RCLAS Writing Workshop: Using Tarot in Your Writing

RCLAS Writing Workshop: “Using Tarot in Your Writing” Facilitator: Isabella Mori Date: Saturday October 27, 2018 Time: 1:30pm – 3:30pm Location: Anvil Centre, Rm #413A Workshop Fees: RCLAS Members $15/Non-members $25 Pay via Paypal here: https://rclas.com/workshops/ Description: Any image can be a fabulous tool to move you forward in your writing. But there’s something special about Tarot, because it is in its very nature to suggest meaning and to tell a story. In this workshop, we will use a number of techniques, from using a card as a simple prompt to getting the cards to suggest to you ways to deal with any difficulties you may have in your writing life. You can bring your own tarot cards but don’t have to; Isabella will bring a wide variety of images inspired by her collection of 60+ decks. Writers of all striped are often looking for ways to jump-start their writing, or to overcome blockages. The rich and symbol-laden imagery of tarot – an intuitive language in itself – can address these issues in many different ways. Isabella will bring a wide variety of tarot images from well-known decks like the Rider-Waite, the Thoth and traditional Marseille-type decks to abstract and obscure ones, like the Langustl (abstract), Amano (Anime) or Tarot of Eden (cryptozoic). Examples of exercises: • A card as an image for a simple free-write • Using one or more cards (a “spread”) to tell a story • Interviewing a card, spread or deck • Writing a haiku from inspired by a 3-card spread • Using specific cards to better understand a character (e.g. the Justice card to understand a detective in a mystery) • Using tarot to reflect on our writing Discussions will include a short introduction to the Tarot (including revising the somewhat limiting notion that tarot is only for “fortune telling”). Author’s Bio Isabella Mori is a mother, grandmother, wife, friend, sister. She also writes: poetry, novels, short stories and non-fiction and has published two books of and about poetry, a bagful of haiku – 87 imperfections, and isabella mori’s teatable book. She has published and blogged over 1,000 articles online and in traditional media. She lives in Vancouver, Canada, in a way-too-big house, enjoys being surrounded by houseplants, and takes long walks. She grew up in Germany in a chaotic artists’ household and has lived in Paraguay and Chile. Isabella has a Masters Degree in Education and works in the mental health/addiction field. She has been friendly with tarot cards since 1995, when she used them in her first-ever psychology research project. See more at the event's website above.