Connection with your cards

[mesmericsiren]

I'm not sure whether this is the correct section to post this but I couldn't find one that fits the topic, so I apologise in advance if this is in the wrong spot  <3

 

I recently.. well a couple months now.. got a new tarot deck, but every time I do a reading, I always feel like I'm not able to really understand or connect to the cards fully, to be able to understand the answers.

 

Usually I read intuitively, whatever feelings I am getting from the imagery of the cards, or whatever emotions strikes me. When I read with my legacy of the divine deck, I used to be able to connect very quickly and feel at ease trusting whatever I feel from the cards.

 

For this new deck, I find it a little more difficult. I keep questioning myself, is it just me blocking the energies or am I just being silly. I don't know lol

 

What are your experiences when connecting with a new deck, is there anything you do to ease the connection process?

[Guest Night Shade]

Hi, mesmericsiren[/member] .  I moved your question to Talking Tarot - this is an interesting question, and you'll get more views here. 

 

As for your question, since you read by connecting with the cards' imagery, maybe you should study the cards one by one, taking in every detail, and noting what the symbolism means to you.  If you become really familiar with them, it might make it easier to find the meaning in them.

[DownUnderNZer]

With any new deck that is giving me a hard time or the cold shoulder I threaten it with the naughty corner or worse than that - the deathly isolation box which just so happens to be in my knickers and socks drawer.

 

Works like a charm for some reason!. :bugeyed:

 

If the new deck is a tad shy I angle it towards my dart board where many old ones are pinned up on it with sharp edged darts - like little trophies of gone by days.

 

In all seriousness.....

 

Some decks we just do not connect to at all and some are like a duck taking to water. So, either give it a bit of time or if it continues to not gel with you - give it away. Invest in another one.

 

 

DND :thumbsup:

 

 

[Grizabella]

If I don't have a connection, I just put the deck away. At some time in the future it may be a different story. If I just never connect with it, I find it a new home.

 

I'm not sure what your meaning for connect is, but I'm figuring you mean you don't understand the art on the cards or something like that. I've found that, in time, I might be able to connect with it because even after reading for 20 years, there are still decks I don't really understand. Maybe at some time in the future I'll have an "aha" moment and understand it.

 

I'm not a totally intuitive reader. Everyone uses intuition whether they read the traditional meanings of the cards or not. But some readers just read the images and don't pay attention to the traditional meanings.

 

For me, it works better to have learned traditional meanings to begin with and then my "intuition" works off that and the images as well as whatever the Universe (for lack of a better word) shows me. I've been doing it long enough that making a connection with decks isn't such a problem for me. For instance, I had the "aha" for the Lo Scarabeo decks all of a sudden. Before I couldn't connect but now they're some of my very favorite decks.

 

The Everyday Enchantment and I immediately had such a good connection that now it's the only deck I use.

 

 

[Jewel]

I am of the same mind set as Grizabella.  I have had some decks put away for over 10 years and then pull them out and use them and fall in love with them.  I do read with a lot of intuition, but I also started out working with the basic meanings of the cards, of numbers, and later elemental correspondences.  All these factors play in a great deal with getting my intuition kick started when I am struggling with a deck.  The other thing I have been doing for the last 2 years is my "Deck of the Month" Project.  Each month I select a different deck to work with primarily (not exclusively) for the entire month.  Spending quality time like that with it has really helped me crack the connection nut with many decks.  But there are some where there is an instant connection, for me several.  But there are others no matter what I try it is just not there such as the RWS and Wild Wood.

[Grizabella]

I've had to re-buy and trade for some decks many times over for getting rid of my first one but then wanting to try them again. Haindl and both of the books and Ancestral Path were two of those. Now if I get a new deck, I always just put the deck away and don't get rid of it. Like Jewel, with one deck that comes to mind is one that over 10 years later, I suddenly "got" that deck.

[bookshop]

I'm curious what some of these "put away for 10 years and then fell in love" decks are!

