In this edition I am going to discuss a question for you readers that I struggled with in my youth and which was recently again posed to me by a client.
Basically the question is "Why does the tarot or psychic reading work, is any coincidental accuracy in a reading a result of direction by the "devil"? (That is one HUGE question and we will likely have to return to it in the future).
Please lets first look at some text from the Bible, Genesis 28, Verses 10 to 12:
"And Jacob went from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted at a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in a place to sleep. And he dreamed, and, behold, a ladder set up up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it."
Paraphrasing this and relating it to psychic reading, I found the following while surfing the net which uses layman's terms regarding this passage, enlarges on the concept, tying it in to new age ideas.
"The Book of Genesis tells the story of Jacob who fell asleep with his head upon a stone and saw, in his sleep, angels ascending a hierarchy of the Cosmos - called the Tree of Life by Cabbalists - was revealed to him. Heaven and Earth are not separate: there is a circulation of energies between them. Some clairvoyants have been able to see things descending and working on human beings, animals, plants, stones... A number of these beings returned quickly whereas people believe in the existence of these creatures and in the work they do, but one day, all humankind will become conscious of this continuous exchange between heaven and earth, between earth and the sun, and even further away in the universe and into infinite space."
For me these passages finally explain why so very many psychics claim to receive their readings from spirit guides or guardian angels. Although I myself may have a guardian angel, I am uncomfortable to deliberately seek guidance from that ethereal person for readings. God and spirit guides have far more important business than responding to frequent questions from me. My approach to readings is far more pragmatic. I combine my intuition with the sciences of Astrology and Numerology to generate a relevant reading.
In the book "Practical Intuition" by Laura Day, she explains that everyone has some psychic ability which they choose to develop and trust or not. She also explains that, frequently, psychic ability is a "sixth sense" that develops for children or young adults when they are coping with abuse. Thus we have also the explanation why so frequently psychics are labeled as delusional psychotics. It is a very hard personal growth task to rationally internalize psychic skill. The easy excuse of "guardian angel" guidance does not suit my approach to reading. I definitely believe in the existence of a loving God but I feel psychic and paranormal phenomena are more logically connected to quantum physics. But that is a discussion for a later edition.
As for the devil being the guide for accuracy in a reading, well I found this post on the alt.tarot newsgroup:
"First of all, there are no direct prohibitions in The Bible concerning Tarot, as the earliest known deck did not come about until 1392, according to Joseph Campbell, although playing cards for gaming purposes existed prior to that date. In the New Testament, The First Book of Corinthians, starting at about Chapter 12, describes spiritual gifts from God that are available to His followers simply for the asking, the most desirable of which is the gift of prophecy. There is one hitch, however: these gifts MUST be used for the comfort, enlightenment and benefit of mankind.
I believe that intuition (i.e., "Psychic ability") is a natural sense that is possessed by everyone, much like the other natural senses. However, like the other senses, its keenness varies from person to person. Also, the ability to interpret intuitive perception ("prophecy") varies among individuals, with it being innate in some, learned or acquired in others and dormant in the rest. Tarot is merely a tool for facilitating the interpretation of intuitive perception, much like glasses assist eyesight. Therefore, if any evil is committed in association with the Tarot, it is not by the cards themselves but by the acts of the person utilizing this tool.
For evil to take place, certain elements are required to be present. At minimum, evil requires a conscious human choice to do harm followed by a deliberate action implementing the decision. Nothing contained in or represented by the Tarot can cause this to occur by itself. Even "The Devil" card does not represent Satan or the embodiment of evil per se but rather man's attraction to the vices of "addiction", "lust", "materialism", etc.' all of which require a wrongful act or decision by man to manifest in the realm of cause and effect. In conclusion, the Tarot cards themselves are not evil, as they have no will or means of action, despite the powerful nature of their imagery. However, like most everything else in the world, Tarot has the potential to serve evil, if man so chooses."
I agree with these ideas heartily. At times my tools, such as my Tarot deck or my crystal ball seem to get soiled, or sluggish after being touched by certain individuals. I personally view the situation as the evil intent within the person who touched them during a reading, has somehow permeated my tools. There are various cleansing techniques for the satisfaction of the reader to "purify" the reading tools. Salt or sweet grass smudges are the most common cleansing methods for physical items such as a deck of cards.
