Tarot Books
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Tarot Tableau Revolution
I became aware of Tarot Tableau Revolution through Dina Rosenberg (creator of Crystal Keys Tarot). Dina runs a podcast called Apothecary After Dark with her business partner and one of the episodes she pointed me to was an interview with Maria Alviz Hernando, author of Tarot Tableau Revolution. While still listening to Maria speak, I grabbed my phone and ordered her book. While much of her teachings aren’t applicable to how I approach tarot, I found the book fascinating and I picked up some new ideas that I’ve since incorporated into my practice. I’ll be writing individual posts on those, but I will touch on a couple of them later.…
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Wild Card by Jen Cownie & Fiona Lensvelt
Earlier this year I was looking for some good contemporary, beginner-friendly tarot books and I came across Wild Card – Let the Tarot Tell Your Story. It was a good find. As suggested from the first chapter title, “Hello, friend,” this is an approachable and welcoming book. On their website, Litwitchure, authors Jen Cownie and Fiona Lensvelt state, “We believe that tarot readings should be empowering and enjoyable, and our approach to the cards is less about fortune telling, more about storytelling.” This makes Wild Card accessible to everyone. They believe that we read the cards for the same reason we read and share stories, to develop understanding. Introductory chapters…
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Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack
Reading Tarot Wisdom had a profound effect on me. Not so much because of what it taught me about tarot, but because of what it taught me about myself. It also gave me a renewed sense of freedom in how I work with the tarot. About Tarot Wisdom Tarot Wisdom is presented in three sections: The Major Arcana, The Minor Arcana, and Readings. In the Major Arcana section Rachel Pollack showcases her ability to bring together her vast range of knowledge and experience with the scholarship of others. She generally does this in a personable and accessible manner albeit I don’t feel this is a beginner’s book. There is just…
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A Dictionary of Symbols: The definitive edition
Introduction While not strictly a tarot book, A Dictionary of Symbols, is a wonderful addition for those interested in understanding, and working with, the symbolism present within the tarot. However, this isn’t a quick sit down and read, or a comfortable cover-to-cover-in-a-week read. It can get a tad wordy. But, if you decided to read a few entries a day, or a week, or cherry-picked your selection I believe you would be surprised by the information you would discover. What you’ll find inside For example, under the entry for “Correspondences”, which spans a couple of pages, you’ll find a brief but comprehensive explanation of the theory of correspondences followed by…
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Tarot: A Life Guided by the Cards by Maddy Elruna
Introduction I haven’t written a post about a tarot book, (you’ll find others here), for a while but that isn’t because I haven’t been reading them. I love reading tarot books and tarot guidebooks. They always add something to my understanding or remind me of something I have forgotten over the years. Tarot: A Life Guided by the Cards is a great book. Author, Maddy Elruna, writes about the book, “I aimed to create a practical “how to” book, but with my life story and real life spreads through out the book – a story to bring the cards to life,” and she succeeded. Focused on the RWS tarot, this…
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Journaling the Tarot: Evolutions by Andy Matzner
If you’ve spent much time on this site you will know, without a doubt, that I love tarot. If you’ve explored around a bit you’ll also know I’m a pretty big fan of journaling. So, when it came into my awareness that there was a book that combines the two I was pretty keen. Throw in a solid selection of quotes, my other weakness, and I’m a happy girl. Journaling the Tarot: Evolutions was always going to find its way on to my shelves. Inspired by the Waite-Smith tarot deck, Journaling the Tarot: Evolutions is a comprehensive book. Andy Matzner states that he “used every detail of Pamela’s artwork to…
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The Tarot Revealed: A Beginner’s Guide by Paul Fenton-Smith
If learning the tarot has felt like a constant uphill slog and you’re wondering if you’re ever going to make sense of all the cards and their intricacies then The Tarot Revealed can help. You can tell it has been written by someone who teaches tarot. This is a step-by-step guide that introduces you to each suit and each card in a simple, unintimidating way. Anecdotes are used throughout to help explain the cards and to solidify the concepts. This approach makes the book interesting to read on multiple levels. The ‘Colour Meanings in the Tarot’ is a great primer. Understanding what each colour represents makes it easier to unpack…
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Tarot and Astrology by Corrine Kenner
Whether you’re an astrologer wanting to branch into tarot or a tarot reader wanting to deepen your understanding of the cards by incorporating astrological associations into your interpretations, then Tarot and Astrology may be what you’re looking for. If you’re after the basics then the included tables can serve you well but in order to get the most from this book you will have to be willing to work your way through it. Before reading Tarot and Astrology my astrology knowledge was limited. I knew which star sign or planet linked to each Major Arcana and a little about what that meant. I also had a vague understanding of the…
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Tarosophy: Tarot to Engage Life, Not Escape It by Marcus Katz
If you’re looking for a tarot book that takes you through the basics and then way past them, then Tarosophy is well worth considering. I had moments whilst reading it that I thought ‘really’ but for the most part it inspired me to reach for my cards and to dig deeper and deeper and deeper still. I recognise for some that isn’t what they’re looking for and that’s fair enough. Whilst this book does have a beginner’s section I don’t know if it’s for an absolute beginner. If I’d have picked it up when I first started I think I would have found it way too intimidating. Furthermore, if you’re…
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Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis
As the name suggests, Tarot Plain and Simple offers basic, easy to understand information that includes card meanings, astrological and numerological associations, and a few spreads. It can be used with any tarot deck based on the Rider Waite system. Anthony Louis uses the Robin Wood Tarot to illustrate the cards although he doesn’t push this deck. He suggests from the outset to “select a deck that appeals to [y]our imagination and then learn to associate the various symbols on the cards with meanings that will form the basis of [y]our understanding of the Tarot.” I believe this is a valid point. I’m an intuitive reader but I also have…
