Winter Solstice and Tarot's Nine of Wands

In two days we will experience the longest night of the year, the winter solstice—the moment that comes each year on December 21 and marks the turnaround from darkness to light. From midnight Wednesday on, until summer solstice in June, each day will give us a few more minutes of light than the previous day. From ancient times this has beeen a moment of celebration, promising not only more hours of light in our days, but the return of vitality, as well, in the coming months.

I thought of continuing Tarot's Fool's journey in today's post, but you know, we're at winter solstice time and we're all taking a break for the holidays. (Perhaps it's no accident that our holiday season corresponds so closely with the ancient awareness of nature's shift at this time). Many people are talking about the stresses of this time of year—the accounting we tend to take of ourselves about how well we've done in the past year, and the difficulties of dealing with expectations of joy associated with holiday celebrations. Not to mention the all-out actual joyful chaos that ensues in many households and is a total, not-to-be-missed distraction from everyday work. So, instead of following the Fool to his next big moment of enlightenment on his journey today, I thought I'd dial it back a bit and just share a less powerful Tarot card that has lots of meaning for us now.

This card, the Nine of Wands, comes to mind when I think of what the winter solstice and the holidays bring up: the darkness before the dawn, the reckoning of wounds received and battles lost or won, and the almost secret anticipation of good things to come.

Can you see it all on his face?

Here he is, a wounded warrior holding tight to one wand and standing guard over eight others. In Tarot, the wands represent passion, and I get the feeling that this guy has been through a grist mill and has had to fight for what he wants and believes in for himself (hence the bandaged head and arm). But he's not going to let go of his passion, no siree.

He's worked and worked, climbing from one level to the next as he pursues his dreams and now, at this moment, he's questioning whether he'll ever get to the top.

Here's the secret that makes this moment sweet, though: what he seeks most, whether it's leadership or a successful career or anything else he's worked for, it's right there! He just can't see it! But he will if he does one simple thing. All he has to do in that moment of deep darkness before the dawn is shine a light (his own light) up. He might be tired and wary, but the second the light illuminates the wands and shows him the high road, he'll realize he has reserves of energy and strength. Completion of all he's worked for is right there, he just needs to go for it.

So to all you writer warriors who've toiled and laughed and cried and toiled some more, sleep the sleep of the warrior-in-waitng, deep and restorative. Sing, dance, play to your heart's content at this special time of year, and know that soon you will look up, and everything you've worked for will be there, waiting. You've earned the next step up. You can complete your vision in the new light.

~ Linda

To Gain Insight, Stop Resisting: Week 12 with Tarot's Fool

The Fool is entering ever-more mysterious territory. Each time he learns something new he is strengthened. Each encounter with the elements of magic, nurture, enemies, complications, enlightenment, gifts, and luck, allows him to go farther along his path toward achieving his quest. At the same time, he's finding that his footing is slipping more often. He's gained knowledge, but in the process, he's lost some soul, and that is making the path slippery. 

How ironic! Soul was what drove him to his quest in the first place, and propelled him onward. (Writing that first draft was one of the most exhiliarating experiences of his life. Then he honed his skills through trial and error with workshopping and querying.) But along the way he found out that to make any headway, as an unproven seeker, he had to play by the rules. So he became a master of adapting his quest to the rules of the Gatekeepers. (Now, he's got the whole genre thing nailed. He's let go of overwrought prose, lofty ideas and internal monologues that don't advance the plot. Literary agents in the ultra-competitive debut-author-market responded well to his no-nonsense, suspenseful, short sentences. They expressed interest in learning more about his characters and their arcs! He sent off requested partials and fulls.) Great, as far as it went, but . . . (Last week, Lady Justice came along and opened his eyes to his own loss of equilibrium. (Last week's post, Week 11. Previous posts in this series are linked at the bottom of this entry.) She made him realize he's lost the spiritual heart that drove his early writing. He must recapture it, come what may.)

The Fool settles at the base of a tree, determined to reclaim his spiritual self. He sits there for nine nights and nine days. On the ninth day, without any conscious thought about what he's doing, he climbs the tree and hangs upside down. For this moment he gives up all that he is, or ever thought he was, and just becomes.

He is The Hanged Man. His existence is about suspension, not life or death or achievement or quests. He has entered a realm of trial, meditation, selflessness, sacrifice, and prophecy. He has stopped questioning; he has stopped resisting. He has made himself vulnerable. And in that moment, coins fall from his pockets to the earth below him. He gazes at them but doesn't see them as money, only as round pieces of metal. Everything suddenly changes perspective.

He is suspended between the earthly world and the spiritual world and he sees them both so clearly it's as if they are made of etched crystal. The moment is dazzling. He sees connections he's never seen before. Mysteries are revealed. (There's a never-ending swirl of realities in the publishing world that determines decisions, with a seemingly infinite number of possible combinations, depending on anything from excellent literary taste and judgment, to completely arbitrary factors unrelated to either of those things. The only thing he can control is his own work and his willingness to make himself available to those who might be interested. He has no influence on the other factors, but at the same time, he sees that the fact of his work is inextricably related to all that happens within this realm.) The Fool senses something else as well. It is that this moment of enlightenment is fleeting. Soon he will have to climb down from the tree and get on with life, and when he does, things will be different. He will have to act on what he's learned.

