The Archetypal Tarot

A Creative Approach to Writing

As an archetypal, symbolic system, the Tarot, with its roots in Kabbalistic tradition, is unparalleled in its depth and insight. Using these archetypes as a metaphor, as a way to creatively participate in the inherent storytelling potential of these cards, is a natural and yet surprisingly unique approach to writing.

Within this process, there is no ignoring the information derived from these symbols. They speak directly, revealing and weaving patterns of intricate depth, complexity, and understanding. One cannot hide from the profound honesty they command nor avoid the responsibility of telling the story they unveil.

This approach to writing and storytelling was developed by Steffan Vanel, internationally renowned Astrologer and Specialist of the Tarot, and Ron Schultz, creative writing teacher and author of 17 published books . The underlying motivation for this process was to challenge writers to face the story they need to write.

There is little question about the power of the Tarot and its dynamic symbolic uses. Insight into one’s life events and circumstances can arrive by various means. From the complexity of the planets moving against the backdrop of stars in the sky, to the throwing of bird bones on the ground, or looking into a pool of ink, it basically boils down to, “Ask and you shall receive.”

As Vanel adds, “Of all the so-called divinatory systems I’ve studied and worked with, the knowledge and symbolism of the Tarot is the most powerful for me. This is particularly true when studied in correlation with the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. The Tree of Life itself is a map or diagram showing the way in which the universe is created: from pure spirit down to physical matter. It also demonstrates the way in which a human is created: as a microcosmic reflection of the universe.”

All 78 Tarot cards have a correlation to the Tree of Life, giving a profound depth to their meaning and interpretation. It is also said that the symbolism and imagery used on the Tarot cards was purposely selected, knowing the subconscious stimulus and response they would evoke, regardless of the intellectual awareness of the observer.

Vanel also practices Astrology, but he says that in many ways he prefers the Tarot, because of the power of the cards’ visual communication. As he explains this power, “It is very easy for the person to see for themselves the truths I can tell the cards are trying to portray.”

Is this fortune telling? For Vanel, the Tarot is much more than a predictive tool. “I am more interested,” he says, “in helping a person see and understand themselves so that they know where they are coming from when they make the choices and decisions that affect their life. If I see something negative in the future I generally explain why that is there and what that person can do to change it. We do have free will and the ability to change.”

The direction of this deep approach to writing is to unlock and free the participants’ unconscious creative pathways. There are few better tools than the Tarot for making those psychological connections. Schultz, who developed these writing techniques after working for years with psychologist C. G. Jung’s Active Imagination process, points out that, “as a writer, the archetypal symbolism of the Tarot always conjured a story in me, the same way myth does. When we personalize these images, either mythic or Tarot, and reflect on their power within us, they reveal psychological connections that have a quality and depth that is remarkably revealing. This archetypal material is part of the complex mix within each of us, and when it comes forward there is simply no avoiding its message.”

Within the symbolic scheme of the Tarot, the suits of the court and numbered cards relate to the different elements of fire, air, water, and earth and psychologically to the four functions as described by Jung: intuition, feeling, thinking, and sensation. These cards portray various and specific psychological states of energy in different degrees of balance or imbalance.

Jung referred to the Tarot as “transformation archetypes.” Vanel believes this is particularly applicable to the Major Arcana (The Fool, The Devil, The High Priestess, et al). “These cards are pathways of transformation on the Tree of Life, from one sphere of consciousness to another,” Vanel says. “Like the collective archetypes Jung spoke of, whenever they appear in a reading they indicate where an opening has occurred in one’s life or psyche creating an opportunity for transformation.”

Vanel and Schultz’ “Mining the archetypes” workshop grew out of a combination of Schultz’s writing workshops and Vanel’s Tarot/Tree of Life workshops. Schultz has been leading writing groups for the past six years. A number of years ago he took a group of people down the San Juan River in southeastern Utah on a six-day rafting and writing mythic journey experience. According to Schultz, two years later the participants are still talking about the transformation that took place for them. Based on the success of that process, and after he and Vanel exchanged classes, they realized that collectively they had something just as transforming as the mythic trip, which didn’t require rafts or life preservers.

As Vanel explains, “the workshop begins with each participant selecting a Major Arcana card. I then project slides of the 22 cards and ask each person to tune in to the image of the card they selected. This provides an overall individual theme for the participant’s week-end. Then everyone gets an individualized reading from me. This will be the basis for the story that will be worked on in the workshop.

Vanel designed this “story” throw to reveal the intricate and detailed aspects of a story covering everything from what happens before the story begins to its possible outcome. “The process we use,” says Schultz, “is one of question and internal dialogue. Once all the participants have received their readings, we proceed to unravel the cards’ personal connections to evoke specific information relevant to the unfolding of the story. It’s incredibly powerful and, as I mentioned, unavoidable.”

During this part of the workshop, people share what they are discovering or experiencing, so it becomes a group journey as well. This adds to the process immeasurably, allowing people to feel absolutely safe in plumbing the depths this material reveals. As Schultz adds, “That’s what writing for me is all about: depth and honesty. The reason the process works so well is that it’s all about knowing what you know.”

Vanel concurs, “that’s exactly what it is. When I took a workshop called ‘The Mastery,’ created by the Actor’s Institute in New York, the repeated premise was ‘You are the source of your own creativity.’ That same premise is just as relevant in what Ron and I are doing. First of all, it is absolutely no accident which cards appear in your reading.”

According to Vanel and Schultz, “The cards give you everything you need to tell the story. How the writer proceeds is up to each individual. But it is remarkable to see the imagination and creativity that pours out of people, often in spite of their own fears about writing.”

Vanel and Schultz point out this is the psychological edge they’re after. “In a strictly creative sense,” Vanel says, “the cards have a way of presenting  specific details with possibilities that are limitless. The often unexpected arrival of surprise, hidden realities, and complex psychological plot revelations, take place with immediacy and in graphic detail.”

Schultz adds, “time and again, people walk away from this process blown away by the depth they thought they would never be able to contact. This creative form of archetypal exploration opens its participants to the unlimited possibilities they already possess. In my opinion, the reason systems like the Tarot and Tree of Life were created is to keep us focused on our emerging possibilities.”