Storytellers are Magicians
MST Card Spotlight: The Magician
The first numbered card of the tarot, The Magician serves as a conduit between the spiritual and physical worlds, making magick happen through concentration, skill, willpower, and practice. As you can see, The Magician is standing before a table (their altar, perhaps?) where they have collected items from each of the tarot suits: a wand, a sword, a pentacle, and a chalice or cup.
The Magician concentrates and focuses on what they’re doing, the intention they’re setting, directing energy from above—the heavens, the Universe, their own intuition—to the present, physical plane. One arm is raised and holding a wand while the other arm is pointed downward toward the earth. In making this stance, they are a magic wand, inviting energy to flow through them right from the heavens down to the Earth. The lemniscate above their head confirms an unlimited capacity for doing so. As Hermes Trismegistus, the mythological combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth, said, “As above, so below.”
Ruled by Mercury, the messenger of the gods, The Magician is The Fool on the other side of their leap of faith. The Fool gathered their tools, listened to their intuition, and proceeded with their plan. They made good on their intention to set out on a grand adventure, to satisfy that call of accomplishment and/or mission to complete an important goal. In The Fool’s journey, The Magician represents The Fool’s fiery consciousness, and they have every intention of making magick happen wherever they go.
Storytellers are Magicians
YOU are the Magician. You have everything it takes and everything you need to spin magical stories that become bestselling books. Your writing desk is your table, your altar where the magick happens, and you have all the elements there: pens, paper, a laptop, coffee or tea, books to inspire you, and maybe even a furry familiar at your feet… or resting on the keyboard. You’re ready to channel energy from both intuition and spirit, creating something spectacular. As above, so below.
In the upcoming Mystic Storyteller Tarot, the companion deck to the book, Mystic Storyteller: A Writer’s Guide to Using the Tarot for Creative Inspiration, The Magician card muse is yours truly!
And again, my fellow writer, I’m here to remind you The Magician is YOU. The Magician is anyone whose magick changes lives, and when we gather the necessary tools, sharpening and honing them and organizing them before us, there is nothing we cannot do. There is no story that cannot be written, no book that cannot be finished. As mystic storytellers, when we use the magick within us (i.e., our talent and creativity), we can achieve our every goal—we can manifest our wildest desires, drawing energy from the heavens and enriching people’s lives here on Earth, sometimes even effecting profound change.
As promised, the blurb...
Last week I promised to share the Mystic Storyteller book blurb with you. As most writers (of fiction or nonfiction) know, a book’s description is harder to pen than even the book itself. I hope you find this one interesting enough to seek your own copy on its release!
Title: Mystic Storyteller: A Writer’s Guide to Using the Tarot for Creative Inspiration
The tarot is a collection of stories, and Mystic Storyteller: A Writer’s Guide to Using the Tarot for Creative Inspiration was designed to teach writers how to use its stories to craft their own.
Writing is a magical venture, and the tarot is a mystical vehicle that can help guide the imagination and strengthen the craft of storytelling. Writers are creators of ideas, lives, and entire worlds, and those who intuit stories through the magic of intuition and creativity are mystic storytellers.
With the help of the tarot, mystic storytellers can develop every character who first appears as a hint, shape storylines, build worlds, and turn any idea into a bestseller-worthy page-turner. Tarot cards can also help writers unearth meaningful self-discoveries, shovel compelling ideas into plot holes, chisel away at writer’s block, and even stake out an entire novel or fiction series.
Mystic Storyteller functions as a reference manual, workbook, and storybook all-in-one. As you work with this guide, you will uncover insights, instruction, and activities designed to help you employ the tarot for:
Enhancing creativity.
Strengthening writer’s intuition.
Inspiring ideas and composition.
Improving storytelling proficiency through building confidence and encouraging authenticity of voice and style.
Nurturing rich character- and world-building practices.
Elevating plot and scene development skills.
Troubleshooting writer’s block.
Supporting self-discovery and wellness routines.
Mapping out a memoir.
and so much more.
For optimal creative inspiration while working with this book, use Mystic Storyteller Tarot, a companion tarot deck designed specifically for writers.
Stay tuned for the next card reveal!
Keep an eye on your inbox Monday! A major eclipse is happening, so I feel it appropriate to share The Sun and The Moon cards of the Mystic Storyteller Tarot!
Release Date and Other Details
The Mystic Storyteller book and tarot deck is being launched on BackerKit this August. That means YOU will have the chance to demonstrate your Magician skills by helping manifest this endeavor. Stay tuned for a release date and other details! As a subscriber, you’re on the fast track to staying updated on this magickal project.
I cannot say it enough: THANK YOU for your interest, your kind words of encouragement, and your celebration of Mystic Storyteller! If you are not already following @MysticStorytellerTarot on Instagram, please click the image below!
In her more than thirty years as a storyteller and visual designer, Amanda “Mandy” Hughes has written and designed over a dozen works of literary, Southern Gothic, and women’s fiction under pen names A. Lee Hughes and Mandy Lee.
Mandy is the founder of Haint Blue Creative®, a space for readers and storytellers to explore, learn, and create. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Psychology, and she has worked as an instructional designer for nearly twenty years.
When she’s not writing, Mandy enjoys the movies, theater, music, traveling, nature walks, birdwatching, and binging The Office. She is a tarot enthusiast who uses the cards to enhance creativity and foster wellness. Her book Mystic Storyteller: A Writer’s Guide to Using the Tarot for Creative Inspiration and companion tarot deck are coming to La Panthère Studio in 2024.
Mandy lives in Georgia with her husband and four sons, two of whom are furrier than the others (but not by much). Visit her website at haintbluecreative.com and follow her on Instagram @HaintBlueCreative and @MysticStorytellerTarot.