The Fool climbs down and scoops up the coins, which have become runes. All knowledge is contained in these runes. They are in his pocket. How will he use them? We'll find out when we join him again two weeks from now.

~Linda


Announcement: next week I will be interviewing a wonderful debut author, Eisely Jacobs, about her book, Born to be a Dragon, coming out July 20. Commenters/participants in Eisley's scavenger hunt will be entered to win a Nook!


Links to Fool's Journey posts:  0—The Fool; 1—The Magician; 2—The High Priestess; 3—The Empress; 4&5—The Emperor, and The Hierophant; 6—The Lovers; 7—The Chariot; 8—Strength; 9—The Hermit; 10—Wheel of Fortune; 11—Justice


My interpretation of The Fool's Journey as it applies to the writer's life is my own, but the journey is long-established from a variety of sources. Those I have relied on most heavily are:  TAROT BASICS by Burger & Fiebig, AECLECTIC TAROT by Thirteen, and EVERYDAY TAROT by Fairfield

Do What It Takes to Find Your Equilibrium: Week11 with Tarot's Fool

The Fool has had a wonderful week, basking in the glory of all the gifts he's been given by Lady Luck. (He's imagining that the mega-agent who requested a full manuscript from him is reading with delight and can't wait to turn each page). (Post 10, Wheel of Fortune. Previous posts in this series are listed at the bottom of this entry.)

No question, though, that all he's been through the past ten weeks has opened his eyes to the complexities of his quest. There's no straight shot at the Golden Fleece, like he thought there was when he was more naïve. And it turns out that even though he has the heart of a hero, he still has to learn things along the way to become a Conquering Hero. Who knew? (In fact, the more he thinks about some of the feedback he's received, especially the similar suggestions that were made by more than one reader, but that he ignored, the more uneasy he becomes. Now that he really thinks about it, he realizes that his premise and opening are great, but if he'd taken more chances in the middle—gone with his heart as much as his head—his novel could have been breakout for sure. He had felt it might be already, but now that he thinks about it. . . Gah! What shall he do about this?)

He sits down in the middle of the road to ponder. In front of him a blind, wise woman appears, sitting on a throne with a sword in one hand and a set of scales in the other. This is Justice. She's listening to two brothers arguing over an inheritance. The brothers have come to her for judgment.

One brother is poor and the other is rich. The rich brother has been given the whole inheritance, and the poor brother is not only contesting the will, but demanding that he receive everything himself. Justice listens to the brothers' arguments, then splits the inheritance between them. Neither brother is happy. But Justice says, "With only half the inheritance, the rich brother will stop being so wasteful, and the poor one will have as much as he needs. This is fair."

When the brothers have left, The Fool says to the woman, "You're right, you were fair."

"Yes," she says. "Even though the brothers cannot see it, this decision was good for both of them."

The Fool considers this, and (like any good card-carrying writer) asks the all-important question, "how does this apply to Me and My Quest?" He realizes, soon enough, that the key to Justice's decision was equilibrium. Justice, like Success, must achieve equilibrium to be right, and therefore thrive long term.

The Fool thinks about his own lack of equilibrium. Up until now, except for that stint in the woods as The Hermit a couple of weeks ago, he's spent all his time laser-focused on doing whatever it takes to achieve his Quest. (Yes, it is important to tailor his efforts toward getting published. Part of that process is understanding how the publishing world works and developing his writing—and especially his marketing materials—to suit that world's needs. However, he's been so focused on that aspect that he's sort of lost an important part of himself. The part that loves to write. The part that makes the writing come from the heart. Success isn't just about getting published, it's about bringing something beautiful to life, something that speaks his own personal truths in a way that will touch others deeply.)

The Fool realizes that The Hermit, The Wheel of Fortune, and now, Justice, have given him the tools and awareness he needs to achieve equilibrium. He must feed his spiritual self to balance his material self. Both selves are needed in this quest. He thanks Justice, and looks appreciatively at the scales she holds high. It is time to balance his own inner scales. (If his luck holds and the mega-agent wants to sign him, he knows there will be revisions with a capital R, and he knows just how he's going to search his soul to make them excellent. If she doesn't sign him, he's back on the old path, but with new powers. He's just added equilibrium to his arsenal.)


~Linda


Links to Fool's Journey posts:  0—The Fool; 1—The Magician; 2—The High Priestess; 3—The Empress; 4&5—The Emperor, and The Hierophant; 6—The Lovers; 7—The Chariot; 8—Strength; 9—The Hermit; 10—Wheel of Fortune


My interpretation of The Fool's Journey as it applies to the writer's life is my own, but the Journey is long-established from a variety of sources. Those I've relied on most heavily are:  TAROT BASICS by Burger & Fiebig, AECLECTIC TAROT by Thirteen, and EVERYDAY TAROT by Fairfield.

Sometimes You Just Get Lucky: Week 10 with Tarot's Fool

It's time for The Fool to come out of hiding, back to the world he left behind last week when he found a tiny cabin in the deep woods and holed up. There, he became The Hermit and rested and thought by day, then wandered the land by night, shining his lantern into the darkness to search for knowledge, meaning, and self. (Post 8, The Hermit. Previous posts in this series are listed at the bottom of this entry.)

