Intensive Deck Study (IDS) Support Lounge ~ Part IV

Llynn said:

Officially my IDS finished yesterday but somehow I just can't give up the Master Tarot/Oracle. I like very much that there are no courts and suits in this deck - it makes me think that I should move over to the Oracle section! I had been thinking of changing to the Dreampower for a new IDS (the Majors and Courts only because I find the Minors are really off-putting.) But, this morning, I went straight to the Master for my three card draw so I'm taking the hint and staying with this deck even though I have actually finished the IDS

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There's nothing to say you can't extend it . . . I did, with my first one. Three months became six, and I was glad of it. It's so awesome that you are still loving your deck - I rather like the premise and artwork of it myself, but keep finding myself stumbling over the overt Christianity of it

\m/ Kat

jcwirish said:

Oh my Gosh, it has been so hard to stay focussed this week. My Golden has been with me everywhere, but I just haven't had the time to study. We've got family and friends coming from out of town for the holiday, and then in the middle of it all, I received my Victorian Romantic, which has caused all kinds of distractions in my brain. I was even thinking of switching decks for half a minute there, but I'm back on track I think. I made a commitment to my Golden, and I'm sticking with it.

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*furious clapping* Good for you! Hurrah! I just went through something similar - the beautiful victoria.star sent me the Baroque Cats and I was so tempted to pull them out and start chatting with them but I was good, I really was! That deck is, of course, going to be called Victoria

\m/ Kat

Carla said:

I decided to start my IDS with pentacles, Ace of Pentacles. And to kick off, I tried the Entering a Card meditation in Mary Greer's book 'Tarot for Your Self'. I could only do it for a few minutes, because I got scared! I was scared to look behind me, looked only to my left. I watched the hand come out of the cloud with the big golden orb in it (that was cool) but I was afraid to move around in the new environment. I was too scared to look for other people or creatures, and definitely too scared to speak. I was afraid of what might appear or what might answer! So I turned and fled out of the card.

Has this ever happened to anyone? How can I overcome this fear of what will happen in the world of the card?

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Maybe you could visit with the Courts of the Pentacle suit before returning to the Ace, and when you find that you really gel with one of them, ask them for advice or protection? The Knight accompanying you might be very reassuring . . . albeit slow going I do hope that you can overcome your impediment - it's certainly very interesting. Please keep us updated!

\m/ Kat

That sounds a good idea--and slow and steady sounds perfect for me!

My Ironwing sits on a shelf at my shoulder and I hug it occasionally.
Really.
I hold it closely to my chest and squeeze and breathe.

I wasn't able to do any studying today; however, since I committed to posting here daily, my lack of doing anything other than hugging the cards is out on the table.

Hopefully I can edit this thread after the kids go to bed with a 3 card reading...I am actually looking forward to this! It has been a busy day!

Glad to hear so many people are doing so well with their IDS's. It's certainly a tough time of year to find a lot of time to be focused which makes the whole thing even more of a challenge.

I've still been working with both my Thoth and TdMs. Actually although I haven't specified any particular TdM I've been playing around with the Fournier as I'm in the mood for colour right now. My main focus has been the Thoth though and I'm doing daily draws with that. I'm also looking at the decans but in a slightly different way to Scion's PDF. I'm enjoying linking the historical symbolism with the modern GD attributions and seeing where they fit well and also not so well. I think this whole IDS is going to work well for me.

The other things I've been doing lately which are not related so much to my IDS is re-reading some of my books on Classical Mythology and revising my astrology studies. Both these things are linking beautifully with tarot but they have inspired me to want to re-visit my Mythic deck, which was my first ever tarot. I'm resisting at this stage I think I'll continue on with the Thoth/TdM IDS for now, but as the year progresses I'm thinking of focusing on the Big Three with a side helping of Mythic. That will give me some flexibility to move around but I'll still be focusing on the link between history/mythology and the Golden Dawn. If I do expand what I'm doing to the Big 3 plus Mythic scenario then I'll pull out of the IDS as that would really be stretching the definititon

Until then though, I'm staying focused on my Thoth and TdM.


ETA.....Rodney, are you still planning to start posting in the Mythic Study Group? If you do then I think I'm going to have to join you

I want to do an IDS on my first deck, the Gilded Tarot. I know it's my first deck, but I'm learning, and I think the best way to learn is to be intense in ONE deck, then at the end, if I want, I can switch to another, or not, as the feeling takes me. My goal is to develop my intuition, and explore the imagery and symbolism in my deck.

This is what I will do --

~ I will make a bag for my deck so I can take it everywhere, and use it for my lunchtime meditation while at school. If I have an epic fail making my own bag, I will at least use a ziploc baggie or something, some way to keep this deck with me and safe. I have until January 11th for this step.(First day back to school after the holiday)

~I will join the 78 Weeks study, thereby making this an 18 month commitment.

~I will do at least one reading a day, and not only do the reading, but write my feelings and ideas regarding that reading (journal it) This reading can be for me only, or I can do a reading exchange, CoS, etc. My focus will be on doing one for someone else, because I want to develop my intuition, but in a pinch just for me is okay.

~If I'm up to my eyeballs in homework, studying for exams, and forsaking sleep in favor of study, I don't have to do a reading/journal but I DO need to draw 3 cards and try to make a story from them, a short 5-10 minute sort of thing.

~I will make a concentrated effort to interpret my cards intuitively, with my spirit guide's help, without benefit of keywords or explanatory books. I can look, if I feel a need to, after the reading is done, but prior to that, I need to do it intuitively. If I do look, I need to journal that and my thoughts about that, and why I may understand/not understand.

I can't think of anything else right now, that seems a lot as it is, I don't understand the 78 Weeks setup -- on my way over there now After I set my signature, that is!

~Yira

Welcome, yirabeth It's lovely to have you, and I'll add you to the list now Can't wait to hear of your journey with the Gilded!

\m/ Kat

Returning to the Four Elements after so long is like greeting a long-lost friend. It never fails to make me smile, and it gives me enchanting readings. I know it isn't everyone's favorite deck, but for me, .

Meanwhile, I am thinking of using the Fairytale for its first-ever reading (rather than for plotting help and for study). I have this idea to lay out 12 cards, one for each of the coming 12 months, and then to do a storyteller reading by traveling through the cards and tales within them as though I was telling my story for the coming 12 months. Then, I might expand each month's tale into a short story as that month progresses, to really flesh out the tale and learn its secrets inside and out. In essence to do a year-long storyteller reading.

I also think I might be a little nuts. What do you guys think?

sapienza said:

ETA.....Rodney, are you still planning to start posting in the Mythic Study Group? If you do then I think I'm going to have to join you

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I've been hogging my write-ups on the deck. I just finished the Hanged Man (for those who don't know, the Majors in this deck are unnumbered and re-ordered, but the Hanged Man would be numbered 14 instead of 12 as normal) and am about to start Death. I like to have a nice little stockpile of cards to post on and post 1 or 2 a day while still continuing to write up others. I'll start posting Tuesday.

Rodney