*SKT Study Group - General Discussion Thread*

[Rose Lalonde]

Getting the ball rolling on a SKT study group here! Whether you're guided by Wen's The Book of Maps or strictly by your own methods (or are somewhere in between) all ways of reading with SKT are welcome. If you're ordering the second edition that arrives in August, you can jump in now too!

 

Cards are available to view HERE.

"Medium White Book" free HERE

 

Feel free to add a thread if there's something you want to dive into.

 

For individual cards, I was thinking anyone could post a thread for cards you want to discuss with no particular order required, unless a majority of people would rather go in order... Shout out if you have a preference.

 

Thoughts about the study group and the deck in general can go here.  :)

[Flaxen]

Thanks for starting this Rose Lalonde[/member]. :)

 

I’m happy to go with the majority view in terms of card order. Sometimes it feels right to discuss a card which has actually come up in a reading rather than working through in order.

 

Could certain cards be grouped though? Like all the 7s in one post? Benebell groups them that way in the book and it might be useful to discuss similarities/differences.

[Rose Lalonde]

Could certain cards be grouped though? Like all the 7s in one post? Benebell groups them that way in the book and it might be useful to discuss similarities/differences.

Good by me! I like grouping by number anyway when looking at a new deck.

[Rose Lalonde]

There's a new free pdf from Wen on reading with the SKT for others. (She seems to be expanding out from the original narrow focus, as she described it, of SKT to emphasizing that it can also be read in the same way other decks.) This pdf is a chapter from the longer 2nd edition of the Book of Maps, but since I'll only have the first edition, I appreciate that she's making it available.

 

It's a look at Wen's approach to the first part of Golden Dawn's Opening of the Key spread with SKT as the deck and a combination of knowledge and in-the-moment intuitive impressions. I don't read the suits as Wen does with Wands for work and Swords for social life (pg 2), but I appreciate seeing her take on a reading for someone else. I like that she talks about readings where the cards relate to a different area of life than the reader asked about. For example she has a romance reading for 'Cora' with a lot of cards that Wen relates to career, and looking at how the romantic relationship affects the sitter's career.

[Flaxen]

That is interesting. I really can’t see me reading for another person with the SKT for the time being. I’m very much using it in line with the Book of Maps.

[Rose Lalonde]

That is interesting. I really can’t see me reading for another person with the SKT for the time being. I’m very much using it in line with the Book of Maps.

I haven't read for anyone else with it either I put it on my list of decks to choose from for exchanges, but more out of curiosity to see how that would go.  ??? I think it might feel odd, given the way I usually work with it.

[Flaxen]

This working with the deck regularly. I’ve tried several suggested methods from the Book of Maps and have found them very powerful. The Court cards in particular feel very much ‘real’.

 

My aim is to try the Akashic Records questions over the next month or so.

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

I almost feel like I could do a study on Benbell herself :) what an amazing brain, and her cultural outlook on divination itself is so different than mine I am always gifted with something to think about from her blog.

 

I ordered the big print book from LuLu, it is a treat.

[Flaxen]

I almost feel like I could do a study on Benbell herself :) what an amazing brain, and her cultural outlook on divination itself is so different than mine I am always gifted with something to think about from her blog.

 

I ordered the big print book from LuLu, it is a treat.

 

I agree! I find her approach and take on tarot/ spirit world/divination fascinating. There are points where I’m in agreement and others where I diverge but there is always food for thought.

[Rose Lalonde]

I almost feel like I could do a study on Benbell herself :) what an amazing brain, and her cultural outlook on divination itself is so different than mine I am always gifted with something to think about from her blog.

 

I ordered the big print book from LuLu, it is a treat.

 

I agree! I find her approach and take on tarot/ spirit worldination fascinating. There are points where I’m in agreement and others where I diverge but there is always food for thought.

We'd have a time studying it all! There's always something new on youtube lately covering a wide range of topics. I don't always agree with her, but I do find her approaches interesting, and SKT has been more helpful to me than I'd expected, shooting up to the shortlist of decks I rely on regularly. (I love a happy surprise.) Her book has influenced how I work with it, too.

[Flaxen]

I’ve recently completed an intensive 30 days with this deck following Raggydoll’s 30 Days of Working with the Moon spreads. 

 

It’s brought real insight into some of these cards and I’m going start some individual card discussions. 

 

It will be a bit random and based on ones which came up frequently for me. Please feel free to share your thoughts. 

[Rose Lalonde]

@Flaxen, that's appreciated! 🙂  I've been so busy lately, but this deck has surprised me with how helpful I find the readings and how unwilling I'd be to part with it. I bought card sleeves (a first for me!) to protect it, because it's not like I can get another of the first ed.  I had no idea it would mean this much to me. Anyway, however you approach posts is great, and I look forward to it. When things slow down a bit at work soon I'd like to post here as well. 

