A Philosophical Essay on Tarot Divination and Human Consciousness

A Philosophical Essay on Tarot Divination and Human Consciousness Consciousness

by David Bruce Albert Albert Jr., Ph.D. Ph.D.

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(c) 2015 by David Bruce Albert Jr. Contact the author at: [email protected] [email protected] !or"# $uoted in thi# e##ay are believed to be in the public doain unle## other%i#e #tated. &ree o' i'e diara and table# o' card eanin# adapted 'ro *&he Boo" o' &hoth+ by Alei#ter Cro%ley. ,oe type'ace# u#ed in thi# %or" %ere developed by -evin -in o' -inthin#  http://%%%."inthin#'ont#.co.u" . rintin Date: 12. January 2015 evi#ion uber: 23































4. &he &arot and uan Con#ciou#ne## &he &arot ay be thouht o' a# an art 'or that ha# a variety o' u#e# and eanin#. 4t can be vie%ed a# a %or" o' art that i# appreciated 'or it# beauty and cople6ity7 irre#pective o' %hatever other 'unction# it iht have. Dependin upon the #peci'ic &arot dec"7 it can #erve a# a te6tboo" 'or the #tudy o' an e#oteric #y#te. 4t can #erve a# a #tiulu# 'or 'or active iaination or editation7 and it can al#o be u#ed 'or per#onal analy#i#. !hen any people thin" o' the &arot7 ho%ever7 %hat they are really intere#ted in i# it# u#e a# an oracle: oracle: a ethod o' di#coverin di#coverin thin# that are norally hidden 'ro vie%. 8#ually thi# ean# di#coverin thin# that are in the pa#t or 'uture7 or #oe reat di#tance a%ay7 or 'or #oe other rea#on inacce##ible to ordinary ethod# o' di#covery. &o under#tand %hat an oracle i#7 and ho% it %or"#7 it i# 'ir#t nece##ary to under#tand #oethin about ho% con#ciou#ne## %or"#. Consciousness i# that part o' the psyc the psyche he77 or totality o' all ental proce##e#7 that i# a%are o' it#el' and a%are o' the out#ide %orld. !hat di''erentiate# con#ciou#ne## 'ro everythin el#e i# it# #el'a%arene## and it# subjectivity: subjectivity : it# a%arene## that %hat i# happenin i# happening to me7 me 7 and that there is a me 'or thin# to happen to7 an individual that i# di#tinct 'ro it# #urroundin# and per#i#t# a# a #inle7 uni$ue bein over tie. Con#ciou#ne## norally interact# %ith the out#ide %orld throuh the #en#e#  #iht7 tion.. #ell7 ta#te7 hearin and touch  and thi# proce## o' interaction i# called percep called perception 96perience# that con#ciou#ne## under#tand# in thi# %ay are #aid to be immediate7 immediate 7 becau#e there are direct direct connection#   or at lea#t there appear appear to be  bet%een bet%een the e6perience7 the body7 and con#ciou# a%arene##. 4n addition to perception7 con#ciou#ne## i# al#o capable o' introspection  introspection  havin e6perience# o' it#el'7 and not u#t o' the out#ide %orld. &houht#7 recollection#7 recollecti on#7 rea#onin7 and #iilar intro#pective intro#pecti ve event# iht al#o be con#idered iediate7 iediate7 a# they are are ob#erved and e6perienced in uch uch the #ae %ay %ay a# perceptual e6perience#. &he purpo#e o' an oracle i# to allo% con#ciou#ne## to di#cover event# that are not iediate to it7 %hich in the ca#e o' oracle# u#ually ean# #eparated 'ro con#ciou#ne## in #pace7 tie7 or both. o% the oracle i# able to reveal noniediate e6perience to con#ciou#ne## con#ciou#ne## reain# a atter o' theory. theory. ;ne #uch theory i# ba#ed upon the ob#ervation that there appear# to e6i#t %ithin the unconscious a unconscious a pree6i#tin iae7 or preconition7 o' certain event# o' %hich con#ciou#ne## cannot be directly a%are. &he unconscious i# unconscious i# a eneral ter that re'er# to tho#e eleent# o' the p#yche o' %hich































atter %hat it# level o' iportance. 4t i# thi# la#t cateory o' uncon#ciou# content# content# that i# o' priary priar y intere#t in under#tandin ho% an oracle i# able to reveal hidden event#. 4t %ould appear7 ba#ed upon the re#ult# o' e6perient#7 that %ithin the uncon#ciou# are repre#entation# o' event# pa#t7 pre#ent and 'uture7 to %hich con#ciou#ne## doe# not have direct acce##. !hile con#ciou#ne## doe# not directly perceive the#e repre#entation#7 psychoid psychoid processes processes in the uncon#ciou# do7 but the#e proce##e# cannot counicate %ith con#ciou#ne## directly becau#e they involve ode# o' perception and cateorie# o' conition that are copletely alien to con#ciou#ne##. 4n#tead7 they counicate %ith con#ciou#ne## indirectly7 indirectly7 #uch a# throuh drea#7 'anta#ie#7 and the iaination. &hi# indirect symbolic  it# eanin i# cloa"ed in an ab#tract and #eeinly arcane counication i# symbolic  iaery that can only be under#tood under#tood throuh interpretation. subconscious i# a
,ybol# and ,el'Con#uin ,el'Con#uin Arti'act# !hile there ay already e6i#t a 'ore"no%lede o' 'uture and other noniediate































