Merry meet,
This one is for my fellow creative writers - if you write fiction of any sort and find yourself stuck on making characters (or, even harder, developing those characters into believable, well-rounded people) - why not let your tarot deck help you out?
I’ve been enjoying some creative writing classes where we explore all kinds of prompts and exercises. It got me thinking, tarot cards highlight powerful archetypes and symbolism that have called to the human spirit for hundreds of years. The cards could be a great way to create multi-faceted yet relatable characters 
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New to Tarot?
Welcome! 
To get the most out of the cards, it is recommended to first familiarize yourself with them. A great way to learn the basics is by taking a tarot course, such as the Complete Tarot Course (free with your Spells8 membership!)
Don’t have a tarot deck? No worries! Here is a FREE Rider Waite tarot deck that you can download, print, and use right now. Let’s go!
- Draw your first card. This card is the character’s want - their driving force.
In a main character, this is the urge that pushes them through the story (and advances your plot). In a side character, this could be their short-term goal within a scene, or the reason they are helping/hindering your main character.
- Draw your second card. This card is the character’s need - what the character actually needs in order to have a satisfying end. It may align with their want, but most often, it’s something they are unaware of or unwilling to face.
A character may or may not get their want, but in order for the ending to feel satisfying and complete, the character must get the thing they need.
This card applies to main characters/main cast. It can be skipped for less important characters, especially if they only appear in one scene.
- Draw your third card. This card represents the character’s main obstacle - what is preventing them from attaining their want/need.
The obstacle can be anything (or anyone) that gets in the way of the character. By overcoming the obstacle, they get closer to seeing and reaching their need.
For a main character, this is a big obstacle or a villain. For side characters, this might be a momentary problem where they require or refuse the main character’s help.
- With a want/need and an obstacle, you have solid bones to build off of. What type of character desires such a thing, what conditions and setting would they be at home in? Where would this type of obstacle do the most damage, thus making the most interesting story?
Use these key character and plot drives to guide the rest of the character creation process, and further develop your world and story 
Ready? Let’s try it!
Example 1: Main Character
Using the above method, let’s make a main character.
I went to the Random English Name Generator and got “Jayden Cooper” 
Card 1: Want - Seven of Wands
Card 2. Need - Death
Card 3. Obstacle - Four of Swords
Reading:
Our main character is a successful, proud fellow who is in charge of several businesses. They keep him on his toes day in and day out, always scrambling. If there’s not a problem in one business, then there are problems at home. He’s constantly spread thin, and wishes more than anything that he would be able to better manage everything on his plate.
Although our character fervently wishes to be able to better control his businesses in order to find success, what he truly needs is to let go. There is no healthy way to manage so many little things all at once - he needs to be able to see what is really important: the relationships with his family and friends. This will cost him some things, and some suffering, but in the end, he will be happier and healthier focusing only on his priorities.
The main thing preventing our character from seeing what he needs is that he doesn’t have any time to stop and think - he’s so darn busy, he can’t see anything aside from what is in front of him! After getting in accident, he is sent to a mountain temple to recover - no wifi, no phone, nothing. While there, he is forced to put a stop to everything he was involved in, take a step back, rest, and contemplate on the true meaning of his life.
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Example 2: Side Character
Using the above method, let’s make a side character.
I went to the Fantasy Random Name Generator and mermaid names popped up, so let’s do that! The generator gave me “Tamesis” as a random name.
Card 1: Want - Three of Pentacles
Card 2. (Skipping, as this is a side character)
Card 3. Obstacle - Four of Swords (different deck, same card 
)
Reading: The main character meets a mermaid named Tamesis - Tamesis is someone who might help them on their journey. It even seems like their goals are aligned - they both want the same thing in the end. On top of that, the mermaid has several connections with the mermaid kingdom that would be helpful to the hero.
Except, Tamesis seems to be lazy - in the hero’s eyes, the mermaid would much rather lounge around on the beach all day, braiding her hair or singing at seagulls. In actuality, she’s trying to recuperate after a tough falling out at home and isn’t ready to go back and face her family.
In order for the hero to overcome this, it’s going to take some effort to convince Tamesis to help them out 
Creativity & Writing Magick 
Looking for related spellwork? Here are some additional spells and resources for writers, Art Witches, and other creative souls.
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Crea-tarot-ivity: A Motivational Card Spell
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