7 Steps to a Tarot Reading
Is it our purpose, when communicating, to deceive—or is it to develop a true and deeper understanding? Although it is thought and affirmed that it is normal social behaviour to convey good and useful information, that to lie is immoral and in certain circumstances criminal, nevertheless our use of language gives plenty of evidence of a stronger impulse—to cover the facts with words that do not tell it as it is. So what of this phenomenon—which we’ll call ‘wordbending’? In some cases there is artistic merit or symbolic significance in the employment of a word or phrase that does not literally point to its true meaning and this makes a valuable contribution to the beauty of a language. As an example: ‘raining cats and dogs’ has no intention to deceive; the metaphor is rather colourful and innocent. There is also the idea of ‘variety use’ that suggests it is entirely normal for people to employ words with ‘artful ambiguity’ in order to promote a softer exchange of information, where non-verbal communication is of greater consequence and both parties are aware of the subtle uncertainty they are leaving in the air. Courtship is full of this. (So is sabre rattling).
It is assumed that the way we think and the language we use are interdependent, because the processes of mind require language in order to formulate ideas. So concepts unfold as a language unfolds. A feeling can be felt as a feeling and yet, to understand it, we need thought. A sensation can be perceived as a physical stimulus, yet to codify it, we need thought—and thoughts have to be formed around language. It’s beyond the scope of this book to enter the debate about the way mind actually handles language.
From this it can be reasonably suggested that if language is corrupted then thinking cannot be otherwise. If there is no clarity in our language then we can’t speak clearly. We are thereby somewhat deprived of the main tool by which we develop ideas and formulate out thoughts—in the exchange of views and opinions during conversations. It’s true that this lack of clarity can be overcome by vigorous disciplines of mind, such as is necessary in professional education for example, and yet for most people such corrective mental exercises are not undertaken. So how can any reality other than an uncertain one be built upon such uncertainty?
Most people would probably—for all practical purposes—have No to mean ‘probably not’, because that’s what it meant in real terms when they learned it from Mum and Dad. If Mum said ‘No’, although from her tone and actions we can see that what she meant was ‘perhaps I will if you continue to badger me’, then for us that’s what No means. If Dad said ‘Sorry’ with clear indications that gave out something more like: ‘I suppose I have to apologize for the sake of form, but really I feel no remorse for what I did’, then for us that’s what Sorry means. Despite dictionary definitions, these corrupted meanings are the deepest impressions we have to build on, and they form the basis of what we think, say and do. More than this, we also came to learn that ‘people don’t say what they mean’ and ‘to be normal like Mum and Dad, I have to bend my words too’.
We can look at some examples of how we bend words, perhaps beginning with the entirely innocent ‘Poetic Licence’. Here words are employed creatively to add to our understanding through the use of irony and metaphor and colourful imagery designed to awaken in us a mood that will deepen our sense of the message. The intention is to add to our appreciation of truth, and language has become so much more beautiful and communicative as a result. ‘The children’s laughter was a sparkling river of joy’/ Strong will can move mountains’ / ‘He is a giant among pigmies’. However, there are more serious illustrations from parental control to sensational reportage to out and out lies.
On a personal level, certain aspects of false speech lead to confusion in one’s thoughts, to self-deception and to ambiguous life circumstances that are stressful. It is both physically and psychologically healthy for us to speak clearly and truly. On a social level, wordbending can easily cause misunderstandings between people, which very often lead to tension and perhaps eventually conflict. To move towards a more peaceful society, we need to become clearer and more straightforward in our speech and thoughts. It is the normal thing to feel insecure when confused or deceived and left in ignorance; this insecurity is a danger that threatens peace. So can we now accept that wordbending is actually dangerous? It is often profoundly dangerous.
Perhaps there is an underlying pattern to life—a code or template that fits every system and can be used to help explain and understand how it all works? If there is, then it must be expressible in words—or the Word could not be essential. In fact, because the Word is first, we know that the pattern is defined by ideas expressed in words. Also although there may be a simple pattern that explains all activity, it repeats itself in complex forms. Wave upon wave of the one basic pattern interact and create intricate designs that can baffle and mesmerise. To grasp the simplicity within, we are looking to find what is basic, stable and true—out of which all else is created.
Here is a suggestion—that there are seven basic qualities of life experience, which can be described by 7 words. These 7 archetypal words are fundamental. They are foundation stones for all and everything so that any behaviour and any communication can be seen as an expression of them. They are the 7 basic life lessons that we all have to practice repeatedly in order to perfect our humanity. They are laws that govern scientist and mystic alike. If we get them wrong then we lose balance and suffer the consequences of imbalance. Our task is to get them right so that we can clean up our thinking as a prerequisite for cleaning up our world.
The task is complex and challenging and will require all of us to learn from each other. This means that Americans and British have to listen to Iraqis, and that Christians have to listen to Jews and Moslems. It means that parents have to listen to their kids and men have to listen to women. This listening needs to be subtle and profound. It is not enough to hear the form of the word, we need to feel its essence, to go to the depth of meaning contained within the word too. By reducing what we consider essential among the available options of meaning, we are able to improve our chances of understanding what is really being said and meant. If there are only a given number of possibilities, basically 7, we can consider them all.
Perception is interactive with thought, and therefore interactive with the language of thought. So the way we shape our perceptions—the way we grasp reality—and the words we speak are interdependent. They affect each other. In this way we can know ourselves individually to be the agencies through which Creation is created. We are not saying that we are the creators of external reality—the birds and the bees, the flowers and the trees are all already there—and yet their existence is only real for us because we perceive them. All observed things and behaviours take on meaning as a result of our manner of thought—itself dependent upon our manner of wording. So the engineering of the creation process is both limited and expanded by the words we use and our consciousness of them.
So we are led towards a new approach in our use of language: the 7 Words. The task is primarily to understand things in a different way: that there are essential messages that underpin every communication and all behaviour between people. These can be explained in relation to the most basic of ideas—so they can be seen as the foundation stones of language. They are learned very early in life and form powerful impressions upon the young mind. Unfortunately, they are learned in a corrupted form, and later it is not easy for us to adjust when we have to come to terms with the application of these word-concepts in the wider world with all of its ambiguities of wordbending. Our task is to clean up the way we speak if we want to clarify the way we think. Thus we become beacons of truth within the ocean of the false, a still point within the swirling world of the counterfeit.
Free Questionnaires and Mini Courses are available on the 7 Words website (http://www.7words.co.uk), interactive fun with the “satisfaction index calculator” at http://www.7wordsassociates.org/psychology_spotlight.php
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