38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Tarot Must-have, July 11, 2005
This review is from: What's In the Cards for You?: Test the Tarot (Paperback)
Having started learning Tarot in late 2001, I'm not quite a newbie, if not exactly a seasoned professional. Prior to buying this, I already owned the author's previous two books, "Putting the Tarot to Work" and "Taking the Tarot to Heart", as well as his "Bright Idea Deck", and I was already favorably disposed towards McElroy's writings. All the same, I thought it was for pure beginners, and furthermore, I had just started Teresa Michelson's "Complete Tarot Reader". I wasn't sure if wanted to plunge into another study course. A couple of enthusiastic comments on the author's website convinced me otherwise, and I'm glad I took the plunge. This is a great book even if you've been reading cards since your grade school days, as the author has.
Some of the reviews below go into detail about what the book contains, so I won't duplicate their material. Why do I recommend it? First, the exercises give you applications for Tarot that can help change your life here and now. The book's subtitle could easily be "Change Your Life For The Better While Thinking That You're Just Fooling Around With a Pack of Cards". Second, it is hilarious to read while being (as far as I can tell) absolutely sound in its Tarot scholarship. McElroy has both a deep sense of humor as well as a deep sense of respect for his readers. Third, the exercises can truly be completed in 15 minutes or less. This is something that I think is genuinely important for many of us: if we're going to commit to a 30 day program, we need to be able to fit it into our lives readily.
While not a professional reader, I do own a number of recommended Tarot classics (all of which I cherish, or almost all). McElroy's approach is definitely different, very empowering, and has helped me use Tarot cards to not only gain insight into issues into my life, but to help resolve those issues. Get this book, grab a deck if you don't own one already, and go for it. You'll be glad you did.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What A Fun Book!, May 15, 2005
This review is from: What's In the Cards for You?: Test the Tarot (Paperback)
"What's in the Cards for You? is like a Whitman's Sampler of Tarot applications...with a twist. Instead of it telling you what Tarot can do, you'll determine for yourself what you can do with Tarot. By completing a series of thirty fast, fun, hands-on experiments, you'll conduct a personal investigation into whether Tarot works for you." -Mark McElroy
The Tarot has long been shrouded in mystery. Some people lump this "wicked pack of cards" with crystal balls, purple turbans, and carnival fortune-tellers. Others fear the Tarot, thinking it's a tool of the "devil" that has the ability to foretell the future (which, of course, includes impending disaster.)
In his book What's in the Cards for You? Mark McElroy demystifies the Tarot once again, inviting the skeptical and the curious to venture on a first-person voyage of personal discovery. Rather than telling YOU what to think about the Tarot, McElroy has created 30 fun exercises so the Tarot can be tested on your OWN terms.
This book contains 30 different self-guided experiments to be conducted over the course of 30 days. Engage the cards, record your experience, and then evaluate the effectiveness of each exercise. McElroy acknowledges that not all of the experiments will appeal to everyone. Yet, personal preference for certain exercises contain clues as to what you enjoy MOST about Tarot-but more about that later.
Chapter 2 is the foundation of What's in the Cards for You?, because McElroy shows you how to tap into your innate power of association which will allow you to generate meaning for any Tarot card-even if you've never touched a deck before! He has also created a "secret weapon" template (which you can use in the book or download from his website) so you can decipher card meanings for yourself. The "secret weapon" is a clever tool for generating insights and creating applications for each and every Tarot card. As one familiar with the Tarot, I was surprised and delighted at how many new meanings rose to the surface after using the "Answering Mining" template.
One of my favorite exercises in the book is Day Three: Suit Yourself. McElroy invites you to rate your satisfaction with life-on a scale from 1 to 10-in four different areas, and then write your score in the blank (ignoring, at first, the words that came after the blank):
Material and Physical Satisfaction: ________ of Coins
Emotional and Spiritual Satisfaction:________ of Cups
Mental and Intellectual Satisfaction:_______ of Swords
Creative and Occupational Satisfaction: _______ of Wands
Then, you find the corresponding card in the Tarot deck. Going by the personal meaning you attribute to the card image, you then convert the illustration on the card into a "tip". For example, my score for Mental and Intellectual Satisfaction was 10. I laughed out loud when I saw the 10 of Swords, which shows a man with 10 swords, plunged into his body. I immediately saw the message as "You're too much in your head! Calm down that mind of yours because your over-active mental energy is affecting your physically!"
