View Full Version : Tarot for Yourself or 78 Degrees of Wisdom?
Greetings.
This 'poll' option is just great! Finally I get to see how many like Tarot for Yourself or 78 Degrees of Wisdom. As you can remember, I started the thread 'Book list.' some time ago, but it was difficult to maintain. (Counting votes etc.) I've been so curios as to what book came out the best. Now go vote!
I much prefer Amber Jayanti's 'Living The Tarot' to either of these, but out of these two, I vote 78 DW
Kiama
Well, I cannot make a choice between them...
Definitely both!
I'm soon going to Feltrinelli to retrieve them both! I ordered them on purpose, and they got them all the way to Naples FREE for me! :D
This was a tough vote, both are so good, and they come from different angles. One is a work book one is a fabulous text. Like Pollux wish I could have voted for both *LOL*
truthsayer
11-03-2002, 21:28
tarot for yourself has been my fav tarot book since 1985. i've had 78 degrees of wisdom less than a year. even tho it appears to be a great book, i have a long history w/ TFY so that gives it the edge.
Briarfoote
12-03-2002, 17:01
Taking a chance on being cast out...
I have do not have, nor have read, either one.
*hides under desk from any incoming flames or rocks*
I only have three Tarot books (not counting LWB's), but then I am relatively new to this.
Oops... I was wrong. I have four books.
The Tarot: History, Mystery and Lore ~ Cynthia Giles
The Tarot: The Origin, Meaning and Uses of the Cards ~ Alfred Douglas
A Wicked Pack of Cards: The Origins of the Occult Tarot ~ Ronald Decker
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Tarot : How to Unlock the Secrets of the Tarot ~ Rachel Pollack
Greetings.
I do have the 78 DW, and just love it! After reading the first chapter, I learned more than I have the last year studying Jane Lyle's "Great Book of Tarot"! And that is not an overstatement! Lyle's book is the most superficial and useless tarot book I have seen.
Other books I have:
Book of Thoth - Crowley
Mastering the Tarot - Sharman-Burke
Shapeshifter Tarot
Easy Tarot
Still waiting for my copy of Tarot for Yourself! :)
DollChica
13-03-2002, 16:25
Don't feel bad Briarfoote, I don't have either one of those books...either ;)
The only books I have right now are:
The Tarot Companion-Tracy Potter
Tarot for a New Generation-Janina Renee
They are both pretty good. The latter is outstanding :D
Temperance413
13-03-2002, 20:50
I had a hard time choosing between the two, but I'm a more of a hands on learner, so Tarot For Yourself made the Tarot concrete for me. I did love 78.........
truthsayer
24-03-2002, 23:35
yesterday i bought the second edition of "tarot for yourself". mary greer just blows me away. i like the new edition even more than the first edition. she's added things there were in previous books like tarot constellations(OOP) and improved others like the charts. i think what makes me choose her over rachel pollack's 78 degrees is that mary is so interactive with the cards. i just love her self discovery exercises. i just go over and over them and have done so for years. i can't wait to really get into the new book! i can get bored w/ pollack b/c she can get so deep at times unless i'm feeling extra alert and able to concentrate.
Originally posted by truthsayer
yesterday i bought the second edition of "tarot for yourself". mary greer just blows me away. i like the new edition even more than the first edition. she's added things there were in previous books like tarot constellations(OOP) and improved others like the charts.
Thanks for reporting on this! I have the 1st ed. and have had it for about 5 years, love it! Could you give more specifics on the differences between the 1st and 2nd editions?
truthsayer
25-03-2002, 22:56
jewel, i went thru both books fairly carefully to see the similarities and differences. much is the same but i really like the improvements on the charts and additions. this is what the back of the book states the changes are:
*expanded interpretations of the minor arcana
*reversed card meanings for all 78 cards
*an entirely new history based appendix on the latest research and discoveries
*info on your shadow/teacher cards
*a new introduction
*an updated bibliography
you really have to compare the 2 to see what i mean but there are slight changes in text that help make things that i didn't understand completely in the old book make sense this time. the list of cards she uses is updated and OOP ones taken out. the charts are definitely better even if the difference is subtle. it costs $18.99. the cover is a gorgeous shade of blue versus that old ugly brown. i have the 19-10-1 birth combination and she explains that better.
it's subtle things but i think it's worth the money if you really enjoy the book as much as i have over the years. heck! just buy it b/c the cover is prettier! LOL
Originally posted by truthsayer
*expanded interpretations of the minor arcana
*reversed card meanings for all 78 cards
*an entirely new history based appendix on the latest research and discoveries
*info on your shadow/teacher cards
*a new introduction
*an updated bibliography
it's subtle things but i think it's worth the money if you really enjoy the book as much as i have over the years. heck! just buy it b/c the cover is prettier! LOL
OOOOOOOHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHH ... must have that blue cover *ROFLMAO* ... thanks Truthsayer, I think I will see if my local book store has it available if not I will order it through Amazon. Some of the charts are a bit confusing so I will really benefit from that change (hopefully), and I like that she adding to the minor arcana interpretations and the reversed card meanings (although I am about to buy her new reversals book). Thanks again!
