The Forgotten – Story Time

Pull at least three cards and use them to… tell us a story about a pair of shoes.

Lighteater's Tarot

There’s smooth wood under the his soles as he sits on the porch. Once upon a time he was young and spry and new (Ace of Cups). But heat and cold and time has taken their tole upon him now and where once his soles were flat and strong, now they are brittle and curled slightly up at the toes. (Ten of Swords)

That’s because the leather is dry now. And as it dried, it made his toes curl up a bit, as giving him a different view over time. When first set here, he could see out over the wooden planks and watch the children play in the yard, the come and go of the mailman each day, and the passing of cars on the old dirt road.

But as toes curled, his view changed. Winter came and he watched the snow fall as temperatures plummeted, and then the world became warm again. Where once he could see the grass, by the time summer came again, he could no longer (Four of Swords). He couldn’t watch the boy that mows the lawn and dream about those grass stains anymore, instead his view began at the road and the trees on the other side, and just a peek of the sky (Four of Cups).

And he waited. Loyal and patient. He waited for someone to remember about the old pair of sneakers once new, and now long hidden under the rocker on the porch.

But winter came again and the cold gripped the world. The leather tightened further, dried out by the chill in the air (Nine of Swords), and his view again changed.

Now he can see the sky and the trees, but by the time summer comes again, the road is now gone. He sees planes that fly overhead, and watches the fall of rain as it splats and patters on the ground he can no longer see. Long nights filled with crickets songs and days filled with the squeak and slam of the screen door as the children come and go.

One day a windstorm came (imagery from the Three of Staves) and tossed branches from the trees nearby onto the porch, and during the cleanup that follows he is finally found. Alas! He is discovered! Picked up and brought inside, he is cleaned and moisturized, and his leather sighs in relief as oils are rubbed in (Princess of Cups) and he’s set upon the table to dry (Temperance).

For a full day, he watches the light come through windows and the comings and goings of the big, happy family (Ten of Cups). He is picked up by many, and tried on by some, and as night falls he thinks of his porch and the crickets and misses the moon (The Moon).

The next day, he is taken up and brought back outside, but he is not put on the porch. Instead, he is taken beyond the yard and along the road past the trees he’s known for so long (The Chariot). In town, he is handed to another and by the end of the day he is among other shoes (Seven of Cups), sitting on a box in a display window in town.

Then a day came while sitting in the window that a woman (Queen of Coins) and her small son stop to look inside and the little boy points to him through the glass (imagery on the Six of Cups).

They come inside, and in short order he is fitted on the little boy’s feet (Two of Cups). The boy wiggles his toes, tickling the shoes and causing a spark of glee, and the boy giggles happily in response to the energy created (Ace of Cups with Four of Staves).

The boy does not take off the shoes, but walks around the small shop with them on his feet as his mother deals with haggling and payment, and then… he tastes the joy of service after years of misuse (Six of Swords) as the little boy wears him out of the store and a new adventure begins. (Eight of Staves)

DECK USED: LIGHTEATER’S TAROT

 

Rule of Three – Story Time

Pull at least three cards and use them to explain…
…and that’s why dividing by three is illegal.

Forest Creatures Tarot

There was once a fairy princes that always longed for adventure and spent much time looking out at the horizon beyond the Lands of Faerie daydreaming about the day she could take off and find her own adventures. (Two of Wands)

With her friend, the Blue Jay, she made fantastic plans of where she wanted to go and all of the things that she wanted to do.  They discussed the world beyond the Lands of Faerie and the Blue Jay told the fairy princess many stories about how fantastic and adventurous life was beyond the horizon’s veil. (Three of Wands)

One day, after a particularly trying bit of conflict with her father, the fairy princess had had enough, and she began making plans to leave the Lands of Faerie for the world beyond the veil.   With her friend, the Blue Jay, she plotted her course and then slipped sneakily free of the big wise Oak her family had called their home for centuries.  (Eight of Cups)

Together they traveled a long distance, further and far beyond any she’d traveled before.  She trusted the Blue Jay to keep her safe and guide her way, but when they reached the veil and the gate that would lead beyond it, she was confronted by the gate keeper.

He asked her if this is what she really wanted?  If she abandoned the Land of Faerie, she would not be allowed to come back.   He set before her nine walnut shells and told her to choose only one.  That the answer would be hidden beneath the walnut shell, if she would turn it over to look. (The Hierophant)

Instead, she divided the nine into three and turned them over to reveal the hidden objects within.  In one was a teardrop.   Another held a gold coin.  In the third was a locket that held  pictures of her family inside.

Believing this meant that she was destined to go through the veil, she darted forward through the opening and through the veil, casting Faerie aside forever… and disappeared into the ether of nevermore.

And in the Land of Faerie, this is why it is illegal to divide by three.  For if the princess had chosen just one walnut shell, she would have received the locket alone.  A locket filled with memories to remind her of all that is good.   Instead, she chose three, and the message was confused in the translation… and she was lost to her family and the Land of Faerie forevermore. (Nine of Swords)

DECK USED: FOREST CREATURES TAROT

The Three Sisters – Story Time

Pull at least three cards and use them to…
…tell a  story about an argument between siblings.

Fey Tarot

Annabelle, Beatrice, and Nora are three sisters living under the same roof with completely different goals.  Living together is stressful because they each have such different personalities.

Coming into the kitchen one morning, the ever impulsive Annabelle (Knave of Pentacles) announces, “I’m taking the car today.  None of you need it and I have a hot date with my boyfriend (Three of Pentacles) later to play DND with some friends (Ten of Pentacles).”

