Have long held tremendous respect for John Oliver, even before filling in for John Stewart during his own 2013 hiatus from the Daily Show. Demonstrating an excellence for conveying salient points of fact, intermixed with keen social commentary and quick, self deprecating humor, Oliver has certainly proven himself worthy of all those numerous accolades and awards.
Realizing the topic was to be “Psychics” I watched Last Week Tonight with John Oliver with more than mild trepidation. In fact, the entire segment was an utterly bewildering, stomach churning, rather anxious sort of experience for me. Although limited to a specific minority of the psychic industry, Oliver casts a disparagingly wide shadow over every form of prognostication, along with the intuitive consultation community as a whole. Yet as is so often the case when subjects are painted in such broad strokes, he also manages to leave out a few of the more subtle, but still important details.
To be clear, the behavior seen in these clips is utterly reprehensible, no doubt about it. Invoking names of the recently departed to pull on people’s heart strings, exploiting and fleecing the mentally vulnerable, all really makes my blood boil. There was such obvious emotional baiting, the teasing out of early life details, preying upon desperate personal tragedies, or just random fishing for a psychological hook to reel in their most naive victims. The notion of holding some object, or looking at an old picture, or communing with a spiritual muse, to then boldly proclaim with absolute certainty what happened to such and such a person is beyond mere hubris, perhaps bordering on megalomania. From my perspective, this sort of usury behavior ranks among the most shameful forms of psychic vampirism I’ve ever seen.
People often assume anyone who consciously utilizes such psychological methods must be doing it solely for their own ego gratification, or far more likely, purely for financial gain. Not unreasonable, considering the often shady origins of the typical oracle, along with these poor characterizations of contemporary mediumship. Yet for many lost souls, when almost the same skills are applied in a more clinical setting, techniques like these can actually work wonders. When exercised therapeutically, these abilities are just as capable of healing old emotional wounds, gathering fragmented aspects of self into greater wholeness, while encouraging personal integration. Naturally, as is with most tools, final results will depend entirely upon the original intention of the practitioner. With this consideration in mind, I wish to differentiate the services I offer, from these otherwise deplorable representatives shown in this informative video segment.
There are three principles that I rely on to provide my rudimentary framework for offering any type of reading. First on that list: I am no more (or less) “psychic” than the person for whom I am doing the reading. As we are all too familiar with the inherent limitations of spoken language, I suggest there exists a kind of transcendent medium or frequency capable of transmitting nonverbal communication between sentient beings. Generally taken for granted, this subliminal conduit for shared vibrations and unconscious feelings offers a real sense of something meaningful, but without any conscious idea as to what that meaningful something might actually be. It’s at times like this, I’ve found both cards and coins can be beneficial in uncovering otherwise hidden, if only implied circumstances.
As for those previously mentioned, other essential principles required for any credible oracle reading, I present two fundamental Jungian tenets: the Archetypes, and Synchronicity. With careful observation, one can clearly identify these omnipresent archetypes as being functionally integrated within nearly every aspect of organized intellectual endeavor. Nowhere are the archaic artifacts of our collective unconscious more explicitly on display than in divinatory systems such as I Ching and Tarot, which also happen to be dependent upon the doctrine of synchronicity for their innate operation.
Described in Jung’s famous essay Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle, along with a statistical analysis of married couples and their astrological signs, came the implication “meaningful coincidence” was an emergent property, functioning as an inextricable dynamic behind all human affairs. It would seem that we are entwined in our mutual existence by sheer threads of vast coincidence. These weave their way in and through every moment of our shared experience, creating intricate mental tapestries, at last revealing vivid portraits of each person’s unique essence, and life long aspirations.
When giving a Tarot reading, often I’ve told people the “deck is stacked” to imply that every card is in fact a representation of some easily identifiable, everyday event. It’s the end result of physically manipulating and shuffling Tarot cards which provides the infinite permutations necessary for mechanisms of synchronicity to intercede, and operate effectively. Perhaps some card or another becomes caught on edge, is pushed up or down the stack, endlessly repeated, just so long as one continues shuffling. This randomizing technique will eventually draw certain, specific cards up through the deck, coincidentally assigning highest priority to those most significant and relevant archetypes best suited for that immediate situation.
Who can say for certain if this process is just a slip of the wrist, perhaps guided by some clairvoyant or spiritual influence, or the delicate machinations of synchronicity, or purely the fickle finger of fate in action. Based upon my experience, the more time invested in focusing upon preparatory rituals, the more of someone’s personal psychic energy is transferred into the oracle, with a correspondingly more meaningful reading being the result.
During brief moments spent shuffling cards or tossing coins, a hidden crack in the Here and Now is irresistibly pried open, through which synchronistic interactions become manifest. Guided by archetypal codes embedded within every Tarot card and I Ching hexagram, almost any good oracle reading can instill a genuine sense of awe and profound meaning. When interpreted metaphorically, insights so gleaned are not merely disillusions and self deception, as John Oliver would perhaps have us believe. Hidden within obscure designs of primitive oracles are many of our most indelible thought patterns, which reflect the underlying psychic predispositions found in the behavior of each and every individual.
I feel no obligation to defend the total lack of professionalism by other psychic practitioners, or to rationalize their use (or misuse) of such awareness for materialistic purposes. My explicit intent when reading an oracle is to activate dormant conscious potential, not just to improve self knowledge, but to actually become liberated by the power innate in such knowing. Finally, the ultimate challenge for me as a responsible reader is to clean away the oily film of ego from my own psychic mirror, allowing the divinatory process to remain untainted by personal expectations and desires. Thus I close by encouraging my fellow oracle readers with the best of luck at accomplishing that neat little trick!
