Last night I did something I hadn’t done in a while. I laid out some tarot cards and gave myself a reading.
I’m not great at knowing what each card represents. I still need the companion book to decipher what the Four of Cups is trying to tell me, or why the Queen of Pentacles is upside down. After all thirteen cards were translated, I realized they all fit together and told a little story. A story of my life; the recent past and what the future might hold, and right in the middle – the present – was The Fool. Me.
The Fool tarot card does not represent what you’re probably thinking. It doesn’t mean I’m actually a fool, although I have felt foolish many, many times! The Fool represents an unbiased openness for everything new. The Fool is spontaneous, curious, confident, and has a carefree attitude. The Fool represents the creative original source which we often experience as inner chaos, but through the chaos something new always emerges.
The Fool listens to his instincts, and because he/she does, things always work out.
Now, the spread of cards I read had to include The Fool card so I put it there on purpose to represent me, the one who the reading was for. But I got thinking about how the cards create a story in the interpretation.
I dug out from my little home library of writing books, a book that had yet to be opened as a matter of fact, Tarot for Writers, by Corrine Kenner.
I flipped through it and found that she actually suggests using the cards for writing practice. For example: A short three-card reading can tell a simple story. Let’s try it.
I’ve chosen three random cards from the deck to signify the Past, Present, and Future.
Past: Knight of Wands: Knights stand for moods, or an atmosphere in which something happens. This card primarily represents a fiery mood which is characterized by impatience, a thirst for adventure, and a zest in life. It means someone with a stormy nature and the desire to conquer new territory.
Present: Ten of Pentacles: The number ten represents abundance, prosperity and well-being. This deals with not only outer wealth, but inner wealth which we only perceive when we open our eyes to the wonderful things that surround us in everyday life.
Future: The Star: This card is an expression of new hope, of washing away of the old and revealing the layers concealed in the past. It suggests that the questioner take a bird’s eye perspective of the situation so that correlations can be clearly seen. The card can mean long-term opportunities, a happy future. (Funny how I happened to choose a “future” card for the future position!)
A little story has begun to develop! Your main character seems to have a stormy personality and wants to conquer new territory or go on an adventure, which leads to all kinds of experiences that perhaps lead him to discover a few things about life. The experiences your character has could make up the bulk of your story, because when the climax hits, he suddenly opens his eyes and realizes that happiness has been there all along. Maybe through all his wanderlust he has stepped on a few toes, but now that he has seen the light, he has hope for a happy future…you get the idea!
Any three cards will tell a story! Or any number of cards – pick more and be like The Fool. Take a leap of faith and try it. That’s what your character would do! And by the way, my reading last night was a great one. A real adventure!
