How to Use the Tarot to Develop a Story with M.B. Strang #Tarot #StoryDevelopment



As a writer, I find the Tarot helpful with planning out stories. I have a lot of different decks, some I use for meditation, some I use for practical exercises like story creation. Choose the deck that feels right to you. 

I find it helpful to separate the major arcana from the minor. Use the major arcana, or even just the court cards, to represent the characters of your story. The minor arcana shows situations characters get into and, depending on the cards, can help suggest resolutions for those situations. If you want writing prompts, shuffle the deck and draw cards randomly, then use your imagination to connect the cards and build a story. If you already have an idea and need to develop it more, search through the deck, or decks, and find images that best represent your idea, then choose other cards to help you refine your concept. 

There are no hard and fast rules here. Use the images of the Tarot to spark your imagination. Sure, other art can inspire you, too, but Tarot decks are relatively inexpensive, come in a vast variety of artistic styles, and have 72 cards in each box. That’s a lot of potential inspiration in one little deck. The Tarot itself tells a story when you look at all the cards in order. You could even write stories about each suit. One possibility is to use the major arcana for character and minors for plot and situations, you could set aside the minor arcana and just use the major, or vice versa. Setting limits on how you use the cards will limit your creativity. The more you work with them, the more they will inspire you.

The following is an example of how to construct a story from a Tarot deck:

I drew some cards randomly, then went through the deck to find cards that helped make a sensible narrative. I rearranged the cards until I could see the story. Here are the cards I drew and chose: The Emperor, The Hierophant, 7 of Cups, The Tower, 5 of Pentacles, 5 of Swords, Page of Cups, Queen of Wands, Strength, 8 of Pentacles, 2 of Swords, King of Cups. I didn’t choose a card to represent the Main Character (MC), but you could if that seems helpful. So, the basic story here could be that the Emperor is the MC’s father. He is authoritative and influenced by the Hierophant and criticizes the MC for building castles in the air (7 of Cups) and not developing useful skills. The Tower and the 5 of Pentacles shows how MC is upset by this and leaves home. The 5 of Swords makes the MC question themselves. Maybe the 5 of S is a person the MC meets and decides they don’t want to be like. Then the MC meets the Page of Cups and the Queen of Wands who help the MC find the inner strength (Strength card) to develop their skills (8 of Pentacles) which allow them to fulfill the dreams represented by the 7 of Cups. The 2 of Swords represents the balance in the relationship between the MC and their father; it isn’t a perfect balance, but it’s an improvement in the relationship. The King of Cups represents the change in the father, who while he may not be happy with the MC’s choice of career, at least respects the skills the MC developed. 

This story still needs refinement, of course, and this could be done by drawing more cards for more ideas, or maybe there’s enough here in the cards already drawn, but I hope this shows how the cards can spark suggestions and how one idea can lead to another. This can be useful if you have writer’s block or just need a little nudge to get your thoughts flowing. Remember, there aren’t rules to this. The Tarot is a tool and I hope you enjoy using it to inspire your creativity.



Arrow’s Flight
Knights of the Pearl Order 
Book One
M. B. Sträng

Genre: Fantasy
Date of Publication: 02/17/2022 
ISBN-13: 979-8418478887 
ISBN-13: 9781005631352 
ASIN:B09SP9R1YX 
Number of pages: 277
Word Count: 99,600 
Cover Artist: M.B. Strang

Book Description:

An unknown menace moves through the polite society of Pearl’s Holding. If not caught in time, it will bring down not just the hallowed Knights of the Pearl Order, but also everyone who lives and works with them. The answer lies with a young woman of mysterious origins whose life has been touched by tragedy. To fulfill her potential, she must confront her past and discover a future more amazing than she’d ever imagined and find the inner strength to fly.

She’s not alone. A handful of Knights, a hearthmage, and their magickal companions all test their physical and magickal limits to make things right before it’s too late. Otherwise, dark forces will overtake the Knights for good.


Excerpt:

Beads of sweat rolled into my eyes, and I used the back of my wrist to wipe my forehead as I continued to cut flesh from the lamb’s carcass. The task became difficult as my knife had dulled over the years, and there was no way to sharpen the blade. Scraping it over a rock seemed to make it worse, not better. Taking the animals thumped guilt into my heart, but I didn’t think that the people in the valley would miss them much and I was tired of eating fish. Only once had one of them ventured anywhere near my cave, but he never came close enough to find the bough-covered entrance. I hid, just like my mother said to do. The man soon left, but I’d stayed hidden for hours.

