Give Me 15 Minutes: Part One*
Give Me 15 Minutes: Part One*
Unlocking Creativity with Tarot & Oracle Cards: A Non-'Woo-Woo' Guide
If you’re new to The Rebel MFA Way, welcome! This is a bit of a cross-genre essay around writing and creativity.
*I truly intended on delivering a five-minute read essay but the more I dug into my past readings, the more ideas came up and I LOVE sharing what has worked for me in the past. So I’m splitting this series up into parts.
[NOTE: Your email provider may truncate this essay, be sure to click on “keep reading” to read the entire piece.]
This essay was written with my “non-woo” readers in mind because I’m on a mission to prove that you don’t need to be mystical, spiritual OR woo to benefit from using tarot or oracle cards.
Give me fifteen minutes and I will give you my best examples and case studies to show you how versatile the cards really are.
What Are Tarot and Oracle Cards, Really?
Perhaps your only interactions or knowledge of tarot and oracle cards come from the movies (did you see the 2024 movie, Tarot?) If so, you probably witnessed the more mystical or spiritual aspects like fortune-telling or divination. And while the cards can be used for that, there is so much more to them that speaks to the non-mystical or spiritual ways to incorporate them into your creative practice.
A brief introduction the differences between Tarot and Oracle cards:
Tarot = a structured deck with archetypes and symbols that can be interpreted in various ways.
Oracle =a more freeform kind of deck, often carrying inspirational or thematic messages.
At their core, tarot and oracle cards are rich with imagery, metaphors, and storytelling elements, which can be tapped into for creative purposes—without any need for spiritual belief.
Why Tarot & Oracle Cards Are Perfect for Creative Exploration
Visual Prompts: Tarot and oracle cards often have rich imagery which acts as a visual prompt, triggering associations and ideas. Writers, artists, and other creatives can use these images to generate story ideas, develop characters, or unblock their creativity.
Symbolism as Metaphor: The symbols and archetypes in tarot (e.g., The Fool’s journey) are universal storytelling tools. They are often used to explore character arcs, plot twists, or inner conflicts.
Randomness as Inspiration: There is power in randomness! When you pull a card, it forces you to think outside your usual patterns. This element of surprise often leads to fresh ideas and unexpected directions in creative projects.
Practical Ways to Use Tarot & Oracle Cards for Creativity (Without the 'Woo')
Character Development
Believe it or not, a single tarot card can inspire an entire character. The archetypes (like The Fool, The Empress, The Magician) offer broad frameworks to build from. Pull a card and brainstorm your character’s personality, motivation, or backstory based on the imagery, symbology and the archetypes present in the card.
Plot Ideas
You can use the cards to help you plot or build structure into your story. For example, you could map out a story's beginning, middle, and end using very simple prompts like:
Card 1: The protagonist’s current state or goal.
Card 2: The main conflict or obstacle.
Card 3: The resolution or lesson.
While you don’t have to use the cards in a literal sense, you can use all aspects of the card to generate ideas or seeds of inspiration to help build out your story.
Setting & Atmosphere
Because tarot and oracle cards are intentionally created around imagery and symbology — inherently, they offer much to be extracted and explored.
Outside of the traditional Rider-Waite Smith Tarot — there are many different themed decks (which I’ll showcase in a bit). So even if you pull, for example, The Magician — the way it appears in one deck can be vastly different from how it appears in another which means there is often multiple ways you can get inspired.
Oracle cards with themes like nature, animals, or plants can be used to inspire vivid settings or emotional tones. You can use the mood or imagery on the cards to set the scene for a story or piece of art.
If you are a fan of mythology, archetypes or goddesses, there are many decks themed that way that you can use to learn more or build into your story.
Overcoming Creative Blocks
When you're stuck, pulling a card can shake things up. The randomness helps sidestep overthinking or perfectionism and opens up new directions for your work. The cards can serve as a permission slip to try something new.
A Simple Exercise to Try
Here’s a very simple exercise to try out yourself! Below, I’ve supplied a card image from the Sacred Rebels Oracle.
Look at the image and ask yourself:
What story could this image be telling?
What kind of character might this card represent?
What mood or feeling does the card evoke?
Write for 10-15 minutes based on the first thought or association that comes to mind, without worrying about “getting it right.”
Consider this exercise and how it may or may not differ from your other methods of getting creative inspiration.
