This is the third Tarot Table Talk Podcast and the first in a series that offers exercises to use the tarot for personal and creative writing. You can listen to Writing with the Tarot #1 here. This episode is an MP3 and is 31.1 MB. While the podcast itself lasts 22 minutes, this does not include writing time. Feel free to use your recorder’s pause button liberally and to take as long as you need for your written response to each prompt. You may choose to do all of the exercises in one sitting, or break them up over several writing sessions. You might even want to bring the recording to your writers’ group or tarot group.
This episode is co-hosted by Susan Gold and Evelyn Pine. To participate, it doesn’t matter how much or how little you know about writing or the tarot. It offers exercises that will help you get started on—or deepen—either journey.
In this episode
This episode begins with a warm-up writing exercise to help those who are new to the tarot to focus on the details of a card. The warm-up is followed by a self-reflective writing exercise inspired by each of the four suits of tarot. We conclude with a creative writing exercise that will generate ideas for setting, story, and character.
What you will need
To do the writing exercises, you will, of course, need a favorite writing instrument—pen, pencil, or even a computer, and a tarot deck. You can find a tarot deck at any book store—though we encourage you to support a new age or independent book store. A great independent online tarot store is The Tarot Garden.
There are thousands of decks out there, and you might want to first go to Aeclectic Tarot, which has reviews of decks and sample images from them. Whatever deck you choose, just make sure that every card is rich with scenes and imagery. If you are still having trouble selecting a deck, you might try the classic Rider-Waite deck or the Golden Tarot deck.
Once you’ve got your deck, pen and paper—or computer, find a place conducive for writing.
We’d love to hear from you
This podcast course is a work in progress, so we would love to hear your feedback. We would also love to hear about your writing process for these exercises. Don’t be shy about posting!
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, be sure to visit Tarot Insights for a listing of Writing with the Tarot workshops. Susan and Evelyn will also be presenting a Writing with the Tarot session at the Bay Area Tarot Symposium on October 6, 2007.
