The Sceptic's Tarot

In my previous article on the “what if” technique for solving problems, I discussed the technique and showed how it can help you solve problems.

I referred to the article, “What if? A creative technique,” where the “what if” question is “What if I were someone or something on this card?”

I gave examples of people, creatures, and objects I could pretend to be, but the technique is so intriguing that I decided to give an example of how this technique would work to solve a problem. Remember, the solutions your stimulated imaginations generate might be weird or inappropriate, but they can be modified to become original and useful solutions.

The steps of the technique are:

1. Draw a tarot card at random.
2. Pick people, creatures, or objects from the card.
3. Brainstorm how those people, etc., would help you solve problems.
4. If necessary, re-imagine the solution to make it useful.

I want to use the same problem as in the previous article, so here it is again:

Despite having quick intelligence, my ten-year-old son is not doing well at school. He seems to be bored with school and reluctant to spend time on his homework. However, he refuses to talk about school. How can I encourage him to do better at school?

I shuffle my deck and draw the Eight of Swords.

A woman is tied up and blindfolded. She has one foot in the water around her feet. Swords surround her. A castle looms in the background.

So, from the card image, I choose:

• the woman
• a sword
• the water
• the castle
• the rope
• the blindfold.

Now I ask myself:

If I were the woman, how would I solve the problem?

• Tie him up to force him to do this homework. (This is a little extreme, so I changed it to: Let him sit at his desk for twenty minutes, then he can stretch his legs for five minutes before returning to his homework.)
• Teach him not to procrastinate.
• If something is blocking him from doing the homework (fear or procrastination perhaps), I will encourage him to take one step at a time (put his toe in the water).

If I were the sword?

The swords are ranged around the woman, not touching or enclosing her completely. They could be planted in the ground with some intent (with a goal in mind).

Swords represent war, strategies, focus, and victory. In tarot, they stand for thoughts and ideas.

• Prick his conscience about doing his best. (This is somewhat manipulative, so I adapted the solution: Ask him what would motivate him to do his schoolwork.)
• Ask him why the subject will help him realize a dream or goal.
• Teach him that the pen is mightier than the sword.
• Help him list the advantages of doing his homework before he can play.
• Find out what does interest him at school, and encourage him to start with that.
• Help him set goals for his studies.
• Help him organize his thoughts.
• Teach him to focus on one thing at a time.

If I were the water?

• Promise him a swim if he has completed at least half his homework

If I were the castle?

• Let him sit outside while he is doing his homework

If I were the rope?

• Ensure he knows we love him even if he is not good at schoolwork (feels secure).

If I were the blindfold?

• Involve his imagination (his mind’s eye while he is blindfolded) to make the homework interesting

And in the end

Asking “what if?” is a fun way to solve problems. It's also fun to kick off or keep going with a creative writing piece. The unexpected bizarreness of the scenarios and solutions you generate tickles the imagination to create.

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