Hi all
Regarding this deck, I would like to know your approaches to reading please.
Essentially, for all cards there are standard/traditional meanings. Then we can infer meanings from the pictures themselves. Finally, we have the quotes that accompany each of the cards, suggesting further possibilities.
So, I guess my question is, what weight do you give to each of the above elements? Or are there other aspects you would take into account with this deck?
Or another way of looking at this is to ask, if the same spread of say 3 cards emerged from this deck and one of the more standard ones, what would be the differences (if any) in interpretation?
As ever, many thanks to those kind enough to share their experience on this matter.
Hello and welcome to the Ludy Lescot Group Prasomchai
Hemera is right in that you will have to experiment with the deck to see what process holds true for you. We've both worked for a long while on perfecting our approach (for me almost a year) and it is, and will always be, a process of learning. The same can be said for any deck really.
What I have found out about the Ludy Lescot deck, is that it makes you look at your shadow self - the 'dark side' of your personality that tends to get shut off or disregarded as we walk through life. It's not easy to look at that dark side, but when you do finally open yourself to it, the deck will reward you with profound insights. Again, this can be said for ANY deck you find yourself really connecting to.
Yes, in the beginning I clutched that LWB tightly and memorized all the sayings. They repeated as a mantra in my head for many months as I worked with the interpretations, and I found them vastly helpful. Not because their meanings were cut in stone, but because they made me think about how they applied directly to that given card. This slowly progressed to me taking a long hard look at what was going on in the pictures. Not at a superficial level - "hey, that small child with a clown face is rather pathetic" but more... "why am I acting so childish? What *mask* am I wearing and why can't I wipe it away? What's in my hand that I'm offering someone or what is another person offering me? What emotions are coming up that I need to deal with? What is the *escape* plan and why is it blocked?" I'm speaking of the 6 of cups in case you're wondering. The LWB says
"Learning from your errors means growth. Not today however" This one riled me up quite a bit in the beginning. Not today? I'd ask... why the heck not!? Seize the day! But... it's often things that creep up from the past, that you finally
realize have been bothering you for a long time, that are the hardest to let go. The letting go becomes a process. And so, the LWB interp would be correct.
After I became familiar with the interps and very familiar with the images of the cards, I'd start getting flashes of what other cards had for their imagery. They assimilate a 'whole picture' and interpretation. I cannot discredit images from the RWS pictures because I learned Tarot through books that base a lot of symbolism on that deck. The process of learning had already assimilated this knowledge in a complicated amalgamation of my understanding of each card, and I do not discredit or deny this knowledge just because I can't *see* it in the Ludy Lescot image. The deck works with this knowledge and synthesizes my understanding of the interpretations that I come to. I know this is not a cut and dry explanation to your question.
Ultimately, I now start with an intuitive and visual appraisal of the cards in the draw. Who are the players, which way are they looking, what activity are they engaged in, AND... most importantly.... how can I relate this to activities *in my world*.
One thing I have found interesting about this deck is that it led me to studying certain Gods, Goddess', psychologies and philosophies. Concurrently it did the same with Hemera (or she had already studied these things and was re-integrating that knowledge further into her understanding of these cards). You'll be able to see some of these discussions in the threads in this group. If you find yourself drawn towards these topics, you'll greatly enjoy the Ludy deck. If not, you may not choose to continue to work with it for very long. There is no harm in that. This deck really isn't for everybody - but we sure hope you do find it to be your new favorite and share your insights here with us
Please feel free to ask questions about the cards in their respective threads on this forum. We will do our best to assist you in whatever way we can. There is A LOT of information here, so take your time..
We're not going anywhere!
I've thought about buying a second Ludy deck as a back up. I like the worn look of my older deck, but might try the silver edging on a newer version for some flare.