He comes into the sunlight now as if being pulled up from the dark, from a low point on a wheel. He squints and shields his eyes from the bright sun. With his newfound knowledge he knows better than to expect anything, but he still has the Hermit's staff, and with that in hand he walks bravely, if slowly, back into the world. (He's thinking about some of those nice things some agents said to him about his writing, even though they rejected his novel a couple of weeks ago.) He steps back onto his path, then feels a pull to look back to see where he just came from. There, standing in the muddied forest, is a great wheel, turning clockwise and festooned with figures and beasts that rise and fall with its rotations. He realizes with a start and with wonder that the wheel did, in fact, just deposit him back on his path.

This is The Wheel of Fortune. Strangely, as The Fool continues on his path throughout the day, good things begin to happen. When he goes past a water wheel, a young woman standing there hands him a drink of water in a golden chalice, then urges him to keep the chalice because she likes him. (He goes to a workshop and gets excellent constructive feedback on his opening chapters, and two of the people there who he likes best ask him if he'd like to be part of a critique group with them!)

Then he sees a young man standing near a windmill, swinging a sword. He stops to watch him, cheered by the sight, sharing in the joy of the young man's energy and skill. "Here," the young man says, handing him the sword. "You take it. I can see you're ready for it." (Encouraged by his writing friends, he polishes those first chapters, and sends off a small batch of queries.) 

Finally, as he treks along carrying his sword and chalice, he sees a rich merchant in a wagon on the side of the path. The merchant is sitting directly over one of the wagon's wheels. "You look like a fine seeker," the merchant says as The Fool nears him. He reaches down to the wagon bed and pulls out a bag of money, which he holds out to The Fool.

"What is this?" The Fool asks, afraid to reach for the bag and wondering who this odd man can be.

The merchant smiles, a genuine smile of good will, and explains that he likes to give away money. "Today, you're the lucky recipient." (Two of the agents he queried asked for partials, and another one, a great one, asked for the full!)


Sometimes you just get lucky, The Fool realizes. (He personally knows other writers who queried the same agents, and he knows that their work is wonderful. But none of them got a positive response. Only he did!) He didn't spend all that time wandering in the dark as The Hermit without learning to look beneath the surface, though. And he realizes that the way he walked toward the merchant on the path, with a bounce in his step, and the profound pleasure in his heart showing, was exactly what the merchant was waiting for. (His queries were polished and professional, and those agents who asked for more recognized not only quality in writing, but a story they could sell. One they've been looking for.) 


He moves on down the path, then pauses to consider where he is in his journey. He has come far, he realizes, and has far to go. As he hoists the pack on his back to a more comfortable position, he reflects on the fact that today he has received the gifts of chalice, sword, and money, and that he brought The Hermit's staff back into the world with him. These items are exactly the same as the belongings in his pack that were revealed to him at the beginning of his journey by The Magician (Week 2, see link below). Chalice (cup); sword (sword); money (discs, pentacles); staff (wand). He thought he'd used them up and his luck had gone, until today. They are all he needs to be whoever he wants and achieve his most cherished goals.

Luck, fate? He knows it's a different journey than he expected. Yup, sometimes you just get lucky.

~Linda


Links to Fool's Journey posts:  0—The Fool; 1—The Magician; 2—The High Priestess; 3—The Empress; 4&5—The Emperor, and The Hierophant; 6—The Lovers; 7—The Chariot; 8—Strength; 9—The Hermit

My interpretation of The Fool's Journey as it applies to the writing life is my own, but the journey is long established in a variety of sources. Those I've drawn on most heavily are TAROT BASICS by Burger & Fiebig, AECLECTIC TAROT by Thirteen, and EVERYDAY TAROT  by Fairfield 

Do You Trust Your Instincts? Week 9 with Tarot's Fool

The Fool has been resting since his startling meeting with Strength, a young and innocent maiden who showed him the importance of using his will power for higher purposes. (Week 8 post. Links to previous posts in this series are at the end of this entry.) Will power, yes. He knew that, but every fiber in his body was calling for using that will power not for higher purposes, but for bold action against enemies and obstacles. (He wanted to attack, to somehow overcome agents' infuriating unwillingness to see the wonderfulness of his novel. He's revised, he's carefully picked agents who say they're interested in his genre—although he's seriously doubting their honesty at this point—and still he's getting rejections. True, the rejections aren't the form ones any more; agents are actually asking for partials and writing to him with specific issues, and even some praise. But that's not good enough!)  Nothing he's done so far has worked to get him a foothold with the gatekeepers to his goal (a good agent to sign him), and he's exhausted.

Trying to get a handle on that whole 'higher purpose' thing is depressing him, too, even though he thought he could do it when he was in Strength's presence. There's no question that he's a good person (and a good writer!). He really is. But there is seemingly no end to obstacles. And now instead of fighting back he's supposed to elevate his emotions to higher purpose?

This is how he feels. Like he's in a sarcophagus with his own image on top, his sword stuck to the side of the coffin, and three more swords hanging over him, pointing at him! 

The picture is misleading, though. The Fool realizes this when he notices that he's starting to feel better. He isn't entombed; he is being given the gift of deep rest that supports an active deep mind.

The Fool relaxes, and lets his deep mind do its work on the vital subject Strength suggested to him: how to use his energy for higher purposes. How to dig deep within himself and make his true mettle manifest, not just for all to see, but for him to embrace as his own.

