A Path Made by Walking
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The Chinese aphorism “A path is made by walking it” that is associated with fourth-century BC Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi is perfect advice for 21st-Century tarot readers. The premise as I’m applying it is that one must learn to crawl before walking; walk before running; and run before attempting to fly, in this way carving a well-worn path that one can tread with confidence, free from undue error. Furthermore, I think we owe our sitters at least that much professional diligence.
There is a widely-held opinion in the “pop-tarot” community that a beginning reader needs only a strong intuitive sensitivity in order to successfully read the cards. There are even mentors who advise recently-hatched neophytes to avoid tackling the introductory literature and just “go with what you feel.” This amounts to trying to fly immediately after exiting the shell; it can eventually establish a personal approach that has some credibility, but only after much trial-and-error over an extended period of time. The one saving grace is that in many cases the seeker has no more idea about what to expect than the diviner has about what to deliver, so there is by default a wide gulf of naivete to excuse any innocent miscues (with the fervent hope that no life-altering decisions are being made on the basis of such amateurish advice).
A more sensible idea is to accept the concept of metaphysical “training wheels” and acquire at least a smattering of core knowledge before testing the waters of divination for other people. This crutch can be laid aside as soon as one’s bearings are established; it will obviously take more dedication to cultivate than an informal “seat-of-the-pants” style but it will always be available for reference when more inspired methods come up short. I realize that I’m making the assumption that the current crop of new tarot readers has both the inclination and the tenacity to penetrate a book of instruction on the art of cartomantic technique. The number of questions I see in the online tarot community about which YouTube teacher is the best to follow is a telling sign that I’m being overly optimistic in recommending this course of development.
I see such superficiality as part of the “instant gratification” mindset that is so widespread in modern society. If there is intellectual effort involved, there is a tendency to shy away in favor of pre-digested content offered by online “talking heads.” I’m convinced it is a symptom of the social-media obsession that has overtaken the developed world; solitary contemplation is a thing of the past, having gone the way of the critical thinking that is no longer taught in schools. Instead we have a pervasive form of cultural “herd-mentality” with loads of enthusiasm but little philosophical depth, the proponents of which I liken to energetic but impersonal cheer-leaders.
Another sign of this willingness to have someone else do the heavy lifting for us is the bewildering range of psychic services being tendered by purveyors of mystical counseling, much of which strikes me as a mercenary hustle disguised as communal enlightenment and affirmative encouragement that come across more as feel-good “stroking” than constructive guidance. The next major misstep will be the rise of AI-generated readings with no direct human contribution, an updated version of the old Zoltar fortune-telling machines, meaning we have come full circle to what Monty Python’s John Cleese once gleefully derided as “blinkered, philistine pig-ignorance.”
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on November 23, 2024.
