Forget Cell Phones -- Tarot Cards are the New Productivity Tool

The Tarot -- the favorite prop of storefront psychics -- isn't just for fortune telling anymore. Executives, managers, small business owners, and corporate employees are discovering that Tarot cards make great visual brainstorming tools. A new book, Putting the Tarot to Work, teaches brainstorming applications anyone can use -- even if he's never touched a Tarot deck before.

Jackson, MS February 12, 2004--In addition to his cell hone, laptop, and PDA, Mark McElroy carries a handheld technology he uses to generate up to twenty-two solutions, ideas, and business insights in less than twenty minutes. He calls it his "Swiss Army Knife of creativity," and the "ultimate brainstorming tool." It fits easily into his pocket, never needs batteries, and can be picked up at most any corner bookstore for under twenty bucks. What is it?

A deck of Tarot cards.

If McElroy gets his way, the Tarot -- the favorite prop of storefront psychics and New Age aficionados everywhere -- won't just be for fortune telling anymore. His new book, Putting the Tarot to Work, positions Tarot cards as a practical creativity tool for executives, managers, small business owners, and their employees.

"The biggest creative hurdle we face is our tendency to use the same approaches over and over again," says McElroy, a former corporate tranining consultant for companies such as MCI, Staples, Office Depot, and SkyTel. "Relating a business challenge to the image on a Tarot card prompts you to see your situation from a new perspective. The result? You think outside the box -- and generate more ideas in less time."

While most people associate Tarot cards exclusively with fortune telling, McElroy notes that Putting the Tarot to Work "doesn't focus on hocus pocus." The book provides practical, step-by-step exercises that make it easy for anyone to use Tarot cards as a brainstorming tool. In keeping with the book's emphasis on business and the bottom line, McElroy offers applications designed to improve corporate presentations, plan more productive meetings, and explore a personal career path. The book is packed with entertaining stories and real-life examples that demonstrate how anyone can "put the Tarot to work" in minutes.

Putting the Tarot to Work (ISBN 0-7387-0444-X, $16.95 USA, 264 pp., paperback) is available through Llewellyn Publications, and at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Books-a-Million, Amazon.com, and local booksellers across the nation. To arrange an author interview or appearance, or to request a reveiw copy, contact Beth Scudder, Publicist, at 800-843-6666, extension 8455, or e-mail e-mail protected from spam bots.
###