Talk about a challenge! To achieve higher purpose requires not only giving up youthful, superficial ambitions, but engaging in introspection, searching, and solitude, as well as seeking guidance. (With a painful loosening of his grip, The Fool lets go of his lust for recognition, approval, and material success, and turns his heart to the quest for true greatness through humility and understanding of loss, love, joy, pain, hope. This, in turn, will allow him to write a beautiful novel.)  For this he must transform himself into The Hermit.

In a cabin deep in the woods The Hermit (previously known as The Fool) hides. He reads, cleans, organizes and just plain rests. (There are brilliant books he's never taken the time to read before. And the writing! It's incredible. He slashes his own manuscript's extraneous prose and spends weeks crafting succinct, deft phrasing. He cuts his word count from 110,000 to 85,000. Whew!) But that's all during the day.

At night, every night, he ventures out into the dark, and walks for miles and miles, carrying only a staff and a lantern. He's searching, and he's finding the things he's missed. Things about himself and the world. He's thinking deeply about these things. Whenever he stumbles, his staff rights him. (It's not just about strong plot lines and deft phrasing, it's about knowing who you are; it's about the love and pain from within, and the strength to know and express that.)  Whenever he feels lost, he holds the lantern up in front of him and trusts it to light the way. (He goes still and quiet and waits for illumination, which he knows will come.) The staff is his strength. The lantern is his instinct, the pilot light of his soul. It will not guide him wrong.

Although he will soon step back into the world again as The Fool, he will never again display the trappings of youthful naiveté. The light from the lantern has allowed him to see and deal with the contradictions that surround him. No longer will irresponsibility, dependency, incompetence, or even innocence be acceptable to The Fool as part of his own behavior. At the same time he will not shun love and joy; he will not be cynical. He has become a person who solves the problem in front of him (he's honest with himself about those agent comments, and figures out how to discern the good ones and make his story stronger through their guidance). He has become someone who finishes the task without sweeping anything under the rug, no matter what the task is. This is huge—far greater than he realizes at this moment.

He's about to get a taste of what it means to let go of need, and in return be given abundance. Come back next week to find out what happens when The Fool comes upon The Wheel of Fortune.

~Linda


Links to Fool's Journey posts:  0—The Fool; 1—The Magician; 2—The High Priestess; 3—The Empress; 4&5—The Emperor, and The Hierophant; 6—The Lovers; 7—The Chariot; 8—Strength 



My interpretation of The Fool's Journey as it applies to the writing life is my own, but the journey is long-established from a variety of sources. Those I've relied on most heavily are:  TAROT BASICS by Burger & Fiebig, AECLECTIC TAROT by Thirteen, and EVERYDAY TAROT by Fairfield

Do You Have the Inner Strength to Succeed? Week 8 With Tarot's Fool

Well, it's been a hard day's night (to borrow a phrase) for The Fool. While he slept on the barren plain he dreamed of victory, and voilà! The Charioteer appeared and gave him the strategy he needs to get to those beautiful trees of abundance that were in sight but out of reach at the edge of the flatlands. (Week 7 post. Links to previous posts in this series are at the end of this entry.) So now, he's angling in on a diagonal, skirting around the fissures in the plain that would swallow him whole (checking and double-checking submission guidelines before hitting the send button; revising his protag's character arc to reflect a deeper and pithier understanding of the power of the character's wound in everyday actions—no more superficiality or essential inconsistency in the writing!)

Near the tree line now, the scent of water intoxicates The Fool's senses and he steps up his pace. Yes! No question he's back on the right path at last. With every step he feels stronger. Once inside the cool caress of the forest, he finds a mountain-fed stream, clear water burbling over a bed of time-smoothed rocks. He kneels and drinks deeply, then splashes icy water over his face, and sits back for a moment to savor his renewal. (His revisions are finished; he has a new understanding of how to approach agents and editors based on THEIR needs; he thinks he knows how to work the angles.) Still, part of his new and improved understanding includes an awareness that there will be more obstacles, and some of them are total mysteries—they will reveal themselves at unknown times. This is daunting. But what's his choice? Go forward, or give up. He's not going to give up.

In fact he's feeling righteous and powerful now that he's in the forest. He's feeling proud, victorious. Obstacles? Enemies? He's renewed, he's equipped to handle anything! The more he thinks about it, the more he wants a confrontation. He can be a hero and prove himself!

And here's his chance. Ahead on the path is a maiden struggling with a lion. OMG! He runs toward her, thinking fast about how he can distract the lion, maybe get it to chase him, maybe throw himself bodily onto it or lift it with Herculean strength and toss it over a cliff! But just as he arrives at the spot he sees the maiden gently but firmly shut the lion's mouth!  This is Strength.

"How did you do that?" The Fool asks, his eyes wide with awe.

The maiden glances at him and smiles, then returns her attention to the lion. "Will power," she says, as she rests one hand on the lion's mane. A low rumble comes from the beast, and The Fool realizes with a start that the lion is purring.

"Will power?" he whispers.

"Any beast will back down before a superior will," the maiden says simply. She looks up, directly into The Fool's eyes, and he sees that although she's young and pure, she possesses knowledge and power.  He stands before her and waits, and she goes on. "We are human, not beast, but we, too, have wild and unworthy impulses sometimes. It's natural. But as humans, we can control them with our will rather than let them control us." She takes her hand from the lion and it curls on the ground at her feet.

