The Hermit: From alternative history to tarot

One novel made my personal history goes alternative ways and that is funny since that novel belong to alternative history sub-genre.
I have long time fascination with Philip K. Dick novels but “Man in a High Castle” have a special significance to me. Setting of this novel are in fictional world where Axis Powers have won the Second World War. Popular theme in alternative history with variable quality, but this novel is highly recommended. The perspective of this what-if? world is from the eyes of everyday people in their struggle to survive in San Francisco under the rule of Imperial Japan. One of the of the constantly recurring theme in novel is use of I-Ching, classic chinese divination system introduced in occupied America through japanese cultural influence. Every time characters are on some lifes crossroad or have any kind of doubts they consult I-Ching. At first it was just amusing detail.
What puzzled me more is the open ending of “Man in the High Castle”. It look like someone just ripped off last ten pages before publishing the book. Anyway, I like open endings. It is much more like life itself where so much things never find completion. Still it was riddle to me why Philip K. Dick finish his novel that way.
It was years later when I stumbled upon one old interview with author and find explanation. While he was writing the novel he used I-Ching just as his characters. So that is the reason for enigmatic open ending. He consulted the prophecy. Riddle was deciphered.
I was writing at that time and I previously used my dream notebook as inspiration, where I written down all my dreams, but I wanted something different. “I could use I-Ching as a helping tool in writing. To bring some random element in storytelling.” I was thinking about it some time wandering do I have an Asian mind set to get the prophecy accurately then I concluded “Why I-Ching, when we have tarot, as a European counterpart? That symbolism might be closer to me.”
There is some subconscious communication in tarot that make him appealing, beyond being just writing tool. I was getting tired of cold rigidness of rational thinking, always leaving to the reason to lead the way. I wanted to explore the realm of intuition. I ignored the comments of my friends who see me as “more intelligent than that”. I wanted to move beyond intelligent. I started by opening tarot for myself and card The Hermit constantly appeared. The Hermit is so me. Introspective, silent, self-sufficient, always looking inward for meaning… downsides are isolation, narcissism, alienation… From that point I was hooked. Then after some practicing on myself I move to other people. They wanted more and more and still want more.
Intuitive thinking, just like intelligence is like a muscle that need exercise. More you drill it stronger it gets. Strengthening intuition along with exploring the realms of unconscious needs, building up the story from cards in front of you, getting to know people better, make tarot very therapeutic tool. I call those that ask me questions my tarot-patients and myself tarot-therapeutist. I’m joking but it does have therapeutic value, for both me and them. Jung and Freud and the legion of psychiatrists know that also. It is corresponding with their theories, with ego and super ego, with cloud of cognition, with archetypes and collective unconscious… And if we get something more then qausi-psychiatric treatment it could be bonus.