Although this knowledge came as no surprise, it was interesting to me that the corresponding Tarot card accurately reflected one of my banes.
Another exercise I enjoyed is from Day Twenty-Three: Creating Compassion. Likening the Tarot to a mandala, McElroy demonstrates how you can take any individual that you don't get along with, understand, or are irritated by and see them through the "lens" of 3 Tarot cards. By doing so-with the help of his pointed questions-you can literally shift your perspective to one that is more compassionate and centering.
A few of my other favorites include Deal Me a Story, Answering the Big Questions, Breakfast with da Vinci, and Exploring Past Lives.
In the last chapter which asks What's Next?, you're invited to look back through the 30 experiments and identify the 5 you enjoyed most, and which day the experiments occurred. (Believe me...it's hard narrowing it down to just 5!) McElroy has created a chart so you can highlight your favorite days, and then see which of six application/s you most prefer: Psychological, Creative, Educational, Predictive, Magickal, and Planning.
For me, my least favorite experiments had to do with Predictive Applications. My favorites were the Psychological and Creative exercises. McElroy then breaks down each of the six applications should you want to study the Tarot further-and aren't sure where to start.
If you wondering if this book has any value to those familiar with the Tarot (including Tarot readers) the answer is YES. I admit to having misgivings when I saw the title of this book, wondering if it would be a re-hash of the guidebook that accompanies the Bright Idea Deck (also created by McElroy). I am pleased to say that What's in the Cards for You? is NOT a re-hash of McElroy's previous works (I own them all), and presents fresh applications for the Tarot-including practical tips on how to put your own unique spin on the cards and using the Tarot for meditation, creativity, visualization, dream interpretation, and much more.
Those new to the Tarot will be introduced to this enchanting symbolic world by one of the most adept, down-to-earth, and rascally of teachers.
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful introduction to the world of Tarot, June 5, 2005
This review is from: What's In the Cards for You?: Test the Tarot (Paperback)
I received this book today and, contrary to the way a normal consumer should do it; I read it cover to cover in one sitting. Mark's humor and down-to-earth suggestions are nothing short of brilliant. In this short book, Mark provides thirty days of experiments designed to either change the skeptical mind about Tarot or provide the inquisitive mind new and fertile ground to explore. I look forward to spending the next thirty days experiencing these exercises.
If you have never touched a Tarot card before, but are just interested in "What is all this about?", (Exactly how I got into the business ten years ago) this is the most comfortable and guided introduction you will ever receive. This is not a beginning Tarot book whose pages are filled with the meanings of each card. In his second chapter, Mark guides the reader through ten different ways to look at a card and determine the meaning. This is much easier than being burdened with memorizing 78 different cards.
After the reader feels comfortable with "making meanings" in the cards, they have all the tools they need to explore the cards through some of the most original exercises I have ever seen. Some of the exercises are wrapped up in one day (some with specific instructions for the beginning of the day and others for the end of the day) and some can span several days (or years, in one case). Each exercise also offers "For Extra Credit" exercises which give variations or expansions on the original exercise. So if a student finds an exercise that really works for them, they can choose to expand their knowledge in that area.
Another nice feature of Mark's book is that he charts at the end which exercises relate specifically to six various fields of study. This chart allows a new student to identify an area of expertise based on the exercises which held the most appeal. For advanced students working in one of these six areas, the chart provides a reference of exercises which may be useful to the student in their daily activities.
"What's in the Cards for You?" by Mark McElroy (ISBN 0-7387-0702-3) has just taken its place next to Mary K. Greer's "Tarot for Your Self" as my all time favorite hands-on Tarot book. Sorry, Mark, you are still number two. Buy this book and have a blast.
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