Intensive Deck Study Support Thread ~ Part 2

Keavy McGee

Checking in...

I'm still here although I'm not posting very much!!

I'm inspired by all of you and the deep work you are doing!! You are wondrous!!

Vanessa and I are getting along wonderfully but not getting a lot done!! At least in the way I thought we would!! Work has been overwhelming and time has been hard to come by the last two weeks and I'm feeling guilty at not spending more time with her!! But I haven't given in to reading with any other deck!! Nor do I want to!!

I have figured out that I enjoy reading with the Vanessa more than completing the study course I set up for myself, so that has been a major breakthrough for me. I've signed up on some of the AT exchanges to do readings and that will give me a look at new cards that I haven't been drawing for myself, so my "study" is going to consist of doing readings, for now. Who knows how this will change as the IDS continues :laugh:

I am keeping a written journal. I'm a writer by nature and I am constantly amazed at the different "voices" I use when I type and when I write longhand; one seems to be more dry and clinical and I edit it a lot :D and the other just seems to spew out onto the page willy-nilly but is often more honest and revealing. So I have a new journal for longhanding about Vanessa and I am only blogging when I feel like it, not daily as I first anticipated.

As for you, my compadres on this journey, I learn something from each of you every day!!

I want to say a special thank you to Rodney, thank you for the Excel spreadsheet, it works a treat. Now I just need to start pulling more cards for myself!!

And to Disa, congratulations on your readings for family, that is really courageous!! When I grow up, I wanna be like you!! :laugh:

XOX

Keavy:heart:
 

rwcarter

Keavy McGee said:
I want to say a special thank you to Rodney, thank you for the Excel spreadsheet, it works a treat. Now I just need to start pulling more cards for myself!!
You're quite welcome!

For those who may not know what this is about, I have an Excel Spreadsheet that I've configured to track 3-card daily draws. With a little tweaking, it can be used to track any number of draws. Anyone who would like a copy of it should PM me with their email address and I'll happily send it off.

Rodney
 

Alamaris

Checking in after a week! And not at my best, I'm afraid. While I've been MIA, I completely lost interest in the Circle of Life, almost to the point where I was mildly repulsed to touch it. After a couple days of angst over that, I said "to hell with it", picked up my antique RWS, and commenced doing over a dozen readings for friends over two nights... with startling clarity and accuracy (the former was surprising, but the latter was my first glimpse into how accurate the tarot can be).

Does this mean I'm ditching the IDS altogether? Perhaps. At the moment life is throwing some craaaaazy stuff at me, and I don't have the brainpower or the time to do anything intensively, let alone an intensive study. It makes me recall the old creed of NaNoWriMo (November's worldwide writing challenge): first comes your job and/or schoolwork, THEN writing like a maniac... hobbies are never as important as keeping your sanity.

Even if I do drop out, I absolutely have the IDS to thank for all the dozens of readings I've had a chance to do for friends, and for renewing my interest in tarot as a psychological tool for insight and advice. Without the first IDS, or even the second wind, I probably wouldn't have gotten up the courage to bring tarot into the public, especially around some of my more conservative peers. And, of course, its been wonderful watching the successful studies of everyone else along the way -- inspiring, even if I seem to have a perpetual dunce complex about it! :laugh:

Anyways, I'll see how things go over the next few days. I know I'm definitely not returning to the Circle of Life... probably sticking with the RWS for a long time even if I do "renew my vows" of the IDS; I'm just so comfortable with it as a system. I felt really guilty about this a few days ago, but then I realized... its just a study. Nobody here is going to look down on me because life keeps throwing me curve balls and I can't keep up with the pack. You folks are great. =)
 

Promise

I do believe I have finally lost the remainder of my mind...

I have this nagging urge to trim my Noblet, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to do it. I think it would look better trimmed, but I'm not sure how the cardstock would hold up, or how impossible the damn thing would be to shuffle. It's already difficult enough, but...

I've been having this problem seeing the connections between the cards, and I keep thinking that if I get rid of the ucky white borders, the cards will flow together better. It's been a big test to get comfortable with the non-scenic pips, and part of me thinks that trimming it would somehow make it easier for me to get to the meat of a reading.

But I can't shake the urge! Arghhh!

Maybe I'll just go get the scissors and see what happens...

Poor Jean is sure to be rolling over in his grave. Sorry, chap!

