Thank you Craig M. Slater, Mira Dessy, Julie Schmidt, Jennifer Zarin, LCAT, Marcia Sacks, Jade Eby, Emily Sanders Hopkins, Robin Gadient and the other 62+ of you who joined my Substack Live with Rebecca Barry! We had so much fun exchanging ideas and notes, and offering writers tips on using tarot for life, creativity, and writing.
Wait, What’s Tarot?
When we talk about “tarot,” we’re generally referring to a deck of 78 illustrated cards used for guidance, reflection, and symbolic storytelling. Originating in 15th-century Europe as a card game, tarot later became associated with mysticism and divination.
The cards are divided into two parts: the Major Arcana (22 cards that represent big life themes and archetypes) and the Minor Arcana (56 cards that reflect everyday situations, emotions, and choices). We talked about a lot of different decks today, but most tarot decks include these cards.
Tarot helps you tap into imagination, insight, and possibility. For writers, this means a lot of helpful “feedback,” on your writing career, writing life, stories in progress, and multiple creative projects.
How Tarot Can Help
Tarot as a Bridge (Rebecca): “I use them as a bridge between my everyday brain personality and my deepest knowing. And I feel like they’re a really nice bridge, a really nice way to access your deepest self.”
Permission to Pivot (Darien): “I also want to give everyone permission always to pivot... That one point is what served me. And that may be something that really resonated with me at one point. And maybe now it’s different.”
The Power of Pause
“It’s an opportunity to take a pause and reflect on the card and ask, okay, what is this? What does this mean, and what does this mean for me (or my book or my character)? I’ve found that if I stay open, answers make themselves known and I can go from there.” Darien Gee
From here you’ll learn:
How tarot can help you break through creative blocks and instantly move a scene, character, or chapter forward
The exact card pulls and practices Rebecca and I use in our daily writing lives—and why they work
A simple character + plot method that turns any tarot spread into story development gold
Ways to use tarot as a creative pause, reset, and intuitive feedback loop (no memorizing 78 cards required)
Our favorite decks, spreads, and writing exercises to spark imagination, deepen storytelling, and stay connected to your work
