Correspondences, one of the six criteria of esotericism established by the late scholar Antoine Faivre, refers to the literal and symbolic interdependence and analogies between all parts of the universe. 

Deriving from this, for example, the ideas that: 

• astral bodies can inform us on the future or help make decisions (astrology)
• Shapes, images and colors carry meaning and can represent attitudes, thoughts, concepts, actions. (symbolism)
• drawing a symbol can help reach a certain aim (sigils)
• numbers are related to events (numerology)
• thoughts and the imagination – more or less directly through conscious or unconscious action – can influence the physical world (manifestation)
• Etc.

The Neoplatonist saying “The microcosm is like the macrocosm” and the Hermetic notion that “As above, so below”, represent concisely this analogical way of thinking. 

Analogical reasoning contrasts with the empirical and causal view of modern science, where the observed effects of A on B is compared to a control to assess causality. Instead, analogy posits that the study of A can be extrapolated to help us better understand B, and vice-versa.

The investigation of correspondences requires some form of underlying monist or non-dual worldview to support its assumption of universal interconnectedness. We must view the material and the immaterial, the mind and body, the objective and the subjective polarities as qualitatively distinct, but interlinked into a greater whole. 

Everything is part of the One, the Whole, the All, God, however you want to call it. All phenomena and experiences, physical or not, come from this same essence and are governed by the same underlying laws.

As such, events or symbols in one plane of existence relate to, or in a way mirror, events from another plane of existence in accordance to the common underlying order of everything.

This perspective allows us to use our observation and imagination to draw analogies and parallels of meaning between symbols and various aspects of our reality. For example, the passage of seasons or of the phases of the moon, can show us natural variations in rhythm as well as the inevitability of change.

Some areas of application

The engineer uses mathematical reasoning to calculate forces and stresses on materials. The painter uses color theory to harmonize or contrast their art.

In my experience, the psychonaut’s main tools are mindfulness to navigate the ups and downs of consciousness, and correspondent thinking to decipher the symbolic and archetypal wisdom of their practices and integrate them into their lives.

Indeed, these practices are full of symbols and parallels to one’s own reality, and should not be discarded as simple brain misfirings, irrational beliefs and superstitions, or, dare I say, pathologies. 

Let us now explore how correspondences can apply to three psychonautic practices: dreams, psychedelics, tarot.

Dreams

A daily psychonautic experience common to all healthy humans is dreaming. 

Dream incorporations, or the (often transformed and symbolic) presence of daily experiences in dream content, is one of the most reported oneiric phenomena of what is called, in psychoanalytic terms, the manifest dream content (the direct dream narrative).

Dreams are in many ways interconnected to waking consciousness, as demonstrated by the psychoanalytic theories of the 20th century and the current psychological theories relating dreams to emotional processing, memory encoding and threat response simulation. 

One can absolutely reflect on these elements in the context of the rest of the dream narrative once awake to extract meaning or insights on how to navigate or process related experiences in daily life (latent dream content).

As such, meaningful correspondences could be drawn between dream content and daily life to inform the individual’s existence.

Psychedelics

The same applies to other psychonautic experiences, like during psychedelic use. 

Psychedelics, such as psilocybin-containing mushrooms, LSD and Ayahuasca, encompass a wide range of natural and synthetic substances that work on the serotonin receptors of the brain, leading to profound alterations of perceptions, thoughts and emotions.

As most psychonauts know, the set (individual’s mindset, individual factors and intentions of use) and the setting (external context in which the experience takes place) gets amplified and transformed by the specific substance and its dose, and significantly influences the direction, quality and significance of the experience.

As such, the subjective effects – thoughts, visions, memories, emotions – that are experienced under the influence of these mind-manifesting substances, can be subsequently revisited and interpreted in relation to one’s own set and setting, as to extract actionable life guidance and changes in perspectives. 

This nonlinear process of recollection and meaning-making, commonly referred to as integration, can be facilitated by looking at the content of the psychedelic experience through the lenses of correspondences.

Tarot

Finally, the same applies to tarot cards, no matter their context of use. 

A first layer of correspondences exists between the position of the cards in the spread and the symbols and archetypes of the cards drawn randomly.

Then, a second layer of correspondences exists between all the cards drawn in the spread and their respective contextualized meanings.

Finally, a third layer links the second layer to the person’s life as seen through the lens of their question or intention for the reading. 

The cards, brought forward by the interlinked harmony of the universe, come into a cohesive whole in relation to the spread and each other, can then be used as a sounding board of symbolic correspondences that can help us make sense of life. 

In this view, the cards do not predict the future, but their symbols can be related to the seeker’s question and inner world to inspire new reflections or actionable insights in their journey.

Closing words

In my view, correspondences ought not to be seen as predictions or causes, but as part of the many sources of inspiration that inform our understanding of ourselves, and nourish our conscious free-will in relation to a larger interconnected whole. 

Here lies the power and crucial importance of correspondent thinking for the psychonaut.

Safe travels.

References

Carhart-Harris, Robin L, Leor Roseman, Eline Haijen, David Erritzoe, Rosalind Watts, Igor Branchi, and Mendel Kaelen. “Psychedelics and the Essential Importance of Context.” Journal of Psychopharmacology 32, no. 7 (July 2018): 725–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881118754710.

Hanegraaff, Wouter. “Entheogenic Esotericism.” In Contemporary Esotericism, 392–409. Stocksfield, UK: Acumen Publishing, 2012.

Semetsky, Inna. “Tarot as a Projective Technique.” Spirituality and Health International 7, no. 4 (December 2006): 187–97. https://doi.org/10.1002/shi.252.

Soudabeh Givrad (2016) Dream Theory and Science: A Review, Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 36:3, 199-213, DOI: 10.1080/07351690.2016.1145967

Stuckrad, Kocku von. “Western Esotericism: Towards an Integrative Model of Interpretation.” Religion 35, no. 2 (April 2005): 78–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.religion.2005.07.002.

Theosophical Publishing House. (n.d.). Correspondences, table of: Theosophy world. Correspondences, Table of | Theosophy World. https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/correspondences-table

Voss, Karen-Claire, and Antoine Faivre. “Western Esotericism and the Science of Religions.” Numen 42, no. 1 (1995): 48–77. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568527952598756.