telling stories using tarot

Weekly Creativity Prompt – (Bad?) Luck

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Pull (at least) three cards and use them to… tell us about a (real or fictional) mistake that turned into a happy ending.  (I went with fictional.)

Black Cat Tarot by Theresa Luck

There was once a young man that always flaunted the rules (The Fool).  He loved to drive fast, treated his car horribly and never took care of it (The Devil).

One day while whipping in and out of traffic and driving far above the speed limit (The Chariot), his cars breaks went out and would not work. He ended up in a horrible crash (The Tower).

Taken to the hospital he learned that in his folly, he’d been severely hurt and it would take many months or even years to recover from his injuries (Justice).

He was sent to a physiotherapist to begin his healing process (The Magician). The physiotherapist was a hard and harsh taskmaster who (The Emperor), who at first seemed to have no empathy at all. Over time and working together closely, the young man discovered that the physiotherapist was really very deep and they ended up falling in love (The Lovers).

In the end, the strength and stability and support that the physiotherapist provided, combined with the time I it took for the young man to recover from his injuries gave the young man time to grow and he learn from his mistakes (Death).

When he returned to the road he did so with more respect for the law, more loving care for his car, and less impatience (Temperance).

DECK USED:  BLACK CAT TAROT BY THERESA LUCK

 

 

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Walk

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Pull (at least) three cards and use them to… describe a walk outside.

Akira Uno's Spiritual Tarot

The Hike – 3500 Feet in 3.2 Miles

Strength – Exiting the car is the easiest part of the day.  The little gray Prius is parked in the small lot hidden among the trees and he exits the car to pull out his pack.   Turning off his phone it is slipped into one of the pockets of the pack before the small daypack is slid onto his back and the trunk is closed.

Moving to the trailhead, he pauses at a post with a wooden box upon it.  Lifting the lid, as expected, what is found inside is a notebook and a tethered pencil.  The pencil is picked up and his name is written down along with the date and the time, as well as the anticipated time he would be on the trail.   The box is then closed and left behind as he moves to take the first steps upon the spongy soft ground of the trail.

Following the path to a small bridge that crosses a busily babbling stream, booted feet find the other side and he looks up the sheer face before him.  Breathing deeply the damp, musty air filled with the scents of evergreens and decay, his gaze follows the zigzag of the trail going up the mountain as far as the trees will allow.

The hike to the top is just over three miles, with an elevation change of 3500 feet in that short distance.  Nearly 1200 feet of elevation per mile of trail making it one of the most difficult trails accessible to the general pubic.

Hanged Man – As he makes his way along the switchback trail, following the long stretches of straight that zigzag up the mountain and sharp turns at the end of each, muscles stretch and blood pumps.  His body protests as his body demands more oxygen to fuel the effort put fort as each step along the path is the same as taking a double step on a staircase… without the staircase.

Using roots and rocks as footholds, each breath becomes an agony and a pleasure at once, the fresh air filling his lungs even as his lungs ache greedily for more and more.  A sheen of sweat coating flesh blending a hint of clean sweat and personal scent into the damp crispness of the air.

But over time, the body adjusts and breathing evens out.  Refusing to stop, refusing to pause and catch his breath or rest, the agony increases and increases… and then finally begins to fade.  To shift as the fire in muscles turns into a warm, wobbly burn.

Judgement – Each quarter mile is marked, but it is not those markers he seeks but rather the green sign with white letters high up upon a tree where the trail finally splits.  The words “Summit Loop” a blessing.   It is the holy grail that does not truly mean the end… but rather a shining light of hope that tells him that he’s done good and is getting there.

When he comes upon that split in the trail and the beautiful sign, he finally takes a moment to pause in the bliss of being over half way there.  A hand lifting to press against the stitch that quickly develops in his side as his body’s adjustment to the extreme exertion now tries to settle and relax.

Pulling off his pack, he pauses to down half a bottle of water, and finish off a couple of protein bars, his back resting against one of the trees off-path as he looks up at the gray sky and lets the crisp bite in the air at this new elevation cool him down and dry the sweat on his skin.

Justice – Eventually he has to get up and continue upon his climb, and his body screams in protest as muscles that had tightened up now object to rising and joints that are stiffened try to move.

Familiar with the trail, he takes the left side of the split, choosing to take the steepest part of the loop first so that he climbs it rather than giving his knees the agony of trying to going down that incline.   Muscles screaming and lungs aching once more, he pays for his break upon the spit in the trail with a steep decrease in the stamina he’d gained over the nearly two miles he’d hiked thus far.

As he continues to climb upon the trail, trees become more scarce and the spongy earth beneath his feet turns harder, jutting rocks breaking through the soil become footholds on the incline as he pushes on, forcing his body to keep moving through the pain and promising that it will be worth it once he reaches the peak.

The Hermit – As he climbs this steepest part of the trail, the treeline opens up.  Jagged silvery spikes of an old forest fire open up the view on one side of the trail, the other side filled with sparse woodland that slopes down and away the way he had come.

Here and there remnants of snow linger on the ground, tucked into the crevices of rocks and grooves between tree roots.  Scenic views of the valley beyond, the peak of another climb not far off, and the large shimmering lake far below greet him and soothe the pain even as he continues on, fresh air now crisp and cold chills the tip of his nose and his cheeks.

Soon he arrives at at a small outcropping of rocks, and a sign that indicates that he has reached the peak of 4301 feet.  Here he stops and removes his pack, setting his ass upon the rock and tilting his head back to catch his breath.