 

I'm currently having trouble settling down with my Slow Holler deck even though I fell in love with it at first sight and pursued it through 3 ebay auctions before I finally got my hands on it in October. Since then, however, maybe because I built up so much anticipation for it, I've been left totally cold by this deck in daily draws etc. I'm trying to give it time, though. And I got out a gorgeous new specific-to-this-deck spread cloth, which has helped somewhat.

 

Also, a new thing I'm trying this week with this deck is — writing a poem every day based on whatever card I draw. I don't have any idea if it's helping me like this deck more, so far, haha, but it's helping me vomit out a lot of mental detritus in the form of verse!

 

[HermitWriter]

Hello mesmericsiren[/member] !

 

What deck is it that you're having trouble connecting with? It could be that the artwork is so different from your Legacy of the Divine Tarot that it's too jarring. What you're seeing in the new deck might not compute as much because you're still expecting similar messages or a similar look and feel to your older deck.

 

My Noblet TdM and I took YEARS to connect, but now it's one of my favorite decks. That was one where I just had to let it sit until I was ready to give it a fair shake. Sometimes that's just the way it goes.

 

Other things you can try in the meantime: a "getting to know you" spread, if you use spreads. Or you could just ask "how are we going to work together?" and lay out a few cards to get a feel for how you'll "get along." You could sleep with it near or next to you, depending on how your bed is set up. Daily draws, even if you don't try to interpret them, can help you get familiar with the unique artwork of your new deck.

 

I like going through a new deck card-by-card, and just sitting a moment with each one, looking at the images. No interpretations required. Just absorbing the artwork.

 

And with some decks, the connection never seems to develop, no matter how hard you try (<gives his Visconti Tarot the side-eye>).

 

I hope you and your new deck can come to some sort of rapprochement! Give it some time, and try not to put too much pressure on yourself.

[Thoughtful]

 

 

Usually I read intuitively, whatever feelings I am getting from the imagery of the cards, or whatever emotions strikes me. When I read with my legacy of the divine deck, I used to be able to connect very quickly and feel at ease trusting whatever I feel from the cards.

 

For this new deck, I find it a little more difficult. I keep questioning myself, is it just me blocking the energies or am I just being silly. I don't know lol

 

l have just recently begun reading with the Legacy of the Divine, l took to it straight away, and like you it connected with me in such an intuitive way l was quite amazed.  l have one other deck l can say that about as well.

You are not being silly or blocking the energies of your new deck.  It may not suit your reading style at the moment.  Give it time and if it really is not speaking to you put it away for awhile or pass it on.

 

l think you have such a rapport with the Legacy at the moment that perhaps you have found the 'One' for the time being.  Lots of people hope to find a deck like that. 

[mesmericsiren]

Hi, mesmericsiren[/member] .  I moved your question to Talking Tarot - this is an interesting question, and you'll get more views here. 

 

As for your question, since you read by connecting with the cards' imagery, maybe you should study the cards one by one, taking in every detail, and noting what the symbolism means to you.  If you become really familiar with them, it might make it easier to find the meaning in them.

Thank you Night Shade!.[emoji4] i did try to read more on the deck but i still struggle  with the answers i get. I tried changing the questions and rephrasing myself but i still dont understand it when the cards appear [emoji30]

 

Sent from my CPH1701 using Tapatalk

 

 

[mesmericsiren]

With any new deck that is giving me a hard time or the cold shoulder I threaten it with the naughty corner or worse than that - the deathly isolation box which just so happens to be in my knickers and socks drawer.

 

Works like a charm for some reason!. :bugeyed:

 

If the new deck is a tad shy I angle it towards my dart board where many old ones are pinned up on it with sharp edged darts - like little trophies of gone by days.

 

In all seriousness.....

 

Some decks we just do not connect to at all and some are like a duck taking to water. So, either give it a bit of time or if it continues to not gel with you - give it away. Invest in another one.

 

 

DND [emoji106]

Lol thank you @DownUnderNZer im gonna try that approach and see if this deck will cooperate [emoji51] maybe if we meditate together a bit she might speak to me.

