The Virtue of Extemporizing
AUTHOR’S NOTE: In a recent r/tarot thread, someone advised beginners — once they’ve diligently jotted down their initial thoughts about each card — to “put this notebook away and don’t look at it again. You’ve done the basic work of learning the meanings, and even if you think you don’t remember, that knowledge is now inside you.”
I really like the idea that once you’ve been exposed to the tarot in a structured way you’ve internalized it to some degree (this strikes me as of the first “baby-step” toward Aleister Crowley’s vision of “living with the cards”). With each subsequent use the novice will add to that inner understanding, and further experience will shape the vague mass of impressions into a coherent, organic whole that requires no reference material. Before we reach this “state of bliss,” we may wonder why we’re wrong more often than not in our forecasts, but the only reliable way to really master something is to just keep at it until it “clicks.” Being too hard on ourselves will only delay that moment of awakening as we constantly second-guess our interpretations.
The objective is to stimulate the intuitive faculties so they can serve as a fluent “delivery system” for the accumulated information without having to rely on written prompts or other literal signposts. For maximum effectiveness, the narrative must flow seamlessly with no disruptive “look-ups” or similar diversions, and putting together effortless anecdotes that do justice to the testimony in the cards is the “Holy Grail” of the tarot-reader’s art. But getting there can be a discouraging prospect while we’re still at the “Lego-block” stage of stacking up keywords. It may seem that every one of our observations is forced through clenched teeth.
At least for me, the medium that acts as the lubricant for turning “dry” scholarship into “juicy” tidbits of valuable insight is the creative use of metaphors and analogies. I’ve developed an innate appreciation for just the right example of shared cultural, social, historical, educational or literary precedent to augment the context-specific applicability of almost any card in any situation. The more I use them, the more convinced I am that the oblique perspective they offer can shine a bright light on even the murkiest scenario. I’ve gotten to the point where the best of them have joined my internalized inventory of core knowledge, and they pop up unbidden at the sight of their signature card.
Of course, springing them on unsuspecting querents is often an act of desperation upon first occurrence. I’m usually struggling for traction in a reading and delving deep into my memory for anything that might elicit the “Aha!” reaction from my sitter. Not all of them work every time, but when they do it’s phenomenal how they can invigorate an account that threatens to stall. I assume that every seeker is working just as hard to comprehend what the cards are saying as I am in trying to explain them, so having a sudden “meeting of the minds” over some seemingly random, incidental scrap of mutual experience is nothing short of an epiphany. All of the tension goes out of the session and I become much more relaxed and confident in the direction it’s taking from that point on.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on January 25, 2024.
