JohnsTarot

Today’s episode is a firsthand account of stepping into a charged environment—and observing it consciously. I attended the “No Kings” protest not to argue a position… but to experience what it actually feels like to enter a system in motion. What I found was something deeper than politics. A field. In this episode, I explore: What it means to enter a field that is already active The experience of...

Emergence of the Observer Most of us believe our problems are about what we’re doing. We think: if I stop this behavior if I make better choices if I try harder …things will change. But what if the problem isn’t the behavior? What if the problem is how we think? In this episode, I share a pivotal moment from early sobriety—about two months in—when I first saw my own thinking clearly. Not just what...

Thresholds as Transitions to New Life There are moments in life when something shifts so completely that there is no going back. These are thresholds—points where the old life can no longer continue, and something new begins to emerge. In this deeply personal episode, I share my own lived experiences of crossing those thresholds. From what I call “dying on the beach”—the moment sobriety became a l...

Why do we keep repeating the same mistakes, even when we know better? In this episode of JohnsTarot, we explore a powerful pattern that appears in personal growth, recovery, and everyday life: the tendency to apply force when patience and awareness are required. Drawing from the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, the I Ching, and the symbolic language of the Tarot, this episode examines how forcing outco...

Family Systems and the Inheritance We Don’t Choose In this episode, we explore the invisible structures that shape our lives long before we are aware of them — family systems, inherited patterns, and the emotional legacies we never consciously agreed to carry. Every family transmits more than genetics. We inherit coping styles, roles, tensions, strengths, silence, and sometimes unresolved trauma....

Systems Management: Field Notes from the Inside In this episode of JohnsTarot, we step inside the lived experience of systems — not as theory, but as something felt, observed, and navigated in real time. Drawing from personal experience across family systems, recovery, professional environments, and symbolic work, this episode explores how systems behave from the inside: how they stabilize, how th...

A far ranging interview with Tarot Master, educator and  author Janis King. Janis tells a little about her history, how she encontered Tarot and where it has lead her. A facinating story and Journey.  Contact Janis https://janisking.uk For the video go to YouTube  Johnstarot.

The Structure Is Alive: A Companion Reflection Podcast Description After structure comes relationship. In this companion reflection, we sit with a realization that emerged naturally from the Awakening Series: the structure itself is alive. Not metaphorically, not mystically—but experientially, through attention, stewardship, and time. Rather than analyzing or extending the framework, this episode...

Structure of the Awakening Series: Fractal Initiation Awakening does not happen once. It happens in patterns. In this episode of the Structure of the Awakening Series, we explore Fractal Initiation—the hidden architecture beneath authentic spiritual transformation. Rather than a single moment of insight, awakening unfolds as a repeating cycle of Threshold → Map → Integration, occurring within epis...

If you’ve been following this series from the beginning, you may have noticed something subtle happening — not just in the material, but in yourself. Not dramatic changes. Not a sudden awakening. Not a new identity. But quieter shifts. You may find that you listen more deeply. That you’re more present in conversations. That you pause before reacting. That you’re more consistent and accountable — n...

The Ancient 12 Steps: Recovery as a Timeless Initiatory Path What if the 12 Steps weren’t a modern invention at all — but the latest expression of an ancient human initiation process? In this episode, John explores the deeper symbolic roots of the 12 Steps, tracing their structure back through ancient mystery schools, Jungian individuation, Taoist philosophy, and archetypal transformation patterns...

“Embodiment: Living the Work” (John’s Tarot – Soul Awakening Series, Episode 9) In this episode, we explore Embodiment — the stage of individuation where inner transformation leaves the realm of insight and begins to live through the body, relationships, and daily life. Up to this point in the journey, the work has focused on inner change: shadow, persona, the inner opposite, synchronicity, and de...

“Mystery Schools and Initiation” For most of human history, cultures understood something we have largely forgotten: that deep psychological and spiritual transformation requires initiation — not entertainment, not information, and not self-improvement. In this episode, we explore the ancient idea of mystery schools and initiation, not as secret societies or occult institutions, but as structured...

(John’s Tarot – Soul Awakening Series, Episode 8) In this episode, we explore Death and Rebirth — not as literal death, but as a psychological and spiritual process central to Carl Jung’s understanding of individuation. Jung taught that genuine transformation requires something real to end: an identity, a belief, a role, or a way of relating to the world that no longer serves the Self. This stage...

I continue to explore the topic of synchronicities, why they occur and how do they guide us. Do you feel strange because you have experienced them? Don't, they are a common occurrence among the Awakened. So come join me on another ride on my psychological amesument park.

“Synchronicity: When the Self Speaks” (John’s Tarot – Soul Awakening Series, Episode 7) In this episode, we explore synchronicity — a concept introduced by Carl Jung to describe meaningful coincidence: moments when an inner psychological state aligns with an outer event, not through cause and effect, but through meaning. Synchronicity is not superstition, prediction, or magical thinking. It does n...

Why Individuation This episode is not about self-improvement, enlightenment, or becoming “more spiritual.” It’s about why, in this moment in history, inner work is becoming necessary rather than optional for some people. We are living through a period of rapid change, fragmentation of meaning, moral confusion, and the collapse of trusted external structures. For a long time, culture carried the in...

“The Inner Opposite: Anima, Animus & the Path to Wholeness” (John’s Tarot – Soul Awakening Series, Episode 6) In this episode, we explore what Carl Jung called the Inner Opposite — the Anima and the Animus — and why integrating these inner energies is essential for psychological balance, spiritual maturity, and individuation. Jung observed that each of us carries within the psyche qualities we...

“When the Work Begins to Change You” There comes a moment on the inner path when the work is no longer something we do — it becomes something that acts upon us. In this episode, I reflect on what happens when sustained inner work — whether through recovery, Jungian individuation, Tarot, or spiritual practice — begins to reshape the psyche itself. The practices that once felt intentional start to f...

Time to reflect. Where have we been? Where are we going? I am about halfway through, most of the difficult material is behind us.

Santa gives a brief talk on the holiday spirit

“The Persona: Masks We Wear” (John’s Tarot – Soul Awakening Series, Episode 5) In this episode, we explore the Persona — the social mask we develop to function in the world — through the lens of Carl Jung’s psychology and the Tarot. The Persona is not false or deceptive; it is adaptive. Yet when we mistake the mask for who we truly are, we lose touch with our deeper Self. Jung taught that the Pers...

Living Consciously in a Polarized World — JohnsTarot In this episode of JohnsTarot, we explore what it truly means to live consciously in a deeply polarized world. We are surrounded by division — political, religious, cultural, and ideological. Many people feel pressured to choose a side, adopt rigid beliefs, and define themsel 🌐 Website: https://www. Johnstarot.net 📧 Email: john@johnsTarot.net...

Shadow Work and the Tarot: Meeting the Hidden Self” (John’s Tarot – Soul Awakening Series, Episode 4) Shadow work is one of the most essential — and misunderstood — stages of personal and spiritual growth. In this episode, we explore Shadow Work through the lens of Carl Jung and the Tarot, revealing how the cards act as a mirror to the parts of ourselves we often avoid, repress, or deny. Jung taug...

In this episode of JohnsTarot, we explore one of the most profound transformations happening in the world today: the shift from old, fear-based group identity toward a higher, more awakened collective consciousness. For generations, many of us defined ourselves through unquestioned affiliations — political parties, religious systems, cultural tribes. These identities told us what to believe, how t...