Customer Reviews

The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present

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When there are so many good tarot books on the market it's a real treat to find one that says something totally and uniquely original. This isn't to belittle what's available but if like me and you've been dealing with the Tarot for almost thirty years, you begin to find that each new title, however excellent it may be, only embellishes what you already know with a choice selection of extra insights. Janet Boyer's new book is something quite different. It's one of those rare titles that manages to tread well-worn territory whilst turning all your maps on their heads. It is truly original.

How do most of us first encounter the Tarot? For me, it was through watching a James Bond film where a beautiful fortune teller shuffled the cards, selected at random and used the upturned cards to foretell the future. Of course, I soon realised it's not that simple. The Tarot is a powerful tool for shedding insight on past, present and future but fundamental to its application is the principle of randomness--or so I thought prior to reading Janet's book.

The Back in Time Tarot Book is the ultimate "card reversal" of the Tarot world. Rather than relying on random selection, Janet encourages you to take control of the Tarot deck and use it as a tool to illuminate your past through means of deliberate card selection. As such, she has given us a powerful tool for self-understanding.

Her Back in Time (BIT) Method involves selecting an incident from your past, summarising it into a "snapshot" by identifying the key points you wish to clarify and then selecting cards to represent these key points. Cards are selected either based on their traditional meanings or alternatively, because of your intuitive response to the images themselves.

One aspect that impressed me greatly was the author's emphasis on card combinations. I frequently work with Lenormand cards as well as with the Tarot and here, card combinations are paramount. An individual card such as the Coffin can mean something very different on its own to when it's paired with a card such as the Heart. So it is with Janet's BIT Method. If an aspect of your "snapshot" is too complex to be represented by a single card then you're encouraged to select two or more that connect together for you on an intuitive level.

The benefits of this method are far reaching. In creating a symbolic "photo album" of such key past events in your life, the tarot symbols you select will often uncover aspects of your past you hadn't realised or acknowledged. I've also found that in using this method I've begun to build up a whole new raft of personalised card meanings and associations that I've been able to bring back to my conventional readings.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say. In this respect, Back in Time Tarot is almost self-endorsing. The first section is Janet herself, laying out the BIT Method whilst the second part is based around a stellar array of other Tarot writers and artists writing on their usage of Janet's methodology and providing their own BIT Snapshots. Names include Mary K. Greer, Monte Farber, Zach Wong, Lisa Hunt, Riccardo Minetti and Joan Bunning amongst others. What better seal of approval could you get than this? Each of their accounts is carefully framed by Janet's own commentary on their experiences.

Adding to the goody bag are further exercises, where the BIT Method is applied to a range of other events such as current affairs coverage or movie storylines. It's amazing what the cards can say in such situations!

This is a truly clever book, well written and presented in a way that showcases not only Janet's infectious enthusiasm, but also the respect and enthusiasm for her BIT Method shown by some of the world's best Tarot writers and artists. Add this to your bookshelf whenever you get the chance. If, like me, you had fallen into the trap of thinking there wasn't much more to learn, this book will soon prove you wrong. It's a winner in every way.



The Back in Time Tarot Book by Janet Boyer is published by Hampton Roads Publishing Company Inc. ISBN 978-1-57174-587-3

Chris Butler discovered the Tarot nearly thirty years ago. He has created and illustrated four tarot decks of his own and is the illustrator of the Quantum Tarot, co-created with author Kay Stopforth.Quantum Tarot: A Tarot of New Physics

Janet Boyer's Back in Time Tarot Book is a ground-breaking new way to use Tarot to add meaning and make sense of our lives. What has happened to us in our life has a major influence on who we are.

Janet's BIT Method empowers even a complete Tarot novice to use a deck's archetypical images to analyze those events, both large and small, that have lodged deep in our memories and have had a lasting influence. By choosing cards that remind us of aspects of a situation in our past, we can look with fresh eyes for the reasons why that event happened, and its impact on the person we've become.

Some of my personal favorites were Ann Cass's heartwarming story "You Can Catch a Robin If You Put Salt on Its Tail" and Mary Greer's "Discovering the Tarot", although many of the BIT Snapshots in the book showed how Janet's BIT Method can be helpful even in dealing with painful memories and life challenges. For example, Teresa Michelsen's "Journey through the Dark Night of the Mind" detailed an inspiring journey of learning to deal with life when suffering chronic pain.

Both Janet Boyer and Mark McElroy's very personal and revealing stories about their deep sense of satisfaction as they discovered a more inclusive version of Christianity were very uplifting to read.

