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Alfred Hitchcock, brainstorming, Capricorn, character development, Christopher Vogler, Corrine Kenner, Earth, elements, Joanna Powell Colbert, Major Arcana, Meet the Cards, movies, plotting, Raelyn Barclay, recommended reads, Stephen King, tarot, Tarot for Writers, Taurus, The Birds, The Devil, The Lovers, The Writer's Journey, Virgo, writers, writing
Or in this case, BINDWEED. Talk about a shadowed card! In most decks, the Devil is a grotesque mirror image of The Lovers. Bindweed is number fifteen of the Major Arcana and is a life out of balance.
- Symbolism: Being trapped.
- Element: Earth (see Tarot Elements)
What I See:
Morning Glories, oh the bane of my backyard once upon a time. Beautiful death. The figure is bound by these strangling vines. Head bowed, eyes closed tight, and huddled upon himself, the man leaves me with a sensation of depression, struggling with an addiction, taking one step forward only to take three steps back. Then there is the shadows in the background…are they leaves? More birds? And speaking of The Birds
Light (upright) Reading:
Someone is playing power games. What is taking more than its fair share of attention or energy?
- Keywords: Power, Sexuality, Ambition, and Enlightenment.
Shadow (upside down or reverse) Reading:
Beware of addictions or denial becoming more deeply entrenched.
- Keywords: Bondage, Negativity, Co-dependency, and Fears.
Plots:
Depression, addiction, bondage (real or figurative), temptation, and oppression are all great things to build a plot around. How about ambition? Or perhaps co-dependency?
How about a retelling of Pan, Dionysus, Hades, Baphomet, or Cernnunos? What about a creature of the night? Channel Alfred Hitchcock or Stephen King and write a simple horror story.
- Themes: Life Out of Balance, Materialism, Addictions, Ignorance, Despair, Bondage, Limitations, or Oppression.
Characters:
Bindweed sees no way out, his internal struggle is reflected around him.
- Archetype: Shadow, Adversary, or Saboteur.
…the Shadow archetype stands for psychoses that not only hamper us, but threaten to destroy us. ~The Writers Journey
by Christopher Vogler
- Mythical Figures: Pan, Set, Typhon, Satan, and Horned God.
The personality enneagram, a nine-pointed array of personality types, might also be a useful reference for character building.
The Devil is E6: Devil’s Advocate, Loyalist, Troubleshooter, and/or Guardian.
- Self Image — I do my duty
- Passion — Fear
- Virtue — Courage
- Narcissistic Trap — Security
- Avoids — Deviance
- Speaking Style — Warning or Limiting
E6 people are ruled by their head. They need to understand the pattern of events, where all the pieces fit in the puzzle of life, and are often detached from their emotions. Their objectivity may hide feelings of isolation or confusion.
Additionally, look up one of the Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) for personality traits.
When the Devil appears in your writing practice, you can take a cue from Pan, and be playful in your writing. ~Tarot for Writers
by Corrine Kenner
Image: Gaian Tarot
Raelyn Barclay 
Talk about a darker tone to “the devil is in the details”. This is the first card you highlighted where I couldn’t sense any sort of silver lining, not even in the golden background for it appears inked with a murder…of crows.
It is very dark…haunted even. It definitely plays on the themes of ‘life out of balance’ and ‘it’s darkest before the dawn.’ Enlightenment is one of the keywords for the light reading and that’s where I see a silver lining. Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom in order to grow and change.
Thanks for stopping by Angela!
I would’ve expected the devil card to be more aggressive, yet this poor guy looks isolated and drained of energy.
I like them birds though. You just know one of them is going to poop on him too. 😉
Our inner demons are always worse than our outer ones 😉 Darn birds, talk about kickin’ a man when he’s down, LOL.
Thanks for stopping by Maria!