Rumbling filled my belly, and I sliced at the flesh with greater determination. Figuring out how to make fire had come naturally. As for the rest of it—what my parents could do, but I had not yet learned—well, Mama and Papa were not here to teach me. And besides, Mama said to keep it hidden. Some, especially the Brethren, would kill us for what we were.

“Mama said to hide.” I spoke out loud to myself. It had been a long time since I’d heard another voice, but at least I could hear my own. My cave was too far from the valley to hear the people there. The few times I ventured close to the hamlet, I heard their language was not my own native tongue. Suspecting I had lost some words, I spoke more often now, and practised all the languages I knew in order to not forget more, and so my throat wouldn’t lose the ability to speak. I talked to Mama and Papa, wishing they were here. I visited Mama out there in the woods. Just bones now. I had taken the arrow out of her ribs, broke off the shaft, and wore the arrowhead on a cord woven with her hair. It was my way of taking my mother with me, keeping her close.

Heat flushed my forehead. That had been happening more often lately. Despite the warmth in my brow, I shivered. Waves of dizziness washed over me. I finished with the lamb and cleaned the knife on a bit of parchment, one of several scraps I found floating down from the sky one day. A piece had drifted across my face, and I glanced up to see what appeared to be a book flying by. The dropped parchment was no less strange: ornate script scribbled all over in green ink. I had grown tired of trying to decipher the bizarre symbols, many of which different than any of the languages I had learned to read, and found other uses for the parchment pieces.

And now I used another sheet as a mop for my sweating head.

Sitting back on my heels, I clutched the arrowhead in my fist. Once more the events of that long-ago day forced themselves into my mind. That terrible day when a man appeared on the ridge. The sun behind cast him in silhouette, and we could not see his face. He wore the dull robes of the Brethren. They billowed, though there was no breeze. His limbs writhed and twisted and cloth rent as wings thrust out, the man’s body distorting until it resolved into a white wyrm, like a dragon but certainly not a dragon. A foul stench emanated from the beast, and I started to gag.

I saw my father struggling. I knew what he was trying to do, but he could not do it. I knew why my mother could not do it right now but why couldn’t my father? Before they had a chance to ready weapons, the wyrm flapped its leathery wings and issued a bone-jarring shriek. Lightning spewing from its terrible maw, past its narrow, gleaming teeth. That creature took flight, swooped down, snatched up my father in its talons, and carried him away.

“Teban!” My mother screamed my father’s name over and over that the word may reach his ears and give him hope. She fell to her knees, wracked with cries of anguish. Clasping me tightly, she held me for what seemed like a long time, both of us sobbing violently. At last, she gained control of her breath and said, “Quosa, I must go after him. I will get your father back. You must hide.” She stood, and shaking her head, she said, “It must be because of the signatures. That’s why he couldn’t—” Her words broke off as we saw another one of the Brethren approach. She screamed, “Hide!” as the man loosed the arrow that lodged in the middle of her chest.


About the Author:

M.B. Sträng has been happily married to Timothy for over 33 years and they are the proud parents of a Biologist who has earned a Master’s degree. M.B. recently worked at a domestic violence shelter, but now writes full time. She has black belts in two martial arts and occasionally teaches self-defence classes. She enjoys writing (of course), painting, drawing, sewing, and embroidery. At the age of 53, M. B. learned that she is autistic, and suddenly her whole life made sense. She fences with messers, longswords, sabres, and arming swords and bucklers fairly regularly at the Ann Arbor Sword Club, and is a Knight-Magister in the Order of Paladins. Arrow’s Flight is her first novel.









Please Help Send My Son to Disney with His Marching Band

My youngest is registered for a Disney/Universal Studios Florida trip for Spring Break 2023 with his Marching band.

I'm praying that we don't do a backward slide with COVID.

His last big school trip was canceled in 2020. He never did get to go to Washington DC. 