The Back in Time Tarot Book is also a fascinating collection of highly insightful tales from Tarot icons--but don't let that put you off if you're new to Tarot. The wonder of Janet's BIT Method is that is works even if you have no idea of the traditional "meanings" for each of the cards. The important thing is that they act as visual triggers, sparking insights from your subconscious.

The human mind is more complex than any computer, and Janet's BIT Tarot Method could help you to find important messages from your past that you thought you'd forgotten. They are all part of who you are.

If I could give Back in Time Tarot 10 stars, I would; five for being such an enjoyable read, five for providing such an innovative and effective method for experiencing Tarot.
What I love about Janet Boyer's Back in Time Tarot approach is that it relies on a creative, associative process, not on knowledge or memorization of standard tarot interpretations. In order for any tarot reading to be meaningful our own memories and personal associations necessarily come into play. Janet's wonderfully simple but effective method not only allows us to incorporate personal connections to the cards, but actually encourages us to use these associations as the very foundation for readings. This approach allows beginners to derive as much insight from tarot as the seasoned expert, because we are encouraged to start with our own stories and weave related meanings from the cards we select.
Most agree that the main goal in studying tarot cards is to gain greater insight into one's self and one's experiences. Janet's method of taking a snapshot of ourselves within the context of a particular situation lets us explore our own symbolic connections, using the tools of tarot, intuition, and imagination. Most tarot books dictate formulaic tarot interpretations and then add a little footnote about using your own intuition. Back in Time Tarot starts with intuition, ventures into personal experiences, and yields tremendous insight. The "snapshot" is a marvelously playful yet productive approach. It's like setting off on an adventure and throwing away the roadmap. Janet encourages us to chart our own course and to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. And when you reach the pinnacle, you have a whole new point of view. As you look back you realize "Aha, now I see how I got here and from here I can figure out where I want to be."
While Janet's title suggests that this unique snapshot method gives us a way of understanding past situations, her idea of zooming out for a bigger picture is extremely effective for sorting out current issues and challenges as well. She articulates the beauty of the Back in Time (BIT) method so well--"it prompts you to unearth associations from the unconscious and bring them into the light of the conscious mind."

Back in Time Tarot is a collaborative kaleidoscope of Tarot experiences that Janet has successfully assembled. Though the Table of Contents reads like a Who's Who of the Tarot world, each contributor seems to embrace the BIT method with the open eagerness of a true beginner mind. Some of the stories focus on the little dilemmas and decisions we face each day. Others examine bigger archetypal human experiences. Lisa Hunt's compelling essay on writer's block appealed to me not only because I had the privilege of working with her on Fantastical Creatures Tarot, but mostly because it illustrates so vividly how this BIT process can help us when we "get stuck." After each contributor discusses his or her personal experiences with their chosen tarot cards, Janet offers helpful commentary and suggestions to guide the reader in applying these lessons to their own situations. The engaging tenor and unique structure of Back in Time Tarot works very well. Just as you may chose which cards to use for your snapshot reading, you may approach the book in the same way, selecting any chapter that resonates for you.
Back in Time Tarot has universal appeal. It works with any and all tarot decks, even combinations of cards from different decks. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in tarot, and especially everyone interested in "knowing thyself."

I thoroughly enjoyed Janet Boyer's fascinating book, `Back in Time Tarot'. Janet takes her many years of experience and knowledge of Tarot, and passes them on generously with a warm and down to earth writing style which instantly engages the reader. The `Back in Time' or `BIT' method, which is the focus of the book, is a wonderfully refreshing approach to Tarot which any reader or Tarot enthusiast will just be itching to try themselves!

The bulk of the book is made from various examples of this method in action, not only from Janet herself, but also some very well known names from the Tarot world, such as Lon Milo Duquette, Lisa Hunt, and Mary Greer. This gives great insight into not only the many possible ways to perceive a card, but also a fascinating peek at how these great Tarot minds think!

Janet's book, and the `BIT' method, gently encourage you to think outside the normal strictures and methods of Tarot, teaching us to look at the cards in a new way. This method can help novices really start to understand and acquire their own personal meanings for the cards, and offers experts a much needed refreshing new angle to take. Rather than learning by rote from a book of essential meanings, we are encouraged to look at situations from our life and THINK for ourselves about which cards would describe or evoke that situation, thus enabling us to build up our own database of very personal meanings. This has enormous potential for improving reading skills and understanding of Tarot, which can be daunting for some.

