May 2023 - The Fool, Fate, & Personal Power

“... when an inner situation is not made conscious,

it happens outside, as fate ..."

C.G. Jung, Collected Works

Many people ask when they sit down for their first reading with me if I can "predict" their future with the Tarot. My response always begins with a reassuring smile followed by a loud and resounding "Absolutely not! ... but you can!"

As one might imagine, this statement is often met with confusion and doubt.

"What is the purpose of having a reading then?

Isn't that your job?

I don't have that kind of gift!"

But the truth of it is, you really do!

We are all born The Fool into this human, 3D world. We enter with our tiny invisible pack full of innate intuition, genetic and spiritual potential, and creatyve energy. What becomes of these gifts depends, in large part, on whether we allow ourselves to develop and use them to manifest our best selves.

Why Creatyve Tarot?

It may seem odd to some of my friends and clients that, as a Tarot reader, I do not believe in Fate and Destiny. Based on the stereotype of "fortune telling gypsies" depicted in movies, carnivals, and entertainment venues, it is an understandable misconception that all of us subscribe to this philosophy.

In truth, however, there is not one common belief when it comes to the role of Fate versus Free Will and Self-Determination. Some of us certainly believe that we are born to fulfill a pre-determined destiny. Other believe quite the opposite. We exist in a random, chaotic universe. We constantly strive for connection because there is none built into the system.

I fall into a third camp. I believe that we are co-authors of our lives. Sometimes we are creating and building, initiating and making things happen. Other times we are responding to the actions, thoughts, and decisions of others around us. At our best, we are working together to manifest a world in which we can all benefit from each others' best selves.

What We Have in Common

What we all do have in common is the archetypal journey we embark on beginning with our birth out of the darkness of raw creation into the world made by others like ourselves. We enter the human drama the Fool full of potential and possibility. Together and apart, we move through the developmental stages of building social identity and subsequent roles. We encounter eventual opportunities for individuation and choice. Ultimately, we face our inner demons, the challenge of spiritual calls to peel away these layers to rediscover the essential self that first entered the world, and the great equalizer, Death.

My experience with Tarot over the past 50 years has taught me that its power does not lie in 128 pieces of card stock and ink, or in the privileged powers of a gifted Reader to communicate with the mysterious forces of the unseen world on behalf of others. The power of Tarot exists, instead, as a creatyve energy that any one of us can use to connect with the universal archetypes, images, symbols, and human experiences woven into each mile of the Fool's Journey throughout every deck. If we allow it, these can gain us entry into our own subconscious where our own wisdom, knowledge, and intuition are waiting to serve if we allow them to surface!

The Reader's Role

My role as a Reader is as guide and ferryman. It is my responsibility to help those that seek understanding through the Tarot to recognize the patterns that have brought them to where they are and to discover ways in which these patterns impact where they may go next. I work with clients to create clarity about their relationships to self and others, and to uncover hidden agendas and underlying circumstances that may challenge them. Together we explore options and possibilities, scenarios and potential outcomes, based on the "counsel" presented in a reading. In this way, perhaps, I can sometimes help them to "predict" the future.

"We are formed by the actions we have taken in the past;

we form our future selves by the actions we take now."

Rachel Pollack, Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom

Tarot's Invitation

What the Tarot does not offer is excuses. The onus of responsibility remains on the individual who seeks to to find answers to the big and small questions in their lives. The Tarot does not tell us what to do and then take the blame when things don't work out the way we want.

Instead, the Tarot acts as a good friend. It invites us to pause, to take a breath, reflect, and see things for what they really are. It challenges us to take responsibility for the future by understanding the lessons of our past and present.