​​In my role as a Public Programs Director at a literary museum, I get to talk to and learn from authors about the craft and quandaries of storytelling. Before completing my MFA in writing, I studied older storytelling and healing traditions such as astrology, shamanism, and tarot. These systems offer the seeker, through their counsel, opportunities to make meaning through difficult passages in life. I use them to reignite stalled or blocked writing projects. What I’ve learned is that writer’s block isn’t a failure of inspiration; it is a misunderstanding about the nature of blocks. You can’t solve a problem by fixating on it--the best creative solution often involves a lateral thought process. Astrology and tarot are focusing tools used to engage other parts of the mind not aware of the block. In knowing what to ask, with a guide interpreting, blocks crumble, and your writing is set free. Do you have a question?