The Process, Chapter 1, "Beginnings" Study

So this study group is starting to roll. Let's look at chapter one. There is a lot of material here.

Two favorite quotes for me from this chapter:
"Music? Are you going to be singing the readings?"
"History will come later."


At 27 minutes, it is the longest chapter in the book.


Dan looks at many things.

the slippery nature of tarot history

"established" meanings, pros and cons

reading from your voice primarily, written meanings secondarily

the magic inside you (not from the ink and paper)

"overreading"

starting simple on spreads

There's a rich body of concepts to explore and discover, all of it, as far as I can see, is empowering.

Perhaps the best requests Dan makes of the learner are that they consider these two questions.

"Why do you want to read tarot?"

and

"Why do they come to us?"

The value of these questions is enormous.

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

Looking at my notes, one of the first points I thought was interesting and sparked more thought is the fact that the perception of archetypes has changed over the years. For instance, society's perception of a father or a mother have changed tremendously over the centuries since Tarot was born. And then, bringing it out further, each individual's perception of a father or a mother differs. So it would pay to go through the deck and write in your journal just what each archetype means to you personally, in this day and age. That's going to make a big difference in how you read each card in readings for your sitters. It also warrants a lot of thought as to how your sitter will perceive each archetype because you're going to have differences with the sitter. You could spend a week on just this one point, writing it all down in your journal.

Too busy or too much in a hurry to get stalled on this one point? Maybe you're not willing to get on your knees in the mud and muck, then.

Coming back to add that I didn't mean you specifically, Karl. I was using "you" in a generic way.

muck

Hey G.

I agree. (and didn't take that to mean me only.) Is it in this chapter that Dan speaks of the Queen of Swords, and the old "Pictoral Key" assigned meaning of "Divorced Woman"?

Divorced Woman back in the day = Major Stigma, rare creature
Divorced Woman today = about half of the women alive here.

mmmmmmmm, yes, card meanings are, like life, changing constantly.

This mucking you speak of is very worthwhile. In fact, I shelved all of my other tarot books when I first listened to this program, making myself ignore them until I'd written my own meanings for every card in my primary reading deck. I was very happy with what emerged, and see this process as worth repeating with other decks as well.

Your point about 'taking it further: how the sitter will view the image' interests me, especially as I am in a time of trying to listen as much as I can during readings. Can we be so blunt as to ask them?

When I have the courage to ask "What do you read here?" I am always impressed with how Much the sitters want to play. Is this abdication, interaction, or both? What are some of the best ways to draw sitters out on what they see in the cards?

Maybe you haven't run across one yet, but if you ask your sitter what a card means to them, sometimes they think you're trying to get them to give you information so you can cold read. I hate when that happens! But if your sitter isn't one of those, it might be interesting to ask them what they see in a card. That's an interesting addition to the reading as long as they don't take it wrong.

In addition to what I said in that last post, I think when you're going through the deck and writing about it in your journal, it would be good to do a little research into what the card would have meant in the days when Tarot was first invented and compare to see the differences.

Absolutely. I also find most people who sit down are more than a little interested in hearing some of the history of a given card, and how it compares to my read on it, for them, today. The MO for this is, naturally, "headlines only!".

Listening to the First Chapter and typing what strikes me most, then commenting on it.

"They come to you to touch magic by proxy, whether or not this is your intention."

I have never seen it like this...and was immediately "Hmmmm....." once I heard it. Tarot readers are often seen as psychic, even if the reader has none or untapped psychic ability (Such as in The Skeptic when Dan mentioned sitters typically say "Virgo or Libra" instead of the date since we all should know those dates.) I am developing my psychic feeling and have it used in a reading once...it scared me. But I am learning how to use my abilities to aid others...I believe this to be my own path.

"If you come to me I am NOT an entertainment source."

I love how Dan can mix being "tough" and "understanding" into one sentence. His posts mostly come off as being unforgiving and uncaring...yet you know he has only the best intentions with every word. "Tough love" I suppose is what they call this. I encourage sitters to shuffle the cards and to give me their own feedback. My brother (older, lot less knowledgable into this realm) enjoyed thoroughly the exercise in which you pick a significator from the courts and how you innately pick the one you feel you are even without book meanings.

I finally understood the "Pen runs, and pencil erases" and why he always uses pencil. I never really understood it since I've been raised on using pen since it cannot be erased and therefore permanent...once it is written it is there. Even if the ink ran, the words are still in the puddle of ink.

"If it is not tangible, then it is a sham."

This is how I have felt all my life. Growing up I always felt there was "more" than the laws of science and math, yet I always excelled in these fields. And is the thing that tears me up with friends, family and those I do not know. I am aware of such much more than what they can see yet I understand that everyone must become aware of these things in their own way and time so I stay still...yet remain open so when that time is here, my wisdom can be ready. Such as my mother, I asked her if she thought she was psychic. "No, definately not." "Well then...have you ever heard a voice...someone calling your name but when you looked no one was there...only to find that someone called you about 20 seconds later? Have you ever felt that a room was "tense" just by walking into it learning later a verbal fight took place not too long ago." "Yes! I have." "Well then, you have had psychic experiences. These things not quite explained by science yet everyone has them and cannot be explained. This is proof to you that there COULD be something more." "Why...I suppose." My mother is open minded in nature but close-actioned. She was brought up all her life with the "soothsayers, psychics, tarot is devil work." but when I explain to her what it truly is...she understands. But cannot "accept" it because of her upbringing. Occasionally she will ask me about things of mystery...and nothing makes me happier.

