Reviving the One Deck Wonder

As originally constructed, I would never have joined the ODW for the simple fact that I don't often read for other people, be they friends, relatives or strangers. That's neither my interest nor my focus in using and learning tarot. I'm still considering joining this revived ODW though.

To preserve the purity of the original ODW, might I suggest another name for this particular exercise that people (possibly including myself) are going to undertake? How about the One Deck Focus (ODF) or One Deck Study (ODS) since those who are joining in will be focusing in on one deck and studying it for a defined period of time. Different name (and TLA), different rules, different purpose. That should hopefully avoid any confusion between the two pursuits.

Rodney

Well, this thread has definately taken an interesting turn.
Without even mentioning it earlier, I was wondering if I should learn the Thoth (which I don't even own yet but have really been interested in learning) vs. the Aquarian.

Umbrae said:

This is about learning to read, and ultimately learning to read for strangers.

Click to expand...

So interesting how the ODW got started. So I guess in essence this thread isn't really about a OneDeckWonder, although the title would imply it's about the deck vs learning to read better. For the sake of giving it a more appropriate title, we're probably better calling it an Intese Deck Study (although I like your Flavor of the Month too, Faunabay )

Still not sure what I'm gonna do myself, I really am too chicken to read for others with a deck I'm not comfortable with, but I'm oh so interested in this conversation despite the pedantries (just pickin Scion )

rwcarter said:

To preserve the purity of the original ODW, might I suggest another name for this particular exercise that people (possibly including myself) are going to undertake? How about the One Deck Focus (ODF) or One Deck Study (ODS) since those who are joining in will be focusing in on one deck and studying it for a defined period of time. Different name (and TLA), different rules, different purpose. That should hopefully avoid any confusion between the two pursuits.

Rodney

Click to expand...

Oh cool, we had the same thought at the same time!

MariposAzl said:

Oh cool, we had the same thought at the same time!

Click to expand...

I like the Intense Deck Study (IDS) too! You know what they say about great minds and all that.

Okay, I have been work on/up to a ODW for the last two months. I even posted about it, but didn’t know at the time, what I was referring to was a ODW study. (www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=93708 might have got more responses if I had! ) I had at the time narrowed my list down to eight decks: Bright Ideas, Druidcraft, Greenwood, Hallowquest Arthurian, Legend Arthurian, Llewellyn, Osho Zen and Shapeshifter.
But since I received my Tarot of Dreams, I have revised and narrowed my list to Tarot of Dreams, Greenwood and the Hallowquest Arthurian. Narrowing this list down to one is the biggest difficulty facing me in my ODW. Each deck is very different and requires a unique study. I drew a card from each deck to ask it how it would feel about participating in a ODW:
The ToD gave me Nine of Cups, a very joyful response indeed. This is a very boisterous, enthusiastic deck, and suggests we will have *a lot* of fun! Greenwood gave me Page of Stones suggesting that this deck talks with a very quiet voice, and a study would be beneficial, if one is willing to slow down, listen deeply to the cards and the small inner voice that responds. Hallowquest gave me Six of Swords, suggesting that I will travel far with this deck. Oh great, well that doesn’t help much. Each deck is quite happy to join me on this quest and I will get a lot out of any of these studies. But none of them clear about who it should be. Okay, okay *significant pause while I think*… Tarot of Dreams it is!
Now for the rules. I understand that by Umbrae’s conditions what I am about to embark on is not exactly a ODW, but I like the term, so I’m stealing it! If a ODW is a intended to improve one’s ability to read the cards, then wouldn’t immersing oneself in the deck, getting to know it, listening to it, learning its symbolism, etc all lead to a better reading? I read very rarely for others, but I feel that the better I know a deck, the more I work with it myself (as opposed to working with whatever deck catches my fancy at the time) the better my reading for others will be.

