Teneice Durrant, creator of Tarot with Ten, will use various tarot and oracle decks to provide monthly readings for writers, with exercises on using imagery and intuition as prompts. December’s prompt will help you retell an old classic in honor of the longest night of the year.
We’ve made it to the final post of another year. I’m so grateful to everyone who has been sharing this tarot + writing journey with me.
As we near the Winter Solstice here in the States, I’ve been contemplating the meanings we have made about the longest night of the year. It recalls the tale of the lazy Rip van Winkle and his 20-year night. He was enticed deep into the woods with games and alcohol, and when he woke, England had lost the war and the United States was a new country—but other than that, life was fairly similar to what it had been when he went to sleep. Compare that to today, where technologies advance by leaps and bounds and day-to-day life is drastically different than it was 20 years ago.
In honor of the longest night of the year, this month’s prompt will help us write our own versions of a Rip Van Winkle story.
Tarot reading for writers
As always, these images are from the Rider Waite tarot deck, via Pixabay (Creative Commons license), and you can click to expand the flipbook below and view all cards from this reading:
What is the temperament of the protagonist before the longest night?
The World
This card represents completing a cycle or journey, leveling up, traveling around the world. Perhaps our main character is a world traveler about to embark on a journey or someone who has just earned a promotion. It is a card of accomplishment and celebration.
What lures them into the secret location?
The Hierophant
This card represents structure, traditions, and hierarchy. They represent rites and rituals that have to do with religion, education, or government. Maybe our protagonist is being initiated into a secret society in college or about to take vows of poverty.
Who do they leave behind?
The Devil
In Rip Van Winkle, Rip leaves behind two children and a wife. The Devil card represents being ruled by our vices and addictions. These characters indulge too much in earthly pleasures, but their chains are loose enough to slip away from the Devil at any time. They have to want to leave. Maybe our protagonist is searching for an escape from an addiction.
What is the world like when they wake up?
The Tower
This card represents a fundamental shake-up of the previously accepted foundations of society. Everything that has been built on weak or rotted foundations will fall away. The mighty fall from their ivory towers. The protagonist can either be the bolt of lightning or fall from the tower with the others.
A writing prompt
Wow! We ended up with all Major Arcana Cards! This means major changes and being faced with one’s destiny.
Using the imagery and interpretations of these cards, write a retelling of RvW in a more contemporary setting. Did he fall asleep in 2004 and wake up today? Or does he fall asleep on the Winter Solstice this weekend and wake up 20 years into the future?
Until next year, here's where to find me:
Podcast anchor.fm/tarotwithten
YouTube Tarot with Ten
What did you think of this tarot reading and the cards as visual prompts for story development? Share with us in the comments, and contact us if you’re interested in working one-on-one with Teneice in part 3 of Writing Toward Balance and Wholeness: Tarot and the Narrative Arc (taking parts 1 and 2 first is not required).
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