Tarot cards have been used for centuries, some say even thousands of years. They have been used to either foretell the future or to give the person who is having the reading a sense of direction; be it in life, or for a very specific issue. The reason Tarot cards are so powerful is because they tap into the deep and eternal reservoir of wisdom that we are all connected to. The late Swiss Psychiatrist, Carl Jung called this reservoir the ‘collective unconscious’. Within the collective unconscious, we find a myriad of symbolic forms he called ‘Archetypes.’ I will discuss them both briefly in this article. We will also discuss how one can access them through Magic.
What is the Collective Unconscious?
It is the very backbone of our mind. It is innate within us. You can call it a kind of universal library of human experience and knowledge. Spiritual experiences, according to Jung, must emerge from the collective unconscious via primordial archetypical forms and images.
Jung said it best” the collective unconscious – so far as we can say anything about it at all – appears to consist of mythological motifs or primordial images, for which reason the myths of all nations are its real exponents. In fact, the whole of mythology could be taken as a sort of projection of the collective unconscious… We can therefore study the collective unconscious in two ways, either in mythology or in the analysis of the individual. (From the Structure of the Psyche, CW 8, par. 325.).”
What Are Archetypes and Archetypical Forms?
If you look at the stories of mythology and even modern-day religious texts, you will find motifs such as the Warrior, the Virgin, Star-Crossed Lovers, the Witch, the Warlock, the Judge and the like. The stories have the same motifs despite emerging from such distant and disparate lands. What sets them apart is that they are simply garbed in different clothing. There is clearly a universal connection here. Those symbols mean something. If they didn’t, they would not be following us back to the dawn of humanity. Even many of our creation narratives start in very much the same way and have very similar motifs. They are, in essence, older than time itself and existed within the void that was the universe before creation was a glimmer in God’s eye.
These similarities in motif are called archetypes. They are innate tendencies that reflect our common humanity. Motifs like I mentioned above are all common themes. These commonalities flow through all our spiritual traditions. They often manifest in something called “Archetypal images” within religious texts, dreams and spiritual visions. Tapping into such a primordial energy is the very essence of the Tarot. Within the cards of the Tarot, all the archetypical symbols are contained, and through the Tarot, one can unlock a power so deep, that when harnessed mindfully, can bring about a radical shift in your life. One way to tap into this power is through Magick.
What Is Tarot Magick?
The wonderful power of Tarot cards resides in what they represent. For the sake of brevity let us focus on the Major Arcana. Each of the cards in the Major Arcana have a meaning and this meaning has a power that we can tap into via magick. Magick is a tool we can use to transform our lives and works very well with the Tarot since the Tarot card is the vehicle in which the magick works through.
Let us look at the Magician card
The Magician is a very powerful and positive card. It represents the active and creative impulses in humanity. It is through the magician that we exert our power in this world. For the purposes of Magick, we can use this card to create change in our lives. Let us walk through a ritual involving the Magician card.
We will want to setup your altar or table to reflect the following setup.
-
Place the Magician card at the center of the altar.
-
Pick up the card and think about the intention you have for this ritual.
-
Say the prayer to the spiritual guardians of the tarot. You may use your own wording, this is just an example that I use.
“Hear me Oh Great Guardians of the Tarot, harness me the power of this great and holy card that I may bring forth positive change into my life, may this card be the presentation of all change that is for my good and for the good of all. So Mote it me.”
-
Place the card back in its spot.
-
From the same deck, randomly pull out 5 cards. Place those cards in such a way that they encircle the main card. As seen above.
-
Place the candle right before the 1st As seen above. You can light and place the incense wherever you like. The incense is more for the ambiance.
-
Visualize a white light coming and encircling the main card.
-
Sit in silence and think about your intended outcome.
-
Take out a tarot card book and read the descriptions of the 5 cards that are encircling the main card. Does it give you any insight into your issue?
-
Thank the spiritual guardians of the tarot and release them. Use your own words for this.
-
For the next 10 days, carry the magician card with you wherever you go. Place it under your pillow at night. Every time you touch it, think of your intention.
There you have it, the above Tarot Card Magick ritual is very powerful. In my book “Tarot Magick: Harness the Magickal Power of the Tarot” I describe a ritual for each card of the Major Arcana. These rituals are primed for the Tarot and can help you Tap into their immense Archetypical power.
The following Article was excerpted in part from the book “Tarot Magick: Harness the Magickal Power of the Tarot” – By Baal Kadmon
Guest Author Baal Kadmon is an Author, and Occultist based out of New York City. In addition to the Occult, he is a Religious Scholar, Philosopher and a Historian specializing in Ancient History, Late Antiquity and Medieval History. He has studied and speaks Israeli Hebrew · Classical Hebrew · Ugaritic language · Arabic · Judeo-Aramaic · Syriac (language) · Ancient Greek and Classical Latin.
www.baalkadmon.com
www.amazon.com/author/baalkadmon