EDIT: Two cards trimmed! No turnin' back now *gulp*
 

SolSionnach

Disa said:
Oh my, thanks for saying this but luckily there were only 2 people(I just wasn't totally sure before I got there how many would be there). There is no way at this stage of the game I could take a deck to a gathering and do it-there were 34 cousins when we stopped counting a few years ago. If I did do it, it'd be days before I got through. :)
OMG no kidding. You'd have to do some email readings - and use voice recognition software so you'd have fingers by the time you were finished!
afrosaxon said:
I don't know, Disa.
I haven't picked up the DOM in a couple of days and, quite frankly, I haven't missed it.
Thinking about ditching.
T.
Perhaps you're going through a lull? After you did so exceptionally well last time with the NOVT, I'd hate to see you ditch the DoM. Maybe you need a break from all the hard work? Take a tarot-free week, and see where you are after that?
Promise said:
I do believe I have finally lost the remainder of my mind...
I have this nagging urge to trim my Noblet ::snip::
EDIT: Two cards trimmed! No turnin' back now *gulp*
Woohoo! You *go* grrrl! :D Now take a *deeeeeep* breath, and just take your time. You'll be fine!
I love deck trimming, it's a great way to get to know a deck really well - that, and Umbraeing a deck. But take it easy...

I'm off for a couple of days, visiting my completely tarot-phobic parental units. I'm not taking a single tarot-related item with me, because I'll have no privacy anyway. I may be around here, not sure... but I'll be back with the Cats on Friday. :) :)
 

Promise

*takes a deep breath*

Noblet is fully trimmed now, and I feel much better! The images seem much more alive now that they're freed from those oppressive white borders of dooom and despair. Surprisingly enough, the deck actually seems easier to handle now; I was worried that decreasing the surface area would make the thickness of the deck harder to work with, but it really doesn't. The Noblet card-stock is obviously high quality stuff, because where the edges are now exposed, they almost have a fabric-y feel to them.

I'm much more pleased with the deck now, and I feel that it was a really nice bonding experience too, which is always a plus. The actual cutting didn't take too long; not much lamination to have to cut through at all.

Off to stare at the cards for a while!
 

Skimo

Congratulations for trimming the Noblet!

Could you share pictures for the ones not brave enough to do it before you?
 

thorhammer

afrosaxon said:
I don't know, Disa.

I haven't picked up the DOM in a couple of days and, quite frankly, I haven't missed it.

Thinking about ditching.

T.
:heart: What sravana said. A break from all things Tarot might be a great way to press the reset button? I know I had to do that, within the first month. Yeah, it involved "breaking" one of my "vows" :D but it got me back on track, in the end. And now look at me! Still going strong!

We'd miss you, of course :)(((afrosaxon)))

I got the Nines done last night! Yippee! I also divided my deck into the cards I have dealt with and the ones I haven't, and the second pile was so much smaller than the first that I was all encouraged, all over again! I got so excited, seeing evidence of my work like that. It's paying off, too, in my readings. I really notice how much more confident I am with the cards that I have journalled, whereas I'm still a bit at sea with the ones that I haven't.

And the Courts!!! Came ALIVE, they did! I really think I'll never be afraid of Court cards again :D which is possibly the greatest achievement I could have made. That alone is worth four months of work!

I'm sensing the end, and soon. Thoth is like a fishhook in my brain, tugging away. I trimmed it yesterday. Hard to trim without "studying" the cards. Impossible, for me, as it turned out. I want . . .

\m/ Kat
 

afrosaxon

It's Gazel's birthday!

Today (I think...AT is not on EST time LOL) is Gazel's birthday.

If she pops into this thread...Happy Birthday, Gazel! :party:

T.
 

Owl Song

Promise, good for you taking the plunge with trimming the Noblet. It sounds like to has gotten you all Ace of Wands fired up and energetic.

Kat, that's a great idea to look at your cards that way and to have a chance to visually look at the progress you have made. You've been keeping up beautifully with your IDS and with this thread.

afrosaxon, whatever you end up deciding, you've put in a genuine effort with the DOM. I hope you are able to push forward. But if not, I know you'll find your way to something very rewarding and captivating.

Alamaris, keep us posted and hope to see you back soon. :)

Happy birthday to Gazel!!!

I'm still going with the Fairytale. My tale summaries are coming extremely slowly. I've only done 4 cards. But I am working with the deck every day. I can flip through the cards now and I know most of the tales. The more I work with the deck, the more I love it. Every night I look forward to reading a tale and thinking about my card of the day.

Leaving for PA on Fri and won't be back until Tues.

Wishing you all a great weekend.