FUN Ways to Use Tarot & Oracle Cards for Creativity [Mini Case Studies]
Using Pop Culture Decks
Are you a fan of pop culture? Fan-fiction? Character archetypes? Pop culture decks are a great way to have some creative fun! Using the cards doesn’t have to always be serious and it doesn’t always have to result in locking down a story. It can be a great “icebreaker” for a writing group. It can be a fun warm-up exercise to get your creative juices flowing.
The point is — you can use the cards however you want, but I promise you will have more fun if you give yourself permission to play.
EXAMPLE ONE
I took out my Friends tarot deck and the Movie tarot deck and pulled a card from each and said, “okay, what if Monica (as the Queen of Swords) met Jareth the Goblin King (as the Moon)?”
Monica, as the Queen of Swords is kind of perfect because she is already the pragmatic, no-nonsense type of archetype but as the Queen, those qualities are heightened. In this form she values logic and structure, and she’s known for her leadership and strong-willed nature. She doesn’t shy away from telling it like it is, and she’s fiercely protective of those she loves, often showing a tough-love approach.
Jareth as The Moon embodies mystery, illusion, the subconscious, and the blurring of reality and fantasy. Which, again, let’s be honest is how his character archetype appears in the film. As The Moon, he’s a master of deception, enticing others to question what’s real and what’s imagined. His domain is filled with tricks and psychological tests, often drawing people into deep, emotional journeys of self-discovery—whether they like it or not.
Now…
Imagine Monica, ever the pragmatist, suddenly finding herself in Jareth’s labyrinth. She’d instantly be irritated by the chaos and the lack of structure in this dreamlike world. Jareth’s mysterious and unpredictable nature would frustrate her—Monica is someone who needs answers, order, and clear direction, while Jareth thrives on emotional confusion.
Monica would likely challenge Jareth head-on, wielding her Queen of Swords energy to cut through his illusions. She would demand clarity from him, probably saying something like, "I don’t have time for games—what do you want from me?" Her sharp mind would attempt to dissect the labyrinth, perhaps over-organizing everything in her typical Monica fashion (color-coded maps and plans for each turn).
Jareth, however, would relish in Monica’s frustration. The more she seeks to control the situation, the more he might play with her perception of reality. He could make her question her own instincts, drawing out her insecurities, which The Moon often represents—doubts and fears that hide beneath the surface.
Conflict in the Story
The primary conflict would be Monica’s desperate need for order versus Jareth’s love of chaos and illusion. Monica would likely get frustrated trying to rationalize her way through a world that doesn’t follow logic. She might try to use every trick in her "Queen of Swords" arsenal—plans, strategies, mental sharpness—to outsmart Jareth. But The Moon’s influence means that logic alone won’t help her; she’ll have to trust her intuition, a skill that’s not her usual go-to.
In the end, Jareth might teach Monica an important lesson: not everything can be controlled or perfectly organized. Sometimes, embracing uncertainty or leaning into the unknown can bring new insights. She would be forced to relinquish some of her need for control, and this surrender might allow her to finally navigate the labyrinth.
Jareth, on the other hand, might admire Monica’s strength and determination. In a way, she’s one of the few who can stand up to him intellectually and not immediately crumble under the weight of his psychological tricks. They would reach a sort of mutual respect—Monica learns to loosen her grip on the need for certainty, and Jareth respects her ability to remain strong even in the face of chaos.
Perhaps there’s even room for them to be… friends? (pun so intended).
EXAMPLE TWO
What if you’re working with a millennial like character, The Millennial Tarot is a great way to infuse your character with some tough love and millennial energy. Here’s a one card pull for the “main energy” of the character:
Card themes: Drive, determination, unconventional ambition, taking control of one's path.
This card tells me that this character is in motion in some way. The reference to “Van Life” suggests a desire for freedom and independence, possibly pushing back against traditional societal expectations like settling down, working a corporate job, or staying in one place.
Character Traits:
Ambitious, with a clear vision of where they want to go.
Values independence and is likely seeking personal or financial freedom.
Driven to create their own opportunities and live life on their terms.
May come across as bold, adventurous, and unafraid to take risks, though their determination could sometimes blind them to the need for flexibility.
Potential Storyline or Arc:
This character could be at a pivotal point in their life where they are leaving behind traditional structures (like a corporate job, an unfulfilling relationship, or a stagnant life path) to pursue something more aligned with their true desires.