"But what of our righteous rage?" The Fool asks.

"It is a great source of energy," she says. "Have courage. Use the energy for higher purposes."

The Fool nods and thanks the maiden. He is enlightened. He steps back onto his path, knowing the lion wasn't the only one tamed by the maiden's pure and innocent strength.

He's not foolish enough any more to shout "Bring 'em on!" to his unknown obstacles. So he treads his path with clarity and determination, and careful discernment. His eyes and heart are wide open to possibilities, and if he meets danger, he won't run from it, but he won't run at it, either. He will do all he can to prove his mettle. He will use his energy for higher purposes. (He is becoming someone with the courage and depth to know who he is, to take risks, and to write a book worth sharing with the world.)

~Linda

Links to Fool's Journey posts:  0—The Fool; 1—The Magician; 2—The High Priestess; 3—The Empress; 4&5—The Emperor, and The Hierophant; 6—The Lovers; 7--The Chariot  
My interpretation of The Fool's Journey as it applies to the writing life is my own, but the journey is long-established from a variety of sources. Those I've relied on most heavily are:  TAROT BASICS by Burger & Fiebig, AECLECTIC TAROT by Thirteen, and EVERYDAY TAROT by Fairfield 

Frustrated by Rejections? Change Your Angle: Week 7 with Tarot's Fool

Tarot's Fool has been on his journey for weeks now in his quest for success and fulfillment. What lessons has he shared with us so far? The ones that we know, deep in our hearts, are ours, as we journey toward our own Holy Grail of writer's completion?
1. the importance of joy in the endeavor
2. knowing that magic and luck are ours, but are not a matter of chance—they come from belief in ourselves and in the unknowable
3. the necessity of alertness, bravery, even aggression and bravado
4. the compensating necessity of self-reflection and avoidance of foolish assumptions
5. the all-powerful significance of love in our lives, whatever form it may have, and its overwhelming value to us even as it takes us from our chosen path and throws us to the winds of growth and change.
Previous posts in The Fool's Journey are listed at the end of this entry.


Wow, that seems like a lot. It seems like enough. This is where many novels end, right? With the discovery of true love and how it opens up a whole new, thrilling but scary (in its unkowableness) future?  But guess what. This Fool is far from the end of his journey. Because he's not the novel. He's the seeker. He's the writer.

Last week we left The Fool in a deep sleep on the barren terrain he must cross to reach the tree line on the horizon. He's eaten his last morsel of food, drunk his last sip of water, and fallen into an exhausted state of near oblivion, but he's dreaming of victory.

At mid-morning he's awakened by a disturbance in the Force. No, it is the Force. Or so it seems.

There, a mere few feet from him, are two tremendous steeds, one black and one white, pulling a gold and silver triumphal cart with an armored warrior in it.  The warrior is staring at The Fool, challenging him to wake up and get on with it.  This is The Chariot.

"Who are you?" The Fool asks, wondering if he's still dreaming. But the water from the flagon the Charioteer hands him is real enough and he begins to feel its renewal rush through him as the warrior answers.

"You've asked what is the best way to defeat an enemy," The Charioteer says, as if it's obvious why he's rolled up in his Chariot.

"Yes, I dreamed of victory," The Fool says as he stands. "You see, I've followed a different path than I thought I would, a better path, with not just flowers, but fruit and dancing and . . ."

The Charioteer holds up his hand (enough backstory, already). "What enemy do you face?"

"The prince of this kingdom has barred my way to the tree line at the edge of his property; he's thrown me into this barren land filled with cracks that a person could fall through, and never be heard from again! (agents are raining down rejections, some of them not even telling me why, and the mega agent who was interested says that even though my writing is good, my protagonist's arc is shallow. Shallow! If he'd just take me on and show my work to the editors at the publishing houses, he'd see who's shallow!)


The Charioteer nods. "I can help you." At this The Fool perks up, the scowl slides from his face and he  stands still in front of the warrior, alert to the message to come.  The Charioteer gazes at the midmorning sun for a while, then says, "Have you ever tried to swim against the tide in the ocean?"

"Ummm," The Fool says.

"If you try to swim forward, into the tide, you go nowhere." The Charioteer waits until he sees he's been understood, then goes on. "The tide will pull you back; the harder you swim against it the more exhausted you get, and then you go under and drown."

The Fool stares at The Charioteer, riveted.

"There's only one way to win," The Charioteer says. "You have to swim parallel to the shore, and come in diagonally, slowly enough not to sap all your energy."

The Fool hates the idea of appearing to be, well, a fool, but he has to know what the heck this means. "That sounds good, but I don't really understand," he says meekly.

"It's like fighting in a chariot," The Charioteer says. "To defeat your enemy, you have to come up alongside him." There's a glimmer of understanding forming in The Fool's eyes, and The Charioteer continues.  "See," he says, nodding at his beasts. "Your steeds keep you moving, but you must use control and provide direction to achieve victory." When The Fool is obviously pained with trying to understand, he tries again. "Think of your enemy and yourself as dark and light." He points at the steeds again. "You must make them pull the chariot together, in harmony. It's down to you."