[RavenOfSummer]

I had a black and white tarot deck pop into a dream I had last night. When I awoke I wasn't sure what it was- I first thought maybe a black and white edition of the RWS (I'm not sure if one exists?), but my next thought was perhaps it was the SKT which I own but haven't worked with yet. Maybe the dream was telling me to spend some time with this deck. I've been a little intimidated because there's SO much study material that comes with it. But maybe I'll just dive in and play around with it, and see if I then feel called to go deeper by going into the source material. I truly appreciate Benebell and her wealth of knowledge that she shares! Anyway I hope you don't mind if I spend some time with you all here as I explore it 🙂

[planetary]

I'm looking forward to studying SKT in depth when I get my VE in a couple months!

[Rose Lalonde]

I'm looking forward to having more time for tarot soon. 🙂 So it's nice to see more people popping over here. Nice that you snapped a VE up, @planetary. I only have the first ed. so will look forward to hearing how you and @Flaxen like the VE. 

 

@RavenOfSummer That's awesome. 🙂 Glad you had that dream.

I don't know how Benebell sleeps creating a wealth of content for us, but diving in and playing around with it sounds like a fine way to go. Even in the book she encourages exploration and doing what works for you. I noticed when she was working on VE she seemed especially keen to make the deck approachable no matter what our reading style or how we view tarot.

 

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by Rose Lalonde

[Flaxen]

The new Vitruvian edition is starting to land. Is anyone planning on working their way through the 22-week course book?

 

I’ve got the print version from Lulu for the 1st edition and it looks like a thorough approach. 

[Rose Lalonde]

I'm thinking about the 22 weeks in mid to late July.  (I have to admit, some of what she said about vipassana isn't what I practice, but really I could learn from her approach in the way that works for me. Given other things she's said, I'm sure she'd encourage that.) Also I have to say that it was kind of her to email these out to us and to make one specifically for the first ed. at no charge. She's generous with content.

[YlvaBlue]

The VE is on its way to me (landed in NY last night. Can you tell I'm counting down the days) and am already diving into the Medium White Book on a regular basis, regardless of the deck I'm using. I really love Benebell's take on the cards and I'm learning a lot.

 

I've got the 22-week course book on order from Lulu and am planning on working with it once I have both it and the book, if only because it's the only way I can think to approach the sheer volume of material Benebell has produced. 

 

I'll pop in when I've got all the pieces. Maybe we can set up a thread for it?

[Flaxen]

Mine’s on the way too but I expect it will be a few more days before the VE gets here. 

 

I’m not sure how best to approach it in terms of setting up threads - we could do one per week?

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

I'll be working with my Vitruvian next week but spent an hour or more ordering and looking over the cards and shuffling it yesterday. Love her personal blend anointing sauce 😉 I cut the magnet which is scented with it, in half so it fits in each side of the box, hope eventually the gentlest scent of it will permeate the cards. She really is generous with her content, and has a huge grasp of divination and spirituality in general, a credit to the whole craft of tarot. 

[Flaxen]

My Vitruvian arrived yesterday. The sepia tones give the deck a gentle warmth and the new knights are very appealing. 

The production values are high as expected and I like name element.

 

For working through the 22 weeks, I will use the original SKT though. 

[YlvaBlue]

On 6/20/2019 at 6:46 PM, Flaxen said:

Mine’s on the way too but I expect it will be a few more days before the VE gets here. 

 

I’m not sure how best to approach it in terms of setting up threads - we could do one per week?

One per week would probably be tidier and easier to work with.

 

They tried to deliver my VE yesterday so I'm going to collect it from the Post Office today. Haven't had the notification for the delivery of my 22 weeks book yet, though I should get it this week.

[Rose Lalonde]

Yes, a thread a week sounds good to me too. 

[YlvaBlue]

Hurrah! I now have my deck 😍, the Medium White Book, the Book of Maps and the 22 Weeks workbook.

 

My first reaction? When does Benebell sleep? She's amazing.

[Rupicapra]

I'm in! VE arrived with me last week, and I'm slowly finding my way around the huuuuuuge amount of support files. I had no idea that there was so much! Medium White Book 200 pages, 22 week work book 160 pages, and then on top of it the book of maps with a good 700 pages?!?! I love how generous Benebell is with all her materials. I've always appreciated how much she shares as downloadable files, videos and so on, but this is a whole course on it's own.

 

On 6/24/2019 at 1:32 PM, YlvaBlue said:

When does Benebell sleep?

That is what I wonder too!!!! She whipped up a deck of cards and a good 1000 pages of accompanying material in what, a year and a bit or so????? I wish I'd be able to read that many pages in that time, let alone write!

 

I have to admit I am at this moment not entirely sure how I feel about it all, on the one hand I like the tick-lists and weekly study plan, on the other hand it is a bit very regimented for my little rebel soul. I found that also with her previous book, there were too many rules for me. I guess I'll be able to pick and choose what works for me and go with it and see how I feel. 

I think that if I had all the time in the world, I'd happily go with it, but that's unfortunately not the case. I think I'll try and follow the 22 weeks plan, however, it might take me 44 weeks instead. Or longer. Will see how it goes, I'm looking forward to the journey 🙂