Ideas for Personal Writing
Draw a card each day for a few minutes of freewriting. You can shuffle the deck and pull a random card, or you can go through the cards face up to find one whose image speaks to you. Describe the card and how it makes you feel and any personal associations it evokes. Don't evaluate or censor your thoughts, and don't worry about what the card means. You can always look up an interpretation of the card after you are finished writing to see if it triggers any new ideas.
Go through the deck face up and find a card that visually represents who you were at different times of your life. To begin a freewrite, you might use the sentence starter, "I was the _____ when ____." See examples below.
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| "I was the Nine of Wands when I was working for X." |
"I was the Seven of Cups in college, dreaming of all the possible directions my life might take." |
Choose a card that represents who you are in different situations. "I'm the ___ when I'm with my sister, and the ____ when I'm at a party." Let the images guide your writing and explore the metaphors they offer.
Choose cards to fill in the following sentence, "In the past I was the ___, and now I'm the ____ and in six months I hope to be the ___."
Below are cards with questions you might use as prompts.
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X Wheel of Fortune
* What is the first detail you notice in the card?
* Describe what is happening in the card.
* How does the card make you feel?
* Does this image evoke personal associations?
Theme:
turning points, change, cycles, patterns, growth For reflection:
Consider the major turning points in your life. Which were unexpected? Which did you bring about? How have you grown from these experiences? What patterns or habits would you like to break?
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Ten of Wands
* What is the first detail you notice in the card?
* Describe what is happening in the card.
* How does the card make you feel?
* Does this image evoke personal associations?
Theme:
a heavy load, pressing on, burned out, resentful, workaholic
For Reflection:
When have you felt burned out or that you have taken on more than you can handle? How do you cope with stress?
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Ten of Cups
* What is the first detail you notice in the card?
* Describe what is happening in the card.
* How does the card make you feel?
* Does this image evoke personal associations?
Theme:
happiness, completeness, feeling at home, emotional fulfillment
For Reflection:
What brings you emotional fulfillment? When do you feel most complete and at home with yourself?
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Ten of Swords
* What is the first detail you notice in the card?
* Describe what is happening in the card.
* How does the card make you feel?
* Does this image evoke personal associations?
Theme:
paralysis
For Reflection:
Consider a time when you felt paralyzed. How did you move from paralysis to action?
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Ten of Pentacles
* What is the first detail you notice in the card?
* Describe what is happening in the card.
* How does the card make you feel?
* Does this image evoke personal associations?
Theme:
legacy, inheritance
For reflection:
What traditions and beliefs have you inherited? What do you want to pass on to others? What do you hope to accomplish during your life?
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Illustrations from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902 USA. Copyright 1971 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Further reproduction prohibited. The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck is a registered trademark of U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
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