I've posted before about the idea of using Tarot cards as an exploration tool. Not for "fortune telling," but as something for your creative mind to bounce off and ask, "What could this mean? How could this apply to my situation?"
Mark at TarotTools.com suggests using Tarot cards on a daily basis. Why?
A daily reading is a good enhancement to that stuffy, fifteen-minute daily review of goals they teach to Franklin-Covey graduates. It provides perspective and context for your plans, and may remind you of tasks you've overlooked.
He suggests a three-card approach:
1) Shuffle the deck and draw three cards.
- The first card you draw is your Topic Card: "Here's something you need to know or be aware of."
- The second card is your Reason Card: "This is why this topic is important today."
- The third card is your Action Card: "Here's a suggestion for what you can do."
2) Read the cards, embracing the first ideas that occur to you.
I like the way that starts broad and narrows it down to the level of, "OK, how is that relevant right now and, more specifically, what can I do?" I think I'm going to have to buy myself a Tarot pack one of these days.
Curt Rosengren
I've used a deck called SoulCards by Deborah Koff-Chapin (there are two editions) not only with myself but with my clients with great success. What I've come to find is that they are terrific tools for helping us shift our perspective and think of things in new ways. It seems very similar to the use of the Tarot cards above.
My wife also received a set of runes for Christmas. We'll often do a spread and its interesting to see what comes about. Like you said, its not fortune telling; they simply offer another way of thinking about what's going on around us.
Posted by: Christopher Bailey | January 25, 2005 at 05:04 AM
The Soul Cards -- like the OH! Cards, a double deck, providing 88 small picture cards and 88 keyword cards -- make great brainstorming tools.
Tarot may offer some advantages over the more free-form decks:
- Tarot cards are numbered, making it possible to explore the cards (and the ideas you associate with them) in terms of their potential value ("But this idea comes from a six, while that one only comes from a two!") or sequence ("Hey -- these cards have the nmbers four, five, and six ... maybe they're steps in a process!").
- Tarot cards are divided into suits, reminding us to think about all four dimensions of a challenge (specifically, the actions, situation, emotion, and reason involved). The result? When we brainstorm with Tarot cards, we tend to think more holistically.
- Tarot cards feature trumps -- cards assigned extra "weight" when they appear. Trumps can provide a theme for the brainstorming session or remind us to consider factors outside our personal control and explore how they influence the situation.
In a corporate environment, you have to be careful -- superstition makes many people afraid of Tarot cards, and some cards may feature illustrations that are inappropriate in a business setting. But there are easy ways around these obstacles, and the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages!
If you enjoy visual brainstorming ... give Tarot cards a try!
Posted by: Mark McElroy | January 25, 2005 at 05:52 AM
What a cool idea, I think I'd like to give it a try!
Posted by: Evelyn | January 25, 2005 at 11:59 AM
Very interesting. Tarot cards (and all 'divination' tools) SHOULD be used
as Mark has suggested. They should'nt be
approached if you have'nt got your feet on the ground - common sense is vital!
Happy to found this page... will check back.
Cheers Tazma
Posted by: tazma | May 19, 2005 at 01:21 PM