Stacking the Deck: Creating Tarot Readings for Fiction
- Michalea Moore
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
Tarot doesn’t behave the same way in fiction as it does in real life.
That’s where things get interesting.
In my previous blog post, I mentioned that The Wheel of the Year Mysteries really has four main characters:
Maren, a witch
Cyrus, her tech-billionaire partner
A shadowy villain, who self-identifies as Alexander the Great, determined to keep them apart
… and Tarot.
Maren and Cyrus follow their instincts.
Villains follow their ambitions.
Tarot follows its own rules.
When Tarot appears in a story, those rules matter — because a fictional reading must feel authentic while still guiding the plot.
So how do you design a Tarot reading that feels real and serves the story?
That’s where things get interesting.
Before I explain how I create the Tarot readings in my novels, it helps to understand one important difference between a real Tarot reading and a fictional one.
In real life, a Tarot reading is a conversation.
The reader and the cards explore possibilities together. No one knows exactly where the spread will lead. The goal is insight — a deeper understanding of a situation that may still be unfolding.
Ambiguity is part of the process. Multiple interpretations are not only possible — they’re expected.
Fiction works differently.
In a novel, a Tarot reading has a job to do.
It must serve the story.
The cards must move the plot forward, reveal character, hint at danger, and sometimes foreshadow events that won’t make sense until much later.
Readers must be able to follow the meaning of the cards — even when the characters misinterpret them (which, frankly, is where the drama usually begins).
And finally it must seem to follow the rules of a genuine Tarot reading.
In other words:
Real readings open doors. Fictional readings choose which door the character walks through.
And sometimes the writer has to quietly stack the deck.
Yes, I often pull cards as if I’m Maren. (More on that in a moment.) But sometimes the readings are carefully crafted by selecting specific cards that serve the story.
When I started writing Something Wiccan, the first book in the series, two major Tarot readings were absolutely critical — not just to the mystery, but to establishing how magick works in Maren’s world.
Not going to lie.
I was intimidated.
Bad Tarot scenes from other novels haunted me.
Especially at three in the morning.
The First Reading: “Go Home”
Enter Susan Peters — a professional Tarot reader with more than forty years of experience.
When I began writing Something Wiccan, two Tarot readings had to work perfectly. They weren’t just plot devices. They were the foundation for how magick and Tarot would function throughout the entire series. We selected specific cards to drive the story forward while still feeling authentic.
So Susan and I did something most real Tarot readers would never do. We stacked the deck by selecting specific cards to drive the story forward while still feeling authentic.
The first spread became what we called the “Go Home” reading — fate calling Maren back to her family after she loses her fortune. We called it the “Go Home” reading because every card in the spread pointed in the same direction: Maren can't outrun her past. Whatever came next, she must face it where it began.
Take a moment and look at the spread before reading Maren's interpretation.
Before reading Maren’s interpretation, take a moment.
What story do these cards tell you?
A quick note before we dive in: These interpretations are filtered through Maren’s perspective. Her reading is emotional, subjective, and shaped by everything that has already happened to her — and everything she fears might happen next.
She doesn’t always interpret the cards correctly.
In the novel, the reading unfolds over several pages as Maren works through the symbolism, her memories, and, later, the way she explains it to Cyrus.
What you see here is the shorthand version of the first reading, which sets the series in motion. It foreshadows events in the book, including her meeting Cyrus.
(Note: the illustrated spread shown here also appears in the books.)
Significator — Wheel of Fortune: Represents Maren. Her life is spinning through a violent shift in fortune — the collapse of her fortune and the beginning of a new cycle she cannot yet see.
Present Situation — The Tower: Everything has fallen apart. The Tower signals sudden destruction, but also the possibility of rebuilding something stronger from the ruins.
The Challenge — The Moon: Things are not what they seem. The Moon warns of hidden enemies, deception, and fears rising from the subconscious.
Recent Past — Ten of Swords: Rock bottom. Maren feels pinned down by betrayal and loss, as if the worst has already happened. This card appears often in the books as the card of real death.
The Future — Ten of Pentacles: Financial stability will return, but it will come through family ties and obligations she cannot easily escape.
Conscious Mind — The Lovers: The possibility of a deep relationship is emerging. But a real partnership will only happen if Maren first finds harmony within herself.
Unconscious Mind — The Hermit: Maren’s instinct is to withdraw and isolate herself.
The Hermit suggests reflection is necessary, but disappearing completely would be a mistake.
Present Environment — The Hierophant: Tradition and authority surround her. In Maren’s mind, this card always evokes her grandmother — the powerful family matriarch who expects obedience.
Influencing Factors — Knight of Pentacles: Slow, steady energy tied to family and home.
Maren initially believes this represents her older brother… but she’s wrong.
(This card becomes an early piece of foreshadowing.)
What She Needs to Know — Eight of Cups (Reversed): There is no running away. The reversed Eight of Cups points to a reluctant return — facing everything she once tried to leave behind.
Outcome — Four of Wands: The ultimate “go home” card.
A Story Hidden in the Cards
One of the things I love about this spread is that it quietly mirrors the structure of a story. In my March 15 post, I mentioned that the Major Arcana can be seen as a heroine's journey, but any reading might show it.
Look at the sequence of major emotional beats:
The Tower — Maren’s life collapses. Everything she thought was stable is destroyed.
The Moon — confusion and uncertainty follow. She cannot see clearly, and hidden enemies may be moving around her.
Ten of Swords — she reaches absolute rock bottom.
Eight of Cups (Reversed) — there is no escape. She must return to the place she once walked away from.
Four of Wands — if she faces what she fears, the possibility of a new foundation awaits.
Seen together, the cards tell the same kind of story every hero faces: collapse, confusion, descent, return, and rebuilding.
In other words, the Tarot spread isn’t predicting events.
It’s outlining Maren’s journey.
I also liked the contrast between the Ten of Swords and the Ten of Pentacles — total ruin followed by the promise of long-term stability tied to family. Happiness and stability are possible — but only if Maren is willing to put down roots again.
Notice: The reading also contains an unusually high number of Major Arcana cards, which Tarot readers often interpret as a sign that the events unfolding are part of a larger, unavoidable turning point.
Did you stop crafting readings?
Yes . . . and No
After building a 200-page character bible and spending weeks living in Maren’s head, I stopped writing about her and started being her.
I wasn’t constructing tarot spreads anymore; I was pulling them. Not as an author plotting outcomes, but as Maren, searching for answers. The line between us thinned. Her voice, fears, fury, and hope became clearer, and her choices made sense. They weren’t just on the page. They were in me. Channeling her wasn’t a technique; it was possession.
I reviewed every important spread with Susan — she caught subtleties I missed and helped refine interpretations — keeping the Tarot true and meaningful.
However, remember the rules governing Tarot in fiction. Sometimes, the cards I pulled were perfect for use as plot points. Sometimes, they were perfect except for one card. If that card pointed in a direction that I could not make work for the story, I changed it. After much research. After a consultation with the Tarot Mistress.
How Else Do You Use Tarot In Writing
Plotting and untangling tricky plot points.
Creating turning points
Developing Character. One of the most eye-opening moments came from a character insight spread during the "Tarot for Writers" course. I realized I didn’t have a solid grasp on Maren’s grandmother and was portraying her as overly harsh without understanding why.
Creative inspiration
Business insights
Closing thoughts . . .
So now I’m curious…
If you were sitting at Maren’s table and these cards appeared in front of you, what story would you tell?
Drop your interpretation in the comments. I’d love to see what you notice.
And if you want to see how Maren gets it wrong . . . and what that costs her, you’ll find out in Something Wiccan This Way Comes.