Customer Reviews

Putting the Tarot to Work: Creative Problem Solving, Effective Decision Making & Personal Career Planning

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This book presents innovative ways of using the Tarot, and it also accomplishes something better than any Tarot book I have read previously: It explains, and in the language spoken therein, how the Tarot is an overlooked yet invaluable tool for use in the modern corporate world.

I realize that most corporate types simply won't encounter this book because they wouldn't be caught dead browsing the metaphysical section of bookstores, but this is a book that you can hand a friend or family member in the business world and say, "Do me a favor and just read the first five chapters." I postulate that most of them that did so would want to read further, but even if they didn't, those initial chapters would alter their perception of what the Tarot is, and to what practical and concrete ends it can be used.

Most bottom line focused corporate managers will be intrigued by the idea of "seventy-eight full time consultants for $12.95." Skeptical or not, studies show that business is waking up to the value of creative brainstorming, something which McElroy demonstrates can be facilitated by the Tarot with the use of the techniques and approaches he describes.

Chapter Two, "Playing for Keeps," includes a section called "Objections - Overruled!" in which McElroy anticipates and diffuses four common objections against bringing Tarot into the office and the boardroom.

* Objection One: You should be working, not playing cards.
* Objection Two: Religion doesn't belong in the workplace
* Objection Three: What will the boss think?
* Objection Four: Won't people think I'm weird?
* Objection Five: We've gotten this far without Tarot cards!

As McElroy concludes this chapter: "By carefully positioning your work with the cards as serious business, you'll be able to incorporate them into your creative process without raising any objections from others."

Chapter Three, "The Least You Should Know About Tarot," is the most concise introduction to and overview of the Tarot I have ever read, and McElroy covers it in fifteen pages! With an assumption that his readers know absolutely nothing about the Tarot, he debunks some of the common Tarot myths and proceeds to clearly delineate the minimum information new users need to know. He does so in practical language completely devoid of metaphysical and esoteric allusions. He calls his approach "no focus on hocus pocus."

Successive chapters include material on phrasing questions, choosing spreads, performing readings, brainstorming with the cards, using the tarot to explore career options, goal setting with the Tarot, analyzing one's professional network, even how to use the Tarot for the dreaded employee review process, - the latter in a way that produces positive feedback for both employees and employers. The book also contains numerous new spreads as well as unique ideas, many of which are illustrated with the author's personal anecdotes from his considerable professional experience.

My only caveat with this book is that it is almost too "slick." As I read, I felt like I could see McElroy in a boardroom doing a PowerPoint presentation, complete with hand-outs and a laser pointer. The style is unabashedly bulleted top-notch marketing, but it is also the very style that just may be effective in creating some new Tarot buffs out of former skeptics and scoffers. Let's ask the bookstores to stock this book in the business self-help section and watch what happens...

This amazing book by Business expert, Mark McElroy, brings the magical world of tarot into the organizational milieu. Practical and inspiring, Mark presents innovative ways to combine the tarot's guidance with down-to-earth decision making and planning. Mark focuses on the everyday world of the average 21st century executive, entrepreuner or organizational team player. Career planning, goal setting, networking, performance reviews, corporation presentations - all can be enhanced with the energy of the Tarot.

In a press release from Llewellyn, the book is introduced as: "Business manager and consultant Mark McElroy has worked and thrived in the corporate pressure cooker. Let him show you the secrets of using the cards to boost your creativity, make better decisions, and increase your value as a boss or employee. Apply this versatile tool today to clarify your values, define your goals, and restore meaning to your career. The cards can even help you to plan productive meetings, breathe new life into dull presentations, and improve business relationships."

Mark's book will appeal to both the beginning and more seasoned tarot reader. He presents a basic overview of the deck to help you get your feet wet, then offers chapters of suggestions of making the meaning come to life - in your business life! I found this book to be both interesting and enlightening. Mark has a gift - and he shares it in a very pragmatic and utility-oriented way.

For instance, if you wish to do a reading to find out ways to get along better with your work colleagues, he suggests you do a regular reading but slant your interpretation of the results in a business way.

Say, you drew the Seven of Coins:
The message: "Preseverance will pay off, you will realize long-term success."

or if you are asking about the upcoming fiscal year
and you draw the Ten of Swords:
"We'll have to work smarter."

Mark also offers some unique spreads, specifically designed for particular business purposes. One example is the Goal Setting spread which represents a "crossroads moment" sort of approach, with six selected cards. Each card in this layout is a "sign post" "Instead of spelling out your future, these cards support exploration of your destination" (pg. 112).

Within this Goal Setting Spread, the six cards each represent a different aspect of the process:



Card 1: What Really Matters?

Card 2: What do You need?

Card 3: Your Ideal Destination.

Card 4: Where are You Now?

Card 5: Short-term Goals.

Card 6: Long-term Goals.


