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NEW
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Divination
Practices -- Tarot, Part 2
by Dr.
John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon |
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Tarot Psychotherapy
When occultist Alfred Douglas describes some of the
cards’ esoteric principles in The Tarot: The Origins, Meaning and
Uses of the Cards, we see how they may be used in psychology, and
also the risks of tarot meditation. The potential for the tarot deck to
incorporate spiritistic contacts can also be seen via the tarot
characters "coming alive," for example, through the personification of
the "inner self" as a guardian angel or in the ritual of "dismissing"
occult powers 1):
The Tarot cards display a powerful array of psychic images, and it
can be surmised that they were used not only as teaching aids but as
focal points of consciousness during individual meditation…. The
twenty-two cards of the Tarot major arcana have been used extensively
by Western occultists during the past century as an important part of
their Qabalistic "Tree of Life" meditation system.... The aim of Tarot
meditation is to project oneself in the imagination into each card in
turn, exploring its imagery, getting the "feel" of its symbolism,
uncovering its meaning in terms of one’s own psychic structure....
Step in your imagination over the threshold of the card as if through
an open door, and stand with the characters in their own world.... But
gradually you will find that new ideas regarding the significance of
the images appear in your mind. These may take the form of abstract
thoughts which suggest fresh lines of enquiry... or the characters
might move and perform various actions or even speak, in which case
you should listen and try to catch what is being said. Visualise the
characters as strongly as you can…. It is important when you have
finished your meditation that you "close down" properly. The powers
which can be invoked during the visualisation process must be
dismissed thoroughly before you return to everyday
consciousness.... By building up a detailed account of your progress
and discoveries over a period of weeks, months or even years you will
gain a true and valuable insight into the inner significance of the
mystical quest and its relevance to the realities of your personal
psyche. Such a program of meditation not only has a harmonising and
therapeutic effect, but can lead in time to what some mystics have
called the Knowledge and Companionship of the Holy Guardian Angel,
which is the living presence of the inner self. 2
Some writers view the tarot as a form of "esoteric psychology," and
so it is not surprising that many psychologists have turned to the cards
as a method to trigger client self-insight. Angeles Arrien, assistant
professor of anthropology at the New Age-oriented California Institute
of Integral Studies, asserts, "Basically the tarot is an esoteric
psychology, a science that symbolically represents through visual
symbols a record of known possibilities of experience.... Currently,
there is a resurgence of interest to use the tarot as a therapeutic and
transformative tool. An effective therapeutic model utilizing the tarot
could be devised by looking at esoteric-exoteric systems that have been
developed by Eastern cultures." 3
The use of the tarot in psychotherapy is also illustrated by
Dr. Genie Z. Laborde, an authority on "Neuro Linguistic
Programming" (NLP). Laborde is in charge of John Grinder’s "Executive
Excellence" program, and she is an educator who received her Ph.D. in
the controversial "confluent education" program from the University of
California at Santa Barbara. She points out how easily "psychological
processes can be taught and illustrated using the images of the tarot
deck. The tarot is used to elicit and dramatize the psychological
process of projection, as evidence of a long tradition of archetypes and
symbols which can evoke affect, and as visual examples of potential
images available from the ‘undiscovered self,’ Carl Jung’s phrase
denoting the unconscious of the human psyche." 4
Dr. Laborde has taught this tarot "therapy" to
numerous groups of individuals, including corporation presidents, school
and university teachers, psychologists, stockbrokers, editors, and
housewives, all of whom say they have personally benefited from the
sessions. She states, "The more l worked with the Tarot the more
convinced I became of its rich potential for evoking responses in my own
unconscious and in the unconscious of my students."
5
In conclusion, when people freely dabble in tarot
magic and divination, or in other forms of the occult, they are asking
for the problems characteristically associated with these methods.
6 Introducing unsuspecting
clients to the occult in the form of tarot psychotherapy only
complicates matters. Unfortunately, fringe psychotherapy today is
utilizing the methods of dozens of occult traditions, many with their
own brands of esoteric occult psychology. 7
Regardless, the cards are obviously not something to
be played with at parties or utilized in divination or for so-called
"self-actualization." "Because the cards are so potent symbolically,
they are also most dangerous when misused or perverted. Attempts to use
them to predict the future are definitely to be discouraged. Tarot
symbolism strikes to the recesses of the unconscious, where the
archetypes reside. To try to harness this energy for prognostication and
the control of one’s destiny is simply to ask for trouble."