Here he will linger.  He will sit and enjoy the view and the chill in the air. He will eat lunch and he will hydrate.  He will meditate, and he will enjoy this time alone, savoring the feel of muscles well worked and lungs washed clean of the pollution of the city so that they can be filled instead with fresh, crisp air.

Soon he will have to take the trip back down… but for now?  He will savor the fact that he is the only human for miles and soak in the peace and solitude.

DECK USED:  AKIRA UNO’S SPIRITUAL TAROT

 

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Vacation

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Pull up to three cards and use them to… create and/or describe your perfect vacation.

I 22 Arcani FiabeschiNo vacation would be right
without you along
I need you at my side
or else everything just goes wrong

Together there is fun and joy
and a lot of indulging in pleasure and play
In the end it doesn’t matter where we go
It’s being with you that makes my day

DECK USED:  I 22 ARCANI VIABESCHI

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Story Time

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Pull (at least) three cards and use them to… write about either a real or fictional abandoned building.

IMG_3225

Loew’s 175th Street Theatre – Manhattan – 1969

He was once a pillar of the community (La Force) where people came together and socialize. A beacon of light to all that shined brightly on even the darkest of nights (Le Judgement).

Disrepair came upon him as less and less people came to visit and upkeep decreased, allowing deterioration to sneak in.

Then one day the lights shut down and the doors were barred.  Seats were left to gather dust that had once gathered rumps of rapt men and women and children. (L’ermite)

Many people felt they no longer needed the hope that he represented (Le Fou), while others found other ways to entertain, uplift, and educate themselves (Le Faucheur and Le Bateleur).

Now what had once stood tall crumbles (la Maison Dieu) with neglect in an uncertain world (La Lune).

And yet still, he his hopeful (Les Etoiles) that in time a new purpose will come (Le Pendu and Wheel of Fortune) and people will return once more (Le Monde).

DECK USED: ZANONI TAROT
Inspiration for this story comes from the Loew’s 175th Street Theatre in Manhattan

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Character Creation

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Pull up to three cards and use them to… create and/or describe a fictional character.

Tarocchi Di Hokusai

One of The Nameless

Even in his youth, he was already an old man.  His grandmother saw it the first time she looked into his infant blue eyes, and even once that newborn shade darkened into a dark shade of brown, she wasn’t able to look back again.

It wasn’t just that his eyes were filled with an age he had yet to have lived, it was the desolate coldness in the rich brown gaze. There was a darkness there that went far beyond color.

As he grew up, he had no friends. It wasn’t that he wasn’t good looking, or even that he had some mysterious appeal.  It was just that he didn’t want them.  He felt no connection to them, and thus preferred to be alone.

This made him a perfect candidate for recruitment after he’d left the military, and the agency that picked him up trained him in skills that the military only hinted at, then began sending him on the kind of top secret missions that changed the world, one assassination at a time.

DECK USED: TAROCCHI DI HOKUSAI

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Phone Call

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Pull at least three cards and use them to… write about a (real or fictional) call that was a wrong number.

La Corte dei Tarocchi

The Phone Call

There came a time many years ago where a boy filled with youth and potential (Il Sole) lay within a bed, his body broken into pieces (La Torre di Babele).

Lying within the bed after one of the many surgeries needed to put the boy’s body back together, he almost ignored the call when the phone beside his bed rang.  Almost. Instead, exhausted and disheartened, he answered.

On the other side of the line came a man’s voice.  A voice he had never heard before.  The man was confused and struggling, driving in the rain and lost in an unfamiliar city.  He was on his way to a blind date, and couldn’t figure out which way to go (Gli Innamorati). He had meant to call his date and get directions, but had clearly dialed the wrong number.

The man, oblivious to the boy’s own plight,  was all worked up and expressed that he was greatly tempted to just turn around and go back home (Il Diavolo), writing his date off as a flop and accepting (although mournfully) that perhaps he was meant to be alone forever (L’eremita).

The boy in his recovery bed felt bad for the man and his struggle.  He felt that no one that longed so deeply to find a connection with another should allow their fear to keep them from finding that connection, and he said as much to the man.

He told the man that he should go through with the date, because after all… what if (La Ruota della Fortuna) this woman is the person that the man has been waiting for his entire life? (Il Guidizio)

In talking with the boy, this premise gave the man hope (Le Stelle), and he decided to try and go through with the date after all.

The boy in his bed did a search of the man’s destination on his tablet, and pulled up a map with directions (Il Bagatto) to the place that the man was supposed to go.  As the man drove, the boy talked the man through the steps to get to his destination (La Luna and Il Carro).

Once at his destination, the call ended with the boy wishing the man good luck, and the boy then went back to his rest and healing.  The call was soon  forgotten in the fog of medications, surgeries, and physiotherapy in the days and months that passed.

Then one day, a few months later, the boy’s phone rang again with an unfamiliar number. Again it was the same man!  This time calling calm and happy (La Temperanza) and wanting to thank the boy.

He told the boy that on the night of the first call, the man had been dead set on going home.  But, the boy’s encouragement had given him hope and, in going through with the date, he had indeed met the person he’s been waiting his entire life to find.  The man had called to thank the boy, for the man’s life had completely transformed because of this date (La Morte), and he told the boy that he and the woman from the blind date were going to be married (Il Papa).  This news gave the boy pleasure and hope, and he worked even harder to recover so that he could dance at their wedding.

DECK USED: LA CORTE DEI TAROCCHI