Gibbs reflective cycle with Tarot cards

You might have noticed that SynTAROTis focuses a great deal on reflection.

It is one of the principles of creativity I had identified (see no. 51 in The principles of creativity).

I have written about creative reflection with Tarot cards, and designed my own Tarot spread on reflection.

In Sceptic readings and divination: what is the difference? I discuss the similarities and differences between reading Tarot cards for divination and for reflection (the sceptic’s reading).

When you use a reflective model or Tarot spread, you structure your reflection and discuss each aspect systematically. One of the models of reflection is the Gibbs reflective cycle (Gibbs, 1988). It looks like this:

Image from Oxford Brookes University at https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/upgrade/study-skills/reflective-writing-gibbs/

This model is perfect for using with Tarot cards. Simply arrange six cards in a circle that mirrors the Gibbs model, starting with the top card in the circle, and use these questions to reflect on an experience:

1. Description: What happened?
2. Feelings: What were you thinking and feeling? (You can perhaps use two cards here, one for thinking, one for feeling.)
3. Evaluation: What was good and bad about the experience? (Again, you could use two cards, one for good, one for bad.)
4. Analysis: What sense can you make of the situation?
5. What else could you have done?
6. Action plan: If it arose again, what would you do?

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Bibliography

Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.