8
Tarot Progeny: Cartouche and Phoenix Cards
The popularity of tarot cards has produced a number of
related systems, among them Cartouche and the Phoenix cards. In The
Way of Cartouche: An Oracle of Ancient Egyptian Magic author Murray
Hope describes their history and function. The cards are similar to the
tarot in arrangement spread, and they are used for a broad variety of
occult activity. The cover jacket describes the cards as a "system of
self understanding and awareness that taps into the wisdom of the
ancient Egyptians." Thus it is supposedly "an exciting new system of
divination because it encapsulates the archetypal and powerful energies
known and understood by the ancients and embodies them in identities
recognizable in today’s world." The Cartouche cards are said to "provide
startlingly accurate answers to dreams, family or emotional problems,
financial or business matters, protection, spiritual seeking, or any of
life’s enigmas." And the user is told to "try the Cartouche—you will be
astounded by their accuracy."
The Phoenix cards stress divination and self-insight,
but they also concentrate on personal growth through understanding one’s
alleged "past lives." The following promotional description of a
standard text, The Phoenix Cards (Destiny, 1990), by astrologer
and psychic Susan Sheppard, reveals the occult focus of this particular
method. (Sheppard is a descendant of the Swedenborgian mystic John
Chapman, better known as "Johnny Appleseed.")
This book and deck of 28 Phoenix cards provide the first divination
tool especially created for delving into past lives to better
understand our experiences in the here and now. Each of the 28 images
is a symbolic, visual representation of a particular world culture
that will help you recall and bring into sharp focus the times and
places of your previous incarnations.
The author explains how our present personalities are psychically
programmed to remember who we were in previous existences, where we
have been, and what cultures we have played a part in the shaping. The
symbols of the Phoenix Deck are at once specific and universal,
triggering these unconscious memories to help you discover your latent
talents, identify the lessons you most need to learn, and come to
terms with unexplained fears, attractions, and other perplexing
emotions and impulses.
Several configurations are given for laying out the cards to
determine which past lifetimes are the primary keys to your present
personality and life experience. This knowledge eliminates confusion
about present circumstances, enables you to see yourself more
clearly—your habits, values and goals—and facilitates your ability to
develop in the directions you choose. With practice, you can also
learn to read the Phoenix cards easily and effectively for others. 9
In conclusion, the various forms of divination we have
examined—runes, I Ching, tarot, Cartouche, and Phoenix—are
utilized today by millions of people throughout the world. Those who
seek out such methods do so for a variety of reasons, rarely suspecting
the demonic nature underlying the power of these systems.
Notes:
1 See discussion of New Age Inner Work in Ankerberg and Weldon,
Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs (Eugene, OR: Harvest House
Publishers, 1996)
2 Alfred Douglas, The Tarot: The Origins, Meaning and Uses of
the Cards (Baltimore, MD: Penguin, 1972), pp. 204-08.
3 Angeles Arrien, "Tarot: An Esoteric Psychology, New Realities,
vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 56, 58.
4 Genie Z. Laborde, "Tarot as a Hook for Fishing," New Realities,
vol. 5, no. 2, p. 50.
5 Ibid., pp. 53-54.
6 See John Ankerberg, John Weldon, The Coming Darkness:
Confronting Occult Deception (Eugene, OR: Harvest House
Publishers, 1993).
7 For example, Raymond J. Corsini (ed.), Handbook of Innovative
Therapies (New York: John Wiley, 1981). This book discusses some
250 therapies.
8 John Warwick Montgomery, Principalities and Powers
(Minneapolis, MN: Bethany, 1972), pp. 131-32.
9 Inner Traditions International, Fall 1990 catalog (Rochester,
VT), p. 2.
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DR. JOHN ANKERBERG'S RESPONSE TO CREATION QUESTIONS
Dr. John Ankerberg answers your
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Does Scientific Evidence Today Show
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in Daniel 11
AUTHORS:
DeYoung, Dr. Jimmy
One of the major trends for the last days is a coalition of nations that will come against Israel. Dr. Jimmy DeYoung describes those nations and what brings them together.
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Copyright 2006, Ankerberg Theological Research Institute
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