78 Poems Project: Tarot Poetry

The 78 Poems Project came about in a very organic way.  Back in December of 2008, after having been in Florida less than a year, I was having a difficult time surrendering old grief.  I chose the Eight of Cups to represent the energy I needed to embrace for healing, and did some meditation with it.
 
I was inspired to try to write a poem about the Tarot card I had chosen.  Over a period of three days I struggled with that poem.  When it was finished, I felt a sense of peace and healing that I had not felt since before my Mother’s illness and death, four years earlier.
 
I posted my Eight of Cups poem on Facebook for my students and peers to see.  Some of them commented that it helped them with their healing as well.
 
I have always encouraged my students to write Tarot poetry as an intellectual process, and I have written other Tarot poems in the past.  With the Eight of Cups poem I saw, for the first time, the incredible healing magick of Tarot poetry. 
 
Two things were born in me the day I wrote the Eight of Cups poem.  The first was the realization of the powerful healing tool that Tarot poetry is.  The second was the desire to write a poem for each of the seventy-eight Tarot cards.  The 78 Poems Project was born.
 
I established some loose rules and goals for myself for this project, which I have listed below. I hope that you enjoy these poems and, if needed, that you find some healing with them as well.
 
If you enjoy Tarot, and enjoy writing, please consider exploring Tarot poetry for yourself. It is a great exercise in Tarot understanding, in poetry writing, and in healing.
 
For the 78 Poems Project, I will:

• Use the Rider Waite Smith images as my guide. I may write about cards from other decks as well, but for this project I will use only RWS.

• Write about the cards in whatever order I prefer, or no particular order at all.

• Explore, play with and employ as many poetic devices as I can, including rhyme, meter, assonance and alliteration.

• Not worry whether or not each poem is a great poem in terms of literary quality.

• Not plan for, or expect, publication. This is a project born out of my love for Tarot, and my love for words.

• Treat each card in whatever way I want. I may write from the first person as the card character, or write as a person traveling in the card, or observing the card.

• Try to include some Key Words that I associate with each card in each poem.

• Publish the poems on my website for the amusement and inspiration of whomever might stumble across them.

• Hold myself to no particular timetable for completion.