In this short course, we will study the Tarot, a seventy-eight-card deck used for divination and as the foundation for an esoteric version of Jung’s active imagination technique. Participants will be instructed on the complex structure of the Tarot and its correlation with Analytical Psychology’s theories regarding the structure and function of the psyche.

We will elaborate on the use of the Tarot for divination, scrutinizing its relationship with the concept of synchronicity. Further, we will delve into the Major and Minor Arcana, evaluating their collective and personal unconscious representation, respectively.

This course will also illuminate the connection between the Transcendent Function and the utilization of Tarot cards to augment intuitive comprehension of internal and external dynamics. Participants will be guided in executing a three-card reading addressing a particular issue, with practical demonstrations provided within the class for better understanding.

It is recommended that each participant come prepared with a Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck, as this deck will be the foundation of class discussions and sample readings. The rationale behind this specific deck selection will be elucidated during the course. This endeavor will provide participants with an enriched understanding of the Tarot's role in divination, the study of psyche, and personal introspection.

Kenneth James, Ph.D., is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Chicago. He is the founder and director of The Soulwork Center, dedicated to facilitating the process of individuation according to the teachings of C.G. Jung and other contributors to the field of Analytical Psychology. He received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University and a Diploma in Analytical Psychology from the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago. Along the way, he studied voice at the American Conservatory of Music and music therapy at the Institute for Consciousness and Music in Baltimore. He also completed four years of post-doctoral study in theology and scripture at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He has taken lay ordination in Zen Buddhism and has studied the Kabbalah with a Lubavitcher rabbi in Chicago.

Ken’s studies of the Tarot began at an early age when he was introduced to the notion of divination by an elderly aunt from Scotland. He has led workshops around the world on the relationship between divination and synchronicity, and on the use of the Tarot to explore the unconscious. The synthesis of Jungian thought, clinical practice, and the numinous has been a strong motif throughout his career.