Tag: tarot

Storytelling with Tarot, Pt 4 The Tower to The World

We’ve come now to the last part of our tarot storytelling journey. And our Fool has been through a lot. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better, I’m afraid. But we’ll get through it together, don’t worry. 

(In case you missed them, here are links to parts one, two and three.)

The Tower

Let me start by saying that this is honestly my least favorite card in the whole tarot deck. And I don’t know how this happened, but the tower card in my deck has a stain at the bottom. Which just makes perfect sense.

The Tower represents the moment when everything goes wrong for our heroes. When everything comes tumbling down. It is the lowest point. 

This is when Scar is in charge of Pride Rock. This is when Obi-Wan Kenobi is killed. It is a dark night of the soul for your Fool. 

The Star

After every dark night of the soul, there’s a moment of hope. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

That’s the Star card. It’s not the happy ending, not yet. Not by a long shot. But it’s a sign that our story might have a happy ending after all. 

My favorite example of this is in an episode of Avatar the Last Airbender. Aang is furious that a forest has been destroyed. To cheer him up, Katara throws an acorn at him. She explains that the acorns will grow eventually into trees. The trees will grow back, and the animals will come home.

This is the Star card. It’s not the moment when the forest is renewed. It’s the acorn that will someday be a tree. 

The Moon 

The Moon is one of the more confusing cards, in my opinion. We see a dog and a wolf howling at the moon, while a lobster comes out of the water. 

Why the hell is there a lobster? Because lobsters represent an emotional knowing of things.

Let’s get back to the dog and the wolf, though. They’re freaking out because they know something is coming.

They don’t know how they know. They don’t know what’s coming. But they know something is coming.

This is the moment when our Fool just knows that something is coming for them. Call it a premonition. Call it an educated guess. Call it foreshadowing because of course you as the author know what’s coming for them already. But whatever it is, your Fool can feel it like a wolf feels an earthquake before it comes. 

The Sun

Now we come to the best part of the story. The part where our Fool wins the day. The sun has risen, and the journey is almost at its end. 

This is the moment when our Fool has defeated their foe or reached their destination. It’s Frodo and Sam destroying the One Ring. It’s Aang defeating the Fire Lord. It’s The World Turned Upside Down in Hamilton.

We won. 

This could also be called the climax of your story. But remember, the climax and the ending aren’t the same thing. We’re almost there, though.

Judgement

After the battle is over, there are consequences. Even for our most honest and well-meaning fool. All actions have consequences. 

Okay, that sounds terrible. And sometimes it is.

This is the moment when Mulan has to face the Emperor. It’s when you have to bury those lost in battle. It’s when the Blues Brothers have to go back to jail. 

But it’s not all bad. At least, it had better not be all bad or that would be a shitty ending to your story. This is the moment when your Fool is praised for saving whoever it is they saved. It’s when they get all the good things that are coming to them.

I like to think of a scene in American Gods. An elderly woman passes away, and the Egyptian God Anubis comes for her. He weighs her heart against the weight of a feather and judges her. After letting her sweat for a minute, he judges her well and takes her to a beautiful afterlife.

I’m not saying your Fool has to die. But their story is at its end, and it’s time for them to be judged. 

The World

Even if you did decide to kill your Fool, the world keeps spinning. And you probably have characters that still exist in your world. So, what is their life going to look like now? 

Where do we go from here? How has the journey changed the world, the people, the community? 

You don’t need to go on for pages and pages, of course. But the events in your story had an impact. We should see a little bit of what that impact is. 

To end this on a happy note, I’ll compare this to the very end of The Lion King. Simba and Nala watch proudly as Rafiki holds up their newborn child for the whole kingdom to see. We know nothing about the baby, or what kind of life they’re going to lead. But we know that the world is going to keep spinning. And there are more adventures to come. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tarot storytelling adventure. Please let me know in the comments if you have a favorite card, or if you’ll be trying this method of outlining for yourself.

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Storytelling with Tarot, Pt 3

We’re back with part three of storytelling with tarot cards. So far we’ve set the scene with our main character, our Fool. We’ve met other characters. Their lover, their Emperor, their Hermit. They’ve found their strength and their chariot. 

Our Fool is going to need those things because today we’re getting into some of the heavier cards. 

(By the way, if you missed part one or two, you can find them here. You can also find my long-winded disclaimer that this series is meant to teach storytelling, not tarot. I am not qualified to teach tarot.)

Justice

The Justice card always reminds me of Vulcans. If I were to make a Star Trek tarot deck, I’d put Tuvok on the Justice card. 

(Yes, I know there are Star Trek decks. No, I don’t know if Tuvok is included.) 

Justice is about getting what we deserve, based purely on facts with no emotional involvement. 

This is a great time in our Fool’s story if they’ve dotted all their I’s and crossed all their T’s. But what kind of story would that be? It’s far more likely that our Fool has, well, acted the fool in some way or another. Some way that is going to come back and bite them on their ass.

The best comparison I can think of this is the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. He was cruel to a helpless woman, and for that, all of his household was punished. He fucked around and everybody found out.

