Uh-Oh...collecting books now, too!

I just returned from a trip to the local Borders with yet another Tarot book and had a moment of realization...it seems I am apparently now collecting Tarot *books* right along with my decks!

I mean, how many books about Tarot do I need?? Yet I find that each one contributes to my understanding of the cards, so I always look through them when I'm at B&N or Borders...or anywhere they sell Tarot books! These to go along with the deck/book sets I have....errrrrr!

Ah well, I just wanted to rant for a moment. But I'm at the point I *really* need to get another large bookshelf to hold all of my esoteric books and tarot decks!

You can never have too many tarot books.

I have a lot more books than decks. I haven't even begun to read all of them, but you never know when a book is going to have that precious tidbit of information you might need.

-fof

It have been with me earely with the books about astrology and lasting now with books about Tarot. But now I looking on the book more queasily because they repeating each other but sometimes conflicting. I think better work with deck and meanings of cards goes with experience.

I have a decent library of tarot books, including ones by Mary Greer, Rachel Pollack, Teresa Michelsen, Joan Bunning, James Ricklef and others which I collected within the last couple of years.

I usually add them sparingly, giving each one what it deserves from my time and energy.

The only book that I had ordered recently and have only skimmed through is the Tarot, History, Symbolism, and Divination by Robert Place. But I have every intention of reading it in earnest in due time.

However, I am usually attracted to the seemingly modern books that do not go into details regarding Tarot history etc . ., since I do not intend to become a professional reader and rarely read for others. It's mostly to satisfy my own curiousity about tarot.

Lately, I seem to be going to the more modern books, too, mainly because I'm looking for new insights on interpretations & these books are easy to reference. But I understand what was said about different books saying different things about the same cards. The 2 of Pentacles is a good example- some books give it a very positive meaning, like being in balance & successfully balancing your life; other books give it a more hectic feel, like you are struggling to juggle several areas in your life, or struggling to make ends meet. I try to keep the differences in mind when I'm reading, as just more helpful aspects to consider. Another example would be my recent experience with the Queen of Wands, which I've not really had the occassion to work with before, as she has only very rarely popped up. But lately, it has been important for me to understand the energy of this card, so I went to my books, found some differing meanings, and then came here to the Aeclectic boards for more insight (of course!).

The one book that I keep going back to is "Tarot Plain & Simple" by Anthony Louis. I really resonate with the meanings he has given to the cards. I don't think he strayed too far from the 'traditional' meanings and I like the way the book is written. It is very accessible and I admit, I tend to use this book as a standard to start with and then go to other books for more insight.

The book I came home with yesterday is "Introduction to Tarot" by Susan Levitt. I've been reading the cards for awhile so I didn't really need an 'introduction' to the cards, but the book has great pics and meanings of both the Rider-Waite & the Thoth decks, side by side so you can see them together. The interpretations are short and easy to remember and overall, it is an easy book to use if you need a quick reference.