Tarot for Writers

by Corrine Kenner

  The Fool has been compared to a wide range of figures from fables, myths, and stories, including Punch (of Punch and Judy fame), Renaud the Fox (a medieval European trickster), the Coyote and Raven tricksters of American Indians, the Green Man of spring, and Parsifal (or Percival), one of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table.

  The Fool could be a wise fool, a court jester, a carnival fool, the joker from a regular deck of playing cards, or a harlequin.

  The Fool can also be compared to any mythic character who undertakes a mission or a quest, or a hero's journey.

  Literary Archetypes

  The Fool can embody any number of literary archetypes, including the divine child, the hero or the heroine, the innocent child, the jester, the outlaw, Jung's puer aeternus or eternal child, the seeker, the son, the wanderer, and the wise fool.

  The Fool and Your Writing Practice

  As a writer, you're the consummate Fool: you're always ready and willing to take a leap of faith and dive into a blank page. You're a soul in search of experience, and you're driven to discover new worlds of spirit and imagination.

  You're in tune with the rebellious Uranus energy of the card, too. You're not content with the status quo. In fact, you're probably more forward thinking than most of the people you know; some of them might think you're eccentric or odd. Don't worry. Eventually, the world will catch up to you through the pages of your books.

  Writing Prompts

  Write about:

  • the contents of a purse or a backpack

  • a talking dog

  • a leap of faith

  • a fall from grace

  • a fear of heights

  • the bottom of a cliff

  • an original invention

  • a rebel who gets his wish

  • a fool who rises to power

  • the spirit of an unborn child

  WRITERS HAVE A SPECIAL CONNECTION to the Magician card because the archetypal figure is associated with Mercury, the messenger of the gods. He's a master communicator, and he represents all those who struggle to master the language arts of storytelling and self-expression.

  The Magician never stammers; he has his patter down cold. He doesn't fumble with his props, either, because that would break the spell. His act is well rehearsed. It's so smooth, in fact, that it belies the countless hours of practice it's taken to perfect.

  Like all magicians, he has also mastered the art of misdirection. The Magician always has a trick or two up his sleeve.

  Generally speaking, the Magician card signifies willpower and communication. In a story reading, the Magician may represent a showman, performer, messenger, or sales person.

  In some tarot decks, the Magician is sometimes called the juggler, which hearkens back to the tradition of street performers.

  Key Symbols

  Roses and Lilies. The Magician stands in a garden of roses and lilies, which reminds most readers of the Old Testament's Song of Songs: "I am the Rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys." The red roses symbolize passion, and white lilies symbolize purity.

  Lemniscate. The figure eight shape above his head is a lemniscate, a symbol of infinity.

  Costume Design. The Magician's white tunic represents a pure and innocent soul. That soul is shrouded in red robes, which symbolize the passionate physical nature of the human body.

  Snakeskin Belt. In many versions of the card, the Magician belts his robe with an Ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail. Like the lemniscate, the Ouroboros is a symbol of eternity.

  Magic Wand. The Magician's wand is pointed at both ends, to channel and refine energy along its length. Because a wand is an extension of the human body and an instrument of an individual's will, it should match his or her proportions. Some say a magician's wand should be as long as the distance from wrist to his elbow, or from elbow to fingertips.

  Body Language. The Magician gathers cosmic energy with the wand in his right hand. That energy flows through him, and he uses his left hand to direct it back into the world. In the process, he uses willpower to reshape the physical world. His gesture embodies the philosophic principle "As above, so below"-the theory that our physical and material existence reflects a higher consciousness.

  Tools of the Trade. The four props on the table are taken straight from the Minor Arcana-wand, cup, sword, and pentacle. They symbolize the four suits and the four realms of existence: spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical. Wands correspond to fire and spirit. Cups correspond to water and emotion. Swords correspond to air and intellect. Pentacles correspond to earth and physical existence.

  Numeric Significance. The Magician is the first card in the Major Arcana. One is the first number, so it symbolizes leadership. It's an obvious symbol of unity and singularity. The number one can even be thought of as a thesis-an original statement of thought, belief, and perception, still unchallenged by other competing ideas. The number one also represents the source of all existence. It symbolizes fertility, and the potential and possibility of every new beginning. That symbolism is reinforced by the graphic nature of both the Arabic numeral 1 and the Roman numeral I; both shapes are phallic symbols.

  Keywords

  Upright: Skill, diplomacy, self-confidence, talent, will, power, mastery, cunning, showmanship

  Reversed: Misuse of gifts and talents, trickery, sleight of hand

  Myth and Legend

  The Magician card is associated with Mercury, the Greek god of speed and communication. (In Rome, Mercury was known as Hermes.) Mercury was the messenger of the gods, the bringer of dreams, and a psychopomp-a spirit guide who would lead the souls of the dead into the Underworld. And thanks to his association with communication-and his gift for fast talking-Mercury was also the god of orators, merchants, liars, and salesmen. The Magician has also been compared to Merlin, as well as the mountebank of the European Carnival, and the trickster gods of American Indians.

