It started with a vision. An experience in a nature reserve in which I sensed the presence of...the Silver Surfer. Who? Well, simple explanation is that he's a character in a Marvel comic. In that comic he's got a job as Herald of Galactus, the Big G being a godlike entity -- which makes the Surfer a Messenger of the Gods. Like Hermes, aka Mercury, in myth. Hmm.

Then I went to a Michael Breen workshop, during which he suggested creating a divination system. Which took me back to my visonary experience, and made me think of developing a system using images from old Fantastic Four comics. Why the Fantastic Four? Because each character has elemental associations, which helps forge a link between Fantastic Fourcasts and Tarot.

So, the heart of the system is a deck of beautifully produced cards with images from the Fantastic Four in their heyday, as drawn by Jack Kirby and written by Stan Lee. And there's also use of chess pieces, to provide another dimension to readings.

Here's what NLP Master Trainer Michael Breen has to say about the set:

"Fantastic Fourcast cards? Yeah, Adrian Reynolds created them. Following one of my workshops on 'Creativity, Intuition, and Divination', he actually did what I suggested and made up his own system of Divination/Random Provocation and the Fantastic Fourcast cards are superb. I love asking for advice and pulling out a card with The Thing on it saying 'It's Clobberin' Time'. Adrian's also done something very clever by using chess pieces to provoke thoughts about movement and activity. They are really good fun. Can they tell the future? Who knows? Can they inspire and uplift and change your mind? Definitely." -- Michael Breen, May 2009

Only a dozen sets of Fantastic Fourcasts cards have been printed. They will appeal to the connoisseur of the extraordinary, people who allow their intuition to be opened up to Pop Art influences, seekers of unusual methods for inspiring creativity. And you don't have to be a comics geek to get value from them: the images and words are iconic and communicate beyond the pages they were originally part of.

The full price for the Fantastic Fourcasts cards is £50. To members of NLPConnections, I am making them available for £40, inc p&p. PM me to secure your set.

adrian r wrote:

So, the heart of the system is a deck of beautifully produced cards with images from the Fantastic Four in their heyday, as drawn by Jack Kirby and written by Stan Lee.

May we assume that you've gotten all the relevant copyright permissions from Marvel Comics to use these characters?

Aaron

You may not. But given we're talking about a dozen decks, I can't see they'll be bothered. And if you know anything about Marvel's treatment of Jack Kirby, you'll have some sense of why I approach the project in such a cavalier fashion in that regard.