Overwhelming deck

[Silverquill]

Hi all—this is my first post so please forgive me if I’ve posted this in the wrong place or inadvertently have breached forum etiquette.

 

I’m just wondering if anyone has a deck that overwhelms them? I have three decks —Forest of Enchantment is my daily deck, the classic RW is what I use for learning and when I need to give FoE a break, and then I have the Dark Goddess deck. I got the DG because I’m   working through some issues around becoming an olde woman and I was drawn to this deck. It is beautiful, powerful, and I love it. But it overwhelms me. When I last used it I started having dreams that weren’t necessarily “bad” or even “disturbing” but they sort of clung to me and I decided to put the deck aside for a bit. 
 

Any insights would be much appreciated…

[katrinka]

I'm not sure how having dreams related to some imagery seen during waking hours is being "overwhelmed" by it. Could you clarify further?

[stephanelli]

Hi there!  Welcome to the forum!

 

Not sure how it fits with feeling overwhelmed by a deck but I find when imagery that I've seen in the real world turns up in my dreams it's often my brain trying to process what has happened or what I've seen.

 

I haven't had this with a deck yet, but I have with some artworks, particularly those that are unusual and not realistic.

 

So it just could be that your subconscious is trying to process the cards. Dreams are fascinating.

 

Depending on what you believe and how you think the world works perhaps it's a sign from your Divine/god/spirit guides/higher power.  Only you will know if that's the case for you.

 

My other thought is entirely practical: if you're feeling overwhelmed by a deck, work through it in sections.  Study the majors, then each suit in turn.  And if that's too much break it down even further.  You could just work with single cards for a while.

 

Or if it's still too much, take a break like you said you are doing.

 

Just some thoughts, may or may not be helpful 😊

[vulprix]

Hi Silverquill! I personally have a very similar experience working with the Dark Goddess Tarot. It is a great deck, full of empowerment and a tool for deep thought, but I have to agree that it is a lot to handle. And it may not always affect one in the “happiest” of ways.

I only work with it one card at a time and I many times work with it face-up, for magic and introspection.

 

As far as the dreams, I have suffered from sleep issues in the past and my dreams had been difficult to handle as well. I worked hard to be able to lucid dream, and it helped me develop a sense of power over my sleep cycle, so I recommend that technique if you are interested.

 

If you are having powerful dreams that are not necessarily distressing you, inspired by the Dark Goddess Tarot, even some folks who are not very spiritual might call that a blessing. Something available to you for inspiration and learning 🙂 Have you tried journaling with it?

 

You are in power, not the deck, and I hope if it’s too much for your life right now, that you can ease back and develop the relationship with it that suits you. ❤️ 

[Silverquill]

Ah! Thanks you…this helps quite a bit. I’m not sure how to explain the feeling of overwhelm. It’s just a feeling of seriousness. My grandmother and great-grandmother were very powerful women — one a card reader herself. I was lucky enough to know both of them but they have been gone for over 20 years. I have really strong feelings and thoughts about them when I use the deck. I’m sorry it’s hard for me to articulate.  Can you give me an example of how to “work through a deck?” I just started doing three card spreads. How do you work through a deck? Thanks so much. 

[stephanelli]

6 hours ago, Silverquill said:

Can you give me an example of how to “work through a deck?” I just started doing three card spreads. How do you work through a deck? Thanks so much. 

Depends on how you like to get to know decks.

I do daily one cards draws and journal about the card that came up, with a reflection on how it relates to my day.

 

You could however do it systematically, and say start with the majors and follow The Fool's Journey.  I like journaling and writing so I would journal about how the card makes me feel, what jumps out at me from the picture, if it reminds me of any experiences I've had in my life, meanings I might give to the card, basically anything!

 

I'm sure there are other ways, but this works for me.  Hopefully some other people will drop by with more ideas.

[fire cat pickles]

If you are overwhelmed,  perhaps it is your subconscious telling you to study the deck, too, that you're still learning it. You could take the RWS equivalent out and compare and contrast them each day and make notes in your journal. It may alleviate some of the stress you're feeling.

 

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by fire cat pickles

[Silverquill]

These are wonderful suggestions! Thank you—- I’ll try them out.

 

[DanielJUK]

I have this with the Deviant Moon Tarot, somehow it makes me very uncomfortable and emotional. I love it's artwork but it seems to touch on a really deep part of my subconscious and I don't like it. I haven't bought the deck so far because of this, looking at the images online somehow affects me in a mild way. A friend once did a reading with the deck for me and it gave me such a important reading but it was almost overwhelming and went to areas I really didn't like. Like it went straight to something that I wanted to bury and ignore dealing with. However it gave me such important stuff to work on. I think one day I will buy the deck and work with it, it's really important with my subconscious, it's connecting to a deep part of me and the discomfort is probably a good thing for healing. But I want to use it in a way that is not too intense, a gentle working with it, in my own terms.

 

I think it's the same for you @Silverquill it's probably a good thing for healing a part of you. Use it in a way that makes you feel comfortable. I would avoid using it most of your readings at the moment and take a single card from it and think about it, work on it. Or you could meditate with one card from it each day. Use it in a small gentle way, get used to it and work out why it affects you. If you feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable, put the deck away and leave it for a while. The deck is just cardboard with art on it, the reactions are from yourself 🙂 You have complete control here, shut it away in a drawer and use it in a small comfortable way until you feel more comfortable with it.

[TheLoracular]

Hi @Silverquill

With the Dark Goddess tarot and you describing your discomfort about what is coming up in dreams and being overwhelmed?  I think you are being gifted with the opportunity to do some Shadow Work.  

Shadow Work is, most simply put, pulling out bits and pieces out of your repressed fear, shame, darker desires and looking at them one at a time, accepting them as a part of you, and letting them be acknowledged rather than repressed so they stop being so problematic to the health of your psyche.   

There are a million books and other resources on Shadow Work, including Shadow Work with the tarot out there.  I would strongly suggest picking one up and tackling the Dark Goddess with that, setting it aside to be your "personal development" deck rather than your divination deck.  You mentioned being attracted and drawn to it.  This could be why.  It is still the right deck for you, just right for a different kind of tarot work than your others. 

 

[Guest]

20 hours ago, Silverquill said:

the Dark Goddess deck. I got the DG because I’m   working through some issues around becoming an olde woman and I was drawn to this deck. It is beautiful, powerful, and I love it. But it overwhelms me. When I last used it I started having dreams that weren’t necessarily “bad” or even “disturbing” but they sort of clung to me and I decided to put the deck aside for a bit. 

Is this the deck by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince? If so it’s a deck I find quite conducive to lucid dreaming (the Greenwood is too). 

 

Cards are written in an optical dialect. So are dreams.

 

Seeing a deck’s imagery, or dreaming in its iconography, is a sign of forging a fluency in its landscape or language. It happens with other interests. I doubt it is anything else. 

 

It should not overwhelm you. If it is, one would assume that the work you’re doing requires more grounding. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Guest