The Royal Road Less Traveled: Invoking the Unconscious via Synchronicity Using Tarot

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated the clinical utility of using tarot to accessunconscious material within the intersubjective field of a psychotherapeutic dyad in the contextof counseling psychology. Framing a random draw of three tarot cards as an instance of oracularsynchronicity, the author suggests that clinically valuable information pertinent to unconsciousdynamics may be gleaned from the symbolic language of tarot. A brief history of tarot isreviewed. The concept of synchronicity is traced from its inception in the work of C. G. Jung tofurther developments and contemporary understandings in analytical psychology and relatedfields. Intersubjective field theory is examined from its origins through contemporarydevelopments in Bionian field theory and beyond. Employing alchemical hermeneutic researchmethodology, this work identifies broad depth psychological themes of radical transformation,potentially illuminated through the use of tarot. Emergent themes include individuation,complexes as potential gateways to individuation, the intersubjective nature of complexconstellation, and the value of tarot in illustrating and symbolically mediating the teleologicalcore of a constellated complex. The relevance of alchemical symbolism in psychologicaltransformation processes is highlighted, as well as the importance of engaging the transcendentfunction as a source of existential courage to transform.