Use tarot cards to spark your writing next inspiration
by Rose Lindsey
As we move ourselves into the new year, we align ourselves with new cycles and new beginnings. A practice that is constantly considerate of cycles and beginnings is tarot, the basis of the writing exercise for today. We’ll be working with a “three-card pull” for the following exercise. If you have your own personal tarot deck to utilize, I highly encourage utilizing that one for yourself. If you are without one, multiple online resources exist. I would use this page from Zodianz because each flipped card gives you a description to pair with it, which is helpful if you aren’t too knowledgeable on what each card means. Plenty of other options are out there, though, so grab one that works best for you. As always, any writing exercise is an invitation; follow these directions as closely or loosely as you wish.
First, center yourself on some aspect of your day-to-day that you feel as though is leaning towards, or could benefit from, renewal. This could be your approach to a relationship, your career goals, your uncertainty with physical place, or whatever else speaks to you currently as an issue deserving recognition. Then, go to your cards and work with pulling three cards from your deck. This prompt will work with a standard “past, present, future” spread; if you’re already familiar with tarot, feel free to add or rearrange this layout as you wish. Place your three cards face down in front of you, and then flip over the leftmost card; on the Zodianz webpage, click the left card to flip it.
The first card you reveal represents the past. It invites you to gather perspective on the ways you’ve approached the current moment you find yourself in. Take in the written description of the card and see what connections are illuminated for you, then jot it down. Also take note of the physical card itself – what about its illustration and symbology stands out to you? Does anything in particular catch your eye, and what does this tell you about your past moments? Take some quick notes on what grabs your attention.
Flip your second card, and complete the process again, but with the present. This card finds you in the exact moment in which you are creating your composition. What do you feel right now relationally to this card? How does the feeling the card describes exist within you bodily? And, what about the card’s illustration calls to you as significant in this instance? Like before, mark down the thoughts that you're coming up with.
Finally, flip your third card. This is for futurity, but do not treat this as a prediction of the future and how exactly it will be. Instead, try to project yourself forward in time, and consider what this card is offering you. If you continue onwards with its angle of perspective in mind, what emerges? What becomes possible for your future self, or what becomes important for them? Right this all down, and allow yourself to be imaginative. Use the art on the card to influence your perspective just as much as the written description.
Once you have notes from the three cards, look through what you’ve discerned and see if there’s a common thread or image that feels like a significant thread between these cards. If you spot one, make sure to note it down.
From here, craft a composition that externalizes the reflections you just experienced for yourself. If it’s a poem, consider working in three stanzas; if you’re creating prose, consider a structure that follows the structure of the reading. Get inventive, and discern for yourself this moment through creative writing. When you’re done, you’ll have a piece that will reflect your position in this cycle, and hopefully, a new perspective on it as the new year settles in.