Welcome to Exploring Setting with Tarot! Each week we will go over one tarot card and explore how it can be used in writing as a prompt for setting. This week we are exploring Temperance.
Setting is defined as the time and place in which the story is taking place and tarot can be used for making predictions in regards to timing.
And while there isn’t at reason why tarot can’t be used for this task, I will fully disclose that I don’t use tarot to attempt to make such precise predictive readings. It’s something I have never learned how to do. The reason for this is that I fully believe it is our choices that ultimately shapes our destiny while everything around us may influence those choices. So having said that, this entire series is also a learning experience for me.
I decided that using the Golden Dawn method would be the most useful for everyone involved. The reason for this is because it ties the tarot to astrology, making predictive reading very precise and it also makes for a clear timing system for writers to work with. The imagery of the cards should be enough to inspire the place for any writer if need be.
This will be the reference website/blog I will be using for this project series:
Timing Events Using Tarot and Astrology at Tarot Elements
Introduction of the Card
Temperance is card number 14 in the deck within the Orphalese Tarot program and the fifteenth card in the Major Arcana of the Tarot.
If you haven’t learned about the basic meanings of this card, you can learn about it here from my Exploring Tarot series.
If you haven’t learned about the emotional meanings of this card, you can learn about it here from my Emotional Tarot series.
If you haven’t learned about character traits with this card, you can learn about it here from my Character Tarot series.
If you haven’t explored music with this card yet, you can here with my Chaos Wave series.
Let’s take a look at the following examples of this card below.
Card Examples
Notice the similarities between them and take note of their differences. Do any of these move you more than the others? Take your time and allow yourself to feel something with these cards.
The Writing Exercise
The assignment for this exercise is to write a quick sketch inspired by this card for a setting. Describe this place as best you can based on the images you see here. You can choose one or more cards for this task.
What this Card Means to Me
The Golden Dawn timing for this card is: Sagittarius: November 21 – December 20
You can learn more about this card at this site.
A well stocked and smoothly operating apothecary shop.
I would love it if you linked or pinged back what you wrote so I could see where you went with this.
Happy writing!
~ Celtic Dragon Tarot by D.J. Conway (Author), Lisa Hunt (Illustrator) © 1999
~ Dragon Tarot by Terry Donaldson (Author), Peter Pracownik (Illustrator) © 1995
~ Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti (Illustrator), Barbara Moore (Author) © 2015
~ Goddess Guidance Oracle by Lisa Iris (Illustrator), Doreen Virtue (Author) © 2004
~ Mystic Dreamer Tarot by Heidi Darras (Illustrator), Barbara Moore (Author) © 2012
~ Mystic Faerie Tarot by Linda Ravenscroft (Illustrator), Barbara Moore (Author) © 2015
~ Mythic Tarot by Liz Greene (Author), Juliet Sharman-Burke (Author), Tricia Newell (Illustrator) © 1986
~ Necronomicon Tarot by Anne Stokes (Illustrator), Donald Tyson (Author) © 2012
~ Panda Tarot by Severino Baraldi (Illustrator), Lo Scarabeo (Author) © 2017
~ Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law (Illustrator), Barbara Moore (Author) © 2011
~ Steampunk Tarot by Aly Fell (Illustrator), Barbara Moore (Author) © 2012
~ Universal Tarot by Lo Scarabeo (Author), R. De Angelis (Illustrator), A. E. Waite (Designer) © 2001
~ Credit for 3D model and assets used in this rendered image can be found here.