A “Tendency to Exist”
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I recently read a fascinating passage at the end of Sallie Nichols’ discussion of the World card in Tarot and the Archtypal Journey that compares and contrasts the views of reality held by physicist Erwin Schrodinger and psychologist Carl Gustav Jung.
Nichols begins by examining the nature of subatomic particles (circa 1980), noting that scientists discovered they do not exhibit a persistent physical presence but only a “tendency to exist” at any point in time. In one nanosecond they appear to be “real” and in the next they don’t, or perhaps (like Shrodinger’s cat) they may be both “there” and “not there” simultaneously. Both men believed that it is impossible for us to observe the true nature of reality in its entirety because we can’t step outside it. We stand in the middle of the phenomenon; it is us and we are it, and where one leaves off and the other begins is therefore unknowable because we are immersed in the experience. I get the impression of being matrixed in an infinite web, wherein plucking one strand elicits a response from all the other strands. It’s the “One World” paradigm in metaphysical terms.
Bringing these abstractions down to the level of tarot divination, the question becomes “When should a prediction be considered ‘real’ and when is it only tending or trending in that direction?” My personal belief is that all forecasts are provisional and require the active participation of the querent by doing (or refraining from doing) something before the events have any chance of occurring as described. The circumstances envisioned in a reading may be out there in theory, but they must be brought in here through alignment of the seeker’s private reality with the promise of external manifestation. These things don’t “just happen,” they are the inevitable consequence of our own positioning, conscious or otherwise. (For example, we have the “free will” to avoid stepping off the curb in front of an oncoming bus, but only if we’re exercising sufficient situational awareness; otherwise we can forfeit the right to choose.) The cards may suggest that the environment is conducive to a given development, but it is still necessary to “pull the trigger” on its appearance through our own initiative or negligence; I think of it as “matching speeds with the Universe.”
However, if we are constantly in a state of becoming but never quite there, the next question is “What is the value of predicting the future in the first place?” The answer, of course, is empowerment, the “forewarned is forearmed” premise that ensures we are psychologically ready for any projected eventuality even if it never happens exactly as stated. I would rather have my eyes open at all times even if I get eyestrain from trying to spot the occasional certainty among the thicket of potential trends. This is where effective tarot reading can set us straight because it excels at picking out the most convincing “probabilities” from a wide range of less-plausible “possibilities.” All it takes to sort out the “wheat from the chaff” is a judicious feel for relative likelihood coupled with a low tolerance for “BS” that helps to discourage overreaction.
This is all well-and-good when reading for ourselves, but what should we do with sitters who bring preconceptions and expectations to the table? This dilemma was illustrated clearly by a poster on the r/tarot sub: “I can give deep and sensitive readings about healing, ascension and life path and often the response is ‘OK, thanks, but does X actually like me?’” I had a similar experience with a man for whom I did a career reading; after I gave him a comprehensive overview of the situation, all he could say in response was “Yes, but are these ‘good cards’?” I usually set some boundaries in advance; in the first case it would be “I don’t read minds, so don’t ask me what someone “thinks or feels.” More generally, I tell clients that the results of a reading aren’t carved in stone; the forecast may identify a likely opportunity or challenge, but they can always improve the outcome through their actions; they just need to “step up to the plate and take a swing.”
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on January 16, 2024.
