SAMPLE LESSONS
Story Basics Module A
Study the images on the sword cards. What themes or messages are they conveying? Happiness or sadness? War or peace? Swords represent air, such as ideas being transferred through air waves of radio, TV, internet, and thoughts. Swords also represent the intellect. What do you think the women in the bed is feeling?
Tarot Basics Module B
What details do you notice about the Fool? Perhaps you first notice his knapsack. What does it make you think about? On the chart next to the Fool, I recorded a journey. What is the next thing you notice? The white rose? What idea does that convey? I put innocence down. Perhaps the manner in which the fool is holding the rose gives you another idea about it. Study the chart to see what ideas I recorded about the cliff, dog, and sun.
How To Create A Character Using Tarot Cards
Module C
Remember the workbook exercise you completed on the girl with the microscope? You recorded descriptive details for her based on your observations. You inferred what those details told you about her personality. Suppose you had used the Page of Pentacles card to describe this girl, whom we will now call Jane. Study the Page and ask, what features are similar to Jane?
How To Create A Plot Using Tarot Cards
Module D
Choose a card from your deck to represent your main character. In the example here, I chose the man in the 7 of pentacles card for my story's main character, as well as his everyday life. His name is John Smith. He is about 30, single, and lives in the mid-sized town of Summerville, USA. In his everyday life, he works as a landscape architect. This card shows that he is satisfied with how his current project is coming along.
How To Create A Setting Using Tarot Cards
Module E
To establish the mood for a story's setting, your Tarot cards show a wide range of human emotions. Details on each card provide clues for mood: flowers for happy feelings, clouds for more serious feelings, yellows and reds for heightened emotions, greens and tans for calm feelings, and so on. Examine the three of swords card on this slide. What is the mood?
How To Create A Scene Using Tarot Cards
Module F
When characters talk to each other in a scene, the scene shape still applies. The beginning dialogue or brief narrative needs to describe the time and place, along with a few sensory details that evoke sights, sounds, and so on. Dialogue as action commences according to what needs to be accomplished in the scene. A conflict builds to a high moment and ends with the characters being changed, along with an incomplete solution or another conflict that leaves the reader wanting to see what is going to happen next.
How To Create A Story Using Tarot Cards
Module G
At the crisis point in the plot, Sylvia and Nick wrangled over the rose hedge idea until Nick reverted to shouting at her in Greek some things about how the idea was stupid and so on.
Sylvia thrust the plans at Nick and went back into the house. As Nick was about ready to drive away, Sylvia rushed out of the house with a fat manila envelope. She flung it at Nick through his open window. “Here is a present for you.” She said.
Nick sped off.
What happens next? If this story was a novel, pulling more cards would develop more scenes to build up tension until reaching the climax.