Connolly's Apprentice

I just got it today, the original one with the yellow cover, at a used bookstore. It's in pristine condition. I'll probably get something out of it, but I'm already turned off by all the 'thou shalt not do''s.

'you must never allow another person to handle it, as this will disturb your own vibratory bond', never go thru the pack putting any particular card in any particular order, as soon as you get a new dick, you should discard the box they come in & transfer to the protection of a silk cloth, & THEN after they're wrapped in silk, they should be placed in a wooden box, always use a tarot cover (spread cloth), in a specific color to match your soul, etc.

And I'm only on page 10. Wonder what she'd say about my horse slobbering on my cards while he chose one.

As I tell people, keep what resonates and discard what doesn't. At this point in my tarot journey, I skip right over sections of "Do's" and "Don't's"....

rwcarter said:

As I tell people, keep what resonates and discard what doesn't. At this point in my tarot journey, I skip right over sections of "Do's" and "Don't's"....

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Yeah, I do that too. But it disturbs me that someone in a teaching capacity has the power to mislead so badly. There are a lot of people, I'm sure, that would feel they have to adhere to every tenet she demands, & lose interest.

canid said:

Yeah, I do that too. But it disturbs me that someone in a teaching capacity has the power to mislead so badly. There are a lot of people, I'm sure, that would feel they have to adhere to every tenet she demands, & lose interest.

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I know what you mean, but maybe she does this because her books are aimed at serious students (I don't mean that you have to adhere to all her rules in order to be serious) rather than those with a casual interest or people looking for a party trick or a quick way to know whether that cute guy likes them. I certainly don't follow all her rules (I happen to like to keep the boxes they come in!) but I really value her teachings. Like rwcarter says, keep what resonates, discard what doesn't. If her book resonates with you, stick at it. This lady really does know her stuff, not just about tarot but about many esoteric subjects. I'm very grateful to be able to learn from her. If you want a more freeing approach, then try books like "Tarot for Your Self" & "21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card" by Mary K Greer, for example. I do prefer that approach in many ways, but I also appreciate a certain level of tradition. It's kind of like comparing The High Priestess to The Hierophant.

All those rituals create an 'attitude of respect' for the cards. You can have the attitude without the ritual, but it's useful for some people to keep the ritual anyway. Use what works, throw out the rest... personally I always use a silk reading cloth to keep my cards clean and reduce wear. My cloth is a color that resonates with me because I find it visually pleasing. I do re-order my deck regularly as a form of meditation. Any deck that isn't in regular use it in order, it seems to me like that's the most respectfull thing. I keep them in the original box for ease of transport, unless I have to make a new box to replace a damaged one. I wash my hands before handling my cards, and I don't let people I find unsettling handle them.

It's all about respect. Some people need to be told how to treat things with respect. Some don't.