"Ah, I think I understand," The Fool says. (That mega agent will be so impressed with the changes he makes to strengthen the protagonist's character, not to mention the new killer story twist that's connected, that he won't know what hit him! Or, if he won't look at the ms again, it will be his loss, there're other mega-agents out there.)  "Thank you!" The Fool says to The Charioteer, "I think I know how to win my war now."

He turns toward the tree line, but The Charioteer stops him and says, "One more thing. To win, your confidence in your cause must never flag."

"I understand," The Fool says, feeling stronger by the moment, and feeling the pull now to the forest. "Anything else?"

"Yes, never forget that victory is not the end, it is the beginning."

The Fool mulls that over as he strides toward the trees in the distance. Victory is only the beginning? Well, whatever that means, he's ready for it. He's never felt more determined.  And that pull he's started to feel . . . there's someone waiting for him in the forest, he's sure of it.

~Linda
Links to Fool's Journey posts:  0—The Fool; 1—The Magician; 2—The High Priestess; 3—The Empress; 4&5—The Emperor, and The Hierophant; 6—The Lovers
My interpretation of The Fool's Journey as it applies to the writing life is my own, but the journey is long-established from a variety of sources. Those I've relied on most heavily are:  TAROT BASICS by Burger & Fiebig, AECLECTIC TAROT by Thirteen, and EVERYDAY TAROT by Fairfield

Follow Your Heart: Week 6 with Tarot's Fool

How does a writer's journey relate to that of The Fool from Tarot? It's a pretty amazing parallel, from initial enthusiasm to developing strength and traction to being on a roll, then the pitfalls, and those mysterious deep truths that ambush us just when we think we've got it all figured out. And then the glorious moments of insight and breakthroughs and the thrill of getting lucky and maybe even becoming an overnight sensation (even if it's after twenty years of blood, sweat, tears, and carpal tunnel syndrome). Ah, there's nothing more like the writer's journey than that of The Fool.

So far, we've traveled through the initial stages of excitement, the magic of a great idea, understanding that luck is not a matter of chance, and that we must devote ourselves body and soul to our quest to develop it. Also, recognition of the importance of being alert and brave, and the necessity of being grounded and solid in our core if we want to avoid the traps of foolish overzealousness. (Earlier posts in this series are listed at the end of this entry.) 

Now The Fool is back on his path, feeling deepened, empowered, energetic, and more determined than ever. He has a sense of longing for the success he knows can be his if he sticks to this path.  He whistles as he walks, and then he goes silent as he comes to a crossroad. There are two paths in front of him. Each is marked by a tree—one is flowering, and marks the path The Fool wants to take. The other tree bears fruit, and in front of it stands a woman (a new plot development that was unplanned and unexpected). An amazing, alluring woman.

She's hardly the first woman The Fool has ever been attracted to, he's no child, after all. And she's certainly not as beautiful as some of the women he's known. But there's something about her that makes him not notice anything else (she was a character whom he fashioned to serve his book, but now she's taking over the story and peeling the onion of what this book COULD be, if given a real chance). He doesn't notice the man next to the flowering tree, the archangel overseeing the scene, or the serpent on the fruit tree. Even if he did see those things it wouldn't matter. Because it's as if he's been hit by a bolt of lightning. He talks to the woman and discovers it's like they are two sides of the same coin. They laugh at scurrying shared thoughts, finish each others sentences, and seem to know each other at a level so deep it's as if that angel has simply brought their souls back together after a lifetime's absence. The Fool knows he's found a part of himself that he's been searching for all his life.He can't take any path that doesn't include her. Like the fruit tree, she will fulfill him. Just like that, he's chosen a new path. The right path, no matter how it may complicate his journey.

So this is a little setback in terms of timing—this new path is longer and has more twists to it, but The Fool is not only satisfied he's made the right decision, he's happy. Happy, as only love can make him. Thank goodness The Hierophant stopped him from being impulsive about his ambitions, or he never would have known the journey itself was such a nirvana.

But all is not smooth.  Yes, the path since the crossroads has been wonderful (he's revised his draft completely to reflect this new and incredible depth of wisdom and perception about his story, and he loves it! Loves writing it, loves reading it, loves querying it, and LOVES the requests he's receiving for partials and even a couple of fulls). But there are enemies appearing!  

The prince of the kingdom (whose land The Fool now trods upon and must cross to reach his goal) gave him permission to enter, even smiled
and slapped him on the back with enthusiasm and welcome when The Fool told him of his quest (that mega-agent lit up at his elevator pitch, and when The Fool gave his whole pitch, the agent said, "I love it! Send me pages. No, send me the full manuscript!) But now The Fool is hungry and thirsty and the land he's on seems barren (it's been six weeks since he submitted, and he's heard nothing, even though the agent said the ms. would be top priority). What blight is this that has removed all the nourishment from the land? (Could it be some annoying intern who hasn't gotten around to the manuscript, or even—gasp—lost it? Should he email the agent and ask about progress? And not only that, but he's had four rejections from other agents in the past week and a half.)


