writing exercise with the tarot

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Learning to Fly

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Prompt: Pull at least three cards and use them to formulate a response to…
“You’re early,” said the Grim Reaper with a hint of surprise.

Paul Klee TarotSitting down with a sigh, the young man looked up at the Grim Reaper with a rueful grin and began to speak…

Well, you know how I always enjoy a good hike in the woods at night (The Fool atop The Moon). It’s one of my favorite things to follow along the deer trails and small paths through the silhouettes of trees cast upon a moonlit sky. I go often, and I know the mountain well. (Strength)

So I decided to go out last night and climb to the peak of Rosemont, and sit and relax for a while and meditate on life.  That particular peak has a breathtaking view of the river running through the valley below, and I go there often to enjoy some peace and quiet. (The Hermit)

Once I arrived, I settled comfortably on the edge of the cliff with a sandwich for a snack.  I was appreciating the splendor of nature around me and the quiet night song of subtle sounds. I ended up losing track of time. (The Empress)

I was having such a nice time and so wrapped up in my thoughts, the nip of the cool mountain air, and the view below… that I didn’t hear the bear approaching from behind. (Wheel of Fortune)

So when the bear chuffed in my ear in the process of looking over my shoulder at my sandwich (The Tower), it startled me badly that I jumped in surprise… right off the edge of the cliff I was sitting on. (The Chariot atop The Hierophant)

In the fall, I ended up caught on a root sticking out of the rocks. (The Hanged Man) I hung there for a bit before I came to the realization that nobody was going to come for me.  A long wait of starvation and dehydration sounded extremely unpleasant, so I said “Fuck it”. (The Magician atop The Emperor)  I took out my knife to cut myself free. (Justice)

And here I am. (Death)

DECK USED:  PAUL KLEE TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Woods Part 2

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Prompt:  Pull (at least) three cards and use them to tell us a story about new beginnings.

Little Twin Stars Love TarotThis is part two of a previous story… The Woods – Part 1

As the young man sank beneath the earth and was accepted into her womb (The Empress), tendrils of roots slipped beneath skin and drew forth from the man’s body the essence of the man (Death).

The man’s essence traveled up from the roots of the tree to its trunk and branches that stretched high overhead (The Chariot), and in the embrace of the canopy of leaves and branches, a new bud began to grow.

Through the fall and winter months, the tight little bud remained snug on that branch, hiding the miracle within as the cold months passed by. (The Hanged Man and The Hermit)

Then one fine spring morning after the last of the morning frosts had fallen away and the world grew warm again (The Star), the little bud began to swell and the tight clench of leaves began to ease their grip (Temperance).

As the folds of leaves unfurled, the essence of what had once been the man burst forth (The Fool), his new form a small and glittering thing of earthy greens and browns with  fluttering wings that shimmer in the rays of the sun. (The World).

Others like himself darted out from the leaves of the tree, coming to greet him with eager enthusiasm and together they spirited off into the depths of the forest to play like motes on a summer breeze. (The Sun and The Lovers)

DECK USED:  LITTLE TWIN STARS LOVE TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Woods

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Prompt: Pull (at least) three cards use them to tell a story in which the characters are warned not to go into the woods.

Tarot ResomThe Woods

“Don’t go into the woods” they said, but he just couldn’t resist. He went every day. Some days for just a few minutes, and other days for hours and hours on end. Sometimes in the darkness of wild storms, and sometimes during clear skies with the sun or moon to light his way. (The Fool atop The Devil)

He didn’t understand what they all were so afraid of. Nothing bad ever happened when he visited the woods, and so he became confident and comfortable in his visits. (The Magician atop The Moon)

He would wander for hours, lost in his own thoughts while he marveled at nature’s splendor.  He admired the birds and their fluttering wings, the squirrels and their speed and ingenuity, and even took joy in the slow trek of the snails moving over forest floor and fallen logs (The Sun atop The Hermit)

One day in his wandering he came to a small grove covered in moss and was so enchanted that he decided to sit for a while and enjoy.  He found a comfortable spot to settle upon the ground beneath an old tree and as he watched the creatures and plants go about their daily routines, he became very tired. The exhaustion came upon him suddenly, and soon found himself so tapped of energy he had need to lie down upon the ground. (The Lovers atop Temperance)

While lying upon the ground, he watched motes of pollen swirl through the air like dust motes in the light of the setting sun and a great sense of peace overtook him. Soon, he let his eyes close and breathed in the fresh air fragrant with pine needles and damp earth. He imagined himself cradled lovingly in the palm of the earth’s embrace and as he drifted off to sleep, he felt as if he was slowly sinking into a deep and heavy darkness. (The Empress atop The Star)

And indeed, as he slept, he was embraced by the earth. Foliage crept close and roots shifted to make room. (Death) He was gently lowered deeper and deeper beneath the soil as it shifted to cradle and accept him within.  So in tune with the earth, so comfortable within her embrace, he yielded to her without alarm or fear and became one with the earth without ever waking from his deep sleep. (The World)

And alas, the young man was never seen from again.

