THE PHILOSPHY OF ALL IS DIVINE TAROT
Tarot & th Hero's Journey
We can look at our lives in exclusively practical terms as set forth by Materialism (Greek philospher Democritus, 460 BC) or we can mix it up a little and enlarge our lives by also (not instead) seeing them in the context of myths and legends, and even old fairy tales.
Every time you ask, What am I meant to do with my life? What is my purpose? Every time, you're a little lost or feel you are at an important cross-roads and you want to search out an answer, you have the opportunity to see your life as The Hero's Journey, the arc of life as distilled down by the American philosopher, Joseph Campbell, from the body of humanity's ancient stories.
If you want to get an inkling of what this journey is, think of the first Star Wars movie (and every subsequent super hero film). Its director, George Lucas, was friends with Joseph Campbell from whom he learned about the Hero's Journey and which has been taught in film school ever since the first Star Wars, A New Hope became a blockbuster for the ages.
In the same way that we are captivated by super hero stories, you can become captivated by seeing your own life as more than the things you do Monday to Sunday.
Symbols & Myth
Tarot cards, especially from the deck I primarily use, The Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert, are filled with symbols-both modern and ancient-that help you connect with your imagination, instincts, and intuition
similarly to how dreams often do.
From Carl Gustav Jung's work, we know that human beings have a deep connection with symbols and archetypes [ahr-ki-tahyp]. From Joseph Campbell's body of work, we know that so much of human experience is hard to explain in rationalistic terms and that mythology allows us to account for some of what we know is real but can't quite explain.
Archetypes, myths, and symbols, together help us give voice to those intriguingly mysterious things and help clarify them for us. In so doing, we expand our discovery and understanding. We are able to "put a finger" on things we often have a hard time articulating, even to ourselves. In a tarot reading, be ready to be surprised at how much more you know than you realized.
The "All Is Divine" in All is Divine Tarot
Some things, you just know. For example, you know that your head is at the top of your body, your feet at the bottom. You know your name. You can close your eyes and one finger tip can, more or less, know where the other is.
Some of us have that kind of knowing about Divine reality. All mystics have spoken of it: Teresa of Avila, Rumi, Hafiz, Juliana of Norwich, Hildegard von Bingen, Meister Ekhart, Khalil Gibran.
Anyone can experience it and many people do; sometimes without even knowing. This greater reality is a state of wholeness, universal, all-encompassing love, oneness with all existence, and a sense of extraordinary presence, wellbeing, awe, and happiness. You may experience some or all of it on a beautiful hike, watching a sunrise, gazing into a beloved's eyes, holding a baby in your arms, or looking up at the stars at night. Even eating a delicious strawberry, plucked from the plant, and popped straight into your mouth can connect you.
While you are connected, a veil is lifted and where things were confusing or murky, there is clarity and easefulness. Where you felt un certain, frustrated, afraid, or small, there is a fresh breath of possibility.
Henry India has had experiences of Divine reality, starting when very young and has remained gently connected throughout their life. For them, the tarot is an instrument of mediation that easily creates a divine connection between them and you, the sitter, that leads to beautiful, uplifting, empowering, and also practical and useful insights so that you can believe in and embark on your hero's journey. So that you can live the life you yearn for because it was meant for you.
