Every creative thinking technique has the same purpose: helping you see the problem from a new angle, and search for solutions in a space where you had not been before.
Tarot cards give you an image and keywords as brain “ticklers.” When you apply these to your problem, you are looking at your problem through the card which, like a filter, focuses on a different route to the solution.
Wen you use Tarot cards as stimuli for creative thinking, usually you will approach the card as if it contained the answer to your problem; or at least the next step that you need to take.
But what if the card were the obstacle instead?
How it works
For this technique, formulate a problem statement and write it down.
Now shuffle the cards and draw one at random
Ask yourself: “Suppose this card represents the obstacle I must overcome?” How would you get by the obstacle? Do not just make a list of things not to do: think of the card as the problem to solve, the same way you need to overcome obstacles in an electronic game.
You can use anything related to the card for inspiration. Bertie (see the sample exercise below) uses traditional meanings of the card, the book meanings from the accompanying book, and the image itself.
Working with this premise, write down any ideas that come to you.
Sample exercise
Bertie needs a way to apologize to this wife for his distant and aloof behaviour of the last few weeks. Now that he has received the promotion that had been on his mind, he finds that the intimacy between him and his wife seems to have disappeared. What can he do to regain it?
Problem statement: “How can I compensate for keeping my distance from Sue during the last few weeks?”
Card: Strength, Trump VIII (XI in this deck), from Jane Lyle’s The Secret Tarot.
If this card were the obstacle to overcome, how can Bertie solve his problem?
The card shows a young woman taming a unicorn. A lion lies close by (or is it flying through the air?), and around them is a border of flowers. Traditionally, the card represents gentleness, inner strength, controlled passion, and the animal instincts tempered by love and patience.
The unicorn
Bertie’s first thought is that the card epitomizes his usual approach to conflict. He regards himself as the “strong, silent” type and someone who would not bother anyone else with his problems. If he now regards this approach as the obstacle to overcome, maybe it is time to share with his wife the worries of the last few weeks, and apologize for not having talked about them to her.
The unicorn has a fierce-looking horn, capable of inflicting much pain. Bertie is not comfortable sharing hurt and anxiety, not even with his wife, but he acknowledges that this attitude impedes intimacy. The unicorn therefore stands for both the pain he has caused his wife, and his own unhappiness.
The young woman indicates what he had been expecting of his wife: to be, as usual, gentle and patient; to calm him, but not expect to share his pain or even know what was going on.
There is not much communication between the woman and the unicorn. Bertie realizes he must not see his silence and his inability to share as a strength, but a liability in his marriage.
The unicorn, as a magical animal, also portrays his wish that the problem would “magically” go away, something he now realizes will not happen.
Something else about the unicorn: the horn seems to Bertie to indicate a “one-track mind,” the obsession he has had about the promotion. Here is another obstacle to overcome: he must acknowledge his wife’s right to share his emotions, apologize for having not noticed anything or anyone else while the company considered his request, and resolve not to let this happen in future.
The maiden
If he is the maiden, he has tried to “tame the unicorn” himself, not noticing that his wife was upset about his withdrawal from her and their relationship.
The lion
Jane Lyle notes that the unicorn and the lion have traditionally been enemies. Bertie has been treating his wife as if she were part of the problem, the enemy, and not the one person completely on his side. He knows she is angry with him, but so far, she has been “taming” this unicorn. Sue has been patient, but he cannot expect her to be patient much longer.
In the past, Bertie has used sex to re-establish intimacy with his wife. He does not think this will do the trick this time. Flowers might not work either. He knows he will be clumsy when he starts the conversation, so he would like something concrete to show Sue that he had not shut her out completely.
Staring at the card, and at the lion in particular, Bertie remembers that, a week ago, Sue has mentioned that she would love to have a cat. That’s it! He will buy her the cutest kitten he can find, to show her he has been paying attention even though he has seemed aloof.
The end
You will note that, unlike divination, in this exercise the card can have multiple meanings and symbolize several, even contradictory, aspects.
When you are trying to solve a problem creatively, you use every inspiration and every idea that goes through your mind. In divination, on the other hand, although several interpretations are possible, you would choose what fits the situation best.
Let me know if the technique works for you!
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