He'll be doing lots of fundraisers through school- candy bar sales and a Coffee Beanery fundraiser have already started with more coming soon (see below for Coffee Beanery ordering details)

In addition to his official fundraisers, you can always purchase from me which helps 100% pay for his trip. I have Patreon, an Etsy store The Bewitching Cauldron, a Zazzle store, my books on Amazon, and of course authors can always purchase book tours or social media packages from Bewitching Book Tours.

The tour company he is traveling with also offers an option for a direct donation to his trip.

For the Coffee Beanery Fundraiser, if you are local to the Flint, MI area and would like to place an order let me know, this will bypass the $10 delivery fee. Unfortunately, they have more varieties and flavors available to purchase online than they do on the brochure.

If you are not local but would still love some coffee please visit the fundraising website: https://www.coffeebeaneryfundraising.com/

All orders placed online will be shipped to your home for a $10 flat shipping fee.

In the top right corner click on shop a fundraiser and use this information to log in:

Email: pattit@beanerysupport.com

Password: coffeebeanery

At check out please enter "Flushing Band and Orchestra Fundraiser Robert Napolitano " in the “Add a note” section at checkout.

Thank you for contributing.

Tarot Tuesday- Living, Breathing Archetypes with Diane Riis #TarotTuesday



Hi There!

Thank you for welcoming me as a guest blogger on Tarot Tuesday! 

My name is Diane Riis and I am a Witch practicing earth and intuition-based spirituality. My business is called Earth and Soul, which helps women write their stories and connect to their earthy natures as well as their higher, soulful selves.

About Tarot magic

I have been reading Tarot and using the cards to focus my meditations for over 25 years. This is a great opportunity for me to talk about something I rarely share on my blog  www.bellywitch.com even though Tarot is key to self-divination and spirituality for me. What I love most about the deck I use are the archetypes and symbols that have been potent markers to what’s happening in my life and in the world around me.

About archetypes and Tarot

Let me say that “archetype quizzes” and systems that take our personalities and categorize them into archetypal language is all the rage.

But, a deck of Tarot cards will tell you everything you need to know about the symbols you should to be paying attention to in the moment. 

Because...

You are not ONE archetype for your whole life!

Goddess forbid! You are a creator, a spiritual being, a living, breathing, changing, evolving soul and not a fixed, permanent personality that is label-able for once and for all!

What archetypes seem to be governing you today? That’s where all the power is. In the now, now, now. And if you don’t like it, you can change it!

Circle of Life, Ocean, Devil

So, if you want archetypes, the Tarot is an amazing resource. You will see how Mother, Queen, Page, earth, fire, stars, moon, and more play out in a beautiful, revolving kaleidoscope throughout your life.You will find these images in my latest book Midnight Pages: A Mystical Workbook for Writers, Insomniacs and Night Owls.I use archetypes to guide your journey through the night, to help you make sense of the sleeplessness, dreams and shadows in your own life and psyche.

Motherpeace

In divination and meditation I use the Motherpeace Tarot deck, which is woman-centric and an alternative to the patriarchal interpretation of traditional decks and religious/spiritual systems.

The images are rooted in art, myth, Goddess worship, the matriarchy and the stages of female life. You will find this Tarot deck refreshing, even though it dates from the early 80s.

Created by Vicki Noble,Motherpeace is a round deck, which takes some getting used to when it comes to shuffling! It’s rich in ancient meaning and beautifully drawn.

The accompanying book, Motherpeace: A Way to the Goddess through Myth, Art and Tarot published by Harper and Row, is comprehensive in explaining the sourcing, meaning and interpretation of all the images Vicki Noble uses. It goes into history and context and at the end of each chapter comes my favorite passages: “if you get this card in a reading…”

Here are some tips for using this deck for your own divination and meditation.

Circles, spirals and spirituality

Use a circular pattern for your card reading – it only makes sense considering it’s a round deck! Put your significator card in the center and lay out the cards in a circle around it. Then, you can use the elements and cardinal directions to place the cards. Here’s an example:

Sometimes you can pre-select your signicator card to represent where you feel you are that day. You sift through the cards until one speaks to you. I let the Goddess decide for me by shuffling a few times, holding the cards against my belly, then cutting the deck into three, three times then shuffling one more time. The top card is my significator. Put that in the middle of your table.

North

The next card goes above the significator. It will represent the watchtowers of the North, which correlates to earth, grounding and the direction you might want to go in the next phase of your life. Since this card represents earth, it might mean tangible things so you can also read this card for insight into how you can obtain the material gifts you want.

