One Deck Wonder Resurrected

aurarcana said:

Oh, and I mentioned this in the DoTW thread last week, but my International Icon Tarot came from a trade with Sulis, one of the people that participated in the original One Deck Wonders. It is worn in and looks like it was lovingly used! And it smells amazing, a beautiful incense aroma. I didn't know about the One Deck Wonder threads until about 3 months ago, so to read about how my deck was used in that journey makes it feel quite special.

* grabs deck and takes a huge whiff *

Ahhhhhhh!

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*gasp* How wonderfully special that deck is! If only it could talk! I adore well-broken-in decks. My favorite, which I gave to a dear friend a while back, was an RWS which had clearly seen more than one decade of daily reading. What an astonishing feeling it was just to hold it.

I have been shuffling all evening whilst Skyping with my father. (As in, he was sitting next to me, and we were chatting with a far-away friend.) Every once in a while, I would flip a card to get used to the images; I used to find it hard to tell the swords from the wands, but now I can scan the card and snap off suit and number pretty quickly. I'm looking forward to the Fournier's smaller size -- even the little Hadar hurts my poor broken hands!

Your mention of incense made me remember my plan to scent one of my decks via shuffling. I heard that if you dab a drop or two of essential oil on your hands and then shuffle for a while, the deck will take on the smell. Peppermint Fournier, anyone?

I shall spend the rest of the evening sorting my notes. I somehow managed to file half of my Marseilles research into my Decan files? I am baffled. Excelsior!

^ I see your new signature! I updated my Custom User Title.

Signing offline for the night. Time to flip through my deck.

Thoth

I would like to join the One Deck Wonder, if we are allowed to state our own rules. I am embarking on my 4th week with Thoth anyway, I might as well commit to it.

1) I commit to Thoth Tarot, Imbolc to Vernal Equinox, 2013.
2) I will refer Lon Milo DuQuette's 'Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot', Gerd Ziegler's 'Tarot: Mirror of the Soul', and DuQuette's 'Chicken Qabalah'.
3) I will blog with this deck.
4) I will use this deck for free readings on TABI. (I do 3 a week).
5) I will use this deck with paying clients. (Who knows how many--been slow lately).
6) I will try to find out what this 'Mel's method' is I just read about above and take notes on it.
7) I will take lots of notes, but I have no idea right now what they will be or what form they will take.
8) I may end up reading biographies of Aleister Crowley, because when I embark on a project like this I tend to get obsessed.

If all of those rules are okay, I would like to join the One Deck Wonder. If not, I will just continue with Thoth on my own.

Dame Fortune's Wheel + Minchiate

Great to see this revived! I did the deck of the week group for quite a while but there was one deck which really captured my interest and which I've wanted to spend longer with - Dame Fortune's Wheel.

This deck read incredibly well for me despite the difference from RWS and now seems like the ideal time to spend longer with it. Alongside it I will also use one of my historic decks - probably the Minchiate.

I do have a couple of exchanges I have signed up for this month which might mean dipping out briefly in order to honour those

1) I will commit to both decks exclusively to the Spring Equinox (I may well extend this)
2) I will read around the history of the iconography purely because that find that sort of thing interesting and it will keep me motivated
3) I will journal my experiences through my blog and in this thread
4) Readings for others and myself will be done with these decks only

Looking forward to it!

Tarot of Vampyres

Not a deck I was expecting to actually want to have a long term committment with, but since purchasing it 3 or 4 weeks ago, I haven't even touched another deck. This is what made me decide to join in on this adventure and ofcourse use this deck for it.

My rules:

* I will not use any other decks. No matter what the circumstances are, this is it. I have
a face to face reading for a stranger coming up and yep, this deck will have to do. (help)

* I usually don't read books on tarot anymore, however I will allow myself to read in the
companian book of this deck, just because I like reading why an artist chose certain
symbols for cards.

* I may use an oracle deck, but I won't put restrictions on myself exactly which one that
will be. I have put Lenormands aside for a while now, since I've been wanting to
concentrate more on Tarot lately... So I probably won't be using one of those for the
coming months.

