Creative Draw of the Day: The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man seems perfect for New Years Eve, when the old year dies and the new year is born. It's a Major Arcana card, so it carries extra weight for a character. Better yet, it represents a period of intense withdrawal from the every-day world, when the character undergoes an ordeal that leads her to re-evaluate her life, emerging with more insight and wisdom than before.

I've always thought this ordeal should be voluntary--but I changed my mind after seeing The Fighter. Dicky is forced to undergo a withdrawal from the world, and the subsequent re-evaluation seems to work for him.

This card conjures up the mythology of Odin--the Norse deity who hung from the branches of Yggdrasil, the world tree, to learn the secrets of the Runes. Take a look at this post, which gives a Pagan perspective of  Odin's story and how it relates to this card.

Whatever a character's religion or mythos, the ordeal represented by The Hanged Man may leave her shaken or even shattered--but it will leave her stronger too.

Christian Bale as Dicky in The Fighter

Creative Draw of the Day: The Hermit

Yes, this is the card made famous by the inside of the Led Zeppelin IV album. I've strayed from the Universal Waite Tarot deck because that album is where I first encountered the Hermit--and where I first encountered the Tarot.

The Hermit is the ninth card of the Major Arcana, falling between (in most decks) Strength and the Wheel of Fortune. So say your character has just had a traumatic experience that helped him discover his inner strength. He's still not ready for the ups and downs of the Wheel, or for the rest of the torture--er, conflict--you have in store for him. He'll need to seek out the Hermit's advice first.

The Hermit himself seems like the Obi Wan type, doesn't he? But he doesn't need to be that obvious. To me, this card represents any secondary character who is detached enough from your main guy to give him sound advice--advice your main guy will probably ignore, but that's another issue.

In Not So Safe, for example, Scott Edmund will perform this service for Zev. Scott is a ruthless bastard, not an enlightened Jedi! He just happens to have a soft spot for Zev, whom he views as a little brother. And since he's not immediately involved in Zev's drama, he has a better idea of Zev's situation than Zev himself.

Creative Draw of the Day: Six of Cups

Ever met people who miss the way Thanksgiving "used to be?" They're thinking back to a time when relatives who have passed on were still alive, or back before a divorce complicated the holiday, or back when there didn't seem to be so much pressure to bring everyone together.

To me, this card represents that nostalgia taken to an extreme. It's a longing for some time in the past that we've idealized and, well, idolized. Of course, we were never as deleriously happy "back then" as we think we were. We've just forgotten the bad stuff.

A character with this card as his guiding principle is fixated on the past. He can't move forward because he wants things to be the way they used to be. Maybe he's can't let go of a failed romance--we could have a stalker here--or maybe he's an athlete who can't face the fact that he's too old to compete. Whatever the specifics, this character is all about looking back.

Creative Draw of the Day: Seven of Cups

I've always seen this card as holding special meaning for writers: it's a card of imagination, showing all the different stories a writer can conjure up. But sometimes conjuring up stories is easier than buckling down, choosing one to write, and completing the project.

That's one advantage I've found with NaNoWriMo--participating is forcing me to work consistently on one story this month. I may be behind in my wordcount, but at least I'm not hopping from idea to idea.

And that's the lesson of this card, I think. It's one thing to dream up stories, but another to focus on one and convey it in the real world. I've always been better at the former than the latter!

Creative Draw of the Day: Five of Wands

From a writing point of view, I love this card. It's got something every story needs: conflict! Conflicts that result from fiery tempers, no less. (Wands represent the element Fire, which represent our passions and energy and ambition. All the stuff that good conflict is made of.)

On the other hand, some people look at this card and see stylized conflict--maybe a practice fight, or a pretend fight, or even some kind of dance rather than a real battle. Ok, I can see that. Perhaps this is a group of teenagers horsing around. Or a bunch of brothers who enjoy harmless brawling. But that's not much help when it comes to writing a story, so I prefer to interpret this as a real fight. (Though I'll admit it's probably not a deadly one.)

So a real fight it is--heck, I can't even tell who's on which side. I don't think there are sides--everyone's fighting with everyone else. I'm going to try to give just a little taste of that in my NaNo novel, Not So Safe. At one point in the story, when passions are running high and it seems that Zev's goal is out of reach, he'll be blowing up at the two people he wanted to avoid alienating: Marc and Sean.

Creative Draw of the Day: The Star

This is a card of hope, optimism and guidance--and, I think, of inspiration. The eight pointed star represents goddesses like Inanna and Venus, but as far as I'm concerned, this card belongs to the muses.

So I think of this woman as a muse. I love how she's pouring fresh water into the pond, as if she's overflowing with ideas and insights.

