For once, I am planning ahead...

for next year, I am thinking of putting out an add-on to this:
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......orum=303

it will be more creative ways to implement what is shared in the booklet...

i have had quite a few ideas already sent to me, so if you have any you wish to share - you can contact me privately about it, and we can take it from there... I have already had some new ideas sent to me from various people who saw early drafts of it...and I have several other takes on it that didn't go into the first one because they didn't have enough development/play time...

a few more surrealist techniques
a couple more mini essays
that kind of thing...

if it proves to be popular, I'll create a private FB page too...

cheers

Iain, been looking for a resource on playing card readings and this looks to be a good fit, unless your suggest starting elsewhere?

Do you have to do readings with three cards or is it adaptable to one card to add to an existing routine?

Looks like a lot of fun man.

Hiya jeff...

i teach individual meanings in a new way (it is not traditional meanings - its a different technique to generate the meaning for each card), and the examples and demos I give are based on three cards...

the reason why this came about was mainly the fact that I just didn't agree with the traditional meanings enough to use them...so over time, this came about, using a different method/approach to reading standard playing cards...

so yes, you can have a single card drawn and the focus is purely on the person in the present state of mind...

i can't recommend any of the traditional ones really, but that's just my bias showing! I personally didn't like them enough... but to be fair, I'm sure there's some excellent resources out there, julian moore has a speed read method out (i haven't read it, but his stuff is always good), and I know docc Hilford also put out a single card Q&A thing (but haven't got that either, sorry!)...

i would say the bonus of mine is, is that you don't have to "choose" between playing it as psychic or psychological, I present a different view, and supply a different way of presenting it all too...

then a few short presentations on how to add it into card based mentalism, and some standard/classics of mentalism too...its a smallish booklet, but its packed full of juicy goodness!

can be done with a borrowed/supplied deck, absolutely cold if needs be...if you follow the link above, you'll see some reviews, and another link I give, where I offered to give Café members short readings, and they supply the three cards drawn (for fairness)...

hope that gives you a bit more info Jeff...cheers

Thanks for the honest and in depth reply Iain.

Saw the thread of meta-ph-oracle readings and they're the first readings I've come across that I actually liked outside of Peter Turner's 'Getting To Know You' routine (which incidentally is centered around how the subject views themselves).

I guess where I've been conflicted about readings is on the plus side it is probably one the most powerful formats you could use to connect with people. On the negative, I think it's total cheese whiz to feed some one canned 'your the type of person that's this, this, and this' under the guise of being wise and insightful without taking the time to laugh/cry with them first.

Still, if framed as a doorway for further conversation, reflection, and mutual exploration the potential is massive.

Anyways, bit of a ramble there, but think I'm sold. =)

Hi jeff,

yup - I agree with you, I am completely against any kind of stock/canned lines in any form of reading...i am a purist in that sense, that I just want to work within a set of guidelines and my own imagination, and that's about it...

its also why I wanted feedback from those with different backgrounds, so though greg arce, todd landman and jerome finley all perform to various audiences, they all come at it from different angles...so it was encouraging to see how each of them would use it themselves and how they viewed the message I was trying to get over...

and though I came to readings relatively late in life (i am not a seventh son of a seventh son, though family history has eastend tarot readers floating about in it) - I give readings a lot, to many different types of people in all kinds of situations, using all kinds of techniques/presentational angles...

underneath it all, I like the story telling aspect, not giving advice or answers to life questions, but certainly sharing a view of a situation or what is currently on their mind...and that is for them to decide what to do from there on in... I am there for interesting/unique entertainment, and we both share a bit of ourselves along the way (i am quid pro quo in readings, I am happy to share things from my life as we go along)...

and I don't want to be a psychic nor a psychological illusionist either...i just want do interesting, engaging, unique stuff with people...no more, no less...

I have just had an email from the very generous Richard Webster...

"I've read your Metaph Oracle three times now, and learned a great deal each time. I love the imagination approach to readings. I love your three card reading format. I love the ******* (that's not swearing, but an element of the process) idea, and also love the reaction these readings create in others. You've removed the whole "fortune telling" aspect of the reading, and created a process of mutual discovery. The readings are enchanting, magical, helpful, and inspirational. I'm going to use your system regularly.

Congratulations! This is a major advance in cartomancy, and should feel very proud. Thank you very much once again. I hope you do really well with this."

Wow, that's a hell of a testamonial Iain. Congrats.

I bought something from Lulu this morning, and one probably doesn't need to be psychic to figure out what.

Unhyped, unlimited, and affordable is nice too btw. =)

I'm ordering tonight. I was waiting for a Lulu promo code, but the testimonial onslaught from trusted people is impossible to withstand.

But I feel guilty about that... Because Iain's work is always so valuable and enlightening, I shouldn't need that push at this point. Corpus changed everything for me in readings, MANNerisms is simply drop dead brilliant, TPR changed everything AGAIN, Trident is simple but viciously deadly, and now this, just when I've been looking something to supercharge my cartomancy....

I dunno what to say about that Seth, apart from thank you very indeed mate...really means a lot to hear/read that...hope you enjoy it if you do go for it...

Ordered today, and very excited to receive it. And because you priced it too low, I had to add another book to the cart to qualify for the "save 20% for orders over $50" promo code, good through the 30th. (Code SHELFSTOCKED, btw.)

However, you seem to have 30% sales going on for many of your books already, so people could very cheaply add those already discounted books like Profeign, Familiars (this one I don't have, but it's like 10 bucks right now), or MANNerisms to their order and get the 20% discount on top of their 30% discount. Which I highly recommend, because it: A) gets them some insanely helpful books for reading minds and people, by a really smart, nice and ethical guy, and B) gets them at really low prices.

Seriously, Iain, you have some of the most helpful thinking around for doing readings and mentalism. I'm very grateful to have you as a resource for sparking the imagination into wonderful directions, and I can't wait to dive into this book.

On the above note, Corpus and Trident look excellent in addition to TPR, but one thing at a time. =)

that's too kind of you Seth - thank you very much...

and yes, I've got some stuff on discount at the moment, between 15% and 30% - and just added another discount to another item...i don't want this to look like I'm grabbing at free advertising, I'm only mentioning it cos others have...

and back on track, after purchasers of meta-ph-oracle have started to use it, and feel like sharing what they've come up with or what they've combined it with...please let me know, and we can all discuss how to go about putting together an add-on next year...and if there's enough interested, I'll start up a private page for meta-ph-oracle too...

Just to say, that its going up in price in 11 days...i've not had any lulu codes come through recently, otherwise I'd share 'em...there's more reviews on the thread linked to...

and don't forget, after a couple of months usage - if you've got anything fun/interesting you would like to share, it would be fun to put together an add on of sorts for the book...cheers...