Name of Deck: The Back in Time Tarot Book
Author: Janet Boyer
Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-57174-587-3/SKU: 9781571745873
“Look Back in Time to Shape Your Future"- Janet Boyer’s The Back in Time Tarot Book
I have been a long time fan of Janet Boyer. Period. When I first became involved in Tarot and Oracle decks is when I found her website and thought the Divination Gods were shining on me. I was relieved to have found a site where I could actually preview many decks and get someone’s personal opinion on them. That is when my “she crush” with Janet began.
What any new beginner eventually learns is that the little white book (LWB) included in many decks just don’t cut it. So over time I have accessed many fine instructional books on Tarot. Some of which I learned a lot, others of which I learned nothing more than mysticism within a nebulous pool of mysticism.
When Janet Boyer’s The Back in Time Tarot Book came out I had a chance to take a peek at it through Google Books and I was stunned! I, in my firm mind, thought this book was noteworthy but very contradictory to my very strong and and solid belief that the LWBs included with a deck held the secret in firming up one’s readings! Because I love Janet a lot I had a hard time selling this book to others. I did often suggest this book, always with the addition of my personal qualifier of “ I love Janet Boyer BUT…”
Till one day I got this book in my hand from my local bookstore. At this point of the review is where I revisit the problems of personal belief systems. The problem with personal belief systems is that they can easily become shattered.
The Back in Time Tarot Book indeed shattered my personal belief into many small incongruently shaped pieces! A method I thought that had some fundamental flaws turned out to be a system that was just fundamentally fundamental! I do not want to give away too much of the information within this book as the basic method and message of it is quite clear and simple. To say what I learned would basically reveal too much and keep many from purchasing this book. However, I will share the following about this book…
This book is definitely for the straight up beginner who has just opened their brand new deck or the seasoned reader who thought they’ve explored everything.
I consider myself intuitive, and maybe this contributed to the reason my readings were quite solid at the beginning of learning Tarot. Reading Janet's book almost one year to date of picking up my first Tarot deck basically knocked off my feet! Janet shows you a very simple approach in broadening your intuition with your current deck of choice or with any deck you pick up when you find yourself without your own humble deck. After reading through just one exercise and applying it, my intuition seriously opened up twofold in dealing with the cards! I no longer firmly look at the numbering system with the cards and try to retrieve the meanings to it, I look at what the cards are telling me. Furthermore, when I read someone for the first time, I can get an overwhelming sense how that person may feel emotionally because Janet’s technique moves your readings to another level. A level apart for intuitive reading but to a level of empathic reading. For those who do Tarot professionally, I feel this book is a must as you will be able to connect with your sitters on a higher level because you are able to access their emotional bank. I guarantee your clients will return due to the emotional connection you establish with them through this method.
Another perk about this book is that you get personal anecdotes from other Tarot dignitaries. The Back in Time Tarot Book is like a memoir of sorts where your favorite deck creator is exposed. My favorite so far, is Zach Wong creator of the Revelations Tarot. Through this anthology, I learned about Zach in a really sensitive and artistic light. I now know Zach isn’t a 50-year-old man with gray hair and a lightning cane creating decks out of his basement, as we think most Tarot or Oracle creators are in their personal life. Zach speaks about his personal trials in his section entitled “Unrequited Love” where he uses the Back in Time (BIT) method to tell a story about his experience of unrequited love and gives life to the meanings of the cards in his deck.
The Back in Time Tarot Book also shows people how to use the cards to write stories and to create lively characters. There are so many applications in using the BIT method, I think this book is simply ingenious and makes rigorous studying of the Tarot obsolete as you remember the card meanings based upon your elicited emotions!
Ratings: (Out of a total of 6 Stars, 6 being the highest of rank)
Insight: 6+ Stars
Readability: 5 Stars (This book is easy to read and could be read in as little as one or two days. I enjoy Janet’s writing style as its thorough and clear)
Creativity: 4 Stars (This is a highly creative book, but aspects of it become redundant over the course of literature but gives you a chance to see how each deck creator interprets a particular card differently)
Usability: 6+ Stars
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