Taking the Tarot to Heart Mark McElroy a review by Errol McLendon, CTM, CTI

What Mark McElroy did for the boardroom in his book "Taking the Tarot to Work", he now does in the bedroom. In a very successful attempt to make this book for everyone, Mark has two distinct sections in the last half of the book aimed at people seeking relationships and people already in relationships. He also honors all types of relationships relating stories throughout of involving traditional and nontraditional couples and families.

As in his first book, Mark spends a great deal of valuable time teaching the basics of using the cards for brainstorming. His natural approach to "seeing" what is in the card, as opposed to getting the "right" interpretation, allows people with no knowledge of Tarot cards and their meanings to begin using these exercises immediately. Once again he displays the gift of humor and storytelling to make this very elementary section enjoyable even to the seasoned reader.

Also in these first chapters are two very interesting chapter I would encourage experienced readers to look at. Mark offers a series of quick hit games and a chapter he calls "Power Tools", fast breakthrough exercises which will delve deep into the subconscious for surprising results. I would suggest anyone keep these chapters handy for spicing up readings or battling the ever dreaded reader's block.

At the center of the book is a fill-in-the-blank section entitled "The Personal Romantic Profile". This is a wonderful trip of self-discovery through the Major Arcana. For each card, the reader is asked to write what they noticed in the card and then answer one of five questions associated with that particular card. Want to save $80.00 an hour on therapy? Grab this book and a pen. This surprisingly simple exercise will give the participant a total picture of their perspective on love, sex and relationships.

The exercises are short, sweet and loaded with great wisdom and caring - and always humor. The "searching for a soulmate at the Taco Bell" story had me laughing out loud. In a little over a hundred pages of exercises, Mark offers spread for every type of relationship question, even the high-tech question of online dating. As any reader knows, 90% of all questions are about relationships and Mark's creative spreads offer an entirely new repertoire of spreads. I will never have to worry about what to give a sweetheart as a gift again. I will never be at a loss for date ideas.

Mark completes his book with card meanings specific to relationships, just as he had specified meanings for the corporate world in "Taking Tarot to Work." I love his "Recommended Decks and Reading" Chapter. If you have read any of my other reviews, it is no secret that I like reading lists that tell you a little bit about the book or deck. Not only does he do this in this listing, but Mark's description of twenty-one decks is a beginning Tarot student's ultimate card shopping list.