I've always thought of myself as having plot bunnies rather than a muse. Plot bunnies seem less pretentious and easier going. But my character Zev is being so pushy about his story that I think he's acquiring muse-status for me. I hope he keeps inspiring me in November, when I stop taking notes and officially start Not So Safe. I want to claim a NaNoWriMo victory this year!

Creative Draw of the Day: Eight of Swords

This trapped, bound and blindfolded figure strikes me as female, but gender-bending is perfectly acceptable in the Tarot. For story purposes, the character represented by this card can be either a man or a woman.

Swords represent the element Air, which in turn represents the mind and intelligence. This character may be caught in the web of a cunning villain--or this character may be suffering from mental illness. A serious addiction is also a possibility.

In fact, I think addiction is my favorite option, story-wise. This woman can free herself by using the swords to cut through the binding, but the swords will likely cut her as well. Recovery from an addiction can be equally possible--but equally painful and difficult.

I have one story, in play-form, that deals with addiction. It's called Searching and Fearless; it was my Script Frenzy project. After NaNoWriMo, it may be time for me to revise it and put it in prose form . . .

Creative Draw of the Day: Two of Swords

"Your eyes can deceive you; don't trust them."

~Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars

Ah, as you might have noticed, I failed to draw a card yesterday. My apologies! I was occuppied with a new RPG (role-playing game) system that my group was trying out for the first time. More on that later--I think it has some bearing on creating characters.

Meanwhile, here's my draw for today: the Two of Swords. The traditional interpretation of this card suggests stalemate--a person trying to make a decision, but flustered and confused and unable to view all her (or his) options.

I don't agree. To begin with, I don't think the blindfold means this figure is flustered or confused. I think she put it on deliberately, just as Luke (with Obi Wan's help) put on the blinding helmet in Star Wars for light saber practice--letting go of his conscious control in order to allow the Force to work through him. Likewise, I think this figure has blindfolded herself so that she can better follow her gut and intuition.

I'm not even sure she's trying to make a choice--those two swords seem well balanced. In fact, balance-rather-than-choosing will be a theme of my NaNo novel, Not So Safe. The goal of my main character, Zev, is to convince Marc that he doesn't have to choose between Zev and Sean. They can both have a relatinship with him, without any pesky jealousy.

How well this will work out for Zev remains to be seen, but that's the direction he's going. And I think he's got enough chutzpah and determination to make a polyamorous relationship work . . .

Creative Draw of the Day: Seven of Pentacles

Hmmm. Is this character just tired after a long day of work? Or is he bored and looking for a new challenge?

Either way, he's good at what he does: look at those pentacles blooming and overspilling. But success isn't everything; not if he's outgrown this work.

On the other hand, if I use this card for a contemporary story--well, in this economy, it'd be a rash character who left a good, successful career in order to seek out a new challenge. And pentacle-types are generally more level-headed than that.

But even a pentacle-type can break out of his level-headed shell once and a while, right? It might be fun to see what happens when a cautious character finally takes a big risk . . .

Creative Draw of the Day: Knight of Cups

This card belongs to the hopeless romantic. In fact, I think this knight is more interested in a chilvarous, dreamy, romantic ideal than in any flesh-and-blood lover. And he's definitely the type to put his calling--or quest--before everything else. Family and loved ones will always come second.

At an extreme, this knight may adore romance, but be asexual in practice. (For some people, sex and romance don't need to intertwine.)

So this character will win lots of points with his love interest in the beginning of the relationship; he has all the right instincts as far as romantic dates and gifts go. But long term--well, if his lover is ok playing second fiddle to his dreams and ideals, things will go well. But who wants things to go well? In a good story, a whole lot of things will go wrong first . . .

Creative Draw of the Day: Seven of Swords

Confession: I love this card. Yeah, the character it portrays is a thief--but what's a story without a rogue?

I call this the 'Neal Caffrey Card,' in honor of the most charming con artist known to television (although Remington Steele is a close second). For those of you who aren't familiar with White Collar--shame on you! Remedy this immediately.

We're dealing with a smart, cunning rogue here à la Neal; swords represent mental prowess, after all. And, like Neal, this isn't a violent criminal. In fact, I love this blurb from Isabel Radow Kliegman in Tarot and the Tree of Life: 

The prankster . . . has come up with a creative solution to an embattled situation: it will be hard for the enemy to attack with five of their seven swords gone. With a little luck, they'll fight among themselves over who shall wield the remaining two.

I have only one issue with this card: how do I create a charming rogue who doesn't owe too much to Neal? I'll just have to remind myself that Neal has his predecessors too.

Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey in White Collar

Creative Draw of the Day: Nine of Swords

I can't decide if the character in this card is male or female. Either way, it's someone experiencing nightmares, insomnia, depression and despair.

Cheerful card, huh?

As Isabel Radow Kliegman points out in Tarot and the Tree of Life,  the quilt on the bed features red roses and zodiac signs. Meanwhile, the bed  itself looks as narrow and hard as a coffin.

Really cheerful card, huh?

Perhaps the zodiac signs are there to remind us that everyone experiences despair at some point--it doesn't matter what sign you're born under. And the red roses? They're often associated with desire. I don't think, in this case, they represent only romantic desire. I think they represent an overwhelming desire for anything we can't have. The figure might be despairing because a friend is desperately ill--or because they're worried sick for a child. Or maybe the figure is facing his or her own mortality.

Once again, I'm not sure which character this card will end up representing for me. And, once again, it reminds me that I can't shelter my characters from pain. I'm not a big fan of angst--a little bit goes a long, long way. But if I try to avoid it altogether, my characters will be the poorer for it.

Creative Draw of the Day: Three of Swords

Confession: I didn't draw this card at random. It just exemplifies how I feel today. A beloved pet died this morning and I'm grieving her.

Some interpret this card to represent three separate sorrows that stab the heart. I don't think that's the case, and I've never been a believer in the idea that bad news comes in threes.

To me, this is a card of mental anguish. (Swords represent the element Air, which represents our minds. Hence I don't think there's any physical pain involved in this card.) That anguish is brought about, most likely, by loss--but the cause might also be betrayal or heartache.

I'm not sure how to weave this into one of my stories yet. But it reminds me that sometimes the stakes need to be high--each of my characters, at some point in their lives, have to face genuine anguish. The worst thing I can do as an author is protect them.

Creative Draw of the Day: Four of Cups

A young man--it could be a woman if you squint--is sitting cross-legged under a tree, calling to mind the Buddha under the Bodhi tree. He has three cups in front of him, and is contemplating a fourth held out by some sort of angelic hand. He seems  to be giving serious thought to the offer.

Is he hesitant and confused, not knowing whether to accept the gift? Is he trying to choose between all four cups? Or has he learned to be patient, waiting for just the right cup?

I'm not sure, but this is a card of someone who turns inward for answers-and a card of someone who has some mastery over his emotions. (Cups represent the element of water, which in turn represents the emotions.) He's not going to act on his emotions--not immediately, anyway.

I think I'll use this card to represent Sean Valencia from Not So Safe. Sean is rather shy and cautious, and he's definitely the contemplative type. He's almost the polar opposite of Zev . . .

Creative Draw of the Day: Nine of Pentacles

To me, this card represents an independent woman who is complete in herself and happy living on her own. She's unapologetically wealthy, with a rich gown and a fancy manor in the background. She also has a garden that's bursting with grapes and pentacles. Two animals are keeping her company; a snail at her feet and a hooded falcon on her hand. 

She exemplifes the suit of pentacles: she's wealthy, earthy and successful. She's also either reasonably cautious or over-controlling, depending on how you feel about her keeping the hooded falcom. I suppose she's being responsible--falcons can be dangerous, but she's made sure hers is restrained. But you can argue that a falcon belongs free in the wild, not in captivity.

Or perhaps the falcon is symbolic. Maybe she's restrained as a person, putting her energy and passion primarily into her garden.

At any event, she's another reminder to me to pay attention to my female characters--especially a female character who's comfortable in her own skin and thrilled to keep her relationship status on Facebook set to "single."

Creative Draw of the Day: Six of Swords

I've seen many different interpretations of this card--including one that casts the ferryman as Charon, and the seated figure and child as the newly dead crossing the River Styx. Death, in the Tarot, is symbolic rather than literal; at least in a regular reading. But if the card represents a fictional character, as it does here, all bets are off.

But I've never seen this as a death card, symbolic or otherwise. To me that huddled figure--it's impossible to know if it's male or female--has taken the child and fled from a terrible situation (see the troubled waters on the right side of the boat) to a place of at least temporary safety (see the smooth waters on the left side of the boat and the peaceful, if gray, island in the distance).

The suit of Swords represents the element Air, and therefore the mind and the ability to discriminate between a good situation and a bad one. That huddled figure is not willing to remain the victim of some awful circumstance. So to me, this is a positive card--even if the journey is painful and frightening.

I don't know how to fit this card into one of my stories yet. But that's ok--I'm willing to let it rest until the right character steps forward to claim it.