Beatrice, the benevolent older sister of the three (The Empress), looked over with a frown from where she was cooking at the stove, “You are going to need to wait until later.  I need the car to go to the grocery store and run some errands. You can have it when I’m done.” (The Chariot)

At that moment, soft spoken Nora lifts her head off the table where she’d appeared to be napping. (Four of Swords)  “I don’t feel very good,” she says, “Do you think someone could take me to see my counselor?” (Three of Swords)

Annabelle knows better than to argue with Beatrice, but she’s seething on the inside at this interruption in her plans today.   So it’s not a surprise that when the youngest sister, Nora, speaks up that the scowl on her face is supremely displeased and her glare in Nora’s direction is seething. (The Seer)

“You don’t need to go see the counselor,” snaps Annabelle, worried that now her plans are dashed and she won’t be able to have the car at all. “Stop being such a whiner!”

“Annabelle!” Scolds Beatrice with a glare at her selfish younger sister. “WHAT has gotten into you?   Why don’t you go study for that exam that you have to take on Friday. (Eight of Pentacles) You can have the car when I get back.”

Beatrice then turns to Nora and comes to sit down beside her.  Putting her arm around the youngest sister, she gives the girl a comforting hug.  “I think that the office is closed today, Nora.  But how about you come with me to run errands and I’ll take you to the pet shop to visit with all the animals. (The Magician)  You really like that.   Then you and I can come home and veg out in front of the tv and talk about what’s bothering you. (Two of Chalices) Okay?”

Nora leans her head on her sister’s shoulder and nods.  Beatrice always knows what to do to help make her feel better and keep Annabelle from getting too mean (Strength), and having some time alone with her without Annabelle’s chaotic energy always feels good (Four of Wands).

As Annabelle grouses under her breath and heads upstairs to study (Eight of Pentacles), Nora follows Beatrice to go get on her coat.  Beatrice’s promise to go see the animals has created a spark of excitement within her for the day of head that she’d been lacking just a short time earlier (Queen of Wands).

DECK USED: FEY TAROT

 

December Story Time (Part 4 Continued from December 16th)

The Light Seer’s Tarot Into the Sunset ( The Conclusion)

Indeed, the traveler does end up needing the dragon’s help along his journey, perhaps even more than the little dragon needs his.  She keeps his hopes and spirits high (Queen of Wands) when he feels despair that they will never get free of the woods (Three of Swords), and instead of being dependent upon him, she works with him (Three of Pentacles) to find their way through the dark tangle of foreboding shadows.

As they travel together they discover a vastness to the forest which hides many secrets (The High Priestess) and they discover that although dangerous, it is also a place of exploration and discovery (Three of Wands).

As the traveler becomes more and more comfortable in the forest, and less inclined to leave (Death), he and the dragon become a team, and develop the mastery of survival in among the trees (Eight of Pentacles).

The man discovers he is happy, and no longer feels the longing for the accolades he once craved (Six of Wands).  Instead, he he finds that the companionship of the dragon has created a sense of balance (Justice) and contentment (Ten of Pentacles) in his life.

He has learned that life is better with someone to love in it, and someone to love you in turn.  Solitary life may have its benefits, and may allow for the freedom to strive for certain goals, but when you find someone to share your life with, your outlook changes and so do your goals. (The Hermit)

DECK USED:  LIGHT SEER’S TAROT

 

 

 

December Story Time (Part 2 Continued from December 9th)

IMG_1176The Adventure Continues

Still in his youth, our intrepid traveler steps onto the path of adventure, his mind wanders back to his boyhood and the reason he has chosen the path he he now treads upon.

Given as an apprentice at a young age, his time before that was quite tepid and boring (Temperance), and his time since has been filled with hard work (Two of Coins) that took not just inner strength (Strength) but also an openness to work with others and at times allow others the praise and sense of accomplishment that he himself desired (Three of Coins).

As he worked through these tender years, he spent his time dreaming of the accolades he could achieve with his freedom (Six of Wands), and with each dream of these adventures and accolades his secret desires for them grew and grew (High Priestess) until it became a burning need in his heart and his greatest wish (Page of Cups).

And thus he took action to free himself from his apprenticeship in order to move forward and seek out his heart’s desires (Knight of Cups).

(To be continued…)

DECK USED:  DARKNESS OF LIGHT TAROT

 

December Story Time (Part 1)

Just a little creative writing and story telling exercise.  I will be starting something like this with you once your basic lessons are done with the tarot suits.

Parameters for Part 1:  Draw (at least) five cards. Use one card per sentence to tell us a fun fictional tale.

Wayhome Tarot

The Adventure Begins

There was once a young man at the end of his rope stuck upon a path that split in two different directions (Two of Swords).  He stood at the head of the path in indecision, unsure which way to go and seeking insight from his surroundings to give him a direction (Hanged Man).

One path lead to stability and responsibility, but would take a good deal of effort and balance to make work (Two of Pentacles).   The other path lead to adventure that would require a great deal of bravery and resistance (Nine of Wands).

What he really wants is success and accolades, though, and the path that contains adventure appeals to him the most because of this (Six of Wands).  Thus this is the path he chooses as he steps from the cross roads to seek the spark, gathering his energy and strength in close as he prepares to step into the unknown with the open receptivity for what is to come, but the stability of good sense to assist him in keeping him on his path (Mother of Swords).

DECK USED:  WAYHOME TAROT