The article “Transference and Countertransference in Tarot Consulting” was written by H. Bialiauski and K. Sakalou, based on the materials of the master class held at the Festival of Tarot Practitioners in St. Petersburg in 2014.
The article draws the reader’s attention not so much to the meanings of the cards and shades of their interpretation, but to the very process of interaction between the practitioner and his/her client at the time of consultation. This view of the work is more psychoanalytic than esoteric, but it significantly affects the transparency of the reading of the Tarot symbolism.
The article discusses the features of the concepts of “transference” and “countertransference”, which, if desired, can become diagnostic for practitioners and used by them to improve the quality of their work. The authors urge colleagues to look at repeated cards during the consultation as possible markers of developing client’s transference and possible master’s countertransference in response.