Ideas for bonding with deck

[Purplemystic]

I've been into tarot for a year or so now.

Would like ideas methods for bonding to decks.

I usually smudge, shuffle and put crystals with decks. I meditate on the cards.

Would like further ideas, spreads etc to bond further. Currently working with Wildwood and Hidden Rhealm decks.

 

Thanks

[River]

I take them everywhere with me, as I would take a book to read in the bus for example. I shuffle a lot, I observe the cards closely and find out which ones speak to me directly and which ones I need to work with, I read about possible symbolisms... Yeah, nothing that other people online haven't said before, but it works very well for me.

[Raggydoll]

This topic has come up before, so I thought I might link it in case it contains anything of interest: https://www.thetarotforum.com/tarot-for-yourself/how-do-you-attune-to-a-new-deck/msg50042/#msg50042

You can do so called ‘deck interview’ spreads. There are several available if you google it (I’m a little short on time, otherwise I would have typed some out for you. Hopefully more people will chime in with their tips and tricks.) Good luck  :)

[Purplemystic]

Thanks Raggydoll. ☺

[Wanderer]

Hi Purplemystic[/member] !

Ooh, you're learning the Wildwood... well, I've found that the best way with that one specifically is simply to spend time with it, one card at a time. It's a different deck to RWS systems, and its mythology isn't fixed; I've found that the symbolism is open to interpretation, and focusing on any one card acts as a way into the overall philosophy. For me the deck is very much rooted in reality, so it is possible to imagine the subjects and the detail, and add to it or interpret it.

    I'll also say that there are aspects where I feel they've gone slightly 'wrong' in this deck, by basing certain cards too much on the more abstract meditations of of the Greenwood. Don't be afraid of seeing discordances with how the deck 'feels' to you, and use them to create your own levels of meaning where necessary.

    And please do join in with the study group too!  :D

 

[Purplemystic]

Yes Wanderer. Wildwood called to me as I can say I'm pretty earth based. I like earthy decks. Find them grounding. I've began my study with 1 card draws, then leading to three card daily draws.

I do feel the energies of them very detailed in depth. Feel a deep ancestors feel.

Work in progress with it. I've read the book three or more times, understand follows wheel of year etc.

Unsure on court cards being animals not able to connect to those aspects.

What more can I say? An exploitative mind boggling deck unless me either looking too much into the cards or just need to study further..

[Wanderer]

Yes Wanderer. Wildwood called to me as I can say I'm pretty earth based. I like earthy decks. Find them grounding. I've began my study with 1 card draws, then leading to three card daily draws.

I do feel the energies of them very detailed in depth. Feel a deep ancestors feel.

Work in progress with it. I've read the book three or more times, understand follows wheel of year etc.

Unsure on court cards being animals not able to connect to those aspects.

What more can I say? An exploitative mind boggling deck unless me either looking too much into the cards or just need to study further..

 

Yes, that's exactly how it feels to me as well; they've tapped into something truly profound, even if some of it remains a little unclear.

 

The courts are the most difficult part, I agree. For these, there is a lot of symbolic baggage that you can delve into, but I'm slowly finding that the best way to understand them is to step back and feel the underlying driving force of each of them. Think about their style of movement, their ecological roles, and any defining aspects of their behaviour. It's like getting to know the animals themselves; it takes time, patience, and a willingness to see through illusions. The symbolism (the diverse associations in old stories, and so on) is always there, but let the generality of that colour your interpretations, rather than being too specific; there are too many stories about some animals to possibly keep track of them all. Keep working with them, and at some point it will start to click, one card at a time...

 

    Having said that, the number of possible interpretations of each card is enormous, and the more facets you have in mind, the more potent it becomes. The negatives are also interesting, I find, but are mostly the logical extensions of the virtues when taken to excess (hence the lack of reversals - each concept includes its own reversal). Either intuition or the other cards in the spread should point towards which aspect of meaning is most relevant, but I confess to sometimes being baffled as to how the answers seem to just pop into existence.

[Thoughtful]

Here are a couple of deck interviews that may interest you.

l found them really helpful when getting a new deck.

