Inaugural Intensive Deck Study (IDS) Support Thread

[mosaica]

Maybe this is a cop out, but I still consider myself doing an IDS of the Thoth, even though I've put it away. I read the DuQuette book, and I read Book of Thoth, and I worked with the deck for six weeks. It got to the point where I felt like I couldn't see the deck with my own eyes anymore because I was swimming in all the esoteric stuff. So now I'm in the process of "forgetting." (I did this with tarot in general, after my first year of study. I put all my cards away and didn't touch them for a year. When I picked them up again, I was amazed at how quickly it all came back to me, and I've been able to work with the cards with much more confidence the second time around.) At some point, I'll take the Thoth out and look at it with fresh eyes again, but for now I need to be working with it on a subconscious level.

 

[afrosaxon]

Seasoning decks? Never heard of that.

(although I've seasoned cast-iron skillets...)

I looked at the date of today's IDS entry and realized that it has been almost TWO MONTHS of IDS. Wow! One more month to go...

I am two cards away from completing all of the minors in the NOVT. Again...WOW! Now I just need to type them up so that I can update the NOVT Study Group index. Lord willing and the creek don't rise (as my late grandparents used to say LOL), I will start the majors on Thursday.

Bless me, IDS, for I have "sinned".... I confess that I have been working with the Osho Zen as well. Now this is a deck that needs IDS, and I have a nice notebook for it. Haven't started IDS, just doing some occasional draws. The whole Zen thing really requires a narrow focus, and this deck is heavy on Zen symbolism and pseudo-koans. So my attention isn't really into this deck as it will be during an IDS.

T.

 

[Disa]

A minor "crisis" has presented itself today and I want to do a reading about it. Problem is, I want to use my Druidcraft- I feel like maybe the Tarot of the Crone won't necessarily be the right deck for this? I dunno. Is it another test? I'm not sure if I'll get the right answers if I use the crone, and being so close to the situation, I might not get the right answers anyway, but at least then I can post it up in the your readings and people will be able to help me sort it as more are familiar with the Druidcraft then they are the Crone. Sigh...

 

[thorhammer]

I hope it works out and you like your deck again...

Thankyou . . . I haven't dared look at them yet

I've seasoned about 3 decks the way Umbrae suggested. There are 2 decks I will not do it with, the Lunatic and my BG Silver. Lunatic because the cards will crease, possibly to the point they'll fall apart. My BG Silver since the stock is already quite nice. Anyways, usually, your deck will be like a stack of potato chips for 1-2 weeks with regular shuffling. Eventually, the cards will start to get flatter.

Thankyou, that does make me feel a little better - more hopeful And I agree about both those decks, don't need it. Lunatic, the backs are too pretty to risk scratching!

<snip>Unfortunately, I'm begging for my Lunatic again. I hear "anime" and the drive to snap up my Lunatic to read with comes running. I can think of a person I think it would be 'safe' with to read for with my beloved, but I think I would stick to the IIT for people I don't know. Yet, there is an inclination to read with the Lunatic for everyone... I worry it will frighten people.

Cycles of "I'm ready to fail if necessary" and "I'm scared" are frequent. I don't know how I lose the focus and find it again.

I understand, I really do, all the things you said. I long for some of my other decks sometimes - especially the MerryDay, which was my favourite before the WoC, but then I consider how I'd feel using whichever particular one has taken my fancy in that moment . . . and it just feels alien. I can't consider using another deck at the moment. I am so very attached to my WoC, in both good ways and bad ways. It's very strange, and not at all what I expected!

Don't be sad Kat, they will get back into shape but it may take a while. I did this seasoning to the deck I'm using for my studies (and it was scary, but, well, it is a cheap and common deck so I figured why not try it...)
I really thought I had ruined it completely because the cards turned out so uneven. And when I put the deck on the table, it was at least twice as thick as before and would not stay in a neat pile. It wouldn't even stay in its box, it just kept pushing off the lid, that's how bent they were!
But this goes away after a while, it really does. What you can do is gently pull the cards between your fingers in the opposite direction of the bend, to straighten it out. Just really gently, because now that the fibers are softened, you don't need to do much to tease them back into the shape you want. And keeping your cards in a box or bag with some pressure on them to keep them flat will probably help. It just takes some time, but don't worry, it will be fine in the end.

Thankyou! That's just what they were like, not sitting right and soooo thick and lumpy-like! I was so upset . . . but I hope that it turns out like yours and lilangel's experiences, and sorts itself out in the end. I don't want to have to trim another bloody deck!!!

\m/ Kat

 

[thorhammer]

Maybe this is a cop out, but I still consider myself doing an IDS of the Thoth, even though I've put it away. I read the DuQuette book, and I read Book of Thoth, and I worked with the deck for six weeks. It got to the point where I felt like I couldn't see the deck with my own eyes anymore because I was swimming in all the esoteric stuff. So now I'm in the process of "forgetting." (I did this with tarot in general, after my first year of study. I put all my cards away and didn't touch them for a year. When I picked them up again, I was amazed at how quickly it all came back to me, and I've been able to work with the cards with much more confidence the second time around.) At some point, I'll take the Thoth out and look at it with fresh eyes again, but for now I need to be working with it on a subconscious level.

I don't think that's a copout at all, mosaica. I think it sounds like you've really got inside the Thoth, and now you just need a minor perspective adjustment ! I can certainly imagine it happening with that deck, although I don't own it (YET!!!) and have never handled it. Good for you, I say. I think you're just having phases of overload . . .