They could be embarking on a physical or metaphorical journey, with a storyline that revolves around the tension between their desire for freedom and the practical challenges that come with it.
They may need to learn how to balance their intense drive with the realities of life and avoid charging ahead without reflection.
All of this is derived from the single card but as you can see, there is plenty of information and inspiration to “mine” from it.
Working with Archetypes
I LOVE archetypal work and it features very heavily in my fiction. One of my favorite (and fun!) ways of working with decks is for archetype clarity.
EXAMPLE ONE
I used this method to help me build out a character in a short story for one of my horror classes. I wanted this character to have goddess-like energy so I pulled a single card from The Dark Goddesses Oracle.
Knowing quite a bit about Persephone’s myth already, this already felt like a good match for my character. From here, I read the description in the guidebook, did a bit more research on Persephone and ended up adapting several of her archetypal elements to my character. I actually have entire spreads dedicated to working with goddess or myth energy because it’s a large part of my myth-tending process.
EXAMPLE TWO
You can also use the cards to figure out who your character is NOT. I call this the “true or false” spread… and all I do is pull a few cards and ask myself, is this true or false of my character? Caroline Myss’s Archetype Cards are great for this.
This type of spread/reading is great for getting to the heart of who your character is because you’re forced to consider whether or not the card relates to your character and overall story. In this spread for example, I had a visceral reaction to the “Bully” card because my character is definitely not that. But with the “Visionary” card, I wouldn’t have normally said this was “true,” of my character but the shadow attributes DO feel in line with something she would do… so using the cards to question the “assumptions” I have about them is a great way to make sure I’m building in depth and nuance.
Working with Creative Decks
There are many decks on the market that are specifically made to be used for storytelling or creative brainstorming (or lend themselves to that style of reading).
EXAMPLE ONE:
My absolute favorite creative brainstorming decks right now are The Citadel Oracle by Fez Inkwright and The Literary Witches Oracle by Taisa Kitaiskaia and Katy Horan. The Citadel Oracle deck was actually created with RPG and Storytelling in mind, so it makes sense that it provides such a wealth of inspiration during readings. And The Literary Witches Oracle is all about empowering female writers and common “subjects” they wrote about. Together, they form a very powerful duo. Below is a “Creating the Story” spread [sourced from the amazing Thomas at Hermit’s Mirror] that I recently did for the novel I’m working on:
This spread covers the main attributes of a story like conflict and theme, but also gives you a few extra “details” about the story that you might want to look at. This is a more advanced type of spread — meant to be read as individual cards + as a collective. If you are new to tarot or oracle cards, I recommend starting with the 1-3 card spreads until you feel more comfortable.
But once you do feel comfortable, you will be amazed at what you can glean from a spread like this. This spread broke open a lot of obstacles I was facing with my novel while also affirming what I had already established about it.
Just for shits and giggles, I’m sharing my journaling entry about my reaction to one of the cards from this reading:
EXAMPLE TWO:
The Unfinished Business Tarot by M.J. Cullinane is one of the most unique tarot decks I have in my possession. It is a labor of love from the creator and such a brilliant way to combine the cards and story as each card in this deck comes with a backstory of the character as a deceased person the fictional card reader (the narrator) encounters.
The above card’s character is Leo Holmes, a seasoned and persistent reporter who pursued stories at all costs, including his personal health. He was so focused on getting to the truth of the story that he died, exhausted and overworked. As the Knight of Pentacles, Leo represents a character who has worked hard to get where they are, but often forget that rest is just as important. This character knows that there are no shortcuts to the truth, but sometimes it is better to pause and evaluate the whole picture before moving full-force into everything.
At this point, I could use Leo as inspiration for a character — fill in the gaps between the text of the guidebook — who is Leo, really?
You could also pair this with another card in this deck to create a new mash-up “persona.”
There are also endless possibilities for backstory inspiration.
TLDR;
Tarot and Oracle decks are not just for the mystical, spiritual or “woo” among us. They can be used by anyone for anything, but they are especially great as an entry point into creativity.
Here are some more pieces on working with cards from my co-written e-zine (now only archives) if you are interested in shorter pieces:
Want to put these theories into practice? Come join my FREE Write by the Cards: 30 Day Challenge in my community. We’re going to have a ton of fun and there will be a lot of goodies included.