The book is full of exercises like the Goal setting one above. Another example is the "Strength and Opportunities" spread, where the cards represent meanings such as "Key Strength" or "Supporting Strengths" and "Balancing Strategy".

You will love this book if you are looking for a very concrete and balanced way to conjoin the Tarot and mystical with the Practical. Even the price is right - Mark is obviously dedicated to sharing his expertise in a practical and affordable way. You can purchase this fine book either directly from Llewellyn or through Amazon (see details below).

ABOUT THE BOOK AUTHOR:


Mark holds a B.A. and M.A. in creative writing and composition from the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has more than two decades of experience as a public speaker and corporate trainer. He has written, produced, and hosted classroom, video, and online training for some of America's biggest companies, including SkyTel, MCI, Office Depot, Staples, and many others. Today, he works as a writer, voice actor, and creativity consultant; samples of his work are available at www.hiremark.com and www.tarottools.com.

I'm not a tarot person. I don't tell fortunes. My first reaction to this book was I got a quota to meet. Why waste time with tarot cards?

Still, I picked it up because I'm interested in brainstorming. What I read surprised me. This book is about results and making things happen. The author holds your hand (and attention) every step. If you can't brainstorm with the cards after reading this, you just aren't trying.

And don't worry about the tarot business. This book gives you everything you need. I personally think using tarot makes brainstorming more of a game. When you have more fun you have more ideas. But if you don't like tarot cards, he tells how to use other pictures to do the same thing.

I can see why some tarot types won't like this book. It should have been called Business Brainstorming Games. Its not all about tarot reading. It never tries to be. Instead its a book about using the cards to answer questions faster and map out what to do. Once you try it, you're hooked.

The twenty two ideas in twenty minutes game alone is worth the price. It will give you an edge over people who don't know how to brainstorming with the cards. Buy it now while so few people know about this!!!

Admittedly, before I had my first Tarot "reading" from Mark McElroy, my familiarity and awareness of Tarot was limited to Sister Cleo on television infomercials and one gypsy-like woman at a street-fair. Therefore, I expected a "Brother Cleotis" type approach to Mark's reading. Imagine my surprise when the reading actually was positive and less "future-telling" than it was discussion and my interpretation of what the cards were saying to my situation. On a second and on a third reading at later times, I found the same: a practical and intuitive look at my life's situation.

I would have been hard-pressed to offer much of an explanation of what made the reading meaningful until I read Mark's Book, Putting the Tarot to Work. No "eye of newt and toe of frog," but rather an in-depth discussion of how the Tarot can be an "enlightened" brainstorming tool in the business setting, the book provided an understanding of why Mark is so successful at Tarot.

In my reading, Mark first asked me what the cards seemed to be saying to me...what I saw in them. He then offered the traditional meaning of the cards and together we explored how that meaning and my interpretation of the cards worked together in a synergistic manner to offer insight into my situation.

So, at an introductory level, the cards serve as an "enlightened" brainstorming tool. And although the Cleos and Cleotises of the Tarot world might have a difficulty with this, it becomes a comfortable and safe way to be introduced to Tarot.

And this is what Mark does in his book: he provides an introduction to the Tarot along with tips, techniques and actual stories of how the Tarot fits into real business situations. His writing is concise and easy-to-understand. I particularly enjoyed the format he uses of telling me what I can expect to find in the current chapter and then reviewing the content of the chapter at its end.

After introductory chapters with basic information about Tarot, Mark's chapter titles are:
Basic Brainstorming with the Tarot; Seventy-Eight Steps to a More Satisfying Career; Reviews Worth Raving Over; Building Better Business Relationships; and Seeing the Future.

As a group facilitator in business, I have often used brainstorming. I now see the value of brainstorming "enlightened" by Tarot and also personally use the cards to help me think outside the box. I look forward to the publication of Mark's business-oriented Tarot deck. It will make the use of Tarot even less "Cleo-like" and more acceptable in a business setting.

I highly recommend Mark's book to everyone-not just those into Tarot, but also those who are looking for ways to be challenged to more creative thinking and problem solving.

Visual brainstorming has been a powerful tool in the corporate arena for many years. Putting the Tarot to Work explores the potential benefits of using tarot cards as "creative fuel" when brainstorming questions about work and career.

NOTE: this book's emphasis is very career-oriented, very practical, and very much focused on creating action and direction. Almost nyone could learn about tarot or brainstorming using this approach, but if you're interested in a mystical, magical approach to Tarot, this may not be the book for you.

That said, the cards do turn out to be a powerful way to visualize goals, explore options, and get in touch with what really fulfills you. The book provides easy, step-by-step instructions anyone can use -- even people who have never used tarot cards before. Better yet, most of the applications in the book can be used in the privacy of your own home or office ... you don't have to involve others to use these techniques effectively.