I would heartily recommend this book and Janet's innovative method to anyone with an interest in Tarot, an open mind, and willingness to learn. You won't be disappointed!

Emily Carding (Creator of the Transparent Tarot)The Transparent Tarot

The Back in Time Tarot Book (BIT for short) offers a new approach to making the tarot cards more familiar and personal.

Boyer's BIT method encourages the reader to connect with the cards by recreating a memory or experience from the past. Deliberately selecting cards which, when viewed together, serve as a "snapshot" of the memory will make the cards more meaningful and relevant. When creating a BIT snapshot, you select cards that capture the essence of the experience as you experienced it. After having done so, you will then have a personal reference when each of those cards come up in future readings.

Using a very obvious example, if I were to create a BIT snapshot of giving my cat meds, I would undoubtedly use Strength as one of my cards, as it illustrates a woman opening the mouth of a feline. What's interesting about this method is that the cards you choose for each experience will vary depending on what deck you are using, as the artwork and interpretations are different in each deck. As the selection of the cards is so personal, even two people who had experienced the same situation together would probably not select the same exact cards, even if using the same deck.

The method is simple, and its explanation takes up only a small portion of the book's pages. The bulk and beauty of the book consists of examples of BIT snapshots, contributed not only by the author, but also from other seasoned tarot professionals, many of whom will be familiar to readers, as they are tarot deck and book authors, artists and editors.

Boyer also uses the BIT method to capture scenes from books, TV, movies, historical events, famous personalities, states, songs and holidays. She shares many detailed and interesting examples of all of the above. In short, if you can experience it in some manner, you can apply the BIT method to it.

In addition to the many examples given, the book is also sprinkled with a plethora of exercise prompts, encouraging you to use the BIT method for yourself in various ways.

I can definitely see the advantage of doing these snapshots, whether you are a beginner or experienced reader. Making emotional connections with the cards and experiencing their essences first hand can only be beneficial to a reader. And with the inspiration in this book, you will have no shortage of material to practice with!

I really enjoyed seeing how the different tarot readers arranged their individual BIT snaphots. If you enjoy peeking into the inner workings of other tarot readers' applications of the cards, and are interested in seeing the BIT method in action, The Back in Time Tarot Book is an entertaining and thought-provoking read that will have you looking at situations in your life through a new tarot lens.

~Kiki (TarotDame.com)

When I first heard that Janet Boyer had come out with a tarot book, I was very intrigued! After all, she's one of the top reviewers of tarot on the internet. But I'd already read a couple of books on tarot, and where they were good and even interesting, reading them was akin to studying, which I already seem to do enough of!

Then I received Janet's book, the Back in Time Tarot Book. As I started reading through this book, I could see that it was different than anything I'd ever read. This book was all about playing!

The premise of the Back in Time (BIT) method of reading cards is rather than memorize each card in the tarot to do a reading about our future, we choose cards to fit a story from our life that we've already lived, and this choice gives the cards richer meanings, and greater insights into what we've gone through already.

Janet shares many stories (some of them her own, some from other well known tarot personalities) in which the story teller shares from a time in their own life and matches up specific tarot cards for certain situations and feelings. At the end of each story, Janet gives a bit of commentary, then invites the reader to do their own BIT reading from a similar event in their life.

Janet also matches the tarot up to some famous songs from the 80s, literature, tv, movies, the U.S. and holidays. So, from what I understand, you can pretty much take anything and use the BIT method and connect it to tarot cards.

I really enjoyed the stories that she shared, and the connections she made to past folk tales, as well as some of my favorite songs from the 80s, so I was inspired to try it on one of my own stories.

I did the BIT snapshot, and found that the more I looked at the cards, the more insights I seemed to get. So it doesn't end with one simple layout! The information just keeps coming and coming. I've continued to do BIT snapshots of other things in my life, including things I felt as a child, and my teen age years, as well as into adult hood, and have continued to get insightful and helpful information that had never occurred to me before.

I have really enjoyed the exercises in this book, and doing my own BIT shots! And, I feel like I've connected to my deck in a way that I haven't before - and as I've been working with the tarot on and off for nearly 20 years, that's saying something!

