WHAT IS INTUITION?

On Christmas day I was prompted to say something about the role of intuition in cartomancy.

I think intuition plays a major role in any divination session, but it has to be part of the variables on the table in play. These variables are simply the question, context for the question, and cultural predicament.

People come to the cards for a reason. They are invested in a very specific situation that informs their questions. The question, the context, and the predicament are not variables that are up for negotiation; nor are they up to ‘what I feel about it’ the intuitive way.

I like to think of intuition in terms of how a particular method, when applied according to individual interpretative skills, becomes a choreographic moment that brings together in a dance the querent’s question, her cultural background, her basic curiosity and desire to learn, and the reader’s competence in seeing and decoding visual language.

In this sense I see intuition as being part of an active process of going for clarity, not for sinking into impressions.

The reader can follow very strict rules of logic and a method anchored in precision and common sense – I know I aim for that – but in this dance with a question coming from another – other rules can also apply.

We can syndicate, syncopate, synchronize, and synthesize what we see in such a way that by the time we’re done we’re ready to publish a long poem written in that oracular voice that baffles and leaves the ‘uninitiated’ staring at the obvious that you’ve just managed to make clear.

I’ve asked the cards about it too. What is intuition?

The Pope, The Charioteer, Judgment

Intuition is the Pope’s declaration, the winner’s proclamation, and the Angel’s annunciation.

You can listen to it, go with it, and get it from beyond.

When the Angel blows his trumpet, you want to rise up and dance. You may be unsure of the steps, but you can follow the score. I bet the Angel follows a method, a set notation for his blasting. But the way you end up dancing to this music is entirely up to you.

You have to see it, however, clearly. For if you don’t, all you get to experience is a sense of being off-beat with what is happening right under your nose.

Enjoy your jigs, and your midwinter celebrations, and if you want to pay attention even more intently to what you make out of the signs that present themselves to you, you may want to read my latest post on Patheos, 12 Days of Omens.

Happy New Year to All.

Stay in the loop

For more such practice with the cards:

• Join the Read like the Devil Club.
• Visit also Aradia Academy and sign up for the newsletter that will keep you informed on upcoming courses and cartomantic activities. Note the Off the Shelf offering that also includes free resources.
• Check out my books on the philosophy and practice of divination at EyeCorner Press. Especially relevant in this respect is my book, What is Not: Marseille Tarot à la Carte.
• Get a reading. When I perform a reading, I also teach, simply because I can’t help myself, so you will be twice served.