Quote from BenVee on November 28, 2011, 12:50
For me incorporating The Cards into my daily life is not just about the physical objects, but the philosophy behind them. For instance you know they represent a pathway through life, well when you're having a particular moment in you life you might say to yourself "this is a _______ of _______ card moment." and you think about that card or that suit and contemplate the numerology, associated fables, geomancy etc.

Oh, I already do this. "This is a _______ of _______ card moment" is one of my favorite exercises!

The cards are already part of my emotional vocabulary, so to speak. But because I haven't had a regular spiritual practice in a long time, I still haven't found a way to make them part of my spiritual search. Granted, the truth is that my spiritual path isn't fully integrated with the rest of my life, so that's why the cards aren't part of it yet.

Quote from BenVee on November 28, 2011, 12:50
I take my cards everywhere with me, not just because someone may ask for a reading but because I enjoy looking at them and shuffling them in my hands. Sometimes I'll be sitting at a cafe and just playing with my cards and I might look at the Courts and compare them to people sitting in the cafe choosing which Court card suits a particular person in the cafe as I watch.

I do this too. The cards are like "little friends" to me and I actually enjoy spending time with them! My poor deck is all worn and a bit stained already.

By the way, I LOVED your idea of comparing the Court cards to real people! I'll try this too, if you don't mind!

Quote from BenVee on November 28, 2011, 12:50
Keep a journal. Not just for readings but for your cards and anything else that pops into your mind. In my journal I'll draw images that pop into my mind during the day or write down thoughts that come my way. I even jot down events that happened that stick in my mind and then at some point I'll play with my cards when I'm read about in my journal and let them speak to me if I choose then write that in my journal. Sometimes the cards that fall might not make sense at the time, but I'll write them in and re-visit it at a later time.

I am a failure at keeping a journal, I can't do it at all! But I do have a 'divination notebook', in which I write down my readings and card analysis. It's not a creative outlet, but it's helpful to keep track of my readings. This way I can go back to them and see what worked and what didn't. Keeping a record is an important part of one's study, in my opinion.

Quote from Zaniah on November 30, 2011, 09:32
I don't currently use my cards as a part of my spiritual practice. My primary avenue of communication with my own Higher Self, Spirit, Angels, etc. is through my own clairvoyance and clairsentience. I practice divination because I enjoy it and feel that it adds details that are relevant and necessary while reading for others. Also, it puts some space between myself and Spirit, which I find helps me to stay grounded when reading for others.

I'm not sure how I feel about adding my cards to my spiritual practice right now. These two things feel like different animals to me personally at this time, but this may change.

Ah, I see where you are coming from. Well, I do not have any of these special gifts of clairvoyance and clairsentience, so that's why I was looking at the cards as a possible ally. But if you do have a more natural method of connecting to the higher sources you believe in, then the cards are not necessary. I don't have such a close connection to the Spirit, although I have always wanted that. We all have different challenges in our paths!

Thank you for your book suggestion by the way! I'll keep an eye out for the Return to the Sacred: Ancient Pathways to Spiritual Awakening!

Mariana, What in interesting question – I check in every week or so with the forum, but rarely do I leave a comment. But this question in particular has just…pierced me. Feels like you have articulated something that has been in the back of my mind for a while now.

Now if you ask me – if you have a desire to dedicate yourself to "something more definite." Then by all means follow your gut. Follow your intuition. There is a purpose to why you are feeling or thinking that. Sometimes what you are looking for can be found in the place you would least expect it.

I most definitely fall into category # 1. I am LDS and my faith is strong rooted. A deck of cards (to me) is an instrument used to kind of tap into our subconscious. It is not an object I worship or revere. When you analyze the deck at face value, it is am image printed on paper. By the way, I have the PCO but I like to use the standard deck you buy at a convenience store. I don’t know why that is.

What I find unique about the deck, is that the images and symbols printed on theses small cards trigger something significant in our consciousness (I am sure you are familiar with the collective conscious). I often receive comments that question whether or not my practice of card and palm readings effects my faith as a Latter Day Saint. And my answer is always: yes.

I think different religions are like different languages. And I think each religion/language has a book/deck. I haven't yet found my language and my book yet. My fingers are crossed that the AC PCO method will be my book.

The tarot just isn't quite right for me. It's like trying to sing the opera in English. It's not quite as bad as trying to sing opera in German, but, it's still very awkward.

I won't be satisfied until I have a card system that I can integrate fully into my spiritual practices as a whole.

Posted in error... Sorry!