The book also includes games and group exercises that could be used in business and corporate settings. As the book notes, due to tarot's "spooky" reputation, some people may object to using Tarot in a business setting. When this is the case, it's easy to substitute other images (pictures torn from magazines, for example) and use these instead of tarot cards.

Brainstormers already using Roger von Oech's Whack Pack or the Thinkertoys deck will get a kick out of these techniques. People new to tarot will be surprised at how easily they can pick up a deck and begin using the cards as brainstorming tools. And finally, people already interested in Tarot will find some new applications for the cards they enjoy.

If you're looking for a no-nonsense, practical guide to tarot or brainstorming -- or maybe just looking for something new to give your creativity a boost -- you'll enjoy this book.

As a Senior Issues and Crisis Manager at the third largest Public Relations company in New York City, I am always looking for creative approaches to solve business problems and promote a harmonious workplace. I stumbled across this clever and colorful book in a book stores and after reading a few pages of the clear and intelligent writing style I was sold!

I decided to implement several of these the author's strategies, and my associates did not take to the idea too well. Some laughed at me, and others found the whole process of looking at 78-cards to be too confusing.

Honestly, I was shocked that such an interesting approach was not well received in New York City and at a Public Relations firm.

But, I would like to just warn all of you in the corporate world that as fascinating as this approach is in theory, the author should have test marketing it first, because it turned out not be workable in practice.

There are used editions of this book in good condition for under two dollars. But I would not spend that much on this book. Even if it were free I would not buy it. The reason is that the cover is offensive. Its 1950s cartoon style makes a mockery of tarot. The content, Since the however, is another matter entirely. The content of the book looks extremely interesting and useful. It is a shame that this book has been generally overlooked by the tarot community. I suspect its repulsive cover has something to do with that.

I would like to start by saying that I consider myself well-qualified to review this book. Firstly, I have been a student and reader of tarot for 20 years; secondly, I have 15 years of experience as both a private and public sector executive.

The concept of this book is to take a box of tarot cards and use them to think outside of the box. It's a novel idea, but there is a problem, this author's interpretation of the tarot is completely off the mark. So much so, that I was at a total loss as to how the author reached some of his conclusions about the meaning of individuals cards.

There are a variety of methods for tarot card interpretation, one can memorize the traditional meanings, key words, or one can look at the picture at let the visual image speak to them, quite like one would do while looking at a painting in an art musuem. Whatever, the author's chosen methodology is, I fail to see how he reached his conclusions about the meanings of these cards.

Since this book really speaks nothing about the art of tarot, I think that one does not need a deck of tarot cards to do what this author is recommending, in fact one could simply buy post cards and and meditate and look for inspiration from those images.

If you wish to learn tarot, I highly recommend the works of Mary Greer, Rachel Pollack, Janina Renee and Anthony Louis they will offer you great insight into the world of tarot which will not only enrich your business decisions, but will augment you personal and spiritual growth as well. If you are looking for a techinique to think out of the box, than there are dozens of such books on the market, which will not result in having your boss laugh at you for being a guillible and silly new age nut case.

If you want to:

... be more creative and successful at work

... solve problems quickly and with greater confidence

... come up with better ideas (and more of them)in less time

... then I wrote Putting the Tarot to Work just for you!

At first, many people think of Tarot cards as nothing more than a fortune teller's prop. This book, though, reveals how you can use Tarot cards as a powerful brainstorming tool.

There's no focus on hocus-pocus ... just practical, step-by-step instruction on using the cards to supercharge your own imagination.

Even if you've never used Tarot cards before, the exercises in this book show you how to:

... brainstorm twenty-two new ideas, answers, or solutions in twenty minutes or less.

... use any Tarot deck (or any collection of pictures, for that matter) to get your creative juices flowing in record time.

... bring your creativity to bear on everyday business challenges: making presentations, improving your performance, reviewing employees, improving business relationships, generating ideas for making more money, and more!

If you know nothing about Tarot ... no problem! This book tells you everything you need to know to start using the cards as an inexpensive, portable, and powerful creative tool. If you already enjoy Tarot, this book is packed with practical new applications you can use right away.

You can use any Tarot deck when working with this book. If you don't already own a deck, I recommend you order one of the following decks: the Universal Tarot by Roberto de Angelis, the Nigel Jackson Tarot, or the World Spirit Tarot. They're all available here on Amazon.com.

Enjoy the book ... and let me know how Putting the Tarot to Work works for you!

This book, while novel in it's premise, it is just simply not practical for a corporate setting. The author seems bent on a crusade to "legitimize" tarot as a brainstorming and business tool; what he fails to recognize is that the use of the cards themselves may conflict with the religious beliefs of certain employees. In today's litigious corporate world, it's just not that easily explained away.

It also speaks volumes when an author posts to the customer review section here with his own site URL, then debates reviews word-by-word at his personal site.