SherryZoned
02-10-2002, 22:55
Well I do not have tarot for yourself..but I did have 78 and frankly..Did not like it!..it was just OK for me...I traded it away! It seemed Overrated!
I have never read Tarot for Yourself. I have read 78 Degrees of Wisdom. In my opinion, it's the best thing I have ever read about the Rider-Waite-Smith deck(s). This suits me fine because it's hard to escape familiarity with those images. It would be very difficult to apply what's in that book to other decks, especially if they vary from the RWS imagery.
My current personal favourites, and the books I'd recommend to a new reader, are Gareth Knight's The Magical World of the Tarot, an exploring-style book that has helped me immensely; and Anthony Louis's Tarot Plain and Simple, a great dictionary of keywords (though it sometimes seems a bit haphazard).
Moongold
03-10-2002, 00:26
It is an impossible choice! I think that both books try to do different things and it is hard to say that one is better than the other. Both authors are superb.
Moongold
wavebreaker
03-10-2002, 02:44
Simple choice for me: 78 Degrees of Wisdom.
I have both books, but Tarot for Your Self just isn't for me I guess... I've completed some of the exercises, but I just can't bring myself to continue and finish the book...
I'm afraid I just had to vote for 78 Degrees for two reasons. #1; like so many others here, it has taught me more than the other Tarot book I have. #2;... I don't have Tarot for Yourself... :|
Minderwiz
04-10-2002, 09:01
Ahhhhhhhh! I have both these books and find them equally useful - though for different things. I just can't choose between them. Everyone should have both of them :)
Minderwiz
WolfSpirit
04-10-2002, 13:11
I voted for 78 degrees... because I like the book and don't have tarot for yourself. I was looking for it, and stumbled upon tarot for self discovery by Nina Lee Braden. Someone here at Aeclectic recommended this one (where else would I get my information ;)) so I bought it, seems to be very useful (haven't done that much with it yet).
light2000
10-11-2005, 19:53
For me these are 2 reallt good books but i voted for 78 degrees od wisdom.
Emeraldgirl
14-11-2005, 00:32
Wow two fantastic books how do you choose??????????????
I finally did and I went for 78 DoW
It was my first tarot book that didn't come with a deck and it taught me so much.
I enjoyed this poll, and reading the comments on the two books. From my point of view, they serve different purposes. "Tarot For Yourself" is a lighter book, one that is meant to be used as an experiential learning tool. Ancillary tools, such as the Chakra's, Crystals, Numerology and Astrology all play their part. This is an excellent book for a beginner - it was my first Tarot book, and it provided quite a solid foundation for future learning. Greer's subsequent books were built from this base, and expanded it in their own inimitable way.
Pollack's "78 Degree's of Wisdom" is in a league of its own. The cards, and card history, are gone into in great depth, and provide a wonderful backdrop for all that the Tarot can be. I enjoy being made to think, and Pollack's work will always make one think!
krompony
30-11-2005, 17:31
Well I can't speak to Tarot For Yourself as I have not read it, but am currently reading 78 Degrees of Wisdom which I love. It is not a cookbook, which so many books I've looked through seem to be. As aeonx aptly stated, I have also learned more in the first 2 chapters about the underlying constructs represented in the cards, rather than an "out of context" interpretation of the various cards like I've run across elsewhere. Still, as I haven't read the other book, I'll have to put it on the list to read :)
vision777
22-12-2005, 07:18
i now have both of these books im so happy! but now i wish i can change my vote because i like tarot for yourself now lol its fun it has more to do with working on self growth where as 78 Degrees of wisdom explains more about the major arcana in full detail but in tarot for your self it has question you should be asking others or your self that gives more meanings to all 78 cards.
tarobones
29-12-2005, 10:49
I voted for 78 degrees, which is a classic, i believe. But now I have commited myself to read the other. I am sure they are both wonderful.
I feel a bit guilty for voting for 78 Degrees, which I have read and re-read. I don't actually have Mary's book, so the choice was not really a choice ... so it wasn't really fair to vote at all.
mythos doing guilt:)
NightWing
03-01-2006, 04:11
While "Tarot for Yourself" is a good book, "78 Degrees of Wisdom" is an ABSOLUTE ESSENTIAL, IMHO. Thanks for asking.
Chibi pic pic
07-01-2006, 03:37
I recently got 78 DW and I absolutely love it! I have been waiting for a book that goes so in depth in such a small amount of space. She goes beyond the traditional meanings and really opened up my eyes to the cards. I agree that it is a must in your book collection.
Did anyone read the 78dow (or any other book) twice? I read the 78dow and it appears I had diffculties coping with the amount of information in there. While parts were very helpful, others might have been too much for my level of understanding. But I am not sure. So I consider studying the book again after getting more information and experience elsewhere.
Valyria
Im thinking about even returning to 78DOW for a THIRD time... Ive read it twice now, and picked up and absorbed so much more the second time around...
Rogan.
Pauline Kilar
25-02-2006, 14:26
I couldn't vote for one of these books over the other because they serve completely different purposes. Both are good books.