South

The cardinal direction South represents sun, fire, passion, creativity, and what wants to come from your heart chakra and solar plexus. Place that card under the significator and let it symbolize what is hot for you now: what needs healing so your creativity can come to life or so that you can find and LIVE what you are truly passionate about.

East

East is air, thought, mind, the power of the intellect. Place it to the right of the significator card and let it represent how you might need to shift your understanding of your current circumstances. Ask, what do I need to know? as you read the card.

West

West is the direction of water, feelings, the oceans of the unconscious which literally swims with emotion. Place this card to the left of the Significator and let it represent what is backing up all that you do: your emotional orientation to life, the past traumas and heartbreaks you’ve experienced, the subconscious beliefs that might be holding you back. Let images from the West rise up gently to your conscious mind and see what you can release before the reading is over.

I know you’ll love the Motherpeace deck and thank you so much for letting me share about it!

Blessed be,

Diane Riis

You can find Diane’s most recent book Midnight Pages: A Mystical Workbook for Writers, Insomniacs and Night Owls at www.themidnightpages.com along with writing prompts and other things to get you through the night. This book is a journey through the shadows of the self and the night, helping writers find their muse and deepen their work through keeping nightly “Midnight Pages.”

Diane is an author, writer’s coach, and flower farmer. You can find her blog at www.bellywitch.com and her business page at www.earthandsoulpublishing.com.

Diane’s fiction work is called the Belly Witch Cozy Mystery series about a fledgling witch who is discovering her (annoyingly persistent) intuitive voice while solving murders at Morning Glory organic farm.


Midnight Pages 
Mystical Inspiration and Writing Prompts for Writers, Insomniacs, and Night Owls 
Diane Riis 

Genre: Nonfiction, Self Help, Writing, Journal, Workbook 
Publisher: Earth and Soul Publishing
Date of Publication: Feb 2, 2022
ISBN: 9798985131000
Number of pages: 370
Word Count: 25,000

Cover Artist: Book Designer: Andrea Schmidt, a-schmidt.com

Tagline: The night has something to tell you.

Book Description: 

Midnight Pages is a workbook of magical prompts and creative writing exercises. It is also the antidote for anyone who has ever tried (and failed) to get up early to write morning pages. 

Embrace your nature! Whether you do your best work at night or you’re going through a bout of insomnia, you will deepen your writing practice and learn to listen to the voices of the night. 

Amazon


WRITING PROMPT From Midnight Pages:

Close your eyes. What do you hear, smell, taste? What do you sense at an energetic or intuitive level? Spend some real time. Find at least twenty-five things. When it gets hard to add to the list is when it gets interesting…”

Excerpt:

VIGILANTIA

Vigilantia: lying awake, sleepless, vigilance. The silence and stillness of midnight might feel suffocating, dense, and thick—heavy with foreboding. It might have you lying in bed, heart pounding, afraid of the dark.


Under the cloak of night, your hearing is heightened. Sounds startle you awake as you drowse. Your mind can ramp up: haunting memories, recriminations, regrets, and stuck thoughts keep you from your rest. Some “insights come up as well and sensations: the surge of adrenaline, pricklings on your neck. You might feel the weight of the dark bearing down on you or you notice movement in the shadows. Maybe you have the sense you’re being watched. Something lurks in the dark that’s imperceptible during the day. You might feel like you are not alone, and that subtle presence over your shoulder seems familiar. You wonder if it’s been there before, maybe even always. During the day, with music blaring and people talking, you just don’t perceive it. Ask what message all this has in store for you. Don’t reject what you hear. Don’t dismiss. Allow.

Night belongs to the spirits. –Proverb

About the Author:

Diane Riis is author of five books and owner of Earth and Soul Coaching and Publishing which works with Indie authors, writers and magical practitioners who want more joy in their lives. She is a metaphysical minister and witch offering spiritual direction (which is a process of reflecting on your journey and learning to observe how you participate in your personal spiritual framework.) She offers writing coaching and classes as well as High Vibe, Soul Deep writing workshops and retreats for women who understand the power of the collective. Rev. Dr. Diane owns and operates a remnant flower farm on Long Island, NY all the while raising dogs, cats, chickens and a boy.