The 22-week SKT workbook

[Joan Marie]

I just got notified that my SKT deck has been shipped, so in the meantime I'm going over and trying to wrap my head around all these extra materials.

My initial hesitation in getting involved with the SKT was it just looked like so much work and I wasn't sure I'd be able to commit to it properly. But I have to say that after spending some time now really getting to see what's involved, I appreciate so much how this material is all put together. Yes, there is a lot, but it is not unmanageable. It's so well put together, so clearly organised and explained. And it's about so much more than the deck.

I am looking forward to getting started with it for real. I think it's just what I need right now.

It's a kind of very personal thing so I don't expect a ton of posting here about details of how it's all going for everybody but it would be nice to hear from time to time a little bit about how you are all getting on with it. And share any tips you might have.

[AstralPasta]

Dang that was fast!

I'd appreciate that too. I should be receiving my workbook and book of maps on Monday. Though I'll be out of town for two or so weeks after....

Hooray! Introverts unite hahaha

[Joan Marie]

I just started this 22-week program on Monday this week (today is wednesday) and maybe 3 days in is too soon to say, but I can tell already that this is a unique and powerful process. Reading over the materials gave me a clue about that but really getting into it is entirely different.

I really wonder what the result of sticking with this for 22 weeks will be.

I would add too that I am getting some surprisingly powerful vibes from this deck. Even just holding it in my hands is something. I feel like getting to know it slowly is an important part of the process.

As I mentioned above I was initially hesitant because of the amount of materials etc. And as I said, that hesitation was dispelled when I started in. Another thing I hesitated about was that I was concerned it was, (how do I put this....? ) too "Benebell?" Don't misunderstand. I would love to take on some of her characteristics! What I mean is, I thought it was maybe it was so much her that it wouldn't have anything to do with me. Or to be more specific (honest?) that I would just fail because there is no way I will ever be her.

Again, I was totally wrong about that assumption. I feel like this whole process is making me more me if that makes sense.

I am probably going on too much for someone whose only been at this for 3 days.

Would be so interested to hear anyone else's experience so far.

[Joan Marie]

Well I am now on week 16 or 17 and I just read that post I made above and it's so funny.

I am kind of struggling now and feel like maybe 22 weeks is a bit long.
And then again, I feel like there must be some reward for finishing. (I know if I "take a break" I will not go back)

Thing is, I know the daily exercises, even the ones that seemed a bit weird to me at first actually grew on me and I could feel that something was happening. There was a point where I was super into it and found the whole experience very intense.
But now it is starting to feel a little repetitive and I long to just enjoy the deck my own way and move on to some other studies.

I think if I don't finish the 22-weeks though I will be disappointed in myself.
Either that, or proud of myself for knowing when I'm done.

I'm not sure which.

The deck is remarkable. As are all the extra materials. I have to say the daily exercises have really helped me focus on a lot of things I frankly needed to. I would not have thought that when I started, I thought I would just be exploring a deck, but it was much more than that.

But I feel like I'm ready to "graduate." But I thought the same thing when I was sophmore in high school. I was wrong then.

I would really love to hear from anyone who is also doing this program.

[Charlie Brown]

Keep at it! You'll have many more opportunities in life to know when you're done. This is your only chance to get through this whole thing on the first go.

[AstralPasta]

I'm on week 3. I have ADHD and we tend to have a million Grand ideas and overcommit and burn out. So I went in with the explicit design of making this as low effort as possible to maximize longetivity and energy conservation, so that I could always do the task, whatever I was feeling, while still challenging myself. As well as taking my idiosyncrasies into account, with my therapist.

For example, instead of doing the 10 minute meditation on Monday, I remembered my trauma-based resistance to occupying my body. I thought I could do 10 minutes once a week - but I couldn't. I was frustrated with my apparent procrastinating avoidance at first, as usual. However, following the program in a book by a trauma therapist, I considered switching to doing 2 minutes everyday and quickly jotting down my experience, and tapering up slowly from there. The resistance vanished.

The goal this week is to increase this to 2 minutes, twice a day. To be frank, even that's been a challenge. Which is so interesting to me, considering I can do the initial 2 minutes without much issue. However the author also advised to take it slow to avoid frustration, and my therapist mentioned that in the context of retraumatization, and that everyone's path was different, so I'm trying to keep it in mind to enjoy the process and be forgiving.

Sometimes I miss the schedule, but I always complete it before moving on to the next week. Or I do it by talking to myself, depending on the activity, hah.

If you're needing excitement, I think find a way to invoke the magic. Stick with it, but find ways to include novelty, or engage yourself, even if it's just via changing perspective. How do you make it more fun for yourself? That's what I'd like to say to myself too actually, hahaha

[Joan Marie]

What great advice Charlie Brown and AstralPasta.

