Intensive Deck Study Support Thread ~ Part 2

thorhammer

sravana ~ I'm finding it interesting to hear how you like the BBC for the very fact that it's not esoteric at all. It's high on my wishlist (I want the Gold Edn. :D) but I actively seek decks that have esoteric connections, and the last time I had an MRP tarot deck, I kept looking for the esotericism and got all frustrated when I couldn't find it :). I traded it away (VR). I don't miss it at all. You're making me think again about the BBCGold.

I'm onto the Eights, finally. I've been procrastinating something horrible lately *frowny face at Self* and have done nothing at all *sigh*. But this morning I'm sitting in my living room, following the Sun's track around because it's so damn cold, and I've typed up and augmented the notes I made months ago for the wonderful 8 of Swords. I don't get the Eights, for the most part. Same with the Nines. But I'll chip away at them, and hopefully within the next week they'll be embedded in my brain :) I'm noticing the difference in my readings between the cards I have "done" and the ones I haven't - I understand so much better after I've explored them. Sounds obvious, of course, but it just wasn't to me, before. Now I'm realising the value of this IDS all over again.

Nevertheless, I'm really looking forward to ending it. Not that that is helping to motivate me at all. *berates Self*

\m/ Kat
 

SolSionnach

Emily said:
Just keep an open mind with the artwork, some of it looks strange but once you get to the heart of the deck, it seems to all fall into place. I'm into my 10th month with the Liber T and I'm still as fascinated with it as I was at the start of my study. :)
Thanks, Emily (I knew that you'd chime in on this!). My plan is to not even unwrap it right now - I'm just going to put it in the drawer with my other boxed decks (as opposed to the ones in bags), and leave it there until I have Scion's unfinished book in my hands. :) *Then* I will take it out and see what's what... unless I change my mind, of course! ;)
thorhammer said:
sravana ~ I'm finding it interesting to hear how you like the BBC for the very fact that it's not esoteric at all. It's high on my wishlist (I want the Gold Edn. :D) but I actively seek decks that have esoteric connections, and the last time I had an MRP tarot deck, I kept looking for the esotericism and got all frustrated when I couldn't find it :). I traded it away (VR). I don't miss it at all. You're making me think again about the BBCGold.
I had the gold, and I think that it's over-rated, fwiw. I thnk the gold ink just obscures the details. I'm very interested in acquiring a 1st edition because the cards changed between edition 1 and 2. (the GBBC is edition 2, I feel sure...)

I'm also surprised at just how refreshing it is to look at a deck as well thought-out as the BBC, that doesn't have an agenda other than being a tarot deck. Perhaps it's also a function of where I am, tarot-wise... even though I have been around tarot for years, I haven't studied it in quite a while, and this BBC study feels like being a n00b all over again.
 

Promise

Alrighty! I think I've finally gotten myself back on track and away from the Deviant Moon. I think I've figured out what the problem is, but I don't exactly now how to put it into words yet. I think a large chunk of it comes from the fact that I've been using my blog instead of journaling by hand; I keep a personal journal, but I thought that handwriting my IDS journal would pose a problem because my writing tends to get erratic and spastic. I find that, for some reason, when I blog, I feel restricted in my thoughts, because I'm afraid that I'm not going to make sense to anyone else that might be reading it, or that someone reading it may know more than me about the Noblet or TdM in general and make me feel stupit.

So, I've got a binder set up that I'll be journaling in now. I still plan on keeping my blog updated, but only after I've handwritten my entries first, and I may only do blog maintenance once a week.

What has me most excited, though, is jmd's TdM course finally getting started again! I got my email today, and I'm so so so excited about it. I know that it's going to make my IDS much longer than I originally planned for, but you know what? That's OK! If Emily can do 10 months with the Liber T, and Kat and Rodney can commit to two consecutive IDS-es with the same deck, I've got somewhat steady faith that I'll be OK. I may stumble here and there, but it won't be the first time, and it certainly won't be the last.

In the beginning of this IDS, I was so on fire for the Noblet, and somewhere along the line, my wood got wet. The clouds are gone and the sun's finally shinin', but I'm still not completely dried out yet. I'm getting there, but I feel like I have to make some changes first and find something that feels more natural and more organic. I'll play with the journaling for a while, and also find a more natural way to go about the actual study, until I get it right. I'm hoping that jmd's course will give me more structure and more of a place to start, and be the thing that drops the match.
 

thorhammer

Good for you, Promise! I do understand what you're saying about the blog/journal thing. I am afraid that I'll start to ramble and get all pretentious (as I can tend to do :|) and that ppl reading the posts I make to the WoC Study Group Thread will think I'm a total wanker :D but you know what? I stopped caring a while ago. It's no skin off my nose if someone I'm quite likely to never meet reads what I type and decides not to take any notice. Meh. As long as I keep getting benefit from what I'm doing, I'm not going to change how or why I do it.