Rule One: no other decks, no using other decks for my readings for myself or others (even if they ask for them), no oracles, no nothing!
Rule Two: I will use the companion “book” (CD in this case) but I will limit my other book use to “exercise” books (eg. 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card) not “theory” books.
Rule Three: I will limit my study to the cards, not other systems (kabbala, elemental dignities, numerology etc).
Rule Four: I will journal as much as possible (in between RL, uni, mood swings, etc)
Rule Five: I will start on 20th March (Autumn Equinox) and will continue until 23rd September (Spring Equinox).
Rule Six: If at the end of this six months I have lived up to my oath, I will reward myself with something.

I don’t have any rules about buying decks because I am already on a deck/book-diet of one a month, and hopefully if I get involved enough in this study I won’t feel the need to buy anything until this study is over. I also don’t have much of a wish-list at the moment (a would-get-if-only-I-could-afford-it-list yes, but a must-have-list no). So no new decks, no worries! No new books, a little more difficult, but I think I can do this.

So yes, sign me up for the 2008 ODW list! I can do this, I will do this! And I will love it!

Faolainn Storm

Actually I rather like the suggestions of both MariposAzl and Rodney. I'd be quite happy with calling this a One Deck Focus (ODF), One Deck Study (ODS) or Intense Deck Study (IDS). Whatever gets choosen is fine, I just feel that such a detailed, depth study of a deck requires some type of formal name. I'll have to think about what name I'll ultimately end up stealing for it: ODW, ODF, ODS, IDS or something else .

I think the AT would shut down if Umbrae left us!

I get it now, so I am in.

I've got my list down to three, Universal Waite, Gilded, and Art Nouveau. I know the latter is supposed to be hard to read but it's so pretty I can't resist. I will choose a deck very soon. If I had ToD I'd choose that one. I'm jealous!

And I will lock up all my other decks (except for measuring purposes) and all my books for 90 days.

Thanks Faolainn! (I wish I had a clue about how to pronounce your name....)

You've helped me to get past at least one of the hurdles to me joining this study - picking a deck. I'll pick out all the decks I might want to use for this study and then do a bunch of deck-to-deck one card pulls asking "Which one of you most wants to be used in the study? The deck with the most favorable card (be it the interpretation of the card or just something about the card) moves on to the next round. I'll do this until I get down to the final 2 or 3 decks (determined by how many I start out with) and then do a 3-card pull with each deck for how I'll feel mentally, physically, and spiritually using the deck for the study. The victor will be the deck that gets used for the study.

Use tarot to determine which deck I'll use for the study. Who'd'a thunk it?

Rodney

It's important to realize that I'm not attempting to dictate what ODW should be, or what it could be called or any other aspect.

I only want folks to understand the spirit of the project, as it was originally intended.

Then you can make it what you want.

As long as you understand what it was, and how it came to be, and what it could be.

Hate to see it revived in three years as the “One True Way” method of the Deck Study Advocates or some other TLA from hell…

.traveller. said:

Hey Umbrae, is there a benefit in this exercise for those of us who already spent years reading F2F using a single deck?

Click to expand...

Yes - they call us teachers...we could use your help.

rwcarter said:

Thanks Faolainn! (I wish I had a clue about how to pronounce your name....)
Rodney

Click to expand...

Fay-lawn, it is my variation (for numerological purposes) of the Irish word Faolan (same pronunciation) meaning wolf. Thanks for asking, I was wondering if anyone would !

Faolainn

Hmm - very interesting thread.

I'm joining in - since my tarot experience is already very much a one deck wonder and since I've decided to start reading for others now, using the Universal Waite, since other decks just seem to distract me.

So to me the rule would be: Reading solely for others and for my self with the UW and thereby studying it for the next year. Starting today.

The keywords would be: Flow, Intuition, Now.

So to me this is quite simple ;o)

I do like the name Intense Deck Study as a way of communicating that this is sort of a ODW generation II (and thanks to Umbrae for sharing what it was about in the first place) But actually, I don't really care what the name is, anyway.

What I would like to know is, what the next step will be; posting our experience at AT, should there be a whole new thread or ... will we just start?!?

(But I can't help - since I'm quite curious - to ask Rodney what the puzzle in the Mona Lisa Tarot is (or is about)?)

Yours truly,

Gazel