The Tarot Tibutary Book Review: The Back in Time Tarot Book by Janet Boyer

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

"Janet Boyer's reviews show insight and a keen understanding of the practice
of tarot. If you're looking for first impressions, you can do no wrong in
reading what she has to say."- Timothy Lantz of The Archeon Tarot

Janet Boyer is well known for her contributions in making divination more accessible to the masses. In this Tarot Tributary Interview with Janet Boyer we discuss the current highlights in her life and her exploration with Tarot...
Interview by Remi Daily of The Tarot Tributary


RD: This is my staple question: What originally brought you to the world of Tarot?

It was the strangest thing, really. One day, I just "felt" that I was supposed to begin learning Tarot. In fact, my husband remembers the day much better than I do. We were just sitting at the dining room table together talking and I come out with "I feel to learn Tarot". This wasn't the first time I had a sudden cosmic knowing about pursuing a new path, and I'm sure it won't be the last! The flash of claircognizance occurred about seven years ago. At that time, I tried researching Tarot on the web (I live in a rural area in the Northeastern U.S. and we have NO New Age bookstores anywhere near us, let alone regular bookstores!), but it was slow going, and very confusing. I couldn't figure out why certain keywords and phrases were ascribed to various images and it didn't help that I was trying to learn Tarot with Thoth images AND Rider Waite decks--two very different traditions.


RD: I bought many of my first decks based upon the recommendations from your website JanetBoyer.com- and gosh am I ever so grateful! What spurred your decision in creating a website of this type?

For several years, I was the New Age Editor at BellaOnline.com. The founder provided helpful suggestions to her Editors for increasing the scope of their work. One of those suggestions was to post reviews to Amazon.com As I began to do so, I found that reviewing was challenging but rewarding, fulfilling my desire to share great books and products with others. In terms of reviewing Tarot decks, I began doing that because I became interested in Tarot and wanted to share my experience with decks, too. Also, like many, I only have a certain amount money to spend on books and decks—and I was becoming increasingly frustrated that one major Tarot deck review site was only showing the prettiest cards from the deck. So I’d buy a deck based upon their card selection and the glowing reviews (you see, they only posted positive reviews—no doubt to increase sales commissions as affiliates), only to be disappointed that they cards they chose to put on their website were NOT representative of the deck as a whole. Tired of being misled by gushing reviews, I decided to become a crusader on behalf of the buying public by writing honest reviews—including large card scans, more cards (at least 12, sometimes up to 19), and a few cards that were the LEAST attractive to me (for balance).

RD: Each time I peruse JanetBoyer.com or one of your other sites, I am always amazed of your knowledge about Tarot. Where did you seek out your knowledge, and was it accumulated through a personal journey or through scholarly pursuit?

Although I own over 100 Tarot books, I’ve only read a handful. I feel like the Universe puts up roadblocks when I attempt to read other Tarot books so I can be a “clean slate” for innovative, fresh ways to see and use the cards. I was involved with several Tarot Yahoo Groups over the years, and I think I learned card basics by osmosis (I have an almost photographic memory). The rest of my knowledge came from directly working with the cards and recognizing the universal archetypes that are found in other disciplines that I had long studied—theology, personality systems, psychology, metaphysics, etc.

RD: For those who are coming to know Janet Boyer for the first time, and those who are long time fans, are probably not aware of the many hats Janet wears- and I mean many. But out of all the hats you don day-to-day, which hat(s) do you cherish the most?

Wow, what a great (and tough) question! *pauses to think for a while* I think the many hats I wear are outgrowths of certain archetypal patterns I embody and the values I hold dear. The main archetypes of my personality are Teacher, Rebel/Pioneer/Visionary, Creator and Judge. The values I hold dear are innovation, originality, gumption and fearlessness. Imagine them at the top of a symbolic tree, as it were. Every hat I don is a proverbial branch on that tree, and some overlap as they spread out. As a result, it’s difficult to isolate a particular “hat” as most cherished. Whatever hat I’m wearing at the time is the one I cherish the most—I give my all to whatever I choose to do. “Half-assed” isn’t part of my vocabulary.

RD: Before we go into some detail about the many hats of responsibility and talents that you have, I would like to comment on your writing. I LOVE your writing. It is a fusion between technical print writing and the robust stuff found in the Lifestyle section of the New York Times. Who/what inspired your writing prose?

Why thank you! That’s quite a compliment; in fact, probably the best compliment I’ve ever received on my writing! I suppose my style of writing is just an outgrowth of how I am in “real life”: intelligent, knowledgeable, insightful, enthusiastic, analytical, clear and pointed. My style evolved as I wrote (the only way to become a good writer is to write—a lot), but the traits that I embody as a person were always at core. I’ve always been a communicator; in fact, I used to be a practicing, ordained minister. So there’s a lot of Teacher in what I write; I want to inform, but if I can do it in an entertaining way, all the better. My High School English teachers and one of my college professors were my greatest inspirations; everything else was learned via trial, error and lots of writing!