I'm kinda jealous of you doing that course :) I really want to learn to read the TdM, but it's waaaaay down on the list, at the mo. :) Unfortunately, I might just have to strike out my own way one of these days, but I'll be very interested to hear what sort of thing the course involves! I think it sounds exciting.

\m/ Kat
 

Disa

Ok I'm going into unchartered territory today. I'm off to my aunt's to do readings for her and my cousin and whoever else happens to show up. So far I've only done face to face readings for my mom, my daughter, and my cats-and a very limited few readings at that.

I know, I know, this is still family, but they aren't family members that I know alot about currently and, it's a way for me to get practice with getting the meanings in my head to come out of my mouth. A way for me to see what kind of set up I can do and whether I can make the cards all fit together. I'm taking only the Buckland Romani. No books, of course. I only know 2 spreads in my head so I'll probably take a couple of extra spreads just in case. I'm a little nervous but not too much- I did an exercise tape for an hour to get some of the nervousness out.

Wish me luck!

D
 

Bloudwedd

Thanks everyone for the kind responses and warm replies!

I think I have finally figured out the major issue why I do not feel for this deck as I did in the beginning. It is in the translation part. No, it is an international deck so the name of the card is clearly in english. It is the translation of the symbology I am talking about. In a "normal" deck the symbols might be painted differently but still very recognizeable from traditonal ones. So the only translation you have to do is from picture symbols to what it really means. A hard task to start with as it is in the beginning since you are forced to stop and think at every card ("Here is an ace and cup,... Hmm aces are sparks and cups are emtions. That mean that this stands for sparkof emotions?") where with training it floats better and you subconsiounsly do the connection ("Ahaaa! Spark of emotions!"). But with this deck I have to add yet another levle of translation since I have to translate its pictures of the cards to normal symbols. And that makes my work less fluid and much more rough...:-S But at least I get some good training....! :-D Do I make sense at all ? And I have decided to give it a go to end of July. If we still not click I see if I find another deck...

/Anna
 

thorhammer

Disa said:
Ok I'm going into unchartered territory today. I'm off to my aunt's to do readings for her and my cousin and whoever else happens to show up. So far I've only done face to face readings for my mom, my daughter, and my cats-and a very limited few readings at that.

Wish me luck!

D
Good luck! I'm so happy for you, and jealous and all nervous myself! Let us know how it goes :)

\m/ Kat
 

thorhammer

Bloudwedd said:
Thanks everyone for the kind responses and warm replies!

I think I have finally figured out the major issue why I do not feel for this deck as I did in the beginning. It is in the translation part. No, it is an international deck so the name of the card is clearly in english. It is the translation of the symbology I am talking about. In a "normal" deck the symbols might be painted differently but still very recognizeable from traditonal ones. So the only translation you have to do is from picture symbols to what it really means. A hard task to start with as it is in the beginning since you are forced to stop and think at every card ("Here is an ace and cup,... Hmm aces are sparks and cups are emtions. That mean that this stands for sparkof emotions?") where with training it floats better and you subconsiounsly do the connection ("Ahaaa! Spark of emotions!"). But with this deck I have to add yet another levle of translation since I have to translate its pictures of the cards to normal symbols. And that makes my work less fluid and much more rough...:-S But at least I get some good training....! :-D Do I make sense at all ? And I have decided to give it a go to end of July. If we still not click I see if I find another deck...

/Anna
You make perfect sense, Anna. I totally understand what you mean - but I guess this is where you have to read "intuitively" and "situationally", as you described the deck recently. The same character populates the whole deck (or most of it), so can you identify with her? If you can, then you can see it as a flip-book of situations she faces everyday, and you can get in the card in her place and see how you feel, and begin to see the leadup to the situation and the consequences.

Now, do I make sense? :laugh: I think it might just not be a symbolic deck at all, and might require an adjustment in the way you're approaching it. It's not an RWS clone, after all. Don't try to read it as one :)

\m/ Kat
 

Disa

thorhammer said:
Good luck! I'm so happy for you, and jealous and all nervous myself! Let us know how it goes :)

\m/ Kat

Thanks, Kat! It went better than I thought but I still have to overcome my stagefright. The spread I've been trying to memorize for 2 weeks went right out of my head once I laid the cards down. It could have been because it was family and we were so busy catching up and talking that I just couldn't think- so luckily I had written it down and could check the positions. They didn't mind. I really, really love the Buckland Romani. The cards themselves seem easy enough to interpret, but trying to fit it all together was stil kinda hard for me. Soo many courts came up- I'm the worst at courts.

Anyway it was a great time and they both said the cards hit right on target for what's occuring now. They didn't ask any questions so I had to wing it :)

They asked me to read them again sometime so I think it's ok.

So, count this as one of my IDS goals getting accomplished- to read more for others-yipeeee.

How's everyone else doing? Hanging in?

D
 

thorhammer

Yay! Well done! I know what you mean about the spread - I'm less worried about being able to "read" the cards than remembering a spread - particularly if the person wants to know about a specific thing, and I don't know of a spread! I generally make one up on the spot . . . not that it happens all that often!

\m/ Kat