About Keen Outlook Cards

Stephen Ihli

In 1992 with my partner Deni-Lynn Thomas, I created the Shadow Cards, a metaphor tool that became popular with therapists, counselors, teachers, artists and individuals seeking to strengthen intuition. However, after Deni died in 2004 from cancer the remaining decks were sold and subsequently went out of print. Then in 2021, Jada Pinkett Smith bought the copyright to the Shadow Cards and while waiting for further development, it dawned on me to be more proactive about making this transformational approach available. So I went ahead and produced the Keen Outlook Cards, a whole new system of spontaneous metaphors that invite unconscious insight.

Partnering with the unconscious is crucial for expanding one’s outlook, which means seeing the bigger picture during stressful moments. Often we disregard the unconscious, especially when ruled by compulsion, insecurity or desire.

The Keen Outlook Cards not only promote and refine metaphor recognition, they aid in the development of an expanded perspective. The more we can glimpse the bigger picture, during the up and downs of existence, the more we welcome intuitive clarity.

These cards were specifically intended to enliven, enhance and elucidate our understanding about any issue or experience. “Know thyself” is a dictum widely espoused yet readily abandoned when the pressures from merely staying alive occupy our main focus. That’s why an easy access method like the Keen Outlook Cards help make getting centered or gathering composure a momentous journey.

During the past few decades, I’ve used this method for emotional house cleaning and inspirational fodder. It has always generated wonder and pragmatic admission. If we don’t come clean concerning our deeper truth, we’re doomed to exist in a fog. Nonetheless, the Keen Outlook Cards won’t automatically fix problems or provide all the answers. What they will do is stoke imaginative association, which facilitates a broader interpretation. When that happens, at least we can bring to bear our most integral self, perhaps the most critical factor for reconciling unrest.

The cards may not always strike the most resonant chord or be “on the money”, so to speak, but they present coincidental relationships that spark epiphanies. Comprehending how to notice connections from a simple juxtaposition compels extensive meaning. Then we can navigate uncertainty with a sense of adventure and discover unforeseen resolution. In other words, we become less stuck on viewing conditions or events from only one or two angles. We increase our flexibility under various circumstances to generate more room to be less overwhelmed. Of course, tragedy can strike at any time, which is why welcoming unconscious wisdom remains a never ending challenge.

I never cease marveling how profound metaphors occur in virtually everyone’s life. They may not always be comfortable or pleasantly inspiring but they inevitably beckon our authentic self.

Stephen Ihli