RD: Okay, now onto your many hats:

Teacher: Of The Tarot Classroom
Reader: A professional Tarot reader
Editor: An editor for TheTarotChannel.com
Tarot Guild: Director of Communications and VP of Certification
Tarot Today: Talk show host
Reviewer: Amazon’s Top 10/Vine Reviewer
Author: The Back In Time Tarot/BIT Method
Deck Creator: Coming soon The Christmas Tarot


I am sure I’ve probably missed a few, but wow, just writing that list made me exhausted! So if you don’t mind, sharing with our audience a little more about each of the above?

And don’t forget homeschooling Mom and wife! To be honest, *those* are my favorite roles. I love my husband and son; they are such a joy to me. They support me in everything I do. And, quite frankly, I couldn’t do what I do vocation –wise if it wasn’t for my husband. He’s such a blessing.

Tarot Classroom – When several people email to ask if I’d teach them Tarot, I had the idea to start an online Tarot Classroom to teach people as a group. It’s proving so popular (my students are from all over the world—France, America, Australia, the U.K. etc.) that I’m opening up Tarot Classroom 3 on March 15, 2010.

Reader – I read for a worldwide clientele, most via email. They tell me I’m extremely accurate, as well as compassionate. :o)

Editor – A few years back, author and deck creator Mark McElroy started the Tarot Channel blog. I enjoy posting Tarot related-news, exercises and reviews there.

Tarot Guild – This is a new venture (and adventure!) for me. Co-founder Dax Carlisle asked me to be the VP of Certification. When he convinced me as to why some people might want certification, I agreed. My duties have increased in the last few months; I’m also their Director of Communications (in charge of publicity, publishing and media relations), and am heading up the debut Tarot Guild Anthology Volume 1.

Reviewer – This is in my blood! I’ve always blabbed about books, decks and products I like and I can’t see myself ever stopping.

Author – Back in Time Tarot pretty much fell into my lap while taking a bath. When I asked my author friend Judika Illes to contribute a BIT Snapshot to my book, she liked the book premise and BIT Method so much, she asked to show it to “a friend in publishing”. That friend happened to be Greg Brandenburgh, Marketing Director for Hampton Roads publishing. I had a book contract within a month’s time. I’m currently working on a Tarot Classroom book using my Tarot Detective 7 Clue Method, and have an outline of several other books.

Deck Creator – My husband and I both love Christmas! For years, I Googled “Christmas Tarot”, hoping someone somewhere had created one. When it never materialized in searches, I decided to script my own in 2008. I think I had the entire deck scripted within a few weeks time. My husband has completed the Moon card so far. We don’t have a publisher yet. We also have to other decks we’re working on; because someone stole the idea of the Christmas Tarot a few months after I announced this creation of ours, I’m keeping the other ideas top secret.

RD: Two things I really want to talk about would be the creating of Boyer House and The Christmas Tarot. I’m so excited about Boyer House! So excited. I think its because I have valued your opinion about divination decks for a long time and I feel if anyone would be good at producing divination products it would be you. With that said, what has been the biggest joy and discomfort of the birthing process of the Boyer House? What will Boyer House bring to the table that Lo Scarabeo, Lewellyn, US Games, and other publishing houses may not bring?

My intent for Boyer House was to self-publish an annual Tarot anthology and my own Tarot books (the market isn’t exactly clamoring for Tarot books right now). However, when I joined forces with Dax and the Tarot Guild, we found that we shared the same intent and vision for a Tarot Anthology. So I suggested we call it the Tarot Guild Anthology and I’ll be the Acquisitions Director and Editor for that project. Originally, Boyer House was going to be through CreateSpace. I may bring my own books to the world in that venue, since starting an actual press takes time and money. With CreateSpace (owned by Amazon), start-up costs aren’t an issue.

The Tarot Guild plans on becoming an actual publisher of Tarot books and decks, so Boyer House will be an “imprint” of theirs I think.


RD: With The Christmas Tarot, what is the significance of a Christmas theme? After this deck, will you and your husband Ron plan to create more of your own decks?

Simply put, the significance of the Christmas theme arose because 1. We love all things Christmas and 2. No one had done it before. Yes, we’re doing more decks! I’m actually even more excited about our second deck because it’s original, hilarious and adorable. Ron plans on painting the Fool and one or two other cards for the second deck; I plan on sending the proposal to U.S. Games once he’s done with a few sample cards. (He’s been busy painting a large commissioned “Tarot card”—a vampire-themed Lovers. Once that’s done, then he’ll concentrate on our deck projects.)

RD: I have nothing but praise for The Back in Time Tarot Book, and I will keep that contained and confined to the book review. However, which deck is your all time favorite deck (for both Tarot and Oracle)?

