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Top 10 Reasons to Buy Putting the Tarot to Work

So here you are.

You could be in a bookstore, reading this chapter and deciding whether this book is for you. You could be at home, or in your office, or maybe even reading a sample chapter on-line.

Wherever you are, you want assurance that this book, Putting the Tarot to Work, will make a difference in your life and career. For those with short attention spans and long to-do lists, here's the scoop:

1. No focus on hocus-pocus. Belief in the supernatural is not necessary. These processes work. Why they work -- whether their effectiveness is practical or mystical -- is for you to decide. But rest assured: no wearing of turbans, chanting to crystals, or burning of incense is required. This book isn't about fortune telling -- it's about fortune making.

2. The 'least you need to know' approach. You won't have to spend hours studying the history of the Italian Renaissance before getting started. This book covers the basics, then offers step-by-step exercises that produce benefits you can enjoy right away.

3. Use any deck -- or no deck at all! The techniques in this book work with any Tarot deck. Later chapters guide you in choosing the deck that's right for you -- but, if you don't have access to Tarot cards, many of the methods described here can be adapted to use images from magazines, photographs, or even clip-art!

4. The Rat Race. When you forget to forge a link between your job and your dreams, you get caught up in the Rat Race. The techniques in this book will help you align your dreams and sense of personal purpose with the work you do.

5. Advantage: you. The techniques in this book teach you to ask questions others haven't considered, approach problems from surprising new perspectives, and make connections others will overlook. These skills greatly enhance your value to your company.

6. Simple for beginners, surprising for experts. Even if you've never touched a deck of Tarot cards in your life, you can use the simple, step-by-step exercises in this book. If you're familiar with Tarot, the approaches and spreads in this book suggest new directions.

7. The forest and the trees. We're overwhelmed with information: advertising, the media, the market, the Internet. The most successful business people sift through this information, isolate what's really important, and comprehend how these facts impact and influence each other.

8. Everyday insights. This book shows you how to use Tarot to solve problems faster, make better decisions, generate new ideas, communicate more clearly, and act with greater confidence. Your job presents opportunities to employ these skills every day!

9. A lot of book for the buck. This book offers basic card meanings, the least you should know about Tarot, powerful exercises designed to expand your awareness and deepen your insights, and suggestions for those who want to know more! Everything you need to get started is here.

10. One small step. If reading this book motivates you to take just one action with potential to enhance your satisfaction with your career, your work environment, or your life -- isn't it worth the cover price?

Visual Brainstorming: The Basics

Want more ideas in less time? Want creative solutions for urgent problems? Want to define goals more quickly, achieve them more efficiently, and feel a greater sense of control and satisfaction while you work?

You need visual brainstorming.

What is Visual Brainstorming?

Visual brainstorming uses images to inspire ideas. With a question in mind, participants look at a picture, make associations, and come up with answers. When relating their question to a randomly selected picture, participants tend to see their question in new and surprising ways. In other words, the random input helps participants "think outside the box."

Who Uses Visual Brainstorming?

As early as the 1980's, English teachers encouraged student writers to consider how their topic might relate to a randomly-chosen photo: a tree, a skyscraper, a mountain.

Marketing companies use random images torn from magazines to inspire ideas for everything from promotional campaigns to new product lines.

Roger von Oech's Whack Pack, one of the most popular brainstorming tools on the market, makes it easy for users to randomly select cards imprinted with creative questions and engaging illustrations.

Today, more companies than ever depend on visual brainstorming to generate new approaches, broaden their perspective, and create action plans -- with good reason. As the already frantic pace of business increases, visual brainstorming helps employees make better use of the two most precious corporate resources: time and money.

The Benefits of Visual Brainstorming

The unexpected associations generated by a visual brainstorming session allow employees to see familiar projects with fresh eyes. Brainstorming sessions dedicated to "What If?" questions help work groups anticipate problems before they arise, saving time and limiting costly mistakes. A few minutes invested in a visual brainstorming session designed to test an approach can save a company hours of wasted time.

In short: visual brainstorming speeds planning, broadens perspective, and enhances creativity. Companies that adopt visual brainstorming get more work done in less time.

How Can I Get Started with Visual Brainstorming?

First: define your question as clearly as possible. Be specific about what you want to know or achieve. Write your question down. Questions beginning with the words "How can I?" or "What can I do in order to?" are particularly good, as they force you to explore solutions incorporating personal responsibility.

Next: Get some random visual input. Tear some pictures from a magazine. Use Google to call up random images. Remember, though: pictures torn from magazines can be awkward to handle, hard to find, difficult to store, and expensive to replace. Pictures pulled from the Internet won't be available unless you have an active Internet connection.

A better solution? Grab a Tarot deck. With symbolically rich illustrations on every card, Tarot decks make great visual brainstorming tools. The cards fit easily into a pocket, purse, or briefcase. If lost, a replacement deck can be purchased from almost any bookstore for less than twenty bucks. Best of all, Tarot cards are an "always on" technology -- you don't need batteries or an Internet connection to work with Tarot. Shuffle the cards, draw one, and you're ready to go.

Finally: Ask yourself how the image relates to your question. What are the people in the illustration doing? What are they thinking or feeling? What kind of approach to your question does the card suggest? If they could speak, what advice would the people on your card offer? What memories, experiences, or achievements does your card call to mind? How do these associations relate to the question at hand?

Have Questions?

Send them to me! I've written a series of books applying visual brainstorming techniques to everything from business challenges to love and romance. If I can, I'll be happy to help.