An Archetype Workbook

[Jade]

So, please help me out here, Jade.  Having verbalized all that above, does it assist you in any way?  Does it guide you or comfort you, or is it all functionally abstract?

Please compare it to this mundane line of thinking.  As I go through my day, various experiences befall me and from time to time a particular snippet of experience seems to have a charge to it which is higher than random.  I try to mull these charged items over because I suspect they might be interesting catalyst.  Some of these may have intrinsic charge, like a fist fight, and some may be charged only to me because my mind is drawing my attention to them.  Exploring the catalyst often leads to experience inspired by that exploration. Over the years, after having discharged thousands of these things, my conscious relationship with my mind, conscious and otherwise, has deepened because our ability to talk to one another has become far more facile.

Am I wrong or is this not a construct that is 10 times more practical than being able to say things like, the experience of the mind is ennobled by the subconscious?  I just don’t see (yet, perhaps?) how the tarot deck is even in that league of spiritual utility.


On the other hand, maybe this post is just me talking to myself?  I mean, maybe my unconscious is consciously talking to my conscious, which is unconscious of this?

I find the framework of the archetypes to be immensely helpful for myself. It's not just about learning to talk to you subconscious, it's about learning how to do it properly through the framework of The Choice. One of the benefits I find of studying the archetypes is that there are catches, there are delineations that help elucidate the framework from which we do the distilling of catalyst by means of left hand vs right hand. Obviously it it not necessary. But personally I find my own understanding of these processes immensely heightened and deepened.

For instance, I find the concept of courting vs plundering immensely valuable. I also think it's important to know that "both the virginal and prostituted deep mind invite and await the reaching" - that you will have synchronicities and confirmations that will lead you down either path. So having a frame of reference for which deep mind I am courting I have found helpful.

If you have a system that works for you and the tarot seems unappealing, then I'm not here to convince you to use it. Like I said, I feel like it is a tool to learn to communicate with the infinite subconscious, our higher selves. The main benefit of the tarot is that it is thousands of years old, and, if you resonate highly with Ra, possibly has been a part of your experience for millennia. The "threnodies and ditties" I believe come from the resonance that exists in the deep mind from having used this framework of concepts before. I honestly set my intentions to learn the tarot, so I would be an anchor for these energies that nobody really feels comfortable getting into. It's basically like learning the language of the deep mind, and using it more and more fluently to communicate with the self. I think the framework can be a compass of sorts, to make sure we don't deceive ourselves and get off track. Of course it's still possible, but it's just an extra tool to help one focus on purity of intention.

It's kind of like we have this great play of our lives, with all of these emotional scenes and happenings, and using the tarot is kind of like turning on the director's commentary. It helps with extra insights at key moments, helps give a frame of reference, helps you pull back and look at what's happening from a higher vantage point than wallowing in the emotions of experience. Personally, I use and ponder them with every passing day, and I find them to be a beautiful companion.