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I recently got told to look back 4 generations into female ancestors on my mother's side (with me being generation 0). So I came up with the following: Using ONLY court cards, pull a card for you and for each of the ancestors you want to look into and define who they are. Read them according to characteristics like suits, position in court, details on the card, etc. Look for character insights or a common thread weaving through the generations. I found readings I did this way very illuminating! (for me those were, for example: 0 - me -1 - my mother -2 - her mother -3 - her grand-mother -4 - my mother's great-grand-mother I never met any of them beyond my grandmother and I hardly knew her - but I found an interesting cascade of reactions to each of their mothers which are now influencing me - might post the reading itself later)

I know I am late to this party (and tell me off if I am flogging a dead horse here), but I am quite often making a spread up on the spot as is needed for the reading at hand, possibly never to be used again after that.... so I am team make my own 😊

Well, yes. I tried pretty hard with the houses, but man using a lot of them was like a headache, lol. I’m happy to look for nuance only where I need it most. The rest comes from the cards. I use mirroring for that purpose. The houses would be the flavor of the cards that occupy them, regardless of time. I think of that card as “possessed” by the house beneath it! 😜 The house is “getting into” the card, in other words, making it act in a certain way. It’s right to go with what makes sense to you and is comfortable in your own practice. I agree with the others; give your idea a try. Even if it doesn’t work out, at the very least you’ve experimented with something new!

Thanks for sharing how you use the houses, @Moon-Hermit ! I guess you fall into the category of GT readers who only take the houses into consideration in a more punctual, selective manner. Which I think is a very effective method. However, by doing so you do not run into questioning the fixed house sequence, as I mentioned above. My understanding of the houses' function is different. I use them as modifyier for the cards, or I see them as a kind of context – where does XY come from? What's the background of the card, its modus operandi? I've never seen the houses as having an impact on a cards' scope in relation to other cards. An idea I find quite intruiguing nevertheless. It seems, my discomfort with fixed houses stems from my reading style that is a bit different than the traditional. I'm OK with that.

Like you mentioned in the title of this post, I have always thought of the houses as fixed placements. They’re just a sequence from 1-36, with no specific meaning behind the particular order whatsoever. I would find the idea of having random houses with a second deck redundant. We already have random combinations when we deal out the cards, so why make it even more complex? In my own practice, I note the houses, but only specific houses (like the Key, Clouds, etc.) or the house that a certain card grabbing my attention has fallen in. I don’t rely on it heavily, because I’ve always had difficulty grasping the concept fully; houses are not like combinations. They are boundaries that sort of limit how a card can behave in relation to its neighboring cards, and all of that is something I find more complex than using distance/combinations. It’s precisely the same reason why I prefer counting to following the chain of houses for clarifying my points, etc.

Ah, ok. I get it. Yeah, that would bother me too. Thanks for the info and sharing the deck!

So, this is what I meant re: a personal system I don't jive with 😅 They use Mignon to mean 'King's Favorite' aka the Queen. For that alone I might not be able to reliably use the deck. A shame.

It does look very nice! Love the colors. It's always a shame when you really like the art in a deck that's not going to work out for readings. But nice that you supported the artist. (I have to ask - and I'm sure this is my ignorance - that Mignon of Wands. Is it the usage of Mignon that means "Cute, Delicate" because it doesn't really have that tone, but the only other meaning I'm familiar with has to do with a cut of meat. 😶

It's been a minute; here's some decks I've recently gotten. Mostly from KS of late, though with my avoidance of AI decks and their proliferation even that's winding down. Maybe I'm finally at my deck limit! The Threshold Tarot by Margrave Lucian: This is a really interesting and visceral deck which I may not keep. It has some aspects which don't jive for me, due to it being a deck using the creator's personal system. Such decks are always a gamble but I don't mind backing and finding out it won't work, as I consider it like patronizing an artist. I'm not always going to love everything they make, but that's not the point of being a patron. A shame because the art is INCREDIBLE, I really adore the palette and style. (Artist is in the UK for those of you seeking decks outside US tariff nonsense!) Mine came with a lovely handmade reading cloth in old lemon yellow silk taffeta, which is partly why I might wind up holding on to this one a while. The Cracked Amethyst Tarot by Jai Bott AT LONG LAST!!!! the followup deck to the Idiosyncradeck came to KS and I was so overjoyed I almost died. I've been waiting for this deck for what feels like an age. I have the Idiosyncradeck, and this one is quite different, enough that I think they both have their own flavor and style even as the one is clearly an evolution of the other. She also made a Cracked Lenormand to go with it. Really liking it so far. I also got my Blood Moon mass market copy; it's borderless, unlike the original, but I don't know that the linen finish is doing the cards any favors. Hopefully they'll publish a smooth one at some point. The box is lovely, though. A nice, affordable alternative for anyone who missed out on the indie run.

Hello @witchcraftwelcome to the TT&M Family ~

Hello @Lakewater welcome to the TT&M Family

Interesting. It is just not how it is done normally. But I guess if you are clear how to do it before you start it is fine.

Welcome back @Bodhiseed 😀 And welcome back @Rachelcat! Your Chromatika Tarot reminds me of the Vykladaci Karty. I really like it, very "deco."

Sometimes I write my readings twice, and sometimes I don't. It's more common when I am actively studying a particular deck, because I learn things and organise my thoughts through writing. I'll usually draft some quick notes about the reading on paper, and then organise/deepen my analysis digitally when I discuss the spreads on my blog. However, if I'm not going to share it on my blog or here, then I'll probably only keep the paper version, because I don't have a digital journal. (TL;DR: I only re-write digitally the readings that I end up discussing on my blog or here in the forum. The readings that I don't discuss usually only get written on my paper journal.) As for the differences between the versions… Sometimes, I'll notice different elements when re-writing the analysis on the computer. But both versions usually complement each other. I have never seen the paper and digital version completely contradict themselves, and if the reading is "wrong"... then both versions tend to be, lol.

thank you so much again! I will formulate my offer post soon!

Hi all! We pause our regularly scheduled Thoth review to use a preordered deck I just received, Chromatika Tarot. I got it to add to my small abstract art deck collection. I like the colors and the geometric style and the faint “drafting” lines, but I’m afraid it might be too RWS for me. We’ll see this week. Interview time! What is your most important characteristic? The Lovers I’ll either love it or hate it. I’ll have to make a choice about it. It will bring things together that should be together. This is a non-RWS card. What is your strength? The Chariot Sorry but this reminds me of the trojan horse because the horses seem to be on wheels. Mighty small wings for such big horses. The deck is strong in that it moves tarot themes forward. One horse’s eye is open and the other one’s is closed. It looks good and sees good. Your weakness? Six of Pentacles This is definitely too RWS. The people seem to be too begging. The deck’s weakness is it’s too RWS and not abstract enough. For me anyway. What can I learn from you? The Star I can learn all about all good things from it. And how all those good things are manmade, not spiritual. Because the good things are dangling from wires that must have been made by people. How can I learn it? Queen of Wands Sunflower and black cat. I can learn about good human-made things by making good things myself. Act on my feelings. What will be the outcome of our work together? Six of Swords I will end up moving on from it. Or accept its RWSness and carry on with it. We’ll see!

I only do readings for myself, and I write them down once by hand. Mostly because I like writing by hand, it has more weight to me personally than when I quickly type something down. Also, I like my own handwriting😅However, I do make it a habit to read it back a few days to a week later, and add afterthoughts and reflections on the inititial reading. The way I keep it digitally, is by taking a picture of both the spread and the journal page and keep it in a folder on my phone. Mostly out of convenience, if I feel the need to read it back while I'm not home. Edit: the reason I like to keep it, is because I regularly ask for advice on how to deal with my own insecurities or worries. So the advice stays relevant to me, as opposed to when I ask advice about a very specific challenge or decision. Though I sometimes also like to read those back, to remind myself of what paths I have taken.

Thank you, Fire cat! Hope you are staying cool in this heat and humidity! I'm in this week with the Tarot of the Master paired with the Paracelsus Oracle. Tarot of the Master, Love (Lovers); Paracelsus Oracle, Tristitia At the beginning of all love there is a private treaty each of the lovers makes with himself or herself, an agreement to set aside what is wrong with the other for the sake of what is right. —Salman Rushdie There's a breezy song by Olivia Dean that's getting a lot of radio play right now: "I could be the world to you, the missing piece, the extra sentimental kind of chemistry. Cause I make it so easy to fall in love, so, come give me a call, and we'll fall into us." Well, she's got the falling part right - it's the staying in love that's more difficult. It's probably why at the top of this card there is the Latin phrase Dolce travaglio, meaning "sweet labor." Tristitia is a Latin word meaning sorrow; early theologians used it to describe a despondency that caused someone to give up all hope. Partners may discover they are just too different in views and values to stay together, or cruelty and dishonesty might break them apart. But if, as Pink sings, "It's been written in the scars on our hearts; we're not broken, just bent and we can learn to love again," then maybe wise hope should be our compass.

I have saved some of my readings that I gave people online (here and also on Aeclectic). And sometimes I take pics of readings I give myself. However, I rarely ever go back to read or look at them, so I generally wind up deleting them periodically when I need to clean up my files. Once I've had a reading, or given one, I'm done and move on, although for a little while I might remember certain things that really stand out. I don't use a journal. I ponder the reading and let it sink in, but do not ruminate much over it afterwards. I generally see readings as being of the moment. I always marvel at those people who remember readings they've done in the past, even years ago. But I guess they're keeping journals and reviewing them regularly. When I'm writing down my reading, yes, I jot down a few notes before I write it up.

The great thing if you use digital software or apps, is that you can search for those things and have tags and stuff. I always tag the decks used in the readings and so can go back searching the decks and see the readings. I don't really go back very much I have to be honest. I don't read professionally but do readings for others and friends and sometimes look back at past readings (if they want that) to compare. I have a page going each year for my own readings for that year, personal readings for me. I do look back on them at the end of the year. I do pull a card at the beginning of each month and it is interesting to read back through them but I don't really see a pattern with the cards. I leave quick feedback about how the month turned out and if they match and so that is the most analysis I do.

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