* I may not have time every single day to do a daily draw, but I will do my best to do as
many as possible. I do several readings a week usually for friends so there won't be a
chance to neglect these little Vampyres.

* I allow myself to purchase new decks, but I will not use them. I probably won't even
purchase any to begin with since most new decks don't even pique my interest. (Lucky
me! )

* Since I have been faithful to this deck for several weeks already, I am committing myself
to this deck until atleast July 15th.

Since there are less rules, I really think I can do this!

Well, I did already an Intensive Deck Study with the Tarot of Vampyres. I ended up reading a lot of Thoth books which I already have, and since I wanted to learn something new, and that I already know astrology, I decided to dig into qaballah. I also listened to a lot of music of vampire movies (Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, Van Helsing, etc.), watched vampire movies, already watch vampire tv shows (Moonlight (alas cancelled), True Blood). I posted readings with the Tarot of Vampyres on my blog. I also posted threads in the Study Group forums about the Tarot of Vampyres, so many in fact that the deck has now its own sub-forum .

I'm very much tempted to try out this One Deck Wonder, where I could just relax and enjoy myself and the Tarot of Vampyres. That does sound like a good plan.

As for a pip deck, it does sound interesting too, I've never read with such a deck, to try it out. I'm torn between the Tarot des Gitans and the Truth-Seeker's Tarot. But I don't make any promises about using a pip deck though.

I want to restart posting readings on my blog like before. 2012 was a really bad year for me.

P.S. I have not used another deck since I bought the Tarot of Vampyres and I will keep doing so.

So my rules are:

- I will use the Tarot of Vampyres for this one deck wonder, and will use it exclusively, might use one pip deck too (the Tarot des Gitans and the Truth-Seeker's Tarot).

- If I indeed decide to use a pip deck as well, I intend to read a bit about advices on how to read such decks here on ATF, and the companion book.

- I will keep collecting decks but I won't use them.

- I will keep on posting my readings on my blog like before.

WolfyJames said:

Well, I did already an Intensive Deck Study with the Tarot of Vampyres. I ended up reading a lot of Thoth books which I already have, and since I wanted to learn something new, and that I already know astrology, I decided to dig into qaballah. I also listened to a lot of music of vampire movies (Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, Van Helsing, etc.), watched vampire movies, already watch vampire tv shows (Moonlight (alas cancelled), True Blood). I posted readings with the Tarot of Vampyres on my blog. I also posted threads in the Study Group forums about the Tarot of Vampyres, so many in fact that the deck has now its own sub-forum .

I'm very much tempted to try out this One Deck Wonder, where I could just relax and enjoy myself and the Tarot of Vampyres. That does sound like a good plan..

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Wow, that would be wonderful to have a Vampyre ODW buddy !! Yes, please join in!!
I watched Interview with the Vampire years ago, watched the Twilight movies since my daughter is a fan, and also watch the Vampire Diaries since my daughter is a fan of that one too. In all honesty, I am not into vampires, but I do think the Vampire Diaries is a good series. I've never watched a single True Blood episode though... The reason I purchased this deck is because I loved the artwork online. I knew I would really like it in person too, but never expected to fall in love with it. And it reads incredibly well for me. I was kinda afraid it wouldn't because of the posts on this forum. But then again, what works great for others, have been a disaster for me.

WolfyJames said:

As for a pip deck, it does sound interesting too, I've never read with such a deck, to try it out. I'm torn between the Tarot des Gitans and the Truth-Seeker's Tarot. But I don't make any promises about using a pip deck though.

I want to restart posting readings on my blog like before. 2012 was a really bad year for me.

P.S. I have not used another deck since I bought the Tarot of Vampyres and I will keep doing so...

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I have never liked pip decks. They bore the hell outta me! I need something visually appealling for me to want to keep using a certain deck. I've had several in the past, but couldn't get rid of them fast enough. I absolutely loathe them!