 

I was really drawn to the imagery on the box of the deck, drew me in to purchase it but when i opened her up and flipped through the cards one by one, to study her i didnt feel a connect. Maybe she needs a little time to open up [emoji53]

 

Sent from my CPH1701 using Tapatalk

 

 

[mesmericsiren]

If I don't have a connection, I just put the deck away. At some time in the future it may be a different story. If I just never connect with it, I find it a new home.

 

I'm not sure what your meaning for connect is, but I'm figuring you mean you don't understand the art on the cards or something like that. I've found that, in time, I might be able to connect with it because even after reading for 20 years, there are still decks I don't really understand. Maybe at some time in the future I'll have an "aha" moment and understand it.

 

I'm not a totally intuitive reader. Everyone uses intuition whether they read the traditional meanings of the cards or not. But some readers just read the images and don't pay attention to the traditional meanings.

 

For me, it works better to have learned traditional meanings to begin with and then my "intuition" works off that and the images as well as whatever the Universe (for lack of a better word) shows me. I've been doing it long enough that making a connection with decks isn't such a problem for me. For instance, I had the "aha" for the Lo Scarabeo decks all of a sudden. Before I couldn't connect but now they're some of my very favorite decks.

 

The Everyday Enchantment and I immediately had such a good connection that now it's the only deck I use.

Hi @Grizabella yes usually i try to get a sense off the images and how i feel when reading the cards and the imagery. I definitely will take your advice on reading more on the traditional meanings and see if i can understand her better.

 

The everyday enchantment deck looks very pretty. I am tempted to get the deck for myself to add to my collection. But ended up getting the tarot of dreams first. Counting down the days to get my hands on her [emoji38]

 

Sent from my CPH1701 using Tapatalk

 

 

[Guest libra]

I often find the decks that I "click" with right away tend to be a bit ... shallow.  They are to the point and easy to read, but they don't really force me to do a huge amount of soul searching.  I tend to use these decks for the quick and easy readings, daily draws if I'm in the mood or just whenever I need a quick response.

 

Then there are decks that I just don't click with at all.  There's nothing from them, they don't even trigger memory of a traditional meaning and the book is a jumble of words that doesn't seem relevant to any reading I do.  I assume that these cards were meant to pass through my hands on their way to their true owner.  I've handed off 3 copies of Joie De Vivre this way, because it is constantly tempting me and then just not "awakening" for me, but the people who've received it from me?  Absolutely love it.

 

Finally, there are decks where that instant read isn't there, but yet... I hear a whisper.  Those decks, they get some intense study.  I'll pull a single card and just write.  Describe the image of the card, what it reminds me of, what emotions it immediately evoked at the first pull, what associations I have with the image, what cards from the deck or other decks it may connect in a story with.  I'll get a dozen pages of writing from a card and take a few weeks with it on my mind before I feel ready to pull another.  It might be years before I'm fully done with the deck - I got comfortable with Archeon in less than a year, but it's been nearly 2 with Mary-El and I've worked with maybe 10 cards from it.  These are the decks that I live for, even if they don't bring that initial ease that some others do!

[moonglow]

Finally, there are decks where that instant read isn't there, but yet... I hear a whisper.  Those decks, they get some intense study.  I'll pull a single card and just write.  Describe the image of the card, what it reminds me of, what emotions it immediately evoked at the first pull, what associations I have with the image, what cards from the deck or other decks it may connect in a story with.  I'll get a dozen pages of writing from a card and take a few weeks with it on my mind before I feel ready to pull another.  It might be years before I'm fully done with the deck - I got comfortable with Archeon in less than a year, but it's been nearly 2 with Mary-El and I've worked with maybe 10 cards from it.  These are the decks that I live for, even if they don't bring that initial ease that some others do!

 

Thanks for sharing your insights libra[/member] (and everyone else!). I just recently got my first non-RWS deck, and have been struggling with it, even though I really liked the art style and intention behind the deck. I was thinking of posting a similar topic, actually! As mesmericsiren[/member] said:

 

I keep questioning myself, is it just me blocking the energies or am I just being silly. I don't know lol

 

Perhaps it's mostly as bookshop[/member] mentioned:

 

however, maybe because I built up so much anticipation for it, I've been left totally cold by this deck in daily draws etc.

