The Hero’s Journey and the Tarot Major Arcana—Part 5

The Shapeshifter, The Shadow, The Ally, The Trickster

The Shapeshifter
Everyone “…contain(s) multitudes” as Walt Whitman said, and shapeshifter characters dramatize this. From a baffling lover that is constantly changing moods and convictions, to a villain who does something nice, to a wimpy guy who morphs into a superhero, the shapeshifter’s purpose is to provide excitement, tension, and suspense.

The Shadow
The dark side, things hidden or rejected, anything we don’t like about ourselves. The shadow lurks in every character, but it sings in the villain. And the villain is really the most important character in the story. Think about it, without the villain there wouldn’t even be a story. Therefore, the villain must be crafted as carefully as the hero. She can’t be just bad, she must be terribly, hauntingly, and soul searingly bad. She must resonate with the shadow in all of us.

The Ally
Don Quixote’s Sancho Panza, The Lone Ranger’s Tonto, Bambi’s Thumper, Captain Kirk’s Spock, Frodo’s Sam. Dorothy’s Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and Cowardly Lion, the list goes on. Where would the story be without the faithful sidekick for comic relief , to listen to the hero’s fears and plans, to get him out of scrapes, and to keep him company. Allies come in all sizes and flavors. They may be ex-threshold guardians, mentors, heralds, shapeshifters, tricksters, or even shadows.

The Trickster
The trickster’s job is to subvert the status quo and usher in change. When things get too dark or too serious, the trickster makes us laugh. When the hero’s head swells, the trickster takes it down to size. When things get settled and predictable, the trickster shakes things up. Coyote, the Native American trickster, keeps us in stitches with his antics.

Tricksters can be any of Vogler’s archetypes, even the hero. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Brer Rabbit, and Roadrunner are perfect examples of the trickster hero.

Each major arcana tarot card, or key, corresponds to one or more of Vogler’s archetypes and stages of the hero’s journey. In the next series of blogs, I’ll look at the meanings and correspondences of each key and show how it fits into the story arc.

Credit: The information in this blog came from Christopher Vogler’s book, The Writer’s Journey, Mythic Structure for Writers, highly recommended reading.