Why thank you! That is so kind. I’m thrilled you love my book. Gosh, it’s virtually impossible to pick an all time favorite, because life is made up of “seasons”—and some decks are more utilized and beloved depending on a particular time. Right now, if someone said “I’m sorry. We’re taking all your decks away—except one. What will it be?”, I’d have to answer the Universal Waite.

RD: As Tarot continues to evolve, what do you see as the next of things to come in the Tarot deck creating process (symbols, colors, maybe even holograms, etc.)?

I see a group of visionaries not beholden to a publisher, public opinion or the “old guard” taking Tarot into their own hands via blogs, self-publishing, art and innovative methodologies. They will introduce new ways of seeing, experiencing and using Tarot—fresh ideas not connected to stuffy history, complex esoteric “brotherhoods” or arcane rituals intended to make the user feel “superior” or “special”. Tarot for the people, and by the people.

RD: What is your favorite deck spread, especially for beginners and why?

You can’t beat a 3-card spread, whether it’s a Past-Present-Future, Pro-Con-Advice, Robert Place’s fascinating 3-card method where the images “talk” according to how they’re facing, elemental dignity readings, etc. You can glean tons of insightful, helpful and useful information from a 3-card reading if you know what you’re doing.

RD: This is the final question. Why is it that you chose to do the things you do?

I was born to create, teach and innovate, so those traits and patterns touch everything I do. However, I only choose to do those things that make me feel alive, curious and engaged. If I feel a sense of dread, boredom or flatness when an opportunity comes up, I simply won’t do it. Promises of money and fame won’t budge me (and I’ve passed up several opportunities for both). I can’t be bought. I am, therefore I create—but only if it enlivens me and aligns with what I value in life.

The Tarot Tributary thanks Janet Boyer for a wonderful interview and wishes her the best in all of her endeavors!

This interview is copyrighted by Remi Daily of The Tarot Tributary. Any use of this material requires permission by Remi Daily and The Tarot Tributary.

Archeon Tarot Channeling Exchanges

Dear Remi, I would love this. There is something I amm interested in, but I don't know if it is too broad.
I seem to have inherited an inner conflict/ false afirmation that spiritual idealism and practical money earning can not walk hand oin hand. The pattern of this especially strongly on my mother's side.
My question is : is there some one or an event in my clan line that needs to be redeemed so that this can be layed to rest?


The first intuitive voice I got about this subject matter that if the issue with money comes from your mother's side its due to a male influence. Maybe her Father, or grandfather, or someone down the line. I think they have issues with money and spiritualism because they either saw firsthand how those with power (greed) used spirituality to cheat them and others around them. This male figure was really a sweet man who was like either a baker or someone who worked skillfully with their hands (craftsman) and his main concern was providing for the family that he really loved. He was highly spiritual himself but the person who he holds contempt for may have not owned their spirituality in the same regard as this male figure in your mother's line. The more I dig.. the more I feel as though this person was your mother's Father or Grandfather... not further than that.

Lets see what the cards have to say...

Yes, there indeed was an issue with money that caused dissapointment where there is a lot of apathy. (Four of Cups)

The Sun (reversed)
The Moon (reversed)
Hearald of Swords (reversed)
The Magician (reversed)
2 of swords (reversed)
5 of pentacles

So the cards tell me that there was trickery involved, even a loss of namesake for this male figure in your mother's lineage in dealing with someone who was either 1) Powerful or 2) Head of a religious/spiritual institution. This person the male figure knew pretty well actually so not only was there deception on one level of how this person presented themself to the world around them, but that there was a friendship lost or a mentor lost. Through time, victory is gained.

I asked if it was your grandfather or great grandfather, and I got Knight of Swords- I am taking this to have been your grandfather.

I asked to know more about this Magician character. I got:
High Priestess (Rx)
Ace of Swords
Two of Pents (rx)

So this person your grandfather probably had issues with is someone that may actually have been female or someone who many would go to for clarity and to keep one's secrets. Maybe a high priestess sort, pope, bishop, psychic... but I think this person may have had some problems in finance... because of the two of pents (rx)

I think your grandfather wants to say that you and any of his offsprings should have a balance between mind and spirit... to not use one's funds wastefully in the sense that greed, dependency, or a sense of entitlement should take over how you handle and do things with money.

I hope this resonates...







UPDATE:
The person with this inquiry wanted their feedback confidential, but I think its safe to share the following:
1) The person was the querent's great-grandfather (their mother's grandfather)
2) He did grow up in a home where his father was a baker, but the person this reading is about eventually took on producing a finely crafted product that was immensely popular and well known.
3) He was a type of social philanthropist.
4) Where I went wrong was to characterize the Magician as a female. This person wasn't a female, but was considered prominent. The High Priestess represented a person with a higher order of knowledge and authority and was someone the grandfather confided in.
6) Yes, the Magician underminded the grandfather and those close to the grandfather in many ways.