There was no emotion here. There was no compassion for Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, Cogsworth, or even little Chip. The witch didn’t consider those emotional considerations. She simply handed out Justice.

Where in your story will your Fool find Justice smacking them in the face? 

The Hanged Man

Through tarot, we find so many biblical symbols. The Hanged Man is a strong example. 

The Hanged Man stands for wisdom through suffering. Enlightenment through hardships. This is Gandalf the Grey dying and coming back as Gandalf the White. It’s Aslan dying on the Stone Table and coming back stronger. It’s Oden hanging from the Tree of Life. And, if you’re into Jesus like me, it’s His sacrifice on the cross and coming back as more than a man. 

American Gods by Neil Gaiman did this the best, I think. When Shadow spends all night tied to a tree and dies, only to come back stronger. Only to come back as a demigod himself. 

This is likely a moment later in your story. When your Fool has to go through something terribly hard to gain the strength to become the hero. 

Death

I learned most of what I know about tarot from a book called Kitchen Table Tarot by Melissa Cynova. As Death is so often a misunderstood card, I would like to quote Cynova regarding it. 

“Death means change. Death means change. Death means change. Death means change. Death means change.”

The Death card means that change is coming whether we want it to or not. It’s the death of a friendship, a job, a circumstance. Maybe it’s a change for the good, maybe for the worse. Either way, there’s no stopping this change. 

Sometimes, in a story, it can mean death. Like when Dumbledore dies in Harry Potter. This changes the entire world that Harry lives in.

What happens in your Fool’s story that changes their whole lives?

Temperance

I love the Temperance card. It’s about peaceful balance. Not tragic, unfeeling balance like Thanos. But a simple, karmic balance. It’s getting out of the world what you put in. 

This is a moment in your Fool’s journey when something they’ve done is coming back to them. Usually something good. Maybe they helped someone out earlier in the story, and they show up with something needed now. Maybe they picked up some innocuous bottle earlier in the story, and it turns out to be Fai repellent when we’re being attacked by the Fai. 

I’d consider this a bit of luck, one way or another. It’s like in Stranger Things when Dustin falls in love with a girl who just happens to have the correct mathematical equation needed. 

The Devil

Alright, I know this is the card that gets people in a bit of a tizzy. But the Devil card is honestly misunderstood. 

It does not, in any way, mean anything about worshiping the Devil. 

The Devil card is temptation. It’s us humans doing ourselves in with our favored vices. And your Fool for sure has vices.

Maybe your Fool has a drinking problem. Or an anger problem. Maybe they’re the kind of dumbass who can’t stop telling on themselves. Maybe they can’t control their spending or their gambling. 

My favorite example of this comes from Hamilton. That’s right, you knew I had to reference that at some point. When Hamilton is stressed, he defaults to his vice. His vice happens to be Miss Maria Reynolds. 

We all self-sabotage. It makes sense that your Fool will do so too. 

That’s it for this time. I hope you’re having as much fun with this series as I am.

We’ve just got one more post to go. Let me know if there’s a care you think I got wrong or if you’ve got an alternate interpretation in the comments. And I’ll see you next week. 

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Storytelling with Tarot Pt 2, The Lovers to Wheel of Fortune

If you missed last week’s episode, please check it out here. I went through a lengthy disclaimer that I don’t think anyone wants me to repeat.

The short version is this. Tarot cards tell a story. It’s the Heroe’s Journey told in playing cards, with The Fool as our hero. Being both a witch and writer, I like to use the Major Arcana cards of the tarot to outline my story. This is not a lesson on how to read tarot, but a lesson on how to use tarot as a tool to write a detailed outline in a fun way. 

One thing I don’t think I mentioned last week is this. This is not a list of plot points that we’re going to hit in order. This is a way to hit some important plot points, as well as discover important characters and relationships. Some stories will have all of these things, and some won’t. This is just a fun way to get you thinking about the details of your story. 

We’re talking about some of my favorite cards today, so let’s get started. 

The Lovers

Ah, the love interest. The character that makes your Fool’s heart skip a beat. The one who seems to light up the room when they come in.

The one that isn’t necessarily needed, in my opinion.

Look, I got five books into Station 86 before Sennett found a partner. 

But love can be a wonderful addition to a story, even if it’s added later. Love stories like Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas, or Chuck and Sara from Chuck. These sorts of warm, lovely relationships can be a breeding ground for plot bunnies. 

The Chariot

This is one of my favorite cards to pull because it’s so empowering. It’s all about having control of a situation.

In your Fool’s journey, this is when they realize that maybe they do have this under control. This is facing a challenge that is well suited to our Fool’s strengths. Like Klause Baudelaire in a library, this is the moment when your character has everything under control. 

Strength

This card is all about grace and success under pressure. It’s handling a battle, struggle, or uncomfortable family gathering with ease. Especially when this was something that would have once felled the Fool. 

This should be something difficult. Like when Mulan climbs the pole to fetch the arrow. She does so using her strength and intelligence, both of which she’s earned. This is the moment, maybe after our Fool has failed and become more determined to meet their goal, that we start to think they might really win this thing. 