 

I've been tempted to just put it away, but I think you've really got some good tips here, libra[/member], that have sort of revived my interest. It helps that I'm quite drawn to the card I drew today, too. But I've really just been putting too much pressure on myself and the deck - doing a "card a day" draw and spreads, while trying to force in the "traditional" meanings. Need more time to marinate in a card. :P I think your more open approach is just what "we" need. Besides, that is basically why I am interested in tarot - journaling and exploring the cards as they could apply to myself. A dozen pages out of a card is so me. Haha. That's why I have yet to put a seal on most of the readings I've started for myself - trying to do that and do spreads lol.

 

Also, a new thing I'm trying this week with this deck is — writing a poem every day based on whatever card I draw. I don't have any idea if it's helping me like this deck more, so far, haha, but it's helping me vomit out a lot of mental detritus in the form of verse!

 

I wish my brain was wired in a way to be able to do this. What a neat idea!

 

My Noblet TdM and I took YEARS to connect, but now it's one of my favorite decks.

 

Very reassuring HermitWriter[/member]!

 

Thanks all! My interest has been reignited!  :stick:  :dancecat:

[Miho]

It might be handy to use it for hard-to-understand readings when you get stuck on your primary deck. Maybe with it being enigmatic, it may be unlocked by an even more confusing query... sort of like a key to a paradox.

 

I have another deck for that purpose and it eventually found it's legs when I Used it as an alternative deck. It sort of forces you to see a prior reading another way as well, so it could be a "study" deck in that way...

[Jewel]

I'm curious what some of these "put away for 10 years and then fell in love" decks are!

The first one that pops to mind is the Bohemian Gothic (released and purchased in 2007),  The Tarot of the Sidhe (released and purchased in 2011), another was Shadowscapes (got it in 2010) so 7 to 8 years so not quite 10 on those.

[-fenrir-]

Hey there!

Did anyone of you experience this with your very first deck up to the point where you’re doubting the whole thing? I don’t know how to describe it really (it’s partly that I get some “judging vibe” from it, almost like someone guilt tripping you, but making no constructive suggestions either – is it weird to talk about it like it was a person?), but we just… don’t like each other very much atm.

If it’s not too off topic I could tell a bit of the backstory (idk if this really helps though), but it might up in a ramble 😜

I just don’t know if it’s me blocking myself or if I just picked the wrong deck...

[zedekiel]

Hi @-fenrir-! If you're still having trouble, just to make sure, have you introduced yourself to your deck yet? For me, with my first deck and with any new deck I get, I do a little ritual with it first. Smudge the deck with some sage and/or wrap it in a black cloth and place a quartz on it overnight. I then hold the deck in my left hand (non dominant) and give it a knock with my right hand (dominant). I do all this to clean off any residue and warped energies that attached themselves to the deck in the production and handling process. Then I go through the deck card by card and take a moment with each, looking at the images and really thinking about how they make me feel. If there's some that I feel especially attached or drawn to, I put them aside until I'm done and then relook at those. You can also lay out the entire deck in numbered order and then go through each card like this. After I'm done I hold the deck close to me and think about me in relation to it. I even say my name and tell the cards a bit about me (often in my own head) and also envision the kind of journey I'd like to go on with the cards. The things that we'll get to discover together and how we'll get to grow.

 

For me, the cards are a teammate that we work together with. If it feels like you don't like each other too much at this point, then maybe you see them this way too. It's hard to work with a teammate that doesn't like you! But you might just not feel 100% introduced to each other yet, and that's ok. If you didn't do something like I described above before starting to read with the cards, and it seems like something that you'd like to try, go for it! It also doesn't have to be sage and quartz and other things like that if you don't dabble in that kinds of stuff. Knocking off energetic residue is a fine thing anyone can do with their own two hands. But if you're not into any of what I said above, or maybe if you've already had your own kind of introduction with the cards, I recommend carrying them around with you for a while. Sit them on your lap or beside you when you're reading a book or on the internet. Shuffle them while watching a show. Treat them like a friend as well as a teammate. If you and your friend are only doing work together constantly (ie. Just reading after reading after attempted reading) then you're not really friends, you're like coworkers. So hang out with them. Let them share your physical space and energy so you can get used to each other. Then jump back in to reading!