The Fool is exhausted. He drops to the ground and scrounges in his pack for food and water, and consumes the last small amounts he's been keeping for an emergency. Too weary to stand, he lays back on the hard land and closes his eyes. He needs rest. He needs help. How will he ever overcome the obstacles in front of him—the dry, barren earth with its fissures, and the hostile creatures that live there— if he can't even see them, if he can't know them before they attack him? (He made the right decisions about his plot and character development, he knows he did, because the story is so much deeper and more powerful, but there must be something wrong with the structure now, or maybe he's just having a run of rotten luck. He needs luck!) With his last ounce of energy he thinks about what he does know that might help him. There's a treeline in the distance that promises renewed nourishment, if he can just get there. If he has the persistence and strength to move on to that treeline, he'll find the help he needs.

But for now, he'll just rest a little to build up his strength. The Fool drifts into a deep sleep, and dreams of victory.

When he wakes up next week, The Fool is going to get a thrill and a shock, as a Charioteer in full regalia, commanding two tremendous steeds, one white and one black, pulls up alongside him and holds out a magnificent, warlike carafe of purest mountain water. Come back then to see what happens next.

~Linda
Links to Fool's Journey posts:  0—The Fool; 1—The Magician; 2—The High Priestess; 3—The Empress; 4&5—The Emperor, and The Hierophant

My interpretation of The Fool's Journey as it applies to the writing life is my own, but the journey itself is long-established from a variety of sources. Those I've relied on most heavily are: TAROT BASICS by Burger & Fiebig, AECLECTIC TAROT by Thirteen, and EVERYDAY TAROT by Fairfield

You Can Make Your Writing Work with Focus, Insight, and Understanding: Week 5 with Tarot's Fool

The Fool is movin' now. The Magician showed him his options, The High Priestess helped him pick one, and The Empress gave him an understanding of how to develop it. (Previous posts in this series are listed at the bottom of this entry.) The path is taking him forward.  He's working hard, and all his senses are on alert so he can pour the best of himself into his quest. His confidence is building and his steps are sure and strong (the pages of his first draft are flowing like a river!).

So now that he's got all this good stuff going for him, how will he manage it? It's never too early to plan (even for a panster). How will he make his journey clear and concise, make sure he has the right environment to achieve his quest and nourish the world with the fruits of his labors (make sure he gets the best agent and publisher who do what he wants)? 

Luckily for him, right there in the middle of the path now is The Emperor. Seated on a throne of stone, The Emperor's kingdom is clearly under his control. There's a buzz of activity around him as his people do his bidding efficiently and happily.  The Emperor is watching The Fool's approach with interest, inviting him to ask his question.

The Fool is in awe. "Everyone does exactly as you tell them," he whispers to The Emperor, his eyes wide. "How do you do that?  How can I do that?"

"That's two questions," The Emperor says with a glare, "but I will answer." He smiles a bit and The Fool breathes out in relief.  The Emperor goes on. "To control the elements of your quest, you must be alert, brave, and aggressive."

"I can do that!" The Fool says. "Thank you, Emperor." The Emperor nods, and The Fool steps past him with renewed vigor, back onto his path. He only vaguely hears the Emperor add, "and you must understand the larger picture."

No more dreaminess, The Fool tells himself. No more questioning whether I should step onto a different path.  I know what I want, it's time to take control! (My draft is finished, it's time to query!)

He moves on with new purpose, clear directions in one hand (a copy of Literary Market Place), and a baton to orchestrate his determination and action in the other (his computer, where he inputs his query letter, and the names of agents into his contacts list). All he has to do now is go on stage, do his dance, grab for the Holy Grail (hit the send button).

He's so excited he's not even watching the path in front of him. But just in the nick of time, he looks down. Yikes! There's a wide open steel-toothed trap right under his foot!  Who put that there? He veers around it, stumbling. You'd think he'd be nimble at this sort of thing, but something about that trap was so shiny and alluring it was hard not to step into it (that subplot is SO cool, it might even be better than the main plot. It does sort of dominate the second Act of the book, but still, it's too good to change. Maybe he'll just tweak the query letter to let them know his next book is about this one's subplot! Yeah, that'll work.) Whew, that was close. Good thing he's mastered the suggestions of The Emperor.

But suddenly, The Fool is not just rolling along his path at a good clip, he's roiling. He's being assaulted from within. That trap brought him up short. What if there are other traps? (His finger hovers over the send button, but he's too scared to hit it.)  He's got his solid foundation to build his future on (his manuscript), but what if it gets taken away from him somehow? What if someone steals it? Or it just vanishes (his computer crashes and his backup drive implodes)? Or, what if the foundation he's built isn't as solid as he thought? What if it's not good enough? That's a horrible thought!

A post at the side of the road has a sign at the top of it, pointing off the path to a Holy Place. Hallelujah! The Fool dashes off the path to find the Holy Man who can help him.  This is The Hierophant.

The Hierophant is surrounded by acolytes, who listen respectfully to his wisdom and will pass on his teachings. The Fool approaches, and when The Hierophant says, "How may I help?" he pours out his story.  "I feel crippled by these fears," he says when he's told him all about it. "I'm too afraid to go forward, too afraid to make a mistake. How can I be free of these terrible fears?"

The Hierophant gazes at The Fool with sympathy. "The answer is simple," he says. "There are only two ways. You can either give up your quest, so that your fear of its loss no longer has any power over you, or you can go on in the knowledge that whatever happens, you will never lose what you have learned, what you have experienced, and what you have gained as a person because of these things."

