Tarot and Entheogens

[magickstar]

Well DOG may try to wipe his ass with them but I prefer to play with my tarot cards, especially when I have consumed large quantities of cannabis or, if I am lucky, mushrooms. I wanted to start a discussion on a tarot forum about the difference in tarot readings when under the influence of entheogens, but wouldn't you have guessed it - they are illegal substances, so I have to pretend that my best readings are done completely straight - discussion is banned.

So, instead I have brought the discussion here. I am hoping that some of you will either use tarot (or other divination tools), or at least be curious enough to talk about it.

I am still a novice reader. Until recently, I have used the cards exclusively for my own self exploration and development. In the last few months I have branched into reading for other people. I've received some very encouraging feedback for the readings I have done. I do NOT engage in the silly practice of "fortune telling". The cards are like 78 doors that open to the self, or 78 personal counsellors and, as such, I feel they are perfectly suited for use when baked on weed or tripping on mushrooms. (I can only speak for these two substances as that is the limit of my experience.)

As a complete non-smoker I enjoy eating cannabis and find that this way the effects are on the edge of psychadelic, lasting many hours. During these sessions I absolutely love to just play with the cards, look at the pictures, communicate with the characters, walk into their landscapes, interact with the symbols, explore, share, learn. The colours sing, the symbols leap out at me, deeper levels of meaning, connections and synchronicity become apparent.

Now, beginning reading for others, I want to share my deeper experience by reading when under the influence, yet most taroists will throw their hands up in horror at this. To quote something I read on the subject: "If you have just been taking drugs, or are under the influence of alcohol it will cause mind fog and a cloudy energy field which makes it almost impossible to get a clear psychic reading." This is contrary to my experience. I tried a reading last week when I was baked and the girl I was reading for had been smoking a fair bit too. The synchronicity in the cards, the meanings we unearthed together (I believe reading the cards is a shared experience between reader and querent - not a superior directive from the reader), the genuine helpfulness of the cards she drew convinced me that there was no mind fog from the weed.

So what do you all think? Would you use the cards when under the influence?

 

[magickpencil]

how do you prepare your cannabis for consumption?

 

[druglessdouglas]

i think if Tarot, runes, the I Ching or whatever, work its through synchronicity Jungian or chaos mathematics (the fractal universe).

i used to read the tarot and it could be surprisingly accurate or equally and spectacularly inaccurate

 

[st.bot.32]

makes sense, i'm really not all that experienced, but I tend to view tarot as a rorschach test of sorts.. the last time i did tarot actually was after a few bowls of hash

i pulled the fool. my good friend nudged me and jokingly said "have fun, psychonaut."

couldn't have picked a better card that day or that month (or season) actually.. i could definitely relate it to the path I was on at that point in time

 

[magickstar]

how do you prepare your cannabis for consumption?

With weed I make green butter and then bake cookies. Good weed has been hard to come by since we were busted, so lately it's been hash (lots!) in a cup of milky coffee.

 

[gammagoblin]

well, I agree with God and find them mumbo jumbo, but they can be useful mumbo jumbo for they can give you a different perspective on things. And on topic, when on psychoactives one's mind is more opened up so the different perspectives that could be drawn from the "mumbo jumbo" would be easier to see? Something like that

 

[Mara]

Though I do not have much experience with tarot, when I was in therapy at school my counselor once drew cards for me, but she kept the meaning to herself. I was to young to understand they were tarot cards, but now I'm beginning to get curious about their meaning.

Combining tarot with psychedelics sound good. When tripping, especially when high on cannabis, I have an immense conscious feeling of synchronicity and connections. So I can imagine doing tarot on those moments can be interesting. Too bad the people on the tarotforum weren't open enough for that.

Learning tarot is not the most important thing I want to do though. There are some other things I want to learn first.

 

[magickstar]

Thanks for your replies. It´s a shame that I cant discuss this topic on a tarot related forum but I quite enjoy the banter with a bunch of skeptics for a change

I like that story st.bot.32. I think the Magician is a great card to pull when baked but yes, the Fool works well too. Had to look up rorschach test btw - how do you see that this as similar to tarot?

Mara, it seems strange to me that your counsellor would keep the card meanings to herself. In fact, I would have felt this was manipulation.

Just for fun, I feel like a bit of a challenge and am going to offer to draw a card for anyone who would like to play the game. You have to come up with some good original questions for me to answer. Anyone up for it?

Jan

 

[mountain-girl]

i have done it a few times and its made the reading come to life kinda, once-while tripping way hard, for some reason i instinctively got out my deck and laid them out and from the cards came scenes that enacted themselves and a buncha cool stuff, it was awesome, but personally, i do that kinda stuff better sober. for me i cannot function correcly on large quatities of herb, well maybe sometimes, but not really, as much as a i smoke i have way low tolerance, so smoking i do one of four things, play music, play frizbee, be in nature, or sit somewhere and think and try to remember how to use my legs to get up again. for readings and stuff, i sometimes let myself drift into trance to see where it eads me, and it usually doesnt make sense when im high. what deck do you use btw?

