Tag: Major Arcana

The Hero’s Journey and the Tarot Major Arcana—Part 4

Posted C. LaVielle4 CommentsPosted in Tarot, The Hero's Journey

The Hero, the Mentor, the Herald, and the Threshold Guardian The Hero This is the person that makes the most things happen. He may or may not change. He can be anyone, but he can’t be just a hero. He can be a trickster like Brer Rabbit, Or a shapeshifter like Spiderman and Superman. He may be thwarted in love or orphaned or both—Spiderman again. Many are tormented by a shadow side of their nature. The Mentor Without a Mentor, many heroes would be dead before they even really get started. This is the person who teaches our hero what he needs to know to succeed in his quest and often provides essential equipment. In Greek mythology, Mentor was a friend of Odysseus and advisor to Telemachus. He often embodied Athena, the goddess of wisdom, who does lots of mentoring. Before he went off to kill Medusa, Athena gave Perseus a polished shield to catch the Gorgon’s reflection, because if he looked at her directly… Read More »

The Hero’s Journey and the Tarot Major Arcana

Posted C. LaVielle6 CommentsPosted in Tarot

Christopher Vogler literally wrote the book on the Hero’s Journey—with lots of help from the Myths of several cultures and Joseph Campbell. The Writer’s Journey gives the recipe for recreating this universal and timeless tale. His ingredients are a list of stages in the journey (pieces that must appear in the plot line) and a list of archetypes (character types that are necessary to drive the plot). Put ‘em together and, “bippity, boppity, boo”, you’ve got a story! The Stages of the Hero’s Journey 1. The Ordinary World 2. The Call to Adventure 3. Refusal of the Call 4. Meeting with the Mentor 5. Crossing the First Threshold 6. Tests, Allies, Enemies 7. Approach to the Inmost Cave 8. Ordeal 9. Reward (Seizing the sword) 10. The Road Back 11. Resurrection 12. Return with the Elixer The Archetypes Hero Mentor Threshold Guardian Herald Shapeshifter Shadow Ally Trickster So, I got about this far in telling my Nearest and Dearest what the next blog was going… Read More »

Announcing: THE REMAKING OF MOLLY ADAIR, a YA Fantasy and Tarot Primer

Posted C. LaVielle24 CommentsPosted in Getting Published, Tarot

At last! After countless revisions, The Remaking of Molly Adair, a young adult fantasy I’ve been working on for the past five years, is finished–I think. The tale begins when 16-year-old Molly Adair falls into a parallel universe with only a deck of tarot cards and a cranky, black cat for guides. She knows she doesn’t belong there, but she’s not sure she really belongs in her world either. She is still in shock over the loss of her parents; she’s just moved in with her prickly grandma, who’s a total control freak; and she’ll be starting her junior year in a strange high school. As she struggles to return to Portland, Oregon, Molly confronts the archetypes and challenging lessons of each major arcana tarot card. The first person she meets is Tracy Bliss, a young vagabond who pulls her clawing and screaming out of a black limbo and into Damia. Asmodius, a large black cat, who is a powerful mage, offers to be her… Read More »