After a brief elaboration on the history of the Tarot and its use as a divinatory tool, Mathew will relate a number of synchronistic experiences. Based on this he will describe how the Tarot can be used as a divinatory method allowing for an understanding and appreciation of the mytho-poetic language of the Anima Mundi, the Soul of the World. In this space, the possibility emerges of being initiated into a stitching together of the microcosm of our individual life myth within the macrocosm of the Anima Mundi.
The second part of the session will include an interactive Tarot workshop in which participants will be invited to respond in word and image to a ‘random’ selection of a card, individually chosen, from the major arcana. This will be followed by sharing in groups, and then a final discussion. Note that a pack of Tarot cards will not be required. Please have a sheet of sketch paper and a few pens (art materials) available during the session.
Mathew is a graduate of the University of Essex, where he specialised in Jung and Alchemy. He is a lecturer at Limerick School of Art and Design, course director of the Certificate in Jungian Psychology with Art Therapy and the postgraduate Certificate in Art, Psyche and the Creative Imagination. Mathew regularly presents at international conferences, is a guest lecturer at ISAP Zurich and runs workshops with his wife Lyn for the Jung in Ireland programme. His interests include dream interpretation, synchronicity, art, alchemy, astrology, the environment, as well as personal and cultural mythologies. He is author of The Alchemical Mercurius: Esoteric Symbol of Jung’s Life and Works (Routledge, 2014).