Welcome to The Rhetorica!
Every week, you’ll receive one card from The Rhetorica deck, which features a mythic or historical figure from Western history.
The Rhetorica is a creative system designed to spark better writing, richer ideas, and deeper brand storytelling.
It’s a magical little tool to keep in your digital library.
Keep your cards in an album to flip through when you need some inspiration, or keep your weekly card as phone wallpaper to keep your creative fire burning.
Immerse yourself in the mythology, philosophy, and the history of persuasion and storytelling.
And let the cards remind you that copywriting isn’t simply commerce.
It’s craft.
It’s rebellion.
It’s an ancient art.
When you develop a creative writing and thinking practice, you’ll explode into a content-producing machine…but in a fun way.
And so, we begin—as all stories do—with a spark.
(And a bit of rebellion.)
Card 0: Prometheus
The journey begins.
Prometheus represents The Fool.
He’s the beginning of the journey and the leap into the unknown.
In The Rhetorica, Prometheus takes this place because he brings us the fire of creativity and begins to light our way and lead the rebellion.
Before strategy, before storytelling, before the first written word…
...there was simply the human spark of curiosity, adventure…
...and a willingness to take a risk.
Creativity is always an act of defiance against inertia.
Prometheus is here to remind you: you don't have to be ready. You can just begin.
The story of Prometheus
In the ancient Greek myth, Prometheus was a Titan who defied the gods to help humankind.
Zeus, fearing human potential, had denied mortals the use of fire.
Without it, humanity would remain cold, powerless, and primitive.
But Prometheus pitied them, and so he stole fire from Olympus, hid it in a hollow fennel stalk, and brought it to earth.
With fire, humans gained the power to cook, to forge tools, to craft art, and to tell stories by light.
In short: Prometheus brought humans the power to create civilization.
Of course, Prometheus paid for this.
Zeus chained him to a mountain, where an eagle devoured his liver each day. But, even under punishment, Prometheus never regretted the gift.
Why does he open this deck?
Because every act of creativity is a theft from fear, limitation, or convention.
And every writer must face the same moment: Stay safe in the dark or take the fire and begin.
You will never feel “ready” to write the first word, launch the project, or tell your truth.
Symbols + Secrets
Lit Torch:
The creative spark, knowledge, courage, and the power to begin
Red Robe:
Boldness, life-force, and the willingness to act despite risk
Eagle:
The cost of creation, fear, judgement, sacrifice, resilience
Sagittarius Constellation:
Visionary aim, the quest for higher truth, learning, and creative expansion; the archer’s arrow always reaching beyond the present
Forward Movement:
Progress, momentum, the choice to move even before the path is clear
Creative Prompt:
Write like the old gods are watching
Tell the origin story
Where did your work really begin?
This week, choose one:
A moment you took a risk to create something new
A belief or truth you “stole back” from someone who tried to gatekeep it
A time the work cost you, but you kept going anyway
The spark that lit everything you’ve built
Now:
Keep it plain. Keep it true.
You don’t need mythic language. All you need is the fire that made it all start.
How to use this in your business copy
This week: write the beginning. Let it burn a little.
Try:
“Here’s how it really started” (About page or newsletter)
“The risk I took to build this” (Instagram caption)
“What I had to unlearn to do it my way” (LinkedIn post)
“Why I keep going, even when it’s hard” (Sales page or blog)
Origin stories aren’t always epic, and they don’t have to be. They can simply be honest.
When you name what you risked—or what you reclaimed—people pay attention.
Because everyone is nosey…and we want to know:
What lit the spark?
And what’s still keeping it alive?
Next week, we'll heal through magic.
Until then, write like Prometheus:
spark a rebellion, and share your fire.