I find it interesting you haven't used another deck since the Vampyres. How was that before? Were you a deck hopper like myself? Or is it because you are very much into vanmpires (unlike me )?

Alamaris said:

As far as the rules are concerned, I think keeping it simple is the best policy.

I'm no arbiter, but going on the basis of old threads -- how do these sound?

1. Time limit of at least one month -- any shorter and you're better off doing a Deck of the Week study.

2. One deck, plus one Marseilles-style deck if desired (that is, one deck with illustrated minors and one with pips). I believe that in the IDS threads some people picked one tarot and one oracle, but I feel that's a personal matter -- any discussion of the oracle would be done in the oracle sub-forum anyway, so it's a bit of a moot point.

3. No cheating. If you buy or recieve any decks, you can check for completeness and flaws, and then promptly put them away with your other decks.

4. Handle your chosen deck every day even if you don't read with it -- a quick minute of shuffling while your soup heats up is better than nothing, if you're rushed.

5. Journaling as such is not necessary, but keep a wee notebook or a tablet nearby to write down any epiphanies, or quick reading sketches.

6. Have fun! If you're stuck or frustrated with your deck, post here for hugs, commiseration, and support.

I feel that books are well within the bounds of the ODW concept. Some decks have systems that can't be learned without a companion book or research, unless you're doing a full-on intuitive run.

We can do it!

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Ok! I like this whole set of rules or guidelines. I think I will just use the Druidcraft, as I'm not usually into oracle decks and at this stage in life I don't have an interest in the Marseilles style decks- if I'm missing something without using it, someone let me know because I do have a few and I can incorporate it if need be, but I don't really want to right now?)

I've done a one hour long email reading with my Druidcraft this morning- no book of course because I'm reading for someone else, and I have one more to do once I find a decent spread. So my daily use quota should be good for today



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01/07/2013: Edited to add: When I was committing to the One Deck Wonder, I forgot that I do participate in one hour per week Tarot discussion which involves one card per week and alternates between the Dark Angels Tarot and the Deviant Moon. I have participated in this group for the past few years and this will continue while I do the one deck wonder with the DruidCraft. It's only one hour per week - there is really no study in between so it should not affect my one deck wonder. I also sometimes attend aTarot discussion where one card is discussed every few months or so. I would be participating in these if there are any while I'm doing the One deck wonder. These things completely slipped my mind, but are ongoing discussions which I would like to continue. They really do not occur often enough to detract from what I'm doing here. (Maybe these could count as my "side deck" which I had originally opted not to use.)

Carla said:

6) I will try to find out what this 'Mel's method' is I just read about above and take notes
[...]
If all of those rules are okay, I would like to join the One Deck Wonder. If not, I will just continue with Thoth on my own.

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All of those rules are fine and dandy!

Mel's Method is a fantastic way of reading the Marseilles tarot. It makes pip decks and Marseilles-style decks -- in my view -- completely unintimidating and utterly fascinating to use.

The first thread starts here, at post #24, is continued here, expanded with a spread here, and finished off here, with the penultimate discussion of the pips, courts, and an overview of the whole system. Enjoy!

ETA: A lot of Bee's diagrams from the original threads seem to be missing. If anyone needs those, I have copies! PM me and let me know.

Disa said:

Ok! I like this whole set of rules or guidelines. I think I will just use the Druidcraft, as I'm not usually into oracle decks and at this stage in life I don't have an interest in the Marseilles style decks- if I'm missing something without using it, someone let me know because I do have a few and I can incorporate it if need be, but I don't really want to right now?

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No worries -- a Marseilles is not a requirement! It was included in Umbrae's original One Deck Wonder rules, and many people do find it helpful to have a very plain deck to bounce off of if they get utterly sick of their working deck, but it's not necessary, and you're not missing anything by being monogramous to your Druidcraft.

Mell's method has become my standard for TdM - it's a system which is so coherent. You may want to check out the 'eye rhymes' too.

Did a reading with Dame Fortune. I love the style of this deck and the colours are so vibrant!