Tarot as a Way of Life

[darwinia]

I would like to hear opinions of this book please:

Tarot as a Way of Life : A Jungian Approach to the Tarot by Karen
Hamaker-Zondag

The review at amazon mentions that she discusses both major and minor arcana and does a comparison of symbolic differences between decks. It's apparently not just standard divinations, but tarot illustrations as a manifestation of the life process.

Is that so, and what do you think about her view and the information in the book? What decks does she compare?

Thanks,

Judy

[Maan]

Hi Judy
I think i have read this book in dutch.
But i did not like it:( Se explained in the firts part of the book why she thinks that the rider waite tarot the best deck is.
She compairse it with i believe the arcus arcanum, witches tarot, haindle and the Hanson Roberts.
Especially the hanson roberts did not meet here standards. And that was my primairy reading deck at that moment so i did not finish the book and took it back to the library ;)

I hope you get some good reviews here about this book that might encourage me to pick it up again and finish it :)

Love and Light
Maan

[darwinia]

Maan:
<<I hope you get some good reviews here about this book that might encourage me to pick it up again and finish it >>

Well, no one seems to have an opinion but you! <g> Thanks for the input. I myself have never been attracted to the Rider-Waite deck and don't own one. I find it frustrating that every book uses it for comparisons and teaching. It's ubiquitous like Microsoft.

I am considering these other books as well:

2) Tarot and the Tree of Life: Finding Everyday Wisdom in the Minor Arcana by Isabel Radow Kliegman
3) Tarot Shadow Work: Using the Dark Symbols to Heal
Author: Christine Jette
4) Tarot and the Journey of the Hero by Hajo Banzhaf

Wouldn't you know the most expensive books are the ones I'm interested in? Never fails, no matter what the subject. I'll have to try trading or something.

Thanks fro replying,
Judy

[truthsayer]

i have "tarot shadow work" and "tarot and the journey of the hero". i consider both of them excellent and highly recommend them.

[darwinia]

Originally posted by truthsayer:

<<i have "tarot shadow work" and "tarot and the journey of the hero". i consider both of them excellent and highly recommend them.>>

Okay thanks for the recommendation.

Judy

[oriel]

"Tarot and the Tree of Life" is GREAT. A woman I chatted with in the metaphysical store recommended it to me when she found out I was a tarot newbie =).

[darwinia]

Originally posted by oriel:

"Tarot and the Tree of Life" is GREAT. A woman I chatted with in the metaphysical store recommended it to me when she found out I was a tarot newbie>>

Aha, I was very lucky that last week someone agreed to trade this for some older apllique books I had, so I'll have the chance to read it shortly. I do love a new book!

Thanks,

Judy

[oriel]

i hope you like your new book as much as i do :)
i haven't finished reading mine. it is really interesting and i enjoy taking my time with it.
i hope the author writes a book about the major arcana.

[divinerguy]

I have the Tarot Companion by Tracy Porter. It has card meanings and a symbol dictionary.

It also references Tarot to the Qabalah, the I Ching, Astrology and Numerology. Overall, I compact little reference book, that's loaded with useful information. $12.95 USD, published by Llewelyn, ISBN 1-56718-574-6.

[darwinia]

Originally posted by divinerguy
<<I have the Tarot Companion by Tracy Porter. It has card meanings and a symbol dictionary.

It also references Tarot to the Qabalah, the I Ching, Astrology and Numerology. Overall, I compact little reference book, that's loaded with useful information. $12.95 USD, published by Llewelyn, ISBN 1-56718-574-6.>>

I just checked the reviews at Amazon and it seems interesting, although one review was scathingly bad. I've got it on my list of things to look for.

I am fresh out of money right now having just got The Encyclopedia of Tarot volume III which I've had on backorder until they reprinted it. With tax it cost $75 CDN. That's me on the skids for months. <g>

Thanks,

Judy

[darwinia]

Whew, D-guy, you're gonna kill me, but after reading Diane Wilkes' review of the Tracy Porter book, I'm taking it off my list:

http://www.tarotpassages.com/porter.htm

Yikes, Diane blew a hole fifty feet wide in this baby. We don't know for sure what the complete historical origins of tarot are, yet right away Tracy is talking about Egypt and gypsies and Kabbalah *always* being associated with tarot etc.

I think people can believe what they want, but history is history, and rewriting it doesn't change the way it happened. Think I'm going to bypass the Porter book for this reason.

The Haindl tarot was the second tarot I bought and I love it (glad to see you finally got it), even with the runes and Hebrew letters and I Ching that were never part of tarot origins; it's not the associations that bother me, it's the belief that they were always there.


Thanks again,
Judy

[Hummingbird]

I came here today and did a search because I'm having a hard time deciding which of the Jungian type books to purchase. I own Tarot and the Journey of the Hero, and am wondering if reading the books by Irene Gad, Sallie Nichols and Hamaker-Zondag would be redundant.

If you had to choose ONE, which would it be? Gad, Nichols, or Hamaker-Zondag?

(I'm definitely getting the Rosengarten book, but am iffy on the Jette.)