"All murders ate candy bars and drank milk as children."

Just found this point interesting, yet true. Many people see murderers, criminals as "less than human, evil creatures" but fail to realize that murderers were good-natured children with hopes and dreams at one point too...I always wonder what caused them to take this path...

"Why do you want to read Tarot?"
This is to be answered in my three page essay to be written. But the basics are:
To aid others
To progress down my spiritual journey
To reveal to others there is more in life than what is seen
To be one more REAL tarot reader and not grant us readers a further bad name.

"And when you see them...their future is laid out before you. I'm going to understand you to the core of your soul..." "And it'll scare you. It should."

I corrolate this with my experience with a sitter a few weeks ago. She wanted to know how her life path was going..to know if she was on the right path. I did a 7 card Past (2 card) Present (3 card) Future (2 card) for her, as I felt this was most appropriate. The first card I turn was Queen of Cups. I immediately felt a welling of sadness and shed a tear before I caught myself and told her "You are coming from a history of depression...aren't you..." 'How...why are you crying? How did you know that?' "Well...when I flipped it over I felt this overwhelming sense of sadness...unknowing where to go and what to do...being crushed by sadness." 'That is where I am coming from...you have opened my eyes.' It may not have been her future, but it was her past and it WAS scary. It opened my eyes more than it did her I feel. (This can be found in Your Readerings if interested.)

This chapter was interesting and ear/mind opening. I cannot wait for the rest...but the 3 page essay first!

Aurelious said:

This chapter was interesting and ear/mind opening. I cannot wait for the rest...but the 3 page essay first!

Click to expand...

"Why do you read Tarot?" ..... I'm still answering that one months after I heard the lesson.... Dan certain raises great questions.

He & the course has made me, I hope, a better reader.

Mac22

Though I've listened to this chapter at least 4 times this past week, I still find it way too much info to try to condense and respond to here. So, I'll just make a few comments.

Overall, I really think "The Process" is resonating with me because I have grown up with a sense of most of the things Dan is touching on fundamentally. The underlying essense of the type of spirituality I believe in runs through his words, so most of this isn't shocking to me and it isn't hard to wrap my mind around it, it's more like validation, a sign that I'm on the right track, and maybe I SHOULD be reading Tarot for others. But I still have to learn to read.

"Learning the cards and learning to read are two different things". Yep, they are. I think I've got the learning the cards part down, so now I'm learning to read.

This particular sentence:

"They come to you to touch magic by proxy, whether or not this is your intention."

is the one that I have known since I picked up my first deck, and the one that kept me from venturing out further. The responsibility of this is huge. I don't want to screw it up. Yes, I know all of the "trust yourself" speeches, but I have to know I'm really, REALLY ready before I start advising others. Yet- I can't grow if I stay in a small pot. Touche, Dan.

One of the things I picked up on and I liked hearing the most is:
"You won't read like me, you'll read like you". It took me a long time to realize that, so I think it's great for those just starting out to hear that. We aren't trying to emulate others, but find ourselves.

Remember when it was first announced that "The Process" would be available only in an audio version? People cried out, "but I need a book, why can't you give us a book, too, etc, etc..." Knowing Dan,(well, as much as I can know a person through words on a screen and the vibes they emit) I knew there was a reason for this, and I knew just to trust him and people would figure it out. Don't you get the feeling here that Dan is encouraging us to write our own book? Isn't that the point of it all? I rushed to scribble down sentences that I wanted to read over and over. I stopped the recording and replayed it until I got what I needed. Writing things down makes us participate in our own learning, it binds us to our own process, it gives us power over our own outcome.

I wrote my 3 pages about why I want to read tarot last week. I think, for the most part, I want to be able to empower others to find their own solutions, to give them the confidence that they can pull themselves out of any given situation if they look at it from another angle. There is always hope, at least, I think there is.

Oh- "Know thyself" on the Temple at Delphi- is the message for the Oracle, or for the sitter? This made me laugh. I often use quotes as signatures, tape up fortune cookie messages, print out and tape up sayings in places where I can remind myself of things I need to work on, internally. I often wondered if people pass by my desk at work and think the messages are directed at them? They are for me, to know myself, to recognize what I need to work on and remind myself of it until I get it right

There are so many messages woven throughout this one chapter. The messages aren't lost on me, I just didn't figure everyone would want to read my entire book

Aurelious said:

"If you come to me I am NOT an entertainment source."

Click to expand...

Speaking strictly as a professional, I'm an entertainment source if that's what you want.

Ok, sorry I am a little late with some thoughts on this chapter, but better late than never. My first thought, why Raven?? Why make an offering to Raven? Any thoughts on that?


Now, I have been wrestling with the question why do I want to read. I did my 3 full pages (front and back) and am quite satisfied with the answer, which is personal. But it does have to do with taking off the mask or masks that maybe we do wear. We need to truthful with ourselves (or myself perhaps) before we can offer what people look for in us,....the truth in the form of a message.

More to come,...

PS. I know,....I haven't answered the question,.....yet.