Review by Bonnie Cehovet
Craig Junjulas is the former director of the Foundation
for Psychic Development, and has worked as a psychic
consultant, educator, and radio program host. In "Psychic
Tarot", he brings together the worlds of Tarot and psychic
development in a manner that allows each to act as a catalyst
to develop the other. The deck that he has chosen to
work with is the "Aquarian Tarot", by David Palladini.
Junjulas sees this deck as an inspired deck, in that
Palladini blended ancient symbols with modern symbols,
images, and colors that reflect the modern Aquarian Age.
Junjulas continued this blending of ancient and modern in
his interpretations of the cards, adding a dash of his
own insight to the process. The aim of this book is to
familiarize the reader with the basic interpretation of the
cards, while at the same time developing their psychic
ability. In this way, the reader is more open to allowing
their own intuitive insights into a reading - which is,
after all, what the Tarot is all about!
Junjulas begins
at the beginning, with a short history of the Tarot,
and definitions for the Major and Minor Arcana. He
follows traditional thought, with the suit of Rods (Wands)
representing the spiritual plane, the suit of Cups the
emotional plane, the suit of Swords the mental plane, and
the suit of Pentacles the physical plane.
It is
suggested that the student view the Tarot as a map, and try
to get an overall feel for the whole system, and for
the systems within the system. In this way, the
student is less apt to be overwhelmed with information.
Personal versus defined meanings are addressed, with the
thought that if the student chooses to work strictly
within the structure of their own personal meanings, that
they will be limiting themselves to their own life
experience.
The reading itself is seen as a "multiple point
of focus", where the reader and the Seeker focus on
the cards as a point of reference to issues within the
Seeker's life.
There is included in this book a
significant section on developing psychic abilities. Basic
definitions are given for what psychic ability is, and the
areas of the subconscious mind, the conscious mind, and
the superconscious mind. The human aura, and the it's
etheric, astral, mental, and spiritual bodies are defined.
The chakras, their definitions and functions, are also
discussed. A very simple, effective meditation technique is
given, with a view to clearing the mind.
In discussing
preparing to do a reading, Junjulas addresses increasing the
flow and vibration of energy for the reader, and
connecting with a Higher Source. He also addresses issues
that most books do not, things that can come up during
a reading, such as a fear reaction, internal
conflict, Self-Aggrandizement, and the "Sponge" Syndrome
(where the vibrations and issues from the reading stay
with the reader long after the Seeker is gone). A very
unique gift from the author at this point is the sharing
of a simple technique for self-healing.
Junjulas
addresses psychic reception - how one receives ones
information - in some depth. Covered are listening clearly
(clairaudience), seeing clearly (clairvoyance), and using other
senses (clairsentience). He also very briefly covers such
techniques as psychometry, picture reading, and aura
reading.
The cards themselves are presented with a black and
white scan, a description, meaning, and reversed
meaning. Junjulas defines the difference between a card
reading and a Psychic Tarot reading as the inclusion of
intuitive information. He gives very good examples (using
the Six of Pentacles, the Tower, and the Four of
Swords) of taking the different symbols and images within
a card and showing how they define the card (i.e.
the plush looking trim on the figures garment
indicating a feeling of comfort in the Six of Pentacles).
Junjulas follows this with what he terms a "Potpourri of
Intuitions", where he presents the intuitive thoughts of
another Tarot reader covering approximately two dozen
cards.
At the end of the book, Junjulas presents a section
of setting up a Tarot reading, along with several
spreads, including the ten card Celtic Cross Spread, a five
card Yes/No Spread, and a twelve card astrological
spread. In his appendix, Junjulas presents numerological
and astrological correlation's with the Tarot, his own
manner of interpreting the Celtic Cross Spread, and a
unique look at what he considers to be the positive,
neutral, or negative attributions for each of the cards,
both upright and reversed. At the very end of the book
there is a template for jotting down personal
interpretations for each of the cards.
I found this book to be
interesting, easy to follow, and easy to work with. For those
students wishing to work with the more intuitive/psychic
aspects of the Tarot, or for those that simply wish to
become more comfortable in doing a reading, I highly
recommend this book.
© December 2005
Bonnie Cehovet is a professional Tarot reader with over ten years experience, holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and is certified as a Tarot Educator with the American Board For Tarot Certification. Bonnie has served in various capacities with the American Tarot Association, is co-founder of the World Tarot Network, and Vice President (as well as Director of Certification) for the American Board For Tarot Certification. She has had articles appear in the 2004 and 2005 Llewellyn Tarot Reader.
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