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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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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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Understanding the Tarot Court by Mary K Greer and Tom Little
Understanding the Tarot Court, seeks to take readers from seeing the court cards as two-dimensional figures with simple characteristics through to knowing them as richly complex personalities. As the authors claim, “The purpose of this book is to make the court cards come alive, and to give you a deep familiarity with the cards and their possibilities.” To do this Understanding the Tarot Court begins by providing an overview of both the different ways the court cards cards can be interpreted in a reading and a breakdown of the suit and rank associations, before encouraging readers to take a guided meditation to meet the court in a non-threatening way (at…
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Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen
Where do I begin with Holistic Tarot. It’s encyclopaedic in scope and volume. Check out the contents list below and you’ll see what I mean. And, those chapters aren’t brief. This book is nearly 900 pages long but Benebell Wen’s clear and accessible writing style make this comprehensive exploration of the tarot thorough without being overwhelming. In this multifaceted book, Wen incorporates Eastern and Western teachings as well as psychology to provide something for all. I have to say I’m a fan of Holistic Tarot. I like Wen’s approach because it aligns with my own notions of tarot. She writes, “My approach to tarot is not predictive. It is analytic”…
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Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack
Search for a list of recommended tarot books and Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom is likely to be on the list. Author of many tarot books herself (including 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card and Understanding the Tarot Court), Mary K Greer says it “is on [her] ‘Top Ten’ list of all time Tarot Greats!” It provides a comprehensive explanation of each tarot card including reversals but it is more than just a this-card-means-this-book. It takes you on a journey through the tarot rather than considering each card in isolation. The deck focuses on the Rider Waite deck however, other decks are shown occasionally for comparison and to illuminate certain…
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Tarot 101 by Kim Huggens
Tarot 101 provides a “complete course in Tarot” that aims to demystify “the art of card reading in an exciting new way”. Just like Mary K Greer’s approach in 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card, Kim Huggens has also broken her book into 22 lessons. But that is where the similarity ends. Huggens has taken a theme-based approach to learning the cards. For example, in chapter 4 she groups The High Priestess, The Empress and The Star as the Major Arcanas Feminine Archetypes. Huggens shares her wealth of knowledge and encourages her readers to develop their own. Each chapter includes valuable information that both links to the topic and…
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21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card by Mary K Greer
As the introduction states, “21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card is full of techniques for gaining insights into tarot readings”, and it doesn’t disappoint. Working with a single card in 21 different ways definitely expands both your ways of working with your cards and your personal insights. The idea isn’t to utilise every method every time however. Rather, one of the goals of the book is to help you “evolve an individualized reading style or technique.” I love that it’s a how-to book that keeps you very much in charge of how you ultimately work with your cards. Each of the twenty-one sections offers two different levels of exploration.…
