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. November’s prompt looks ahead to gift-giving season and will help you develop a story about an unwanted gift.
It’s hard to believe we are close to wrapping up another year of writing prompts based on tarot cards. I hope they have been helpful, enjoyable, or just got you thinking about a new story.
The Major Arcana of the tarot tells the fool’s journey, which is similar in all ways to the hero’s journey. Tarot is just another way to get that story out of us. If you are on the lookout for a tarot deck that is made for creative people and includes a prompt for each card, please check out The Artist Decoded Tarot by Jennifer Sodini and Yoshino. It is the most inspirational deck I’ve worked with in a long time.
“You shouldn’t have”
This month, in the spirit of the holidays, I was inspired by the phrase, “No, you really shouldn’t have!” You know how you can mention one time that you think pigs are cute, and your grandma gets you pig-themed gifts every Christmas and birthday from there on out? This month I will pull four cards representing a main Character, a gift giver, an unwanted gift, and why “They shouldn’t have.” Initially, this feels like a funny story, but it could also be dark or even terrifying, depending on the gift.
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:
The main character
Knight of Pentacles
This is the card of “slow and steady wins the race.” Dare I say it, the Knight of Pentacles depicts a boring temperament, if not also reliable and unerringly honorable. This is the kind of person who puts 10% of their paycheck in the bank without fail, writes thank-you cards immediately after receiving a gift, and is always happy to drive you to the airport. This main character would hate expensive or scandalous gifts and do anything to avoid being embarrassed.
The gift giver
The Hanged Man
Holier-than-thou, but didn’t used to be. A long time ago, The Hanged Man would put himself in uncomfortable positions to try to become a better person, but now his self-sacrifice is a show so people will think he is righteous. All the blood is rushing to his head and giving him an inflated sense of self-worth.
The unwanted gift
Five of Cups
This card represents still being upset at oneself for a mistake made a long time ago. Seriously, no one else remembers that it happened. But for some reason, it is still a defining characteristic of how the main character sees themself. There are still five cups full of wine and a beautiful castle, but they don’t see them.
Why they shouldn’t have
Two of Swords
This card represents being unable to make a decision. Both swords are equal in weight and quality. Neither possesses any flaws or weaknesses. Still, the woman doesn’t trust herself to make the right decision. The indecision keeps her stuck in her present state, unable to continue her training or set off to the new lands behind her.
I hope that this prompt delivers a story to your computer screen, either about invented characters or, if the imagery and reading resonate, about an unwanted gift you yourself once received.
Next month, I’ll be back with a Winter Solstice/ New Year's resolution prompt. Until then, 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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