\m/ Kat

 

[thorhammer]

Seasoning decks? Never heard of that.

(although I've seasoned cast-iron skillets...)

Me too . . . and you know what? It's exactly the same thing . . .

I looked at the date of today's IDS entry and realized that it has been almost TWO MONTHS of IDS. Wow! One more month to go...

I am two cards away from completing all of the minors in the NOVT. Again...WOW! Now I just need to type them up so that I can update the NOVT Study Group index. Lord willing and the creek don't rise (as my late grandparents used to say LOL), I will start the majors on Thursday.

Bless me, IDS, for I have "sinned".... I confess that I have been working with the Osho Zen as well. Now this is a deck that needs IDS, and I have a nice notebook for it. Haven't started IDS, just doing some occasional draws. The whole Zen thing really requires a narrow focus, and this deck is heavy on Zen symbolism and pseudo-koans. So my attention isn't really into this deck as it will be during an IDS.

T.

You've done so much hard work with your NOVT - your study group is an inspiration, as is Rodney's, and everyone else who has taken such a systematic approach to their study.

You still need to rap your own knuckles for that Osho, though . . . !

\m/ Kat

 

[thorhammer]

A minor "crisis" has presented itself today and I want to do a reading about it. Problem is, I want to use my Druidcraft- I feel like maybe the Tarot of the Crone won't necessarily be the right deck for this? I dunno. Is it another test? I'm not sure if I'll get the right answers if I use the crone, and being so close to the situation, I might not get the right answers anyway, but at least then I can post it up in the your readings and people will be able to help me sort it as more are familiar with the Druidcraft then they are the Crone. Sigh...

You make good points, Disa, but yes, I think this is a test. Of course, I have no idea what your crisis is, but I sympathise with it anyway ((((Disa)))) . . . but I think that you'll find your Crone has a lot to say about it - it just might need you to start listening in a different way, if you know what I mean? Good luck with it anyway . . . I envy you being able to use your IDS deck!

\m/ Kat

 

[Disa]

You make good points, Disa, but yes, I think this is a test. Of course, I have no idea what your crisis is, but I sympathise with it anyway ((((Disa)))) . . . but I think that you'll find your Crone has a lot to say about it - it just might need you to start listening in a different way, if you know what I mean? Good luck with it anyway . . . I envy you being able to use your IDS deck!

\m/ Kat

As soon as I posted this last night, I went ahead and did the spread with the Tarot of the Crone. I was so angry and in shock and I thought "just let me not have my emotions get in the way of achieving what I'm trying to do with the IDS" I pulled the cards and rushed through them just trying to cling on to my first impressions and the most basic, to the point answers I could get. It may have worked, I don't know. It seems so many other cards could have come up that would have been more fitting. When I have some time and I've cooled down a bit, I may lay the same cards out again and see what else I can get from them.(It's posted up on the your readings section)

Thank you for your kind words, Kat. I do feel it was a test in sticking with my deck in a time of real need rather than just using it for all the practice spreads.In the grand scheme of life this is a small "crisis", but it's still one I have to deal with. This is the stuff life is made of. A lesson is in progress.

With much love,

Disa

 

[thorhammer]

Hey, Disa . . . glad you kept to your deck . I don't know what your crisis is, but I hope you get it sorted out soon . . . (((Disa)))

I screwed up my courage and peeked at my cards last night, after they'd had a while under the stack of books etc to try and flatten them out. They're better. Not perfect, but at least I can shuffle them. I'm used to shuffling quite fast - and it could be said, aggressively - but now I have to slow down a bit or they go everywhere! It could turn out to be a good thing.

I also had a request from one of the guys at work yesterday to do a reading for him - I was very surprised, as he doesn't know me well and he's not the sort I'd have thought to be interested, not at all. But I told him lots about it, and he was asking lots of really intelligent questions and I tried to put a few myths to rest . I'll get started on his reading soon. I'm thinking of using a Celtic Cross, which I very rarely use, but it could be good as a general, as that's what he was after. That, or perhaps a horseshoe . . .

\m/ Kat

 

[sapienza]

Firstly I want to say congratulations to Rodney, you are doing so well posting on your deck, and now you have your very own study group forum Well done. I know it's a bit disheartening when it's just you posting but you should be very proud of what you have done.

Also, good to see you back Kat. I know you had all sorts of computer dramas and it's good to see you are still doing well with the WoC deck (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that it will flatten out ok).

I'm still working with the Alchemical only. I just LOVE this deck to bits. I'm now using the Renewed version and feel very comfortable with it. I honestly can't see myself ever using another deck. This one is the whole package for me. It's weird because I spent about 5 years searching for 'the one', only to finally accept there is no 'one' deck. And now I've found the one! This deck has everything I want in a deck.

I've been doing a lot of personal growth work with the deck rather than using it for divinatory readings. Some of the insights I'm having are amazing. I've even come up with a completely new way of viewing the Major Arcana as our life journey. This IDS and working with the Alchemical deck has totally changed my way of working with and thinking about tarot. I've lost all desire to buy any more decks and I'm starting to consider getting rid of some of the ones I have. I guess in short, if anyone is reading this wondering if an IDS is worth it, then I'd have to say a big YES. Also, anyone wanting to be enabled for the Alchemical deck then I can do that too

Hope everyone else is doing well too