'ailiar. 4n#tead o' %aitin 'or drea#7 %ho#e iae# can be di''icult7 i' not ipo##ible7 to decipher7 the oracle provide# a readyade #et o' #ybol# 'or %hich con#ciou#ne## already ha# #oe ba#ic under#tandin. under#tandin. &he oracle then act# a# a tran#lator bet%een bet%een the lanuae o' the uncon#ciou# and the lanuae o' con#ciou#ne##7 u#in a prede'ined #et o' #ybol# 'ailiar to both. &he ood ne%# in thi# i# that throuh the u#e o' an oracle7 con#ciou#ne## can ain acce## to uncon#ciou# repre#entation#7 repre#entation#7 includin tho#e o' pa#t7 'uture7 and di#tant event#7 event#7 o' %hich it could not other%i#e be a%are. &he di''iculty %ith thi# proce## i# that the t he #ybol doe# not *%ear it# eanin on it# #leeve+7 but re$uire# interpretation and analy#i# to have any eanin at all. &hi# interpretation interpretati on proce##7 called divination7 divination 7 ha# both intellectual intellectual and intuitive intuitive coponent#: coponent#: it invol involve# ve# the the alinin o' a body o' "no%lede "no%lede about the hi#tory and eanin o' the #ybol#7 %ith a #erie# o' #ubective #ubective ipre##ion# ipre##ion# and 'eelin# %ith %hich the #ybol# are ibued by the uncon#ciou#. Divination i# there'ore there'ore both rational and irrational at the #ae tie> it could be #aid that it involve# both a learnin7 and to #oe e6tent an unlearnin7 or %illinne## to abandon the purely intellectual interpretation o' the #ybol#7 to arrive arr ive at an under#tandin o' %hat lie# %ithin the uncon#ciou#. Divination there'ore involve# an e##ential parado6: one u#t learn a #et o' eanin# 'or the oracle?# #ybol# in order 'or con#ciou#ne## to under#tand the7 yet one u#t al#o to #oe deree abandon tho#e eanin# to the o'ten ab#tract and contradictory ipre##ion# ipre##ion# throuh %hich the uncon#ciou# counicate# it# hidden %i#do. &he #ituation clo#ely clo#ely parallel# a #iilar proble in art criti$ue cr iti$ue that i# addre##ed by the concept o' the self-consuming artifact. artifact . Accordin to thi# theory7 a %or" o' art #uch a# a paintin7 a poe7 a piece o' u#ic7 and #o 'orth have no eanin# by the#elve#> the *eanin+ o' an art%or art %or" " eere# throuh a dialectical relation#hip  a #ort o' bac" and'orth iveandta"e  bet%een the %or" and the ob#erver. A per#on vie%in a paintin7 'or e6aple7 coe# to it %ith certain attitude#7 e6pectation#7 belie'#7 ta#te#7 and #o 'orth7 %hich %hen enaed by the paintin7 'ocu# the attention on variou# a#pect# o' the %or". A# the %or" i# #tudied7 di''erent a#pect# o' it becoe ore or le## iportant7 %hich in turn alter# the %ay the ob#erver vie%# it. &hi# ne% attitude to%ard the %or" i# then odi'ied by 'urther #tudy7 and the dialectic bet%een the %or" and the ob#erver continue# until the paintin paintin it#el' vani#he# vani#he# in the train o' idea# it produce#. &he art%or" art%or" it#el' i# *con#ued+ by it# interpretation7 and thu# the *eanin+ o' the %or" i# not in the %or" it#el'7 but in the proce## o' interaction bet%een the obect and the #ubect %ho vie%# it.































e#oteric #y#te7 and in the ca#e o' &arot dec"#7 eanin that ay be #ue#ted by the illu#tration# the#elve#. But a# the diviner #tudie# the card7 ipre##ion# 'ro the uncon#ciou# eere eere that a''ect and alter tho#e idea#  the eanin o' the card chane#7 and the diviner coe# to #ee the card a# bein #oethin di''erent di''erent than %hat ha# been eoried. &hi# ne% under#tandin re#ult# in ne% idea# that becoe a##ociated %ith the card7 %hich are then 'urther odi'ied by ipre##ion# ipre##ion# 'ro the uncon#ciou#. &hi# bac"and'orth bac"and'orth dialectic bet%een bet%een con#ciou# con#ciou# and uncon#ciou# uncon#ciou# continue# continue# until the iae iae o' the card it#el' vani#he# into the train o' idea# it call# 'orth7 and the#e t he#e idea# becoe the *eanin+ o' the card in a readin. 9ven thouh individual individual dec"# ay be de#ined %ith ore o' an intellectual or intuitive bia#  #oe dec"# have detailed #yboli# and iaery that appeal to the analytical 'acultie# o' con#ciou#ne##7 %hile other# are de#ined to appeal ore to uncon#ciou# intuition  both con#ciou# and uncon#ciou# 'acultie# u#t coe into play 'or the dialectical proce## bet%een con#ciou# and uncon#ciou# to %or". &hi# idea o' the &arot &arot a# a #el'con#uin arti'act ha# a nuber o' iportant priori eanin# in the#elve#. !hile a diviner con#e$uence#.

A Philosophical Essay on Tarot Divination and Human Consciousness

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