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. September’s prompt is about using the imagery and symbolism of tarot to develop a scene about the “black sheep” of a family.
Fall is upon us, and though the temperatures are still in the mid-80s here in Ohio, we will soon be turning to flannel jackets and cozy blankets.
This month I’d like to revisit an exercise from one of my college textbooks called “The Black Sheep.” This refers to a member of a family that stands out from the rest, usually because of something morally corrupt, though it could also be a difference of opinion over politics, career choice, or something else. For whatever reason, the black sheep prefers to go against the family’s moral and cultural norms and is ostracized for it.
This month, I will set up the prompt first, then pull a few tarot cards to help us start writing.
A writing prompt
Write a scene from the point of view of the black sheep of a (your?) family. Did they leave or were they cast out? What was their “sin”? Depending on the family, this could be something really devious (murder, theft, betrayal, addiction) or something specific to the family (wearing a white dress to their cousins’ wedding, borrowing and then wrecking Pop Pop’s ‘57 Chevy). The scene should confront the mysterious deed and the secrecy behind it, and the judgement of different family members. Does the prodigal son or wayward daughter return, or do they give up on their close-minded family and go no-contact?
Let’s pull some cards.
Tarot reading for writers
As always, these images are from the Rider Waite tarot deck, via Pixabay (Creative Commons license), and you can flip through all cards from this reading here:
Eight of Wands
Characteristics of The Black Sheep
The Eight of Wands indicates rapid communication and new ideas being exchanged. Perhaps the black sheep is a smooth talker or a con man, or perhaps he simply lives life at a very fast clip, maybe as a workaholic.
The Magician
What is the black sheep’s “sin”?
The Magician can represent having everything one needs to make the life one wants. In reverse, it is a trickster akin to a Djinn—be very careful how you phrase your wishes around them.
Two of Swords
Who is judging the black sheep?
The Two of Swords card represents the energy of only considering opposite solutions. It is the epitome of black-and-white thinking. It’s my way or the highway, and no other solution will be considered.
Nine of Wands
How does the scene end?
The Nine of Wands is the wounded warrior standing his ground as he knows the war is almost over. He just has to hold on a little longer.
You can make this black sheep scene as humorous or serious as you like. The goal is to confront the wound that has separated the sheep from their flock.
Will you try this exercise? Share with us in the comments.
Until next month, here’s how to find me outside of the Center:
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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