The question of the Eight of Swords repeats itself for the Protagonist on the hero's journey in young adult fantasy fiction.
The Eight of Swords question & the 3 Act Story Structure
The message of the Eight of Swords (Donkeyskin, French Fairy Tale, Tarot of the Divine) is so spot on with the Protagonist’s journey… & I think “the healing journey” or complex trauma/ intergenerational trauma healing. At least, I know this message has been the crux in my journey...
The Protagonist, in their Act I, is solving their problems the best way they know how.
It is genuinely what they think they ✨need✨ in order to survive. In order to tend to the wound 🥀 created by outside forces, outside of their control.
And they are right. It has been life saving. It does do a good job. But there comes a breaking point...
That breaking point usually comes in the form of something external; a catalyst (event, relationships, crisis) that clashes with how they’ve been trying to solve their problems from childhood this whole time.
The wound has been created, by forces outside of their control, and so the Protagonist is doing everything in their power, with the resources they have, and the best way they know how, to solve their problems and tend to the wound.
This is what Act I is about. The Catalyst takes us into our Act II.
Act II is very much about “the decision to continue the life created or step out of her self made prison”
But the beauty perhaps 🥀 , of this card, of this moment, is that we don’t necessarily know if the description is speaking to an Act I or an Act II into Act III...
This moment repeats itself. The question the Eight of Swords is asking above, repeats itself. It’s the constant question, either consciously or subconsciously, throughout the Protagonist’s journey, the hero's journey.
Reflection
If the question of the Eight of Swords repeats itself, what would we see on the surface of your protagonist's life, if they are battling with this question throughout their journey? What does it look like on the surface? What does it look like/ sound like internally? Have we named/ pin pointed the catalyst?
Hope this was helpful!
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Credits:
Tarot deck: Tarot of the Divine by Yoshi Yoshitani
novel/ plot structure: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
my own experience & study of trauma processing models (also 3 stages or 3 parts ✨) You can google “3 part Trauma model” or 3 stage/ 3 phase
