Connection Still There!

I actually got brave enough to go back to studying the cards today.  I'd been avoiding it, worried about the connection, mostly, but also worried about doing it in a new room.

The new room was, to say the least, difficult.  It's colder than I'd like, even with the fire going, and not having a desk upon which to write and draw is a pain.  I didn't like leaning down to the coffee table because it meant putting my notebook on my velvet spread cloth and chancing crushing it.  Holding the notebook in my lap while I tried to hold the other book open didn't work too well either, though.  I'll have to see if I can get used to it.

On the much brighter side, I still have a DEFINITE connection to the cards.  I got a very clear feeling from them that it was good and right that I start working with them again, and interpreting the card (the Five of Cups) came fairly easily.  Also, seeing examples in my own life and in the lives of those close to me seemed easier than it was when I last tried.  That could all be a connection to this particular card, but I don't think so.

I'm actually wondering if the long break didn't do good.  Now that I've gotten over my worries, I feel a renewed sense of desire to study the cards.  It's certainly something to consider if I ever feel stuck or mired down in that study.

Making Progress

I've finished the Minor Arcana of Wands, and moved on to the same of Cups.  I must admit I'm enjoying Cups even more than I did Wands.  I've always been better at emotions than business, lol!

I also discovered, on the Ten of Wands, that I'm starting to SEE more, and adding my own interpretations to the ones in the book.  That's definitely helping me gain confidence, even before I start reading.

It's very gratifying to see noticeable progress right before my eyes, and the journaling definitely helps me see it.  Much as I love journals and journaling, I find it hard to believe that in all my attempts to learn the tarot, I've never kept a journal, even though everything I've ever read says you should. 

I definitely will from now forward!

The Basics

I've started on Part One of my book, Good Foundations.  In this section are the first 6 steps in the method.  So far, I've read the first two, which are simply a background on the cards themselves and a kind of FAQ about them.

In doing so, I've run into a problem I've often encountered before.  Most tarot decks, and tarot readers, for that matter, associate the suite of Wands with Fire and that of Swords with Air, and this one is no exception.  But this has always seemed backwards to me.  Wands are light and wispy, they move through the air and make a light swishing noise if you swing them hard--all things associated with Air.  Swords, on the other hand, are heavy and sharp and pointy.  They cut and stab and destroy, all things associated with Fire.

Now, I understand that there ARE decks with the Sword/Fire Wands/Air correspondences, and I will probably favor those decks once I actually know more about the whole process.  In the meantime, the best advice I've seen is to interpret the suites as you, personally, see the elements.  I'm worried it might make this particular method confusing, but I just can't force myself to see it the other way around.  I suppose time will tell if this works for me, or if I end up changing my mind.

Which correspondence do you favor?