 

[Mara]

Mara, it seems strange to me that your counsellor would keep the card meanings to herself. In fact, I would have felt this was manipulation.

I'm not sure. Her counselling became better after that. I guess she found out what I needed.

 

[Sticki]

I dont do tarot cards but I have had an experience.

I was on LSD, Im unsure exactly of the dose but defo a good 350ug+. It was an orange star microdot, Any how. I had taken the microdot and it came on strong, after peaking I began talking about God and Religion, The beginning and the end etc, etc. At 1 point I closed my eyes and in my head I saw a donkey slumped up against an apple tree, Dead or drunk, Its abdoman had been window'd to reveal its internal organs. It had 6 stomachs or wombs with a world in each, The way it was drawn was very tarrot like with the apple tree filling the top of the card and a corn field in one side with a stone wall and green grass up to the tree where the donkey was slumped. It appeared as a card with a boarder too.

I ignored it for days, But eventually looked up what it could be. The closest link I got was, The Ass Or The Fool.

I've never had a proper reading or even handled cards before.

 

[magickstar]

... for some reason i instinctively got out my deck and laid them out and from the cards came scenes that enacted themselves and a buncha cool stuff, it was awesome ...

That´s a pretty good description of some of my experiences too. I have pages of (very chaotic!) journal notes and drawings that say things like "when i had experience x that was the 5 of pentacles" or "so FP was the King of Cups, ah that makes sense." After, about 50% of it doesn´t make so much sense, it seems crazy but the other 50% sticks and it helps to move my understanding of the cards forward way quicker than if i study them straight.

... sit somewhere and think and try to remember how to use my legs to get up again.

Yep, know that feeling!! Often my mind is willing but the flesh is weak.

... what deck do you use btw?

I have 5 but i´m not a mad collector, in fact i hate the idea of collecting decks. I want them to be used or forget it. So, I have the Arthurian, RiderWaite, Osho Zen, Goddess and Cosmic Tribe. The Cosmic Tribe is the best deck for use when tripping as there are signs that it was created by a tripper. For example the figure on the Chariot is sat astride an amonita m. , the Magician has manifested a shroom and the Fool looks like he is off his face haha. A lot of people dislike the nudity on this deck but, not only does it not bother me, i find it rather beautiful. Have attached some images if you are interested.

 

[magickstar]

I'm not sure. Her counselling became better after that. I guess she found out what I needed.

Well i guess if it was ok with you ... But i would have been so curious - i would have to have seen those cards!

 

[magickstar]

... At 1 point I closed my eyes and in my head I saw a donkey slumped up against an apple tree, Dead or drunk, Its abdoman had been window'd to reveal its internal organs. It had 6 stomachs or wombs with a world in each, The way it was drawn was very tarrot like with the apple tree filling the top of the card and a corn field in one side with a stone wall and green grass up to the tree where the donkey was slumped. It appeared as a card with a boarder too.

Sounds amazing and you have such a clear recollection - did you try and draw it?

... I've never had a proper reading or even handled cards before.

You only have to ask - offer stands ...

 

[Sticki]

I always try and remember my trips clearly, In my last encounter with LSD I had waves making holograms in my CEV's. Very intense learning, a few days later on DMT-Nexus I read an article - Helix to Hologram. What it talks about is the DNA projecting a hologram.....

I think I would need to know you for you to do a reading for me and probably be present???

 

[McAllister]

I found out pretty early on that I had no ability whatsoever to predict the future using Tarot Cards.

However, I have a Crowley/Thoth deck, exquisitely painted by Lady Frieda Harris, and when I look at the cards under the influence of shrooms the cards seem to take on a life of their own. The colours look richer, the pictures have an added depth that makes them look 3 dimensional, and I seem to have an increased capacity to appreciate the art.

When back down to earth I found Crowley's accompanying book "The Book of Thoth" an excellent read. As with so many of Crowley's books, once I picked it up I was loath to put it down.

 

[braha_kahn]

I bought a tarot deck a couple of years ago, experimented with it and put it away... It's still in the closet now

I only use one "oracle" if I need one, I always have it with me (if I'm not broke :lol: ) and it doesn't give me vague replies it just says YES or it says NO

It's the allmighty superduper occult coin! :lol: 8)

Heads/Tail & voila

Still the Tarot is an interesting tool, yet it needs too much study imo. A coin doesn't need any study at all...

 

[Forkbender]

Still the Tarot is an interesting tool, yet it needs too much study imo. A coin doesn't need any study at all...

You can just look at the pictures and think about what they mean to you.

 

[braha_kahn]

Yes for the major arcana you can do that, but not for the minor one imho. But like I said it's just nothing for me...

One thing I do find intriguing is Astrology. Not the "how will my day be" bullshit but rather the possible effects of planets/signs on the planet/society/etc. But that's an even more in depth study then the tarot.

 

[Pariah]

I think what st. bot was refering to was tarot being somewhat open to interpretation, or that it relies on your own ability to find patterns in chaos... also in that respect can show alot about your state of mind - just like inkblots.

I'm a "semi-skeptic" on this - I don't *think* it tells you anything in a prophetic kind of way, but it's good for introspection or fun with friends.