Creative Draw of the Day: Two of Pentacles

I think I've found the card for Marc Jaffe, one of the characters for my NaNoWriMo. No, Marc doesn't wear a funny hat--he sticks with business casual wear. But this card exemplifies his state of mind as Not So Safe begins.

Marc is very much in line with the suit of Pentacles: he's down to earth, he has a good head for figures and he's a financial wizard. But, like the juggler in this card, he's off balance. He has been since his wife died three years ago.

I would usually interpret this card to indicate a problem juggling finances and debt, but I don't think that's the case for Marc. His finances are fine. True, he's a bit disorganized in his professional life, but that's why he has Zev as his administrative assistant. So Marc has a different problem.

Marc has never come to terms with his bisexuality; that storm-tossed sea behind the juggler matches his emotional turmoil when it comes to Zev. (Water in the Tarot is connected to our emotions.) He has an excellent working relationship and friendship with the man, but he's never taken the next step. He's left Zev to assume that he's thoroughly heterosexual.

But once Sean, Marc's ex-lover, enters the picture, Marc finds he can't put on a show anymore. That leads to all sorts of complications with both Zev and Sean.

The Two of Pentacles is a hard place to be. The card has promise--that green string surrounding the two coins is a symbol of infinity, a powerful symbol in the Tarot denoting holiness and eternity. If Marc can come to terms with his dualities, and his love for both Zev and Sean, he just might have a shot at finding happiness again.

Creaitve Draw of the Day: Eight of Wands

I love this card. Eight wands flying through the air--either about to collide with something, or about to ground themselves. Either way, it's good news; perhaps a character will be slammed by the creative spark wands provide. Or maybe her seemingly out-there ideas will finally come down to earth.

Ok, ok. It's not always good news. A character can be slammed by someone's explosive temper--wands represent the element fire, after all. Or she can be slammed by a flash of insight that forces her to confront some unsavory truth.

In fact, I think I'll take that last option with this card, and apply it to Ross Edmund. He can experience a shocking revelation about his family . . .

Creative Draw of the Day: The Chariot

Although I've never seen any book on the Tarot mention this, I believe this card is based on Plato's chariot allegory, found in the dialogue Phaedrus. Plato describes a charioteer who is trying to control two horses. One horse is a well behaved white steed, the other a troublesome, stubborn black steed. The charioteer represents the intellect and reason of our souls, the white horse represents the best of our passions, while the black horse represents the dark, dangerous aspects of our passions. The allegory ends up explaining how a soul incarnates.

I like to connect this card to the Jewish teaching of the good impulse (the yetzer ha-tov) and the evil impulse (the yetzer ha-ra). We all have both--and we all need both. The good impulse is our moral compass and moral sensitivity; the evil impulse is our ambition, willpower and chutzpah. The evil impulse is dangerous--if we don't strenuously regulate it, we become monsters. But without it, we'd never have the gumption to accomplish anything.

An old Star Trek episode--The Enemy Within--illustrates this. Kirk is split into two people, one exemplifying his yetzer ha-tov, and the other exemplifying his yetzer ha-ra. His 'good' side is benevolent and compassionate, but incable of making a decision or leading effectively. His 'evil' side is proactive and determined but a thorough bastard. See Sum of His Parts by David Holzel for a more detailed analysis of the episode and its (accidental?) relationship to the teaching of the good and evil impulse. (A nice Jewish boy like Shatner must have made the connection, right?)

The lesson I'm going to take from this card is to examine my characters and see how well each balances the two impulses. They'll be more intriguing, I suppose, if they haven't got the balance right . . .

But that's my take on The Chariot. As I said above, I've never seen a book that links it to Plato's chariot allegory. I've never seen a book that links it to the Jewish teaching of the good impulse and evil impulse either--although some have said essentially the same thing without mentioning the yetzer ha-tov and yetzer h-ra. But I'd like to hear other interpretations. What's your take on the card?

Creative Draw of the Day: The Ten of Swords

All evidence to the contrary, the Ten of Swords does not represent death by murder--or physical death at all, for that matter. The death here is symbolic. Excruciating, perhaps, as someone is forced to let go of something he's not ready to let go of. But still only symbolic.

But I'm using this card for creative inspiration, not for a reading. So I'm going to allow it to stand for a brutal murder after all.

Swords represent the element Air--and Air represents our minds, our intelligence, our curiousity and our capacity to cut through the crap and get to the heart of the matter. But--no surprise--the blades we use are sharp and dangerous.

The victim of the murder, then, would be someone too smart for his own good. Someone who cut straight through to the heart of a matter--but ended up with more information than he bargained for.

I think I know where I want to go with this idea. I'll get started tomorrow, and try to get it out of my system before NaNoWriMo.