Follow-Up on the Golden, Enter the Mystical Lenormand, my IDS

In the past few days, I've been doing extensive readings with the Golden Tarot, and I've found two big things. One that it's big, and two that it's drastically changing the way I read the tarot.

I know, I mentioned that it was big before, but like...this deck is big. I'm pretty well off, I've got enormous hands, so this doesn't effect me much, it just takes a few minutes of shuffling to really get used to it. I'd like to add to what I said before about its size, if you've got small hands, or just don't like working with large decks, don't choose this one. The thickness of the cardstock makes it even more unweildly, but it really is a mixed blessing, as this deck will stand the test of time better than pretty much any other I've yet to encounter.

The other about how it's changing the way I read the tarot sounds negative, but it really isn't. This deck is revolutionizing how I learn, study, and just in general use the tarot. The way I questioned the tarot before consisted of me laying spread after spread to answer my question, or find out info on the world around me. Now I've begun to become more loose with the tarot. My readings are so much more informal and looser, which help me so much!

I start of much the same, laying out a spread of some sort, but then when I find something I want to know more about, I'll preform a spread to expand on that one card, then ask the deck direct questions, which I answer with just a one card draw (which I can then expand to a spread on that card and so on). It makes my readings so much less like recitation from a book and more like dialogue. The other thing that this dialog helps with, is building up a link, even a personality, between you and your deck.

On to the next topic for today, the Mystical Lenormand. I'm absolutely in love with the Lenormand oracle, I think that it seems to offer much more straightforward readings than the tarot, and I prefer to use it to question about more mundane concerns, rather than the mystical or gnostic meanings of the tarot cards.

Naturally, I'd been on the lookout for a good Lenormand deck, and I've found it, the Mystical Lenormand! I'm enamoured! So I bought it, and it was shipped to me (for a total of 8 USD I'd like to add!) in four days. This sweet little deck is incredible. I've only had it for a day, so I haven't been able to do much with it, plus I'm not too familiar with the meanings of the individual cards, however I just wanted to let everyone know about my buying it. You'll definitely be seeing updates on this 'un ;)

I've also begun an IDS, which is an independent deck study, with the Golden Tarot and the Mystical Lenormand, over the AEclectic Tarot forums. Basically, I'm pledging that I'll focus all my tarotting time on the Mystical Lenormand and the Golden Tarot, as well as keeping up with the daily draws from the Golden (I've been thinking about doing a daily past, present, future with the Lenormand or something, the deck doesn't do well with one card draws.)

So that's all I got, just a quick update before I'm off again! :)