| Ever wonder what the 'mechanism' is that makes the | | | | Although we all possess intuition, not everyone |
| Tarot (or the I Ching, Runes, Astrology, etc.) so | | | | seems to have the same facility in using it. To come |
| insightful? Is there some all-knowing Supernatural | | | | back to Jung, he saw intuition as one of the four |
| Force that guides the cards to line up in a particular | | | | basic 'functions' of the mind. The other three being |
| way that predicts future events and provides specific | | | | sensing, thinking and feeling. Further, he saw these |
| guidance that can make the hairs stand up on the | | | | functions as being polar opposites; that is thinking at |
| back of your neck? Is it the skill of the reader to | | | | one pole and feeling the other; sensing at one end |
| interpret, or their psychic ability to channel the Truth | | | | and intuition the other. He believed that preference |
| from On High? | | | | of one pole over the other gave people a particular |
| These are really interesting questions and maybe | | | | 'psychological type' (in fact the definition of intuition |
| there is something to all the above possibilities and | | | | comes from his volume entitled "Psychological |
| maybe there isn't. Such conclusions are all rather | | | | Types"). |
| difficult to demonstrate with any degree of certainty. | | | | To illustrate, let me take an example from my IT job |
| But I believe that there are some things we can say | | | | again. I have a colleague who works in a very |
| about this mysterious phenomenon that have a more | | | | different way to me. When he is confronted with a |
| acceptable appeal to our rational mind, and can | | | | problem, unlike me he does go through a systematic |
| demonstrate value in the use of the Tarot without | | | | process of elimination before coming to a diagnosis |
| either confirming or refuting the former explanations. | | | | and a fix. He takes a bit longer than I do to come to |
| What this article is really about is our marvellous | | | | conclusions (I think its a lot longer), but when he |
| faculty of intuition and its relation to our unconscious. | | | | does he is almost never wrong (unlike me who is |
| Now by intuition, I don't mean anything paranormal, | | | | right about 90% of the time). He prefers to rely on |
| although it is rather mysterious. Jung defined the | | | | his sense function in his work. He only relies on what |
| intuition as "perception via the unconscious". (I am a | | | | he can see and verify. I take from this that there is |
| big proponent of Jung, as you will see.) I have been | | | | such a thing as an intuitive type; someone for whom |
| consulting the Tarot and the I Ching for many many | | | | 'perception via the unconscious' happens more readily |
| years, but in my day job, I am the head of the IT | | | | due to a preference for this function. |
| department of a mid-size business. Quite often I am | | | | Such people generally would make good Tarot |
| presented with technical difficulties that cause things | | | | readers, (or the I Ching, Runes, Astrology etc.). |
| to stop working. Usually, after a few minutes | | | | When someone comes to them, they can use their |
| examining the situation, an explanation just sort of | | | | intuition to read people as well as the cards. The |
| bubbles up into my mind, and I am able to fix the | | | | unconscious can pick up on all manner of signals |
| problem. I am often surprised at the way this works | | | | during their meeting and discussing what they have |
| when I think about it. After all, there is usually any | | | | come to ask. They even pick up on what is |
| number of possible explanations for the situation, but | | | | happening even in the unconscious of the other |
| I do not go through a process of elimination to arrive | | | | person! Again referring to Jung (told you I liked him, |
| at the correct one. This is the intuition at work. I | | | | didn't I?) he saw the unconscious as having both a |
| believe that my initial investigation provides a wealth | | | | personal and a collective dimension. The 'collective |
| of data to my unconscious, which also has access to | | | | unconscious' connects us all; and it is where such |
| memory and all I have ever studied about my craft, | | | | symbols as are found in the Tarot ultimately derive |
| and the 'processing' goes on there, beneath the | | | | and gives them their great power. He believed that |
| surface. It is not infallible, but I am right far more | | | | contact with the collective unconscious through |
| often than not. | | | | 'Archetypal Images' almost always evoked that |
| So it would seem clear that the unconscious is able | | | | sense of awe to which I referred above. He called |
| to do some pretty amazing things in ways that our | | | | this a 'Numinous' experience. This is often what one |
| conscious mind is not. The trick is finding a way to | | | | feels after a visit to a really good reader. |
| get it to collaborate with our conscious mind. This is | | | | One last point ought to be brought out in this |
| where the medium of the Tarot comes in. Tarot | | | | discussion and that is to do with what Jung called |
| cards are made up images and symbols, which is | | | | 'Synchronicity'. However there is not space in this |
| exactly the language of the unconscious. One need | | | | article to do it justice. (Looks like I will have to write |
| only look at one's dream life to see that. While it is | | | | another article!) But so as not to leave it totally |
| true that each card has a set of 'meanings' and the | | | | unconsidered I will give you one of my favourite |
| symbols and images deal with specific areas of life | | | | quotes from Jung in his introduction to Wilhelm's |
| (i.e. pentacles associate with money), one could say | | | | translation of the I Ching; "...synchronicity takes the |
| that present in any question put to the oracle there | | | | coincidence of events in space and time as meaning |
| will be aspects to it that relate to any of the areas | | | | something more than mere chance, namely, a peculiar |
| found in the cards. The symbols and images in the | | | | interdependence of objective events among |
| cards have general meanings that will need to be | | | | themselves as well as with the subjective (psychic) |
| related to the questioner's situation. This calls for | | | | states of the observer or observers." |
| interpretation. What usually happens with me is that I | | | | It is worth keeping in mind that we all have intuition. |
| will immediately associate the symbols and meanings | | | | It may not be our preferred function, but it is there |
| in the cards with certain circumstances in my current | | | | never the less. And it can be developed. In fact doing |
| situation. In other words my intuition sees the | | | | things like Tarot readings for oneself (or others) is |
| symbols and will 'recognize' the way they fit for me. | | | | itself a way to exercise this function. Even intuitive |
| This recognition is usually accompanied by feelings of | | | | types can benefit from further development of their |
| import and even awe. This is the unconscious is telling | | | | preferred function. |
| me "this is important". | | | | To sum up, I believe it can be left unanswered |
| And it doesn't end there; on the basis of the clarity | | | | whether there are psychic powers, supernatural |
| brought to that one area, further associations with all | | | | forces etc. To me, it is quite enough to see that our |
| the others aspects involved in the situation also | | | | unconscious mind can find relevant meaning in the |
| become clear, again owing to the activity of the | | | | symbols found in the Tarot and other oracles; and |
| unconscious mind's ability to connect things up. More | | | | that the numinous experiences really do have the |
| cards add to this process until I come away feeling I | | | | power to inform our lives and even prognosticate |
| have had guidance in how to proceed as well as the | | | | likely events. |
| likely results of actions to be taken. | | | | |