"I see," The Fool says ("But I want to be published and rich and famous now!" he mutters, stomping his foot). Somewhere in his brain, though, it's as if there are rubber bands holding his ambition captive like the ball in a slingshot, pulled taut to the breaking point with the ball aimed straight ahead, and they have just been gently relaxed. "Ah," he says. "I understand." He looks at the ground for a while, letting himself get the feel of the earth beneath his feet, then looks back up at the Hierophant. "Thank you," he says humbly. Perhaps he will give some deep thought to the real meaning of his quest before he does anything rash (there's a great writing workshop coming up. Maybe he'll take a chance on THAT before he shares his masterpiece with the gatekeepers to publication). He leaves the sanctuary of The Hierophant and steps out to find his path once again, to face whatever challenges lie ahead with a clearer eye.

And next week he'll meet one of the most delicious challenges of all, when he comes upon The Lovers.

(Special Note: Don't miss Karlene's post on Book Country from Friday. Thanks to Blogger's mishaps she couldn't post until afternoon, but it's a great one—just scroll down!)


~ Linda

Links to earlier Fool's Journey posts:  0: The Fool, 1: The Magician,  2: The High Priestess, 3: The Empress

My interpretation of The Fool's Journey as it applies to the writing life is my own, but the journey itself is long-established information from a variety of sources.  Those I've relied on most heavily are: TAROT BASICS by Burger & Fiebig, AECLECTIC TAROT by Thirteen, and EVERYDAY TAROT by Fairfield

Nurture Your Creation: Week 4 with Tarot's Fool

A few weeks ago we met The Fool, from Tarot, and found out he's a lot like us when we start off on our magnificent quest to write a book. Filled with excitement and possibility, he's practically giddy with imagining what he may accomplish. But as the little dog nipping at his heels warns him, he needs to watch his step, and learn from all his upcoming encounters in order to find his true path. There will be 21 enlightening, scary and joyful encounters with amazing personages and situations along The Fool's journey, and each Monday we'll travel with him to find out what he learns, and what we can learn about our own journeys to publication.


So far, The Fool has nearly stepped off a cliff (nearly started his story with "It was a dark and stormy night; it was raining cats and dogs!"); he's been astounded to learn from The Magician that he has all the tools he needs to succeed—intellect, passion, emotional range, and solidity—in the pack on his staff; plus, he has some excellent new ideas to work with (he's got a plot!). On top of that he's received guidance from The High Priestess in the form of ancient knowledge (the universal source of the heart and soul of his story) that got him totally revved up to get back on his journey (and write, write, write!). Links to previous posts in this series are at the bottom of this entry.


He's impatient to make his dreams a reality. He walks all night, through secret and unknown forests (scribbles away, channeling the secret knowledge he's received into the most stunning plot and character developments EVER). He trusts the path beneath his feet, and is aware, thanks to The High Priestess' influence, that with each step, he's shaping his destiny. Each step is affected by the last, and affects the next, for with each, the sole of his shoe is minutely worn into a different shape that will have an almost imperceptible but nevertheless real effect on how he moves forward. But before he gets too swamped by these deep ponderings, the sun comes up, shining a bright and inviting light on his path, and he gets a new surge of energy.

There just off the path in front of him, is a magnificent woman he instantly knows is a creator. She's wearing a gown covered with pomegranates (pomegranates, again!). She has a crown of stars, a heart-shaped Venus shield, and a rod that looks like it's alive with power. And she's sitting on her throne in a field of wheat. This is The Empress.


Without a second thought The Fool kneels in front of The Empress and tells her his story ("there was lightning and thunder, and then his life passed before his eyes and he moaned, 'stardust,' but that was just the beginning . . .!!!"etc., all the way to Plot Point 1).


The Empress smiles and The Fool's heart leaps with joy. "You have beautiful ideas and passion," she says gently. "A new creation is fragile." His heart settles back down. "It requires fertile soil, time, nurturing," she says. He thinks he might not want to hear this, but she looks straight into his eyes. "Much nurturing. Only this will bring it to fruition." She gestures to the verdant land around her that seems to draw its abundance and beauty from her patience and strength, her very being, and The Fool begins to understand.


It will take time to build his future (to speak from the heart and lose the clichés). It will take patience and perseverance and skill. He can do it!


"Thank you," he says humbly as he stands, and looks at her with gratitude.


She bows her head in acknowledgment and he turns to continue on his journey. As he moves onto the path, he is sad to step beyond The Empress' golden aura, but he hears her say, "Love and healing are their own reward, you will see," as he goes.


He begins to move faster. She was fabulous and all, like the best mom ever, but he's got places to go and things to do. All that nurturing and love and healing talk can make a person squirm. The Fool won't forget what he's learned from The Empress and will be forever grateful for it, but he needs action. Lucky for him, it's just around the corner.


Come back next Monday to find out what happens when The Fool encounters The Emperor. (hint:  it's all about making ideas shape up and fly right.)

~Linda

Links to earlier Fool's Journey posts:  0: The Fool, 1: The Magician,  2: The High Priestess

My interpretation of The Fool's Journey as it applies to the writing life is my own, but the journey itself is long-established information from a variety of sources.  Those I've relied on most heavily are: TAROT BASICS by Burger & Fiebig, AECLECTIC TAROT by Thirteen, and EVERYDAY TAROT by Fairfield.