The Game of You

“This game is about YOU…Learn how to resolve day-to-day issues on the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical level, develop a stronger inner-relationship to have healthier outer relationships, come to better understand your life’s spiritual path, and apply the tools necessary to create the life you’ve always wanted. With intention and intuition, you will enter into a magical, powerful and profound experience of self-discovery and personal transformation.” – Lynn Zavaro, Creator and Artist of The Game of You

Lively colors splashed upon 78 cards—painted by the author using a intuitive technique called “Process Painting”—offer seekers a portal into the emotional, spiritual, physical, mental and relational components of the Self, as well as the 22 major Life Path steps common to everyone.

If the description of The Game of You sounds familiar, it’s because this particular oracular system is based upon the structure of Tarot, but the designations and titles have been updated for a more psychological approach.

Although all cards are re-named, The Game of You deck still resembles a Tarot deck in that:

• Roman Numerals assigned to the Life Path Cards (bordered in purple and corresponding to the Major Arcana)

• Red borders for the Spiritual Level Cards

• Blue borders for the Emotional Level Cards

• Yellow borders for the Mental Level Cards

• Green borders for the Physical Level Cards

• Inner Family Support System designated Child, Young Adult, Mother and Father (correlating to the Court Cards)

The Game of You deck comes in a large sturdy flip-top box with a 223-page companion book that explains each card and provides an actionable Tool for probing, contemplating or applying the wisdom of each. However, this book is much more than a mere deck guide: even on its own, the exercises, examples and questions presented by Lynn Zavaro lights the way to a more compassionate, mindful path to self-awareness.

The bright, cheerful artwork reminds me of some of the whimsical Hay House empowerment decks or the Mythical Goddess Tarot), with the glossy 4 ¾ x 3 ¼ inch cards shuffling easily. The publisher, Schiffer Books, did a fantastic job on this box set.

I’ve been using The Game of You for the last several weeks and, I have to tell you, it’s been such wonderfully grounding tool, especially after a long day writing or doing client Tarot readings. When I’m feeling weary, too much “in my head” or spiritually drained, I grab this deck. I’m not exaggerating when I say that after I draw one card and read Zavaro’s soothing, illuminating insights, my shoulder muscles relax, I breathe deeper and restfulness washes over me.

Every one-card reading with The Game of You has been incisively accurate, usually confirming what I know, but sometimes fail to practice. I had to smile when I drew the same card two days in a row, with the third day’s card pretty much echoed the previous wisdom!

Weaving in gentle yet powerful approaches for self-inquiry, mind/body awareness, visualizations, meditative prompts and more, The Game of You provides a psychological depth and spiritual richness lacking in many Tarot books, allowing the cards to be the profoundly transformational tool that it can be.

Those who resonate with the teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz, Byron Katie, Eckhart Tolle, Sharon Salzburg, Jack Kornfield, Natalie Goldberg and others will likely embrace The Game of You, especially since the author uses the cards to confront dualistic thinking, disempowering mindsets, narrow perspectives, and self-defeating habits.