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.
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.
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...