78 Week Study 2020-2022 - Instructions

[Decan]

16 minutes ago, katrinka said:

Karen Mahony had to explain recently that the Bohemian Fortunetelling Cards are NOT normally read directionally! I'm sure you saw that.

Absolutely, I saw that and took note!

[katrinka]

My Ace is up. :)
I noticed that there is only one other reply on that thread, from 2018.

I'm not rushing anybody or even talking about you guys, I just find it odd that there weren't more replies last time they did this. It really looks like this is a card people don't like, or they don't know what to say.

Or maybe, since they went in a different order that time, a lot of people had burned out by then. I like the order we're going in, it keeps things somewhat fresh.

[Riimukissa]

I’m quite sure that it’s because of the order. I am really glad that the order is mixed up now – it spices up things.

[Grace]

Maybe a little from column A, a little from column B. This week was always going to be a slightly later posting by me due to scheduling... but I tried to sit with mine yesterday for just a moment, and found it a little trickier to get started compared with the first 2 majors. I guess The Fool and The Magician are more commonly investigated, explored, pulled apart, analysed and debated, perhaps I felt a little more prepared or comfortable talking and thinking about them than the Ace of Wands. Can't wait to sit with it later today and work on my submission!

[katrinka]

4 minutes ago, Grace said:

 I guess The Fool and The Magician are more commonly investigated, explored, pulled apart, analysed and debated

Yes, there's tons of discussion on those all over the net, going back years. And very little on the Aces.
I see more talk about Courts, and a lot of people don't even like Courts, they have trouble with them.
Maybe it's the simplicity of the Aces. There really isn't much to say about them, and no controversy that I can recall.

And, it bears repeating: No rush! I was referring to 2017-2018. I think we can do better. 😉

[Gardener]

Hi Grace, Kati and Katrinka,  I did notice that participation fell off pretty steeply two years ago.  I have been thinking about how to keep everyone's interest engaged.  So far the best plan has been mixing up the order.  As Grace said, once you move out from the most-discussed category (Majors), into the least discussed (Pips), it's a psychological adjustment.  I think it would be extremely challenging to be as detailed with an ace as we were with one of the Majors.  Right away, we have to adjust our expectations, move from "sprint" to "marathon".

 

So maybe going in our idiosyncratic order will help us stay the course longer.

 

And I am hoping the Zoom calls might serve as incentive.

 

Also threads like this one, where we chat about our approaches.  I'm looking forward to posting in the thread Katrinka revived, about deck selection!  I am still struggling with that most fundamental of decisions...

 

 

[katrinka]

21 minutes ago, Gardener said:

 I'm looking forward to posting in the thread Katrinka revived, about deck selection!  I am still struggling with that most fundamental of decisions...

It was pretty cut and dried for me.
I'd just gotten the Thomson Leng, and I like it. It's straightforward. I want to get to know it backwards and forwards.
I could have gone with something more challenging, like the Thoth. But researching all those details and correspondences, and compressing them into a single core essence, is not something I would choose to do with a weekly deadline! So that was a consideration. I salute everyone who's been doing Thoth and Thoth-based decks here.

[Hemera]

On 9/14/2020 at 12:44 AM, katrinka said:

Or maybe, since they went in a different order that time, a lot of people had burned out by then. I like the order we're going in, it keeps things somewhat fresh.

 

Yes, this is what happened.. We simply never got that far.

 

I'd love to try again. May I join please? 

I'm currently working with the Mermaid Tarot and I'd love to give it more time and study it in depth.

I've been away from the forum for months but I think this group and your company might just be what I need to get my tarot work going again.😊

[Gardener]

Hello Hemera,

 

We would be utterly DELIGHTED to have you join us!  As I was saying to Grace and Katrinka, when I first proposed reviving your study, I was mostly thinking about having a structure.  But it turns out the companionship is the best part!  People have been so good about responding to each other's cards.  And I've been happy to see such a wide range of images.  I'm looking forward to seeing the Mermaid Tarot join the party!

 

Welcome!

 

And to the others reading this thread and wondering - anyone is welcome to jump in at any time.  You can just join in with the current card, or with any card you like.  Right now there is a good discussion happening with the Ace of Wands, and we're about to dive into the Ace of Cups.

[Hemera]

2 hours ago, Gardener said:

Hello Hemera,

 

We would be utterly DELIGHTED to have you join us!  As I was saying to Grace and Katrinka, when I first proposed reviving your study, I was mostly thinking about having a structure.  But it turns out the companionship is the best part!  People have been so good about responding to each other's cards.  And I've been happy to see such a wide range of images.  I'm looking forward to seeing the Mermaid Tarot join the party!

 

Welcome!

 

And to the others reading this thread and wondering - anyone is welcome to jump in at any time.  You can just join in with the current card, or with any card you like.  Right now there is a good discussion happening with the Ace of Wands, and we're about to dive into the Ace of Cups.

Thank you for the warm welcome! 🥰

OK, I´ll start with the Fool (because I really like it in this deck) and then move on to the Ace of Cups with you guys next week.