DECK USED: TAROT RESOM

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Seattle

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Prompt: Pull up to three cards use them as the inspiration to describe an evening stroll (real or fictional) near you.

Feito/Gurando Ōdā Tarot

The Magician – In the air swirls the scent of sweet jasmine dying on the vine, a cool breeze swirling through the air carrying the soft lick moisture and a slight nip of chill. Dressed in warm sweater and jacket with thick socks and boots on my feet, I wander along a pale sidewalk dyed in speckled shades of autumn leaves once fallen and now washed away.

The Hierophant – A breeze causes a breath of sound that skims in a hissing whisper through nearly bare branches, the hint of brine in the air speaking of low tides and seagull feasts not seen, but promised all the same.  The nose tells of more than just low tide and exposed barnacles, but Saturday dinners of pork fried rice and sizzling casseroles as wafting scents of grilled cheese tinge the air.

The Wheel of Fortune – Looking up as I move along the sidewalk, low clouds lit by city lights billow still and gray above, hovering low and close in the night sky, and a fat raindrop falls to splash on a flushed cheek. Another follows to pat down on a shoulder, then another on my nose.  Dressed warmly, I am prepared… and yet I’ll still be soaked by the time I make it home.

DECK USED:  FATE / GRAND ORDER TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Dirty Feet

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Prompt: Pull (at least) three cards use them to share with us something you remember from your childhood that brings a smile.

Kimetsu No Yaiba TarotThere was once a young boy who spent all of his time playing in the woods at the back of his parent’s property with the Fae folk that lived there (The Fool). He had great fun romping with them through the forest, his laughter mingling with that of the Fae and ringing out among the trees (The Sun).

When his mother found out what he was up to in the forest (The Empress), she was very upset with him and restricted him from going into the woods. She told him that he was no longer allowed to play there or go into the woods at all by himself (Judgement).

The boy felt as if his whole world had been taken away from him and was devastated as it deems that his entire world was falling apart around him (The Tower). Even though he had a sister to spend time with, he felt all alone and bereft at the loss of his playmates in the woods (The Hermit).

Then one night a miraculous thing happened, and the Fae came out of the woods to come and visit him! They tempted him (The Devil) to come out into the night and play while everyone else was asleep (The Moon).

Sneaking out of his parents home was not as hard as he thought it would be (The Magician), and soon he was romping happily with the Fae folk once again (The Lovers).

For years to come, the boy snuck out of the house to play in the nighttime woods with the Fae, and oddly, no one ever noticed his dirty little feet come morning (Wheel of Fortune).  And by the time they did… It was too late to stop him (The Chariot).

That little boy is me.

DECK USED: KIMETSU NO YAIBA TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Walk

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Prompt: Pull up to three cards use them as the inspiration to draw, craft, or describe a spooky nighttime walk outside.

Eldritch TarotDeath – On Halloween night, Fred took his little sister out trick or treating for the first time.  Their parents had divorced this year, something that had been coming for a long time, and he was the man of the house now.  That meant that even though he wasn’t really all that excited about trick or treating this year, he was in charge of keeping his sister safe.

Hand in hand he took Cassie from house to house in the unfamiliar neighborhood they’d moved into just two weeks before. At each house they chimed their “Trick or Treat!” after the door opened and held out their bags for the goodies to be dropped inside.

The Devil atop The Magician – When they reached the end of the street and the last house that sat there, they repeated he process again and the man that answered the door was friendly and boisterous.  He complimented their Robin Hood and Maid Marian costumes and gave them whole candy bars!

The man said that he had more inside, but he had to go all the way to the kitchen to get them.  He invited them both to come in, and Fred’s sister tugged on his hand to pull him forward toward the front door, eager for more of the good candy that the man was offering.

The Hierophant – But Fred had been given a talk by Dad that Cassie was too young to have gotten yet.  Dad had told him about the bad people.  People that seemed nice but wanted to hurt him or his sister, steal them away, and do bad things to them. Dad’s talk stuck with him when he and his sister walked to school every day, and it came back to him now as Cassie tried to pull him up the porch steps and into the stranger’s house.

Taking a strong, hard hold of his sister’s hand, he declined the man’s offer and hurried them away from the house at the end of the street. At home, he would pass on Dad’s talk to Cassie.  At home, he would make sure that Cassie knew to never, ever go down to the end of the street by herself… and that she could always depend on him to go with her if she wanted.

DECK USED: THE ELDRITCH TAROT (MAJORS ONLY)