Or at least not die. 

The Hermit

There are times when we all need to do something alone. Or at least, take some time alone to sort ourselves out. That’s the moment the hermit card represents. It’s a solitary time to grow. To be alone, but maybe not lonely. This is the time to grow, to learn. To like our own company. 

Maybe your character was cast out of their home or friendship circle. Maybe everyone they love was taken from them or walked away.

The best example I can think of this is going to show my age. But it’s the song Close Every Door from Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat. Joseph is tossed in jail, away from his doting parents and jealous brothers. And he takes that time to figure himself out. He comes out a better person than when he went in. 

Wheel of Fortune

Plot twist! 

Maybe our Fool is doing well. Then it’s time for them to face something way too powerful for them. Maybe our Fool’s been a sad sack so far, and they’re in desperate need of a win. Wherever we are now, it’s time for the tides to turn.

How many examples can I possibly reference here? Think of Cordelia in Angel, after her family loses all their money. Whatever moment your character’s world flips upside down, that’s the Wheel of Fortune. 

Another way to think about this is karma. What character in your story needs to get what’s coming to them? Either good or bad. There’s a great line from the first episode of Firefly that I always think about when I see this card.

Mal, the main character, looks at Badger, the underworld mob boss who just betrayed him. “The wheel never stops turning,” he says. Badger responds, “That only matters to the people on the rim.” 

We are all on the rim, Badger. And sometimes when that wheel turns, our characters are going to get chucked off. 

That’s it for this time. I’ll be back next week with the next five tarot cards. And I want to hear what you think. Have you tried using any of these tarot cards as outlining prompts so far? Let us know in the comments.

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Storytelling with the Tarot Pt 1, The Fool to The Hierophant

If you know anything about tarot, then you already know it tells a story. It’s the tale of the Fool, traveling through a series of challenges and misadventures. As a writer and a witch, I love this. I love that we can find the Hero’s Journey in this spiritual tool. 

Using tarot to help you tell a story can be a fun exercise and a great way to fight writer’s block. So explain how each card of the major arcana can represent a plot point found in most stories. Of course, the major arcana is 22 cards long, and I’m shooting for this post to be under a thousand words. So this is probably going to be a mini-series. 

If you don’t know anything about tarot, you might pick up some info along the way. I am not in any way a tarot expert, though, just an enthusiast. And this isn’t a description of the card’s interpretation. Only an interpretation of how the card might apply to a story. 

As a final note, I’ll be referencing the Tarot of The Divine deck, by Yoshi Yoshitani. It’s a deck inspired by fairy tales and lore from different countries. It felt the most appropriate for this sort of thing. 

The Fool

The Fool represents our hero at the start of their journey. They are young, innocent, and dreaming of a better life. This is Ariel looking out at the castles of the people on land. It’s the heroes of countless fantasy stories, living in their sleepy villages and looking for adventure. I can almost hear Belle singing about wanting adventure in the great wide somewhere. 

The Magician

The Magician card is the part of the story when we learn something amazing about our main character. The thing that sets them apart from other people. 

This is Hagrid showing up to tell Harry he’s a wizard. It’s Luke finding out he’s a Jedi. It’s Luna coming to tell Usagi she’s Sailor Moon. It is, in short, the moment when our Fool finds out there’s something terrific about them. 

The High Priestess 

Now is when we start calling in the support team. 

The High Priestess is the learned elder. Think of Kit Snicket in Series of Unfortunate Events or Haymitch in Hunger Games. This is the character that’s in a perfect position to help our Fool because they’ve already walked to The World and back.

The Empress

Still rounding out the characters, the Empress is a character who acts maternally towards our Fool. It might be their mother, or legal guardian like Aunt May. But it’s someone who wants to look after and protect our Fool.

A thought on the Empress. I would also consider Mother Gothel to be an Empress personality in the life of Rapunzel in Tangled. She certainly has an interest in protecting Rapunzel, even if it’s for selfish reasons. 

I’m just saying, this doesn’t have to be a good character.

The Empress also doesn’t have to have anything to do with our next character. 

The Emperor 

Maybe this is a father figure. Maybe it’s a king or a leader. It doesn’t have to be a man. One great example is Melinda May from Agents of S.H.I.L.D. This is generally a ‘my way or the highway’ kind of character. Which is often why our Fool is butting heads with them. Again, this can be a good or a bad character. A father’s protection can be a blessing. A father’s watchful and judgemental eye can be a curse.

The Hierophant

The Hierophant has a lot of different meanings. It can mean a religious leader or a message from God/Gods. I consider this the inciting incident card. Or the call to action card. Someone or something has called to our Fool. Maybe their hometown was destroyed. Maybe their dog was killed. Maybe they’re destined to kill a dark wizard and someone’s just come and told them like an idiot.

Whatever it is, the journey is serious now. There are implications of real-world consequences for more than just our Fool. 

We’ve gone through the first six cards of the tarot and gotten to the real start of our story, so I think we’ll leave off here for now. But I’d love to hear what you think. Am I interpreting a card wrong? Let us know in the comments. 

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