  Astrological Associations

  The prattle of a stage magician is almost as entertaining as his tricks. The silvertongued carnival barker is also an act unto itself. Even a telephone sales call can be amusing, given the right script and the right salesperson.

  What do they all have in common? Mercury, the trickster god.

  In our solar system, Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, so it has the smallest orbit: eighty-eight days. The planet's speed and agility mark it as the ruler of short, quick trips, neighborhood errands, and workday commutes. That same fleet-footedness is connected to Mercury's role as messenger of the gods.

  Mercury rules two signs: Gemini, which is associated with the Lovers card, and Virgo, which is associated with the Hermit. Mercury also rules the third house of communication and sixth house of work and service to others.

  Literary Archetypes

  The Magician may embody any number of literary archetypes, including the alchemist, the magical helper, the magus, the mystic, the psychic, the psychopomp, the shaman, the sorcerer, the trickster, and the wizard.

  The Magician and Your Writing Practice

  Before the days of mass communication, there was a time when anyone who could write was considered a magical being. In fact, in a time when most people were illiterate, anyone who could commit thoughts and ideas to paper-anyone who could cast a "spell," in the literal sense of the word-was altering reality, transforming thought into substance, and performing one of the most amazing feats of all time. Even now, writers still have the power to attract an audience's attention with the power of their words, as well as to mystify and amaze their readers with their talent and dexterity.

  When the Magician shows up in your writing practice, you might want to channel the Magician's magic into your writing practice by working with a real "magic wand"a pen or pencil so smooth that it makes words flow through you, rather than from you.

  Writing Prompts

  Write about:

  • a stage or street magician

  • a performer who doesn't know when he's not on stag
e

  • an act of stage magic that unexpectedly becomes real

  • a magician's assistant, wife, or family member

  • a wizard or sorcerer

  • a sorcerer's apprentice

  • someone in a magician's audience

  • a traveling salesman

  • a snake-oil salesman whose product actually works

  • a mythological trickster

  THE HIGH PRIESTESS IS THE guardian of cosmic mystery. She keeps close watch over the doorway between this world and the next. If she chooses, she can pull back the curtain and reveal all the secrets of life-but first, you'll have to prove you're worthy of her knowledge and understanding.

  Most tarot readers identify closely with the High Priestess. She is naturally intuitive, and she has honed her psychic gifts through patient study and observation. She can see past, present, and future at a glance; no detail goes unnoticed. She makes an excellent teacher and guide into the world of spiritual enlightenment-provided that the student is ready.

  The High Priestess is the card of intuitive wisdom and understanding. In a story reading, the High Priestess may represent a wise woman, psychic, intuitive, counselor, therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

  In some tarot decks, the High Priestess is called the Papess or the Female Pope.

  Key Symbols

  A Knowing Glance. The High Priestess' Mona Lisa smile is mesmerizing, but it's perplexing, too. Is she amused, or is she annoyed? Will she speak, or will she maintain her code of silence? Her approval might seem to wax and wane like the crescent moon at her feet.

  Pillars of Wisdom. The two columns on either side of the High Priestess represent the twin pillars of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. One is black, and one is white; together, they symbolize the diametrically opposed concepts of mercy and severity, light and darkness, spirit and matter, and destruction and creation.

  Initial Impressions. The columns are inscribed with a B and a J, which stand for two Old Testament figures: Boaz, who was King David's great-grandfather, and Joachim, a high priest in King Solomon's temple.

  The Veil Between the Worlds. The curtain suspended between the two columns represents the curtain that hung in the Temple of Solomon-the veil between this world and the next.

  Palms and Pomegranates. The curtain is covered with palms and pomegranates, symbols of male and female fertility. The pomegranates are laid out in the shape of the Kabbalistic tree of life, a model of creation.

  Phases of the Moon. The High Priestess' crown is a representation of the waxing, full, and waning moon. Another crescent moon lies at her feet. The moon is reflective; it's connected with intuition and psychic ability, because it casts the light of the sun back toward its source. The symbolism of the moon can even suggest an irresistible attraction that ebbs and flows over time, like the moon's gravitational pull on the tides.

  Feminine Wiles. The moon is also a powerful symbol of feminine energy. Because the moon waxes and wanes on a twenty-eight-day cycle, it represents the cyclical, changing nature of existence. The moon's phases also resemble the three phases of a woman's life: the maiden, waxing toward full; the mother, a woman in full bloom; and crone, still able to shed light in her waning days.

  Pregnant Pause. The moon is a symbol of pregnancy and birth, because it reflects the changing shape of a woman's body as she moves through the stages of pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery. Each month, the moon opens as a slender wisp of light, grows round and full, and then returns to its previous form. Even when they're not pregnant, women undergo a monthly cycle of change and transformation.

  Plus Sign. The cross on the front of the High Priestess' gown is a solar cross, a perfectly proportioned symbol of balance and equality.

  Book of Secrets. The scroll in the High Priestess' lap is a Torah, the Hebrew book of the law. Only the first four letters of the word are visible; the rest of the scroll is shrouded in the folds of her cloak, like a closely guarded secret.