I hope you have more luck soon (or maybe already have), keep trying though! All is not lost, especially with a situation like this for a first deck.

[Saturn Celeste]

On 7/31/2019 at 12:14 PM, -fenrir- said:

Did anyone of you experience this with your very first deck up to the point where you’re doubting the whole thing?

I suggest you do a deck interview.  Here is a spread, there are a ton of them out there but this one is pretty clear.  She put a clarifier on the last card but I suggest you do not.  Just read the cards in front of you.  If you don't know the meanings of the card, look the meanings up, then write them out for each card.  Then read how that card fits in that position.  If you need help doing this, you can post in the Reading Tarot section but you must give the interpretation of each card first so best to just start out that way.  You are also still invited to join the mentor program.  

[-fenrir-]

Hey,

sooo… I started out by going through the cards one by one, reflecting about why the artist chose this representation for this meaning (I should add that I got a general view about card meanings first and bought a non RWS deck (wild unknown) after that) and if it makes sense to me, and read the LWB afterwards. If I still didn’t get it, I looked it up in Carrie Mallon’s summary. I sorted the cards from favourite to least favourite and contemplated why I feel that way.

After that I started with daily draws (I read somewhere that you should wait with the deck interview until you got a bit more familiar with the deck) which were sometimes difficult to make sense of. During that, I got my first stalker (which might be the reason why I developed a light aversion): four of pentacles; sometimes reversed, sometimes not, but at least once a week. If you’re familiar with the image, it looks like everything is held together by rubber bands. Instead of “you’re holding on too tight” I got this “keep your shit together” vibe from the card, if that makes any sense (I know this is not the common meaning, but that’s what it felt like from looking at the card).

You know, we all have this one family member, friend or colleague that’s been treated kindly by life and never had any major struggles, who thinks all the others are just weak or not trying hard enough and tell them so all the time. And that’s exactly how reading with the deck felt like, like someone who has no idea what they are talking about yelling at you all the time to get your shit together and try harder for f***’s sake. Somehow I started viewing the deck as a “privileged white girl’s deck for solving privileged white girls problems”, which doesn’t do the deck justice but felt like that anyway (this sounds a bit mad right?).

I did a deck interview after a few weeks, which wasn’t as frustrating as the daily draws. I have to look it up when I get home as it was on my old phone. I can post it if I find it.

[-fenrir-]

Here it is:

 

[JohnLetter]

Hey, sometimes I feel like "the cards" doesnt want to answer me. I guess it can be because some of things you  shouldn't know, or that question is stupid, or you can know that answer already, or tarot "doesnt know" the answer, those are reasons why I can't get the answer sometimes imo.

Edited August 16, 2019 by JohnLetter

[katrinka]

I'm in agreement with Grizabella, Jewel, and anyone else who may have suggested studying the traditional meanings. Not only will they give you something to fall back on when you're drawing a blank, they act as a kind of touchstone for testing any impressions you get from the images. (It's very easy to "push" the cards to say what we want, traditional meanings help us stay objective.)

[-fenrir-]

@JohnLetter Yeah, but I started out with plain ol' "What should I focus on today"-draws for weeks before I tried normal readings and then only "normal" questions, nothing I'd consider silly or know the answer or anything like that.

   

@katrinka Memorizing the meanings isn't really the problem, more applying them for the situation present. Even if I sat there with the guidebook and looked up every card, I couldn't make sense of what they mean for ME if that makes sense. Maybe I shouldn't read for myself? Could be I'm simply so boring the cards don't have anything to tell me 🤔

[chongjasmine]

I haven't encounter a deck that I can't resonate with, yet.