Friends of Jung-South
​Jung After Work
a program of Friends of Jung-South
presents
​
Tarot and the Living Symbol
Psyche in Dialogue with the World
with
Kenneth James, PhD
Diplomate, CG Jung Institute, Chicago
(Images on the Tarot cards) are psychological images, symbols with which one plays, as the unconscious seems to play with its contents.
—CG Jung
Visions: Notes of the seminar given in 1930-1934, Vol.2
Princeton University Press
The Tarot is more than a deck of cards. It can act as a mirror of the psyche and a doorway into the living field of synchronicity. In this class, we’ll take a focused look at how Tarot imagery resonates with Jung’s ideas of archetypes, the collective unconscious, and synchronicity, showing how the cards can open meaningful connections between our inner dynamics and outer experiences.
Through an illustrative demonstration of a Tarot reading, paired with guided reflections and group conversation, we’ll see how the images of the cards can illuminate unconscious complexes, highlight developmental tasks, or mirror situations in our lives. Far from fortune-telling, the Tarot becomes a creative tool for engaging with the symbolic dialogue between psyche and world.
This session is designed for those familiar with Jungian psychology who are curious to glimpse how Tarot can enrich both inner work and the individuation process.
The Tarot in itself is an attempt at representing the constituents of the flow of the unconscious, and therefore it is applicable for an intuitive method that has the purpose of understanding the flow of life, possibly even predicting future events, lending itself to the reading of the conditions of the present moment.​
—CG Jung
Visions: Notes of the seminar given in 1930-1934, Vol.2
Princeton University Press
Presentation & Discussion ​via Zoom
Monday, October 20, 2025
5:30 – 6:30 CDT
Zoom meeting room will open at 5:15 p.m. to allow time to visit.
Contact Hours are not available.
Kenneth James, PhD, is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Chicago. He received his PhD from Northwestern University. He is a member of the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts and the International Association for Analytical Psychology. 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 led workshops around the world on the relationship between divination and synchronicity, as well as 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, both in his consulting room and in the classroom.
To register and receive the link
to join the Zoom event or for additional information,
email jungafterwork@gmail.com.
Knowing your own darkness is the best method
for dealing with the darkness of other people.
—Carl Jung
Letters, Vol. 1
2025-2026 LECTURE SERIES
Third Monday of each month
Monday, September 15, 2025
Shadow Work for Conscious Relationships in Later Life
Connie Zweig, PhD
Monday, October 20, 2025
Tarot and the Living Symbol
Kenneth James, PhD