Lastest collecting obsession

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Gardener	04 Jul 2004
Rachel Pollack I've been reading the books she wrote to accompany the Salvador Dali tarot and the Haindl tarot, and they are sooooooooooooooooo good! So I am turning to the wizards of Aeclectic to ask, which other decks has RP written the book for? I just saw that she wrote the book for Vertigo. And of course Shining Tribe. Others?

baba-prague	04 Jul 2004
I'm also an admirer. Recently I read "Unquenchable Fire", it isn't about tarot as such, but it's about divination, among other things, and I'd recommend it as a good and though-provoking read. I'm also rereading Forest of Souls - it takes time I think. I have the Dali book and the Vertigo one, but not yet the Haindl. Maybe that should be the next purchase? ________- edited to say - sorry Gardener, I ought to have made it clear "Unquenchable Fire" is a novel, not a companion book in any way, so I am not exactly answering the question. But I only just finished the book and I am keen to pass on the recommendation. It's out of print, but I found it easily and at a lowish price. Do you know Rachel's site - www.rachelpollack.com - you can see a lot more of her books there.

Gardener	04 Jul 2004
Ah, yes Forest of Souls is quite the adventure. I met a young woman working on her Ph.D. thesis about Carl Jung and took her tarot shopping. She picked up Forest of Souls, I'm very eager to hear her take on it. I confess, I would like it better if I had the Shining Tribe deck, just having the black and white illustrations to go by makes the experience as abstract as Borges. Now I'm going to go off and acquire the Divination one, thanks Karen! The Haindl pair are superb. I find them a little confusing still. Each card has a pretty long section on Haindl's thoughts about the painting, which are deep, but I can't yet see how they relate to her divinatory meanings. I also accidentally acquired the accompanying workbook (funny how that happens), but it's stashed away in someone's basement