Topic: Psychics – John Oliver – Last Week Tonight
Have long held tremendous respect for John Oliver, even before filling in for John Stewart during his own 2013 hiatus from the Daily Show. Demonstrating an excellence for conveying salient points of fact, intermixed with keen social commentary and quick, self deprecating humor, Oliver has certainly proven himself worthy of all those numerous accolades and awards.
Realizing the topic was to be “Psychics” I watched Last Week Tonight with John Oliver with more than mild trepidation. In fact, the entire segment was an utterly bewildering, stomach churning, rather anxious sort of experience for me. Although limited to a specific minority of the psychic industry, Oliver casts a disparagingly wide shadow over every form of prognostication, along with the intuitive consultation community as a whole. Yet as is so often the case when subjects are painted in such broad strokes, he also manages to leave out a few of the more subtle, but still important details.
To be clear, the behavior seen in these clips is utterly reprehensible, no doubt about it. Invoking names of the recently departed to pull on people’s heart strings, exploiting and fleecing the mentally vulnerable, all really makes my blood boil. There was such obvious emotional baiting, the teasing out of early life details, preying upon desperate personal tragedies, or just random fishing for a psychological hook to reel in their most naive victims. The notion of holding some object, or looking at an old picture, or communing with a spiritual muse, to then boldly proclaim with absolute certainty what happened to such and such a person is beyond mere hubris, perhaps bordering on megalomania. From my perspective, this sort of usury behavior ranks among the most shameful forms of psychic vampirism I’ve ever seen.
People often assume anyone who consciously utilizes such psychological methods must be doing it solely for their own ego gratification, or far more likely, purely for financial gain. Not unreasonable, considering the often shady origins of the typical oracle, along with these poor characterizations of contemporary mediumship. Yet for many lost souls, when almost the same skills are applied in a more clinical setting, techniques like these can actually work wonders. When exercised therapeutically, these abilities are just as capable of healing old emotional wounds, gathering fragmented aspects of self into greater wholeness, while encouraging personal integration. Naturally, as is with most tools, final results will depend entirely upon the original intention of the practitioner. With this consideration in mind, I wish to differentiate the services I offer, from these otherwise deplorable representatives shown in this informative video segment.
There are three principles that I rely on to provide my rudimentary framework for offering any type of reading. First on that list: I am no more (or less) “psychic” than the person for whom I am doing the reading. As we are all too familiar with the inherent limitations of spoken language, I suggest there exists a kind of transcendent medium or frequency capable of transmitting nonverbal communication between sentient beings. Generally taken for granted, this subliminal conduit for shared vibrations and unconscious feelings offers a real sense of something meaningful, but without any conscious idea as to what that meaningful something might actually be. It’s at times like this, I’ve found both cards and coins can be beneficial in uncovering otherwise hidden, if only implied circumstances.
As for those previously mentioned, other essential principles required for any credible oracle reading, I present two fundamental Jungian tenets: the Archetypes, and Synchronicity. With careful observation, one can clearly identify these omnipresent archetypes as being functionally integrated within nearly every aspect of organized intellectual endeavor. Nowhere are the archaic artifacts of our collective unconscious more explicitly on display than in divinatory systems such as I Ching and Tarot, which also happen to be dependent upon the doctrine of synchronicity for their innate operation.
Described in Jung’s famous essay Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle, along with a statistical analysis of married couples and their astrological signs, came the implication “meaningful coincidence” was an emergent property, functioning as an inextricable dynamic behind all human affairs. It would seem that we are entwined in our mutual existence by sheer threads of vast coincidence. These weave their way in and through every moment of our shared experience, creating intricate mental tapestries, at last revealing vivid portraits of each person’s unique essence, and life long aspirations.
When giving a Tarot reading, often I’ve told people the “deck is stacked” to imply that every card is in fact a representation of some easily identifiable, everyday event. It’s the end result of physically manipulating and shuffling Tarot cards which provides the infinite permutations necessary for mechanisms of synchronicity to intercede, and operate effectively. Perhaps some card or another becomes caught on edge, is pushed up or down the stack, endlessly repeated, just so long as one continues shuffling. This randomizing technique will eventually draw certain, specific cards up through the deck, coincidentally assigning highest priority to those most significant and relevant archetypes best suited for that immediate situation.
Who can say for certain if this process is just a slip of the wrist, perhaps guided by some clairvoyant or spiritual influence, or the delicate machinations of synchronicity, or purely the fickle finger of fate in action. Based upon my experience, the more time invested in focusing upon preparatory rituals, the more of someone’s personal psychic energy is transferred into the oracle, with a correspondingly more meaningful reading being the result.
During brief moments spent shuffling cards or tossing coins, a hidden crack in the Here and Now is irresistibly pried open, through which synchronistic interactions become manifest. Guided by archetypal codes embedded within every Tarot card and I Ching hexagram, almost any good oracle reading can instill a genuine sense of awe and profound meaning. When interpreted metaphorically, insights so gleaned are not merely disillusions and self deception, as John Oliver would perhaps have us believe. Hidden within obscure designs of primitive oracles are many of our most indelible thought patterns, which reflect the underlying psychic predispositions found in the behavior of each and every individual.
I feel no obligation to defend the total lack of professionalism by other psychic practitioners, or to rationalize their use (or misuse) of such awareness for materialistic purposes. My explicit intent when reading an oracle is to activate dormant conscious potential, not just to improve self knowledge, but to actually become liberated by the power innate in such knowing. Finally, the ultimate challenge for me as a responsible reader is to clean away the oily film of ego from my own psychic mirror, allowing the divinatory process to remain untainted by personal expectations and desires. Thus I close by encouraging my fellow oracle readers with the best of luck at accomplishing that neat little trick!