I first ran across Janet Boyer's name when researching some tarot related information on the Internet. Boyer has a site appropriately entitled [...] where she enthusiastically talks tarot, posting reviews of the various decks--she has quite a collection of reviews which include not only her intuition when using the various decks, but photos of some of the key cards to give the viewer an idea of the symbology or lack thereof that each individual tarot artist employs to imbue his/her decks with his/her particular insights. In "The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present," Boyer offers a little reverse methodology meant to help each tarot reader get a feel for each of the twenty-two major arcana (archetype) cards and each of the fifty-six minor arcana (action) cards. Her technique is easy to employ, just requiring a little imagination on the part of the participant.

As co-creators of the universe, imagination is our greatest tool. Here, Boyer instructs us to think of a particular situation that held great meaning in our lives and then attempt to depict the situation in terms of the cards. In order to show her method to perfection, I will detail an example--describing with the tarot an event from my life that was fraught with much emotion and personal development.

A few years ago, a dear friend of mine passed away from a massive heart attack while working at his computer in his apartment. It took the manager of his residence four days to call the police to force open the door of his apartment. What followed was a frenzy of sadness and confusion on the part of his family and friends as to what to do next. My friend was a writer who had collected quite an extensive personal repertoire of writings of a political and philosophical nature. He had been attempting to build an Internet presence that included courses and seminars that would instruct his audience as to how to live a better life. He had trademarked a few catchy phrases to epitomize his concept and was in the process of marketing them with a series of websites. However, many of his ideas were just that, ideas that he had not personally executed or fully thought out. In October of 2008, after Lehman Brothers and other important financial institutions failed, my friend who had libertarian leanings panicked at the proposed government bailout. He worried that his nest egg would be sadly diminished and that before his concept became a well-known brand and was able to produce income he would run out of money. His anxiety hastened his demise; he is remembered only through his network of friends--his writings and philosophy all but forgotten. Amidst much turmoil regarding his estate and grief regarding his absence, an inquiry regarding my friend arrived via the Internet. The inquiry's sender became a new friend who heralded a wonderful spiritual awakening for me.

Cards 1-2: The Fool (Universal Waite) depicts an innocent walking without looking towards a cliff. He is embarking on an adventure and with childlike simplicity is not aware of the danger that lurks. He is representative of my friend as he begins on his new path of teleseminar philosopher. The Ace of Wands (Robin Wood Tarot) suggests that my friend was optimistic and inspired; excited to begin his new venture

Card 3: The Hierophant (Universal Waite) is symbolic of traditional thinking with regard to religion and spirituality. My friend oftentimes called himself "The Pope"; he was somewhat rigid in his morality believing in his ability to monitor the lives of others with a strict adherence to rules.

Cards 4-5-6: The Hanged Man (Robin Wood Tarot) suggests the time out that my friend took to grow his business. However it also has negative connotations as my friend `hung around' thinking introspectively instead of putting things into action. As the initial rush of the new project wound down, my friend turned inward instead of recognizing that the momentum had slowed. I pair this with the Two of Swords (Connolly Tarot) which depicts two men contemplating two swords--they are aware of a situation but seem indecisive. In this instance, my friend waited instead of acting. The Six of Cups (Robin Wood Tarot) comes into play here where daydreams and romanticized thinking also stops the action.

Cards 7-8: The Tower (Universal Waite) signifies the destruction of the financial system and the Nine of Swords suggests nightmares over a situation that was going to get worse before it got better. My friend fretted over the collapse of Lehman Brothers so much so that he could not sleep.

Card 9: Death (Connolly Tarot) self-explanatory.

Card 10: The Three of Swords (Robin Wood Tarot) clearly depicts the pain one feels when one close to us dies.

Card 11: On the Five of Wands (Robin Wood Tarot) card one sees some kind of conflict in play. This card suggests the rivalry and confusion over my friend's estate, both material and intellectual.

Card 12: The Six of Cups (Connolly Tarot) with its bucolic scene of cups and roses portrays a nostalgic scene where the idea of home and the country suggests a revisiting of old times. At the memorial service many of the deceased's friends recounted humorous stories about him that joined us all together in a feeling of fellowship.

Card 13: The advent of the Magician came unexpectedly. A master of the uses of imagination, he represents the Internet friend who appeared as if out of nowhere to help everyone see their proper role within the contracts they had with my friend.

Cards 14-15: The Six of Pentacles suggests resolution while the Ace of Wands heralds a new spiritual awakening.


As you can see Boyer's method is simple to implement but forces one to think about events and people in terms of archetypes and motivations within the all-encompassing spectrum of the mind (air), the body (earth), the spirit (fire) and the emotions (water). The actual categorization of an event makes one step back and become introspective--it allows the participant to look from a different vantage point that promotes a more universal interpretation. Practice using Boyer's concept can only make us understand the use of tarot within the Universal Consciousness; each card will be tagged with an associated real-life personal experience.

