to miss (although I haven't yet read with it again).)
Cat* said:
I therefore pledge the following:
- I will only use the Housewives Tarot from June 21 (possibly a few days earlier) until September 21.
- I will handle the cards daily. I will also make them a bag so I can take them with me whenever I go out to do anything that's not just grocery shopping.
- I will start with a three-card daily draw to look back on the day. If this turns out to cause me an unreasonable amount of stress, I will adjust the number of cards and/or readings.
- I will read for others, too, preferably face-to-face. When I do online readings, I will try not to spend excessive amounts of time on finding the perfect wording, especially not when that keeps me from otherwise studying the cards.
- I will start writing (in both English and German) about the cards in addition to my usual notes on readings. This writing will be by hand and in any form that seems suitable. My aim is to write something about each card.
- I will use any book or online resource that seems appropriate for this study, but I won't spend hours reading stuff on the internet instead of actually using the cards and/or writing about them. (Note to self: copying and pasting information does not count as writing. )
- When I participate in reading exchanges, I'm free to look at the cards the other person has drawn for me. When my tarot-beginner friend asks me to look at her (Universal Waite) cards with her and to give additional input to her readings, or if she offers to read for me with this deck, I'm free to agree.
- Other than that, I see no reason to look at other decks, especially not in online shops of any kind. If I still stumble across an interesting deck, I will make a note/bookmark for later consideration but I won't start googling or otherwise researching other decks during this IDS. I therefore don't expect to buy a new deck during the IDS, but if I still do, I will only check for completeness and then put it away.
- If any of these rules turns out to cause serious problems, I'm free to adjust them. The main point of this IDS (besides getting to know the Housewives Tarot, of course) is to provide a useful structure that enables me to have regular tarot time in a busy phase of my life.
- I started on June 16 and ended on August 12. Two months out of three ain't bad.
- I did handle the cards daily (and read daily), unless two or three days when I was seriously sick. The bag still isn't finished, however, and I stopped carrying them around to work after I realized that I didn't even look at them during work or on my way to/from work.
- I did a daily 3-carder (unless sick). That was one of the best things about the whole IDS and I plan to get back into that habit once the immediate family chaos has calmed down a bit.
- I hardly ever read for others, online or offline. I don't know how much time I spent on wording my readings, but I have the impression that it was appropriate.
- I didn't write anything besides the notes I took about the dailies. Still, it's more than half a notebook (DIN A5 format). Also, a very good practice. I intend to keep up taking notes.
- I spent quite a bit of time reading the AT forums. Much of it wasn't even related to my IDS. I guess, I'm just an ordinary information junkie and AT seems to satisfy and relax me more than watching TV.
- I haven't read with any other deck during the two months, except one time when I used the DruidCraft for a Lughnasadh reading for my partner. If available, I looked at all the cards from exchange readings.
- I've looked at plenty of other decks, too, when they came up in AT threads. I have added a few bookmarks and have checked Amazon prices/availabilities for two or three of them. I haven't bought a new tarot deck but I bought an oracle deck which I also did about three readings with.
- I didn't consciously adjust any of my rules. I didn't actually start "studying" any cards for quite a while (that is, looked at them outside of a reading) - and when I did, I got annoyed with the deck rather quickly. I guess that was the point where I realized that there wasn't enough stuff to actually study. I got way more out the deck when I just read with it and didn't try to find any "deeper system of meaning" behind it (I'm aware that it is largely RWS-derived, but somehow that didn't change anything about the perceived lack of "there").
All in all, it has been interesting to find out which parts worked and which parts I had difficulties with. I've come to the suspicion that I might just not be the type for systematic learning of any kind. I usually research things when I need them or pick them up in passing to remember them later when they're useful. The key practice for me seems to be to actually read with a deck as much as I can (which might be closer to the original idea of the One Deck Wonder than it is to the average IDS).
After the current family issues have settled a bit, and after I've played and read a bit with some other decks, I might indeed do an One Deck Reading Study or something with the Manara (since I've been talking about it so much...). I'll see.
Oh, and since I'm not sure how much attention I will pay to this thread in the future, does anyone else want to be the list-keeper for the IDSs? The current list in post #107 is up-to-date until the time of this posting to the best of my knowledge.
Thanks for posting in this thread, everyone. I enjoyed getting glimpses into your successes and struggles and deck changes and whatnot. It was also good to have a place where I could post my own difficulties, successes, and general IDS reflections.
