Onyx
As I come to the end of the year, I have been looking over my journal from the last year and it is a rewarding experience to review how far I came with my deck.
I found a great calendar/journal early on from Moleskin. In the beginning, it had a spot for every day listed throughout the year in columns of months. I used this to track my daily draws. I just did it and sometimes I reflected sometimes not. I pulled cards randomly and then not randomly. I drew the night before the day sometimes, I drew for the whole week at times and even pulled cards after the day was over in retrospect.
The calendar pages had the left page the seven days of the week and the right page was just a lined journal. This worked very well. I would jot notes about the daily draw and info about the day and then used the right side for my spread that I was working with for the week (or weeks – several took lots of reflection).
Here is a link to the produce description http://www.moleskine.com/catalogue/...s__weekly_notebook__red_hard_cover__large.php
The blog was a great idea but became the albatross around my neck. I couldn’t do all of it and then blog too. I ended up doing a Hermit-style PDR and that was fitting because it turned out to be very personal. Two great things came together early summer to really power me through the rest of the year. Christine Jette’s Tarot Shadow Work book and the Liber T deck itself. I found my stride. The book provided a series of spreads. No more searching for a spread and looking for questions, which was also a huge struggle early on in the PDR experience. This was perfect. I would lay out a spread and examine and journal about it for weeks.
Why I think it worked for me:
1) The journal kept me focused and driven in both study and time. The pages represented time and reflection two things that I needed to be reminded about constantly. I carried it around with me everywhere, all the time.
2) One Deck, all year, (well almost). Originally, the idea was that you picked a deck and it would be your personal deck but you were free to change as often as you liked. I liked the idea that there was a chance at freedom if the deck just didn’t work. I got overwhelmed by the Liber T in late Spring and set it aside for a week or so. But soon came back devoted that this was my personal deck for the year.
3) I didn’t use my personal deck in readings for others. It was free to play around and us my growing collections for others but this one was separate and all my readings were from this deck. Commitment to the PDR with one deck everything else was open. Again, it was focused and still I had a chance to breathe and play too.
4) I was open with myself and forgiving in times of weakness. I didn’t read for myself every week but decided that the goal was one deck for one year not one reading a week for myself. It was a small thing that made all the difference.
5) Study was optional. Too often I get too focused on deck study and not deck use. I did study at times and learned a lot. Other times I didn’t and I just used the cards. An IDS is great but not for everyone and I am enjoying the 78 Weeks study now but the PDR isn’t a study exercise. This is a using exercise and this may seem to be a small distinction but was a big one for me gave me room to explore and be free. At times, I would use LWB from other decks with this one. It worked at times and so I let it.
The right deck is essential and is very personal. I am up for doing this again and willing. I don’t know how it will work and if lightning can strike twice. I need a break from the everyday Liber T and yet I love it and have used it every day and so it is close to me. I am scouting out different books like Tarot Shadow work that will help me to get through the year.
This slow, steady, and personal exercise is not for everyone but has been powerful and rewarding for me. I would recommend sober judgement before starting to see if you are ready for what can amount to deep personal reflection and kind enough to know when to pause and stop. (I had to stop looking and start working changing a few things. But that was right and true for the exercise as well.)
Allan
I found a great calendar/journal early on from Moleskin. In the beginning, it had a spot for every day listed throughout the year in columns of months. I used this to track my daily draws. I just did it and sometimes I reflected sometimes not. I pulled cards randomly and then not randomly. I drew the night before the day sometimes, I drew for the whole week at times and even pulled cards after the day was over in retrospect.
The calendar pages had the left page the seven days of the week and the right page was just a lined journal. This worked very well. I would jot notes about the daily draw and info about the day and then used the right side for my spread that I was working with for the week (or weeks – several took lots of reflection).
Here is a link to the produce description http://www.moleskine.com/catalogue/...s__weekly_notebook__red_hard_cover__large.php
The blog was a great idea but became the albatross around my neck. I couldn’t do all of it and then blog too. I ended up doing a Hermit-style PDR and that was fitting because it turned out to be very personal. Two great things came together early summer to really power me through the rest of the year. Christine Jette’s Tarot Shadow Work book and the Liber T deck itself. I found my stride. The book provided a series of spreads. No more searching for a spread and looking for questions, which was also a huge struggle early on in the PDR experience. This was perfect. I would lay out a spread and examine and journal about it for weeks.
Why I think it worked for me:
1) The journal kept me focused and driven in both study and time. The pages represented time and reflection two things that I needed to be reminded about constantly. I carried it around with me everywhere, all the time.
2) One Deck, all year, (well almost). Originally, the idea was that you picked a deck and it would be your personal deck but you were free to change as often as you liked. I liked the idea that there was a chance at freedom if the deck just didn’t work. I got overwhelmed by the Liber T in late Spring and set it aside for a week or so. But soon came back devoted that this was my personal deck for the year.
3) I didn’t use my personal deck in readings for others. It was free to play around and us my growing collections for others but this one was separate and all my readings were from this deck. Commitment to the PDR with one deck everything else was open. Again, it was focused and still I had a chance to breathe and play too.
4) I was open with myself and forgiving in times of weakness. I didn’t read for myself every week but decided that the goal was one deck for one year not one reading a week for myself. It was a small thing that made all the difference.
5) Study was optional. Too often I get too focused on deck study and not deck use. I did study at times and learned a lot. Other times I didn’t and I just used the cards. An IDS is great but not for everyone and I am enjoying the 78 Weeks study now but the PDR isn’t a study exercise. This is a using exercise and this may seem to be a small distinction but was a big one for me gave me room to explore and be free. At times, I would use LWB from other decks with this one. It worked at times and so I let it.
The right deck is essential and is very personal. I am up for doing this again and willing. I don’t know how it will work and if lightning can strike twice. I need a break from the everyday Liber T and yet I love it and have used it every day and so it is close to me. I am scouting out different books like Tarot Shadow work that will help me to get through the year.
This slow, steady, and personal exercise is not for everyone but has been powerful and rewarding for me. I would recommend sober judgement before starting to see if you are ready for what can amount to deep personal reflection and kind enough to know when to pause and stop. (I had to stop looking and start working changing a few things. But that was right and true for the exercise as well.)
Allan