Know Thyself

January 5th, 2008 at 07:04pm Will Kesler 366

Human beings have always yearned to peek into the future. Instead of heeding Yogi Berra’s advice that “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” we wish to know which fork will most satisfy our insatiable appetites. Instead of faith we need to know.

In ancient times, the Greek Oracle of Delphi was the place to go to get rid of doubt. Inscribed in bold letters on the temple was the Oracle's secret for all to see and most to ignore “Know Thyself.” Oracles are not primarily a means to gain insight into the future; rather they are systems designed to teach the truth about one’s own nature. Divining the future is merely a by-product of a much more profound journey into awareness.

Oracles have withstood the test of time. They are part of human history and have graced every culture worthy the name. A sampling of this profound heritage includes Astrology, I Ching or Book of Changes, Kabbalah and Tarot. All recognize that a human being is a microcosm of the entire universe. By interacting with an oracle we become the oracle itself. An oracle is a symbolic pathway into one’s own inner being. Oracles bypass our thinking mind and lead into the wealth buried beneath everyday life and concerns.

Tarot cards are the way I participate in this remarkable branch of human wisdom. Tarot evolved from Egyptian mystery schools and the ancient Hebrew Kabbalah. Tarot’s 22 principle cards correspond to the 22 branches of the Kabbalah’s “Tree of Life.” These cards are called “major arcana” and represents arcane or secret principles of life. Today, however, the secret is no more as modern psychology identified these principles as archetypes, primal energies inherent within each of us.

In the Middle Ages four suits of cards known as the “minor arcana” appeared in the deck. The minor arcanas symbolize mental dispositions, emotional states, worldly life and spiritual inclinations corresponding to the archetypes. Royalty or court cards, representing male, female and child principles within us, complete a surprisingly accurate map of the human psyche.

I hear what you say, accurate map or not, it’s still a bunch of bullshit. No way cards predict the future. To this reasonable objection, I respond with another modern concept that may be applied to ancient wisdom. Jung imployed the term “synchronicity” to describe the unexplainable connection between inner physic states and events in the material world.

I was first attracted to the Tarot by the richness of a new age deck called Voyager Tarot. Each card is a collage encompassing symbols, myths, traditions, reality, etc. garnered from the spectrum of human experience. For a time I simply appreciated their intrinsic beauty, oblivious to any mystic property. Then a dilemma seemed to appear and I needed help.

The Broncos were in the Super Bowl and thus, to my embarrassment, the first question I asked the oracle concerned gambling. The answer seemed clear, the card included an athlete, wealth, and even a coliseum. No doubt about it, money was to be made.

The Broncos lost big, so did I, as the cards withered in a corner, abandoned along with any thought of ever trusting them again. Months later, showing the wayward card to a friend, recounting my dismal attempt at fortune telling, he began to laugh. “Look at the card.” he insisted. There, tucked away in a corner, stood the Golden Gate Bridge. I had been advised to alter my loyalty. Since then I approach the Tarot with the respect it deserves.

Lets consult the Tarot right now. Our question may come as no surprise “Is filing an income tax return a voluntary act?” The card I randomly selected (on what's left of my honor) is the Six of Crystals, Confusion. While seekers are encouraged to supply their own interpretation, some suggested by the creator of the deck perhaps offer insight. “Old beliefs and thus old forms and structures are breaking down.” “Suggest another point of view.” “You are in-between opposites in conflict.” “Cut through and into to see the light, investigate.”

Remember, Tarot cards unerringly point to the truth. Truth inscribed, long ago, for all to see and most to ignore, on a temple in ancient Delphi.

Entry Filed under: Religion, Aspen, Colorado, United Post, Spirituality