[Decan]

That's a great idea to do that weekly, that way we have time to integrate the particular meanings and thoughts for the cards of this or that deck, but all the decks you chose are interesting! 🤩💜

[Grace]

How are we all going? Who needs a pep talk!?

WEEK 5 - High Priestess.... which means we are half way to our Zoom meeting!!! Exciting! *Doing a little happy dance*

 

[Gardener]

I need a pep talk!!!  I've been reading both Ace threads and totally LOVING the interaction!!!  We have such a diversity of decks, but we're finding threads to connect them and finding insight in each other's cards.  It's wonderful.

 

But I'm behind.  I think almost everyone has done the Ace of Cups except me and Surreal.  I feel so guilty!  I've just had a small stomach bug and while I'm not really that sick, somehow it's messing with my tarot mojo.  I think when I study the cards I usually feel something of a spiritual connection, and my spiritual vibe is shut down temporarily.  So I'm behind!  It might be a few days before I catch up.

 

I also sort of want to compare two or three decks and I don't know if that's "okay".  So many of you are doing such a great job digging deep into a single card, but I'm sort of feeling like doing an overview of three decks plus an archetype.  Is that overkill?

 

I am also very excited about our Zoom meeting.  I actually bought a subscription to Zoom so I can host.  And I think I can figure out how to paste the link into private messages so we don't need email.  I can't wait to see you all, and your decks!

[Grace]

*Cracks Knuckles*


Don't worry about being 'behind' yet - it is barely by a day! You got this. If you need an extra day or two to get yourself into a good frame of mind before sitting down and getting started, that is OK. It is YOUR study. Everyone gets into a CBF mode sometimes. When this happens to me I make sure to do or think of the things that rev me up and get me in a good mood. From a good mood you can get anything done. 

I understand wanting to connect with the cards on a deeper level, and not just 'do the thing' for the sake of it. I try to meditate a couple times a day, and incorporate my scheduled study in after one of those sessions. It is nice attacking a card from that space, a clear mind, where things just seem to 'click' and you get all the feels. But I must say the Aces were trickier than the first two cards, and that flow, those 'aha' moments seemed to come somewhere halfway through after some thought, rather than start of the study (what I'm used to feeling in a reading for example - which is another point, we are undergoing deeper learning of the cards - so it is OK for it to feel different, remember when you first started learning Tarot?). With the Aces, it took about 3 days of doing a little, then leaving it for the next day's meditation session before continuing. Sometimes you need to persevere. I'm sure at some point there will come a time where a card will just not speak to me the way I was expecting or hoping it to. But that shouldn't represent a failure. Sometimes the wisdom comes later, after the study - sometimes days, sometimes weeks, sometimes years. We need to give ourselves a break in those circumstances, and just get on with it, move on, and know that it will eventually click from those spiritual standpoints.

In terms of your deck dilemma... If you had to articulate your PRIMARY goal for the 78 weeks, how would you put it? I say primary, because we rarely do things for one reason only. Decks aside, what do you want to get out the the 78 weeks? Not everyone needs to approach the 78 week study purely from a 'what more can I learn about this deck' perspective. For me I was embarking on a Qabalah study, and I wanted to get a better understanding of that system specifically in relation to the myths, astrology and other associated knowledge I already had on the Tarot- it was a way to keep me accountable academically with a subject I know lots of people struggle with. Your primary purpose may be to explore the cards from a meditative/spiritual perspective? In which case, the deck is inconsequential (in that you don't have to be tethered to a particular deck or system), and perhaps that is why you are struggling choosing just one? (Just spit balling here). 

Once you have ascertained the primary goal, (and writing it down really helps) you can explore further. I'm personally enjoying your two card reviews - but it is completely up to you if you want to add yet another card. Maybe you can buck the trend, and be more fluid with the decks week to week, chop and change as required. Anything goes, but there is always a trade off. There is a fine line between rigid discipline, and doing what is right for you. Be honest with yourself - are you the kind of person who bites off more than they can chew? Will you be able to sustain the chosen decks long term? Will it put you under too much pressure, and how will you deal with it when you get stuck? I find making the decision is the hard part, there is always an 'opportunity cost'. Hopefully being clear about your goal will help. 

I can't wait for the Zoom meeting! I hope the subscription wasn't too expensive. I know you can host for free up to 40 minutes (at which time everyone can just dial in again afterwards). Only 5 more weeks! 

[Hemera]

@Gardener Oh, please don't worry. I started late and have missed a few cards but I will post them during those catch up weeks. Or perhaps at the end of these 78 weeks. I think the main thing is to keep going. I'm so glad there so much energy and buzz this time around which I think is really the main thing instead of posting every card with others. Right?

And yes, just like @Grace says, we need to remember our primary goal. For me it is simply getting to know my deck, and getting some ideas of why I currently use it as my primary deck (which has surprised me). If I miss a few cards on the way, so what! 😉

[Flaxen]

@Gardener don’t worry, there is still space to catch up. I often don’t post my thoughts till later in the week so you could post your Ace of Cups thoughts on Wednesday and then the High Priestess ones Saturday. 
 