 

                        First Interview

 

1.  What is your most important characteristic

 

2.  What are your strengths as a deck

 

3.  What will you teach me

 

4.  How do l best learn and work with you

 

5.  Potential outcome of working together

 

6.  Which card do you want to show off to me

 

7.  How do you see me

 

8.  How do you see yourself

 

 

 

                            Second Interview

 

1.  Describe yourself in three words of less

 

2.  How would your best friend describe you using only three words

 

3.  What gift do you bring me

 

4.  What do you expect from me in return

 

5.  How can you help me serve

 

6.  Anything else you would like to tell me about yourself

 

 

Have fun :)

[Jewel]

I carry it around with me in my purse, and even put some decks under my pillow at night  :).  What I have found best for bonding has been to use my deck as my primary reading deck for a month.

[Raggydoll]

I carry it around with me in my purse, and even put some decks under my pillow at night  :).  What I have found best for bonding has been to use my deck as my primary reading deck for a month.

 

Yes, really zooming in on one deck can be very effective! I find that you not only get to know that specific deck much better but you also evolve in a general way as a tarot reader from having periods where you work exclusively with one deck.

[Cookie]

Play them your favourite music on a waxing moon...even sing to them.  Your RWS pack might look just like mine or Joe Bloggs' down the road but just like a your fingerprint your frequency is unique in the universe

[Jewel]

Yes, really zooming in on one deck can be very effective! I find that you not only get to know that specific deck much better but you also evolve in a general way as a tarot reader from having periods where you work exclusively with one deck.

I really do agree with that statement.  I have been doing the deck of the month for over a year now, and it has really helped me evolve as a reader in general.  Not to mention given me a larger library of decks that I am very comfortable reading with.

[Guest Night Shade]

I like to just hold a new deck for awhile, to mesh my energy with the deck's.  I also like the "entering the card" technique, where you visualize yourself in the landscape of the card, observing what's going on around you, and interacting with the figures.  You can really get closer to you deck this way, and learn a lot about it.

[Guest libra]

I find the best way to connect with a deck is to personalize my understanding of it. I'll often find decks that take months to truly know - I'll work with a hire card for a day or weeks until it's truly integrated. I'll start by freewriting based on the card, so pulling a card and putting my pen to paper and just writing anything and everything that comes to mind about the card. What the card reminds me of, what the colors mean to me, what people or situations seem related to it, if I've seen the situation pictured in a film or book or myth, how it makes me feel, everything. I'll dig into the archetype and symbols, found any extra research on them that I need to. Same with the numerology and astrological connections. I might find snippits of poetry or songs or quotes that relate into it. I'll do all of theirs until one card feels truly known, and then pull another and start again. I might not go through the whole deck this way, but even a few cards worth gets that deep knowing of the whole deck somehow, and then all of those connections flow in even if I haven't actively sought out all of that information for a particular case that I'm looking at yet!

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

one way, if you have a deck that needs trimmed or gilded, you will find a new understanding or outlook on the deck when finished as you look at every card four times in different positions.

[Rowena]

I carry it around with me in my purse, and even put some decks under my pillow at night  :).  What I have found best for bonding has been to use my deck as my primary reading deck for a month.

 

I'd like to second the sleeping with your deck method, just make sure it's in a place it won't get knocked off the bed. I also spend a lot of idle time with each card. Not necessarily studying the card in depth, but just holding it while I'm doing other tasks and activities. I think it's a good way to make your cards a part of your life, and it really helped me bond with my current deck.

[Purplemystic]

Perhaps then, these cards are to be brought in to my daily life more. I hold them, shuffle and put them through incense. Do others talk to them? I worry about losing the deck in my handbag sometimes. I probably need to sit and be with them more. I'm a relaxed way.

[Guest]

I carry it around with me in my purse, and even put some decks under my pillow at night  :).  What I have found best for bonding has been to use my deck as my primary reading deck for a month.

 

Oh yeah! I sleep with my deck wrapped in silk under my pillow. I usually do readings before bed, and then I ask the Tarot to work with me for Spirit to come into my dreams and help me further explore the ideas from my readings. I've had some very interesting dreams this way.  ;)

[DanielJUK]

Traditionally and in all the old tarot books, they said to sleep with a new deck under your pillow for a few nights to get a "link" to you. I have tried this and it did nothing and sometimes I had a sore neck  :)) Shuffling the cards and using them got a closer bond for me. Using them in my hands and seeing the images seems to work best for me. I think it's a personal thing getting the bond. You have to find what method works best for you :)

[Rarehare]

I get a lot out of daily journaling to queries, but I’d imagine sleeping with them would be like a direct link to your collective unconscious.