  Tora, Tora, Tora. The word "tora" is an anagram for "rota"-the Latin word for "wheel." The letters can also be transposed to spell "tota," which means "all," and, of course, "tarot."

  Numeric Significance. The High Priestess is the second card in the Major Arcana. Twos represent duality, like the black and white pillars behind the High Priestess. The number two suggests pairs and combinations, as well as relationships, partnerships, attraction, and opposition. Twos also represent conversation and debate-the point and counterpoint of two opposing ideas, or the antithesis that rises up in response to almost every thesis. The nature of the number two also signifies a wide range of concepts that come in pairs: heaven and earth, male and female, active and passive, conscious and unconscious, and day and night.

  Written as a Roman numeral, the "II" on many renditions of the cards looks like the two pillars that stand behind the High Priestess. The Roman numeral II also resembles a gateway or a doorway, as well as female genitalia-the gateway to life when a child is born.

  Keywords

  Upright: Intuition, psychic ability, spirituality, wisdom, depth, tenacity, revelation, secrets, mystery, the unrevealed future, silence

  Reversed: Conceit, superficiality, shallowness, surface knowledge

  Myth and Legend

  Some tarot readers believe that the High Priestess card depicts the fabled Pope Joan, who disguised herself as a man and rose through the ranks of the church during the ninth century. Using the name John Anglus, she ascended to the throne of St. Peter and served as pope for more than two years. No one realized that she was secretly a woman-until she collapsed during a procession and gave birth on the steps of St. Peter's cathedral. She reportedly died within hours. Some say she died of childbirth; others say she was torn apart by a vengeful crowd.

  The story is usually discounted as myth or legend, and the church denies that Pope Joan ever existed. A related account, however, seems to have historical backing. At the end of the thirteenth century, a nun named Sister Manfreda Visconti was elected papess of her order. Her followers hoped she would serve to depose Pope Urban VIII and usher in a new, feminine age of the church. Her reign was short lived, because the orthodox papacy of Rome burned her at the stake in 1300. She was immortalized, however, in the Visconti-Sforza tarot deck that was painted as a wedding gift for her distant cousin, Bianca Maria Sforza.

  In early decks, the High Priestess was sometimes depicted as Juno, complete with a peacock companion, to avoid offending the Catholic Church. In other decks, she is a priestess of Isis. The High Priestess is also connected to the vestal virgins of ancient Greece, the Sybil oracles, and all of the goddesses of the moon.

  Astrological Associations

  The High Priestess is inextricably linked with the moon-the ruler of the night, gardener of dreams, and guardian of the subconscious mind. She rules the dreamlike world of the unconscious mind, intuition, and imagination, and her moods ebb and flow like the tides.

  The moon rules the fourth house of the zodiac, where astrologers look for information about motherhood and nurturing influences. The moon also rules Cancer, the sign of home and family.

  On a related note, the sign of Cancer is associated with the Chariot card.

  Literary Archetypes

  The High Priestess may embody any number of literary archetypes, including the anima, the gatekeeper, the guardian, the guide, the love goddess, the magical helper, the medium, the mentor, the mystic, the poet, the writer or the scribe, the psychic, the shaman, the teacher, the virgin, the visionary, and the witch.

  The High Priestess and Your Writing Practice

  The High Priestess holds a sacred scroll in her lap-the Torah, the book of the word. She recognizes that words are sacred because they have the power to shape reality. In fact, much of our civilization was founded on an appreciation for words, which made it possible to pursue logic, philosophy, and science.

  On a practical level, you can also identify with the High Priestess as a writer herself; she records her wisdom and observations in
her secret book of life, and she guards and measures her words carefully. She has mastered the wise woman's maxim: to know, to will, to dare, and to keep silent.

  Staying quiet can also help you keep your writing on track. When you pull the High Priestess card during the course of your work, it could suggest that your plans and ideas are like the seeds in the pomegranate. Expose them to the elements only when they're ready, and plant them in fertile soil that can help them take root and thrive. Don't show your work to others too soon, and don't open yourself up to criticism and critique before you're ready to bloom.

  Writing Prompts

  Write about:

  • something-or someone-behind a curtain

  • what it's like to eat a pomegranate

  • a cloistered nun

  • a vestal virgin

  • a temple whore

  • a librarian in the cosmic Hall of Akashic Records

  • a witch

  • a group of wise women who work in secret

  • a fortuneteller

  • a dream journal

  THE EMPRESS IS A CREATIVE force-an archetypal mother who constantly generates new life. Perpetually pregnant, she's a symbol of fertility and growth.

  Like the High Priestess before her, the Empress is a link between the physical and spiritual worlds. She doesn't station herself at a gateway, however: she is merely the gateway between spiritual and material existence. She glows with confidence and good health, and she's up to the physical demands of creation.

  The Empress' creative energy is inspiring, and her enthusiasm can be contagious. She celebrates the excitement of new life-so much that she runs the risk of smothering her creations with love and affection.

  Like every mother, however, the Empress has a dark and dangerous side: while she will fight to the death to protect her young, there are times when she can slip into the guise of the Dark Mother-the Creator-Destroyer, who can refuse her children passage into the world, or remove them from existence, even after birth.