Stargazing: Dissolve Writer's Block with the Tarot
Day ~4~ in the Tarot Tent
Welcome to The Tarot Tent, a special five-day event brought to you by The Shuffle.
Each day, as part of this virtual summer camp experience for writers, I’m bringing a Tarot-for-Writers workshop out of my archives to share with you!
Recordings will be available free for everyone for 24 hours, and then they’ll live in The Shuffle library for full-access subscribers forever! PS: full-access subscribers can find details on booking a complimentary mini-spark session with me at the bottom of this email!
We often camp when we want to slow down and find simplicity and connection. To be present in nature, present in the world, present with ourselves, our ideas… the stories in our heads.
I long for the great outdoors the most when I’m feeling the crunch of creative block… when the world around me, and the worlds in my mind, feel closed of and inaccessible.
The open skies and physical demands of the natural world have a way of cracking open those otherwise inpenetrable walls, and I often find I do my best, truest writing when I’m inspired by something I stumble out there, in the wild. (Even if, on regular days, my version “wild” is the local dog park).
There’s a tarot card I turn to, in moments of block, too: The Star sits upright, propped against my keyboard now.
In the card, a nude figure pours water from two jugs - one into the earth, and another directly into a spring. There’s an unburdening here that I think is crucial to our unblocking process. When we pour out our expectations, hang-ups, and fears, we can fill ourselves back up with possibility, with openness to what’s new. And what’s new is going to be the thing that delivers us from block.
Let’s try a little pouring-out exercise of our own…
Set ten minutes on the timer and allow yourself to journal stream-of-conscious-style on the page. Pour out your own expectations about the stories you’re writing, about how block feels, and how flow feels, about what good writing is, about how the tarot can and can’t elevate your writing practice and about what you “should” do.
Meanwhile, here’s something I can pour out to you… a poem I’ve been workshopping inspired by the Star, working title: recharge.:
the ritual of staying alive takes
every resource i never had, and so
while you sleep i
wane my layers, expose the soft
white curve of me to the deadslick screen of sky
slip
out the door
bare feet
out of town
bare back
bowed to heaven
fleshy mirror to the moon
imitation magnet for the tide
kneeling at the altar of night
bare knees
willing the spell to
work half as hard as I do, fill me up so I can pour myself out
shaking – the weight, bare arms
quaking – the state of me
bare heart
squinting into stardark
waiting
for the sun to shine so much brighter
than me
it burns.
Now that you’ve lightened the load you’re carrying, it’s time to head back into the wild.. unburdened by expectation, and ready to face your blocks head on.
Below you’ll find today’s pre-recorded workshop: DISSOLVE WRITER’S BLOCK WITH THE TAROT
We cover:
How to generate ideas with the tarot when you're stuck
How to use tarot to reconnect with the core elements of your story when you've lost the plot
How to use the tarot as a creative self-care tool while navigating block
I also created a supplementary mini-workbook for you! Get it here ⬇️
NOTE: This workshop was first recorded in October 2023, as part of my TAROTWRIMO workshop series to help writers prepare for NaNoWriMo.
Wherever participants have been invited to share in the chat, I encourage you to share in the comments below.
Watch the Workshop
Thanks for watching, campers! Don’t be shy - share your experiences and questions in the chat, and come back tomorrow for a new Tarot Tent adventure.
Until then, consider closing out your second day of camp with the following reflection prompts:
What questions has this session helped me answer?
What new questions has it opened up?
How will I apply what I’ve learned to my writing process?
Coming up tomorrow:
👻 78 Degrees of Spooky: Write a Ghost Story with the Tarot
In this generative campfire-tale-themed workshop, you're going to write a ghost story using the tarot.
Following a brief discussion about how the tarot can help us generate stories, I'll give you a series of tarot-informed prompts and invite you to outline your story. You'll then get some focused writing time to develop your idea into a story.
Book your complimentary Mini-Spark Session now
To help you make the most of the ideas and resources I’m sharing in the Tarot Tent, you’re invited to claim a 20-minute live session with me and my friend, the tarot, to discuss a creative project or goal. Secure your booking now ⬇️