By Jeanne Fiorini
There is no such thing as absolute, objective reality. EVERYTHING is subjective.
What would it mean if that statement was true? Some people might throw up their hands and say “Let the chaos begin” or “Such an idea would foster a culture of egomaniacs” or “How, then, can we think about the ultimate realities such as God, Justice, and Truth?”
To which one might answer, “Chaos reigns without us giving it permission” and “Take a look around; haven’t we already bred a culture of egomaniacs?” and “The world is constantly at war because of the irreconcilably subjective interpretations of God, Justice, and Truth.”
When you pause and honestly consider the question, it becomes more and more apparent that our perceptions of reality are already (and obviously) subjective. As Tarot readers, we’ve become fairly acclimated to the notion of subjectivity. (For example, we understand that the same card can mean different things to different people on different days and in differing contexts.) And if 25 of us went to the same family party, Tarot readers or not, chances are we would have differing experiences of that same event.
So, what about the Big Party of Life? Is it really such a stretch to realize that the filter by which we view a family gathering is activated in -- and by -- all our interactions and experience? Are we truly conscious enough -- or even have the capacity– to “turn off” the filter of our personal awareness?
The degree to which a person is willing to carry the notion of subjectivity will vary, but the more we embrace the idea the more interesting things become. It is what the scientists of the early 20th century discovered, much to the surprise and resultant confusion to the logical mind: that the presence of an observer alters the nature of the observed reality.
Here are a few things that happen in a Universe where The Observer (you, me, and every other conscious being) has an impact on what constitutes “reality”:
1. Experience becomes interactive. No longer are we passers-by in a static landscape, floating in and out of various situations without something having changed because of it.
2. Experience becomes flexible. A version of a dynamically flowing and changeable reality is set before our eyes.
3. Experience becomes creative. To view oneself as an integral part of any and all experience opens the floodgates for personal will and creativity. How could we use our attention, intention, hopes, and dreams in such a version of reality?
4. Experience becomes more interesting. We recognize that humans and animals have a conscious awareness. Many of us think of plants and trees and other living things to have a similar consciousness. But to be confronted with the truth that even the most basic of elements (such as an electron) has a consciousness is quite a startling revelation for most people
5. The proven impact of The Observer dispels the illusion of separation. Here it is, down and dirty:
In such a version of reality, the Observer automatically engages in the creation of life through the simple act of being present in it. All things within the unified field are interwoven, and the existence of any one thing/observer impacts the system as a whole. Whether or not the engagement (and resultant impact) happen with conscious intent is left to the Observer.
This is a thing of wonder in itself (think of how such a realization might effect one’s daily interactions!) but it is here that the Tarot can take center stage. Simply put: A Tarot reading is an opportunity for the querent to become a conscious observer – and therefor a conscious creator—of reality. A Tarot reading is a place where the querent/observer is put in the driver’s seat between “what is” and “what might be.”
We’ve already noted that the Tarot is a bridge between one’s conscious mind and the unified field; and that quantum science has demonstrated that future potentialities can affect the realities of the present. Inserting the Observer/Querent as a conscious observer into the equation completes the picture of a Tarot reading as a quantum process in action: the querent becomes the connecting force in the feedback loop between an observable present and a potential future.
Being a conscious observer; using thought and intention to create a new reality….why is it important and how does it work? It is only important if there is something about your life you’d like to change; it works because new thoughts and ideas change the biochemistry of the brain, ultimately changing the physical body as a whole.
As any one thought moves through the brain, self-induced biochemicals (peptides) spill into the bloodstream creating feelings, emotions, impulses, and all sorts of conscious and unconscious reactions, reactions which eventually become associated with whatever thought triggered that particular waterfall. In addition, when peptides latch on to a cell anywhere in the body, they change the character of that cell. So, when we think “sad” or “broke” or “in love,” our body chemically matches the thought and we literally and physically become “sad” or “broke” or “in love.”
Going in reverse, then: Any desired change can begin with a change in thinking. This is the promise that Tarot offers. By bringing new thoughts, new potentials, burgeoning notions of personal power, and creative energy to the table; by working with the probabilities and possibilities of the future from our own subjective “command center,” the Tarot reading process works hand-in-hand with essential quantum principles to support and allow the emergence of new realities.
The quantum posits we’ve discussed are provable in scientific terms under controlled experimental conditions. Does this mean we can now wave our hands (and our minds) and watch as new versions of reality magically (and speedily) appear? Not yet; partly because most of us lack the mental focus to “train the brain” to consistently maintain a new thought/idea/paradigm.
Underneath the difficulty of a continued, focused attempt to integrate unfamiliar ideas is the fact that we do not really believe that such things are possible. Not only do we not believe it in our individual or collective mind, we don’t believe it deep down in our bones. We have not begun to nurture a culture where the quantum ideas are natural to our way of thinking. When humankind does shift its notions of reality, when collectively-held constructs and perceptions truly make a 90-degree turn, this material world of ours can and will be a much different place.
Until that day comes, quantum truths give us a starting point from which to perceive reality in a new way. Is it a coincidence that the “new” mechanics mesh seamlessly with those of the Tarot reading process? Both systems are rooted in concepts of a continuous field of matter and energy, both rely on personal subjectivity to create form and meaning, intuition enhances comprehension in both realms, and each system regards the parameters of time and space to be irrelevant in effective communication.
Most importantly for us as Tarot practitioners, both systems put the observer/querent at the creative center of a subjective universe. The power of intention in particular is a key to success in the subjective universe, one physicist having proclaimed it to be a “thermodynamic driving force” which acts upon the object of its focus. There go those powerful thoughts again!
To follow through on the analogy of the Tarot reader as a fisher in the sea of the unified field:
In the search for guidance in the unseen and unknown worlds, one’s personal awareness is the boat, Tarot is the fishing pole, intuition is the hook, and intention is the bait. Bring these things along on your next fishing trip, and quantum physics will take care of the rest.