Thank you.

After reading CB's comment I decided to dive into the workbook. One of the weekly exercises involves focusing on a single card of the Majors. (So it takes 22-weeks. Duh.)

I hadn't thought about it at all, but when I looked, the card for week 16 (which I am on) is, of course, the Tower.

"Material and Spiritual Colliding" it says.

I really thought about that and it seems so perfect for these feelings I am having. Here I am making some really great strides and suddenly I get the urge to thwart myself.

I am the Lightning hitting the Tower. I seem to recall from some reading I've done somewhere along the line that the ego does this, it's one of its "functions" to destroy anything that threatens it. That gets pretty deep but I'll just leave it at that.

So I am back on the program and I will finish it.

AstralPasta, you make so many good points. I too know that if I fall behind, I will probably get discouraged and drop it, so I too have done my best to complete as much as possible each week. I do the daily things and the card studies. I don't get all the videos and reading done though. I realised early that I was doing it but rushing through it to get it done and not retaining anything. I decided to save all that for later and do it at my leisure when I could enjoy it more. I'm focusing on the rituals and the daily activities and the cards scrying. That is all bringing me a lot of surprising results.

Like today with the Tower for example!

[Joan Marie]

I finished the 22-weeks today. Such great timing this falling at the end of the year.

I can say it was so worth it. There are parts of the exercises that I plan to continue.

For sure, the Monday morning reading for the week. I really look forward to that.

There were some other special readings, diagnostic kinds of things that were so unbelievably helpful to me. I think I'm really going to have to develop some kind of daily ritual now because after 22 weeks I really see the power of it. The last few weeks were especially interesting and intense.

I think I have enough understanding now to develop something of my own.

Thanks once again to Charlie Brown and AstralPasta who talked mo out of quitting a few weeks ago. That would have been a huge mistake.

[Kimber]

I'm currently on Week 6, using the original SKT...I wasn't overwhelmed with it when I first got the deck. Not much of an "angel" person. And then....something happened! I started digging into the MWB. Then I decided Benebell is so amazing I needed to buy her Holistic Tarot books as well. I ordered the Book of Maps. And today I ordered her independent study course on the Opening of the Key. I am now officially obsessed! I've been involved with tarot for many years, and I feel like I'm learning so much and looking at things through a different prism since working with the deck. I love the way she has structured her angelic spirits system in the cards. I couldn't find a copy of the Vitruvian edition, so I got the gorgeous mini tiles Jamie Sawyer makes (Etsy) in conjunction with Benebell and have been using those alongside my original SKT deck. Then about 30 minutes ago the stars aligned...I just logged into Ebay on a whim, and there it was - a Vitruvian listed as a Buy It Now! I couldn't hit that damn button fast enough! I am so excited to now have both editions. I've been sharing my 22 Weeks stuff in the SKT group on Facebook - nice people on there, too. Once I come down out of the clouds I'll start sharing here as well!

[Joan Marie]

I just logged into Ebay on a whim, and there it was - a Vitruvian listed as a Buy It Now! I couldn't hit that damn button fast enough! I am so excited to now have both editions. I've been sharing my 22 Weeks stuff in the SKT group on Facebook - nice people on there, too. Once I come down out of the clouds I'll start sharing here as well!

Wonderful! What a great stroke of luck.
And I did not realise there was an SKT group on facebook, but of course there is!

[Kimber]

Starting Week 7 of the workbook. I like to do my 3 card reading for the coming week on Sunday night. Here's how it went!

*Sorry about the sideways pic, I don't know how to fix it!*

[Kimber]

Week 8 of 22 Weeks with the SKT; Thursday Prosperity Ritual

[Kimber]

22 Weeks with the SKT - Week 9. My cards for the week: 18 The Necromancer, The Vagabond (5 of Orbs), and the Memory Keeper (6 of Chalices)

[Kimber]

Just did my 3 card reading for Week 11. And yes, that's a cheese board!

[Kimber]

Week 10 apparently got away from me! My 3 cards for Week 10 were: The Demon, The Archangel of Mysteries, and The Tower.

So in ruminating on my Week 10 reading, I can see now how appropriate these cards are for me. I received my "Inner Darkness, Inner Light" astrology reading from Benebell this week, and one of the things the report does is tell you which SKT card you are "divinely attuned to through your core essence" - and for me, it's the Archangel of Mysteries! Her purpose is to illuminate the darkness and offer protection. So there she is, smack dab in the middle between the Demon and the Tower, doing her thing. It says in the BoM that "The bolts of lightning strike the Tower to break the chains that linked the Tower to Key 15, The Demon". The message for me here is to confront rather than avoid, having faith that I am watched over and protected as this necessary catharsis occurs. I'm incredibly blessed.