For the most part the book consists of many examples of her technique in action written mostly by her, but also includes contributions from many Tarot card artists whose examples using the BIT method further illuminates their interpretation of each card's meaning through their depiction.

Bottom line? Janet Boyer's `Back in Time Tarot Book' is an extremely readable and informative look at her BIT method of understanding the 78 tarot cards. Using examples from one's own pivotal life moments, one selects cards to convey events from mental, physical, spiritual and emotional aspects. Recommended, although once read, I do not think this book is a keeper. However, if one is expecting a card by card explanation of the Tarot, this book is not for you. Tarot Beginners, try instead Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis or Tarot Workbook: Featuring the Classic Sharman-Caselli Deck by Juliet Sharman-Burke.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

Reading Janet Boyer's Back In time Tarot is like talking tarot with a good friend. In an accessible and engaging style, Janet describes her Back in Time (BIT) Tarot Method and shares her own readings. There are also a stellar collection of guest readings from tarot luminaries such as Mary Greer, Mark McElroy and Lisa Hunt.

Janet says that her BIT Method--which came to her while taking a bubble bath!--involves "Deconstructing memories and then consciously choosing Tarot cards to represent their components can forge a deeply personal link between a person and individual cards." She explains how to associate personal memories with the cards, chosen consciously for their instinctive association with those memories. The method involves breaking down a memory or an experience into its component elements, choosing a card for each of those parts. The BIT Method is playful and fun, but also a powerful and experiential way of learning and understanding the Tarot. It encourages a personal, intuitive approach to learning the cards rather than relying on a particular system or set of associations. I found Janet's book fascinating and refreshing, and I can't wait to apply the BIT Method to my readings.

So here it is. I've not finished this book but I have felt compelled to share my experiences and my thoughts so far because I think that it will be beneficial for those seeking to purchase it. When purchasing this book I didn't really have any expectations. Basically you are given personal stories as well as the Tarot Cards that the person that is sharing the story associates with their experience. They explain why they chose the card and how it fits. After that you are given what Janet calls 'Your Turn' exercises. It asks you to recall a situation from your personal experiences or from a movie you've seen, something from history etc.. and what Tarot Cards YOU yourself would associate with that scenario. So you can see where each and every one of us would have a very personal experience.

I have been going through these exercises one by one. Giving them my full attention. I started to notice the healing that was taking place. I would recall a situation, I would look through my decks and find the cards I would associate with the experience and I would tell my story with them. As I would tell my story I could see the experience LIVE and it was as if I was releasing it. Letting go and letting the Tarot take this situation on. It has given me a new-found understanding of the Cards and has opened SO many doorways for my Journey with the Tarot. This is definitely not a book for someone who is a bit of a prude! It asks you to throw out your conventional way of thinking and asks you to embody the Fool and take a leap, have some fun and go enjoy the experiences you create. I can definitely say that the little time I have had with this book, it has made a huge impact on me. It has allowed me to see things from a different vantage point and to let go & forgive situations and experiences that I thought I already had.

The Back in Time Tarot Book has taught me:

The Fool + The High Priestess + The Chariot = The Mystery Machine. Yep you heard that right. Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine can be represented by these cards!
How to effectively take myself out of situations and utilize the BIT Method to ease my stress levels. By working through this method for something that stresses you, It can be effective in easing your mind and allows you to really see a different point of view and maybe where you need to lighten up a bit.
How to really enjoy Tarot - Sometimes reading the cards can get a bit monotone.. It can drain you but by utilizing this method and reading the book I've been inspired again. It has put that spark back into my practice!

So if you are looking to purchase this book, know that you'll definitely get something out of it.

Janet Boyer's Back in Time Tarot Book introduces a new use of Tarot other than divination. An alternative way of playing. A profound way of looking at one's life events and experiences. A refreshing habit of making connections between visuals, sounds, words, memories, emotions. This book stimulates and lets loose a burst of your creativity. The most significant part for me though, was the presence of healing attributes.

Both newcomers and masters can benefit from this method, and it even works for those that don't believe! The Back in Time Tarot Book takes advantage of all the diverse richness that the various different decks have to offer, as well as the valuable contributions by inspiring tarotists. If you decide to give it a try and play, be certain, that no sense of yours will be left untouched.

I highly recommend Back in Time Tarot to anyone who loves Tarot and appreciates symbolic living.