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As we add new articles to the site, you will be able to access archive material here. An Introduction to the Tarot |
THE ART OF DIVINATIONTo divine anything, be it an underground stream or the past and future, it's essential to be fully present in the senses. The difficulty for most people, however, is to keep the attention completely focused on the present. Fixated as we all are since birth on the movement of external objects, we become mentally addicted (and emotionally attached) to experience at any price, rapidly losing touch with inner stillness and the subtlety of perception needed for divination. The mind then gains its sense of security through movement and feels threatened when in neutral or approaching the state of stillness. The art of divination is to perceive through the external senses while registering the sensation within the body at the same time. This action automatically cuts out any interference from the mind and emotions. Say, for example, you're looking at a flower. By perceiving it in the way described, it's possible to be conscious of its subtle inner fragrance - the divine essence of the flower. Let's apply the same principle to the Tarot to divine the outcome of a future situation. The first card chosen is the Sun. You're immediately attuned to its warmth and register the optimism and fearlessness of its character. Turning the next card, the Hermit reveals the need for a preparatory period before action can be taken. And finally, the Chariot card symbolises that the task at hand is realisable and well within the questioner's reach. Well, all this sounds simple enough but, of course, there's more to it than that. The biggest obstacle to successful divination is psychic distortion. In broad terms, this is any emotional or psychological disturbance, particularly self-doubt, which smears the clarity of mind. It's as though a beautiful, clear vessel of water has been contaminated by adding droplets of coloured dye. Every feeling, from heartache to the most exalted state of love, occurs within the physical body - the realm of the psyche. At an everyday level, most people are able to suppress their emotions by applying themselves to the busyness of their lives. They are mostly unconscious, however, that the momentum of the modern world - the need to be constantly on the go - perpetuates a psychic intensity and contaminates their mental space. Higher intelligence, or consciousness, ceaselessly endeavours to communicate its ideas to humanity. As everything is received through the psyche, the degree of reality comprehended is dependent on the clarity of the individual's inner space. This accounts for the diversity of people's intelligence and the reason that psychics and clairvoyants vary in the accuracy of their predictions. Divination is an art, since it has purpose. The divination of the future is a wonderful thing as a means of confronting the rational mind with something beyond its understanding. However, it is only an introduction to the mystery of the psyche. Any intimation of reality undermines the personal, thinking self since the truth, being impersonal, can only be realised in a state of love when all thought is absent. From this arises gratitude and a deepening devotion to God or that which is incomprehensible yet palpably present. In this way the diviner realises that he is only an instrument for something greater than himself. Lance Kelly © Copyright Ullswater Centre 2006 |
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