February 2022: Tarot Cards for Writing Inspiration

Happy Groundhog Day! Or the month with Groundhog Day in it, anyway! Myself, I love animals so much that I try to incorporate them into my horror stories whenever possible. Not as the recipients of said horror, but the instigators. That, and plants and other manifestations of the natural world. So, as your thoughts look ahead to Spring and all things blooming (well, depending on what area of the world you’re in), don’t forget that Nature is out there, lying in wait for the unsuspecting human to wander by!

Note: For this reading, I used the (multilingual!) Fantasy Cats Oracle deck as created by Paolo Barbieri—with a very loose, creative-license interpretation of the cards’ meaning. So if your spooky writing also includes animal/anthropomorphic characters, this “writing inspiration” reading’s for you! https://www.azuregreen.net/Fantasy-Cats-oracle-by-Paolo-Barbieri/productinfo/DFANCAT/.

 

Setting: 4 Knowing. This is a world where a certain area of knowledge is a closely guarded secret. This world, although it runs in tandem with the human one, is inaccessible to humans simply by virtue of DNA coding/genetics. Animals and other non-human life forms have access to this wisdom and understanding, and, with the human-created climate change impacting the planet, these non-human life forms have begun to tap into this wellspring of ancient wisdom in order to take the world back from humanity’s destructive dominance.

 

Character(s): 5 Hiding. It’s a difficult undertaking, as many of the planet’s non-human life forms have adapted to hide themselves away from the reach of humans as best they can. But as the planet’s human population grows, there are less and less natural places to hide. Unbeknownst to humans, deep in the shadows of caves, the oceans, and in the planet’s few remaining forests and swamps, the “Fauna” have begun to organize a resistance movement, with the help of their “Flora” allies.

 

Theme/Development: 9 Meeting. In these secret, untouched places, the revolution is in the initial stages of planning and implementation. Both Flora and Fauna have the advantage over humans in that they have had a lot longer to develop a secret, coded (and, in many cases, nonverbal) language that even humanity’s best scientists have failed to translate successfully. And these non-human life forms have another advantage over humans—they can put aside their differences and work together towards a common goal—that of taking back their planet!

 

Conflict/Climax: 15 Enchantment. The Flora turn out to be valuable allies, as they have discovered a long-forgotten source of magic hidden deep within the earth. By bringing up this old-world magic to the surface, they increase their chances of success against the human race. Although many of the Flora and Fauna have the ability to remember the knowledge held by their ancestors, including that of expertise with this magic, these non-human life forms still face a steep learning curve. And these Fauna and Flora allies don’t have the luxury of time this magical training requires. But without it, the revolutionary movement may be doomed before it starts. Will age-old wisdom and magic be enough?