I think @Grace has given good advice about clarifying what your goal is during the 78 weeks. Personally, I’m enjoying your approach and it’s made me think that it would be interesting to do such a side by side comparison one week. 

[katrinka]

Yes, don't worry.
I waited until the 11th hour, not because it's an actual deadline, but because I'm working Monday and Tuesday night, Wednesday is recuperation day, and by Thursday I should be posting the next card because I work the following weekend.
I wasn't really feeling it, so I had a little chardonnay. It makes the words flow, for good or ill, lol. A lot of the great writers were alkies, and while I don't want to take it THAT far, I can see how they fell into that. I'll look at it later and decide if it's inspired, or if I've gone and embarrassed myself.
But if you don't have my crazy schedule, there is no reason you can't take your time. It's different for all of us. 😉

Edited September 28, 2020 by katrinka

[Gardener]

Thank you @Grace, @Hemera, @Flaxen and @katrinka for the much needed and very thoughtful pep talk!  Means a lot to me.  This might qualify as over-sharing, but I lost a couple years in my early 30s to depression, and I have this funny feeling that now, 20 years later, I come onto these boards and I feel like that younger self again, like I can reclaim those years.  In my meat life, I am the dispenser of wisdom, advice and pep talks.  I am the organizer and the grown up.  But it has been so lovely to come to this forum and find wise people dispensing advice and pep talks to me.  I love receiving your perspectives.

 

You ask what my goal is in pursuing this study.  My initial goal was to just spend time with a non-RWS deck to expand my view of the cards.  Lately I've been more interested following everyone else's journey, and it has been great to read the threads and see all the cards.  That sense of a community, and the sense of a survey of many different interpretations (the deck creators' opinions and those of the Tough Cookies) has been so stimulating.  But I need to reach back to basics and find my core study.

 

I realized why I was struggling with the Ace of Cups.  @TheFeeLion did a reading for me in which I got the Ace of Cups reverse representing a blockage to my flow of creativity.  So I was living out that reversed Ace!  Feeling it in my bones, absorbing the reading.  Now I feel better (thanks to the pep talk) and I'm ready to reverse the Cup and explore its upright meaning.  I think I might also talk about reversals.  

 

Finally, which decks?  I was thinking maybe if I did 4-5 decks, in all that profusion you all wouldn't notice that I wasn't finding my own connection to the card.  But of course, I would notice.  Why do it if you're not seeking a connection?  So I am going to stick to my two decks, plus one Archetype card, you'll see why...

 

Thanks again, and I can't wait to meet you on Zoom!

[Grace]

Everyone needs some encouragement and nurturing - especially people who continually find themselves falling into the caregivers role. I love how open and safe this forum is, but I suppose it needs to be for a good tarot community. Tarot shines a light on everything, the big and small, bad and good. I don't think a person can be a good tarot reader with bias and judgement as a default in their hearts. It's so nice that the people here are mostly in sync with that idea, and are here to support one another. 

The reading TheFeeLion did for you sounds like a very cool insight! I'm looking foreword to reading your next post... the mystery Archetype card sounds very interesting. 

 

[Lady Butterfly]

Hello Everybody!

 

I have just gotten back online more 'full time' of late, and life is calming down on my end... as such, I do hope it is OK if I join you all in your 78 weeks. I have read through this thread, and will be reading all the threads of the cards you have covered until now. I will try to catch them up with my own deck as soon as possible, but will just jump in with the High Priestess for now.

 

 

[Hemera]

 I'm another late joiner but I believe the door is always open in these halls. Welcome Lady Butterfly🥳

[Gardener]

Hello Lady Butterfly, 

 

Welcome to the Tough Cookies!  We are happy to have you join us.  Jumping in with the High Priestess is absolutely the best way to go, that way you can participate in the chatter.  You could probably make up both Aces over the December catch up week.  

 

Which deck will you be using?  If you are like me and have trouble deciding, you can write all about it in the deck choice thread.  Everyone else seems to have comfortably settled on just one deck for the 78 weeks.

 

You'll notice in the Majors threads there are 7-10 posts from Trogon's study back in 2017-2018.  If you check the dates, you'll see our crew starting up in August/September 2020.

 

So glad you're here!

 

Gardener

[Gardener]

I just want to give a huge hug of gratitude to Den-Mother Grace for taking the time to comment on EVERYONE'S posts.  Each time we start a new card, I say to myself that I will do that, and then the days just slip by.  But Grace is doing it.  Thanks, Grace!

 

And thanks everyone for your insightful posts and interesting observations about each others' studies.  The Tough Cookies are an awesome group, and I feel so lucky to be part of this!

[Rupicapra]

22 minutes ago, Gardener said:

The Tough Cookies are an awesome group, and I feel so lucky to be part of this!

Well I'm not sure we'd be here if it weren't for you starting it up again, so a big thanks to you @Gardener

 

 

 

[Grace]

Mwah ha ha ha ha!!!!!
Welcome @Lady Butterfly! We are glad to have you on board. As the others have pointed out, only 5 weeks in a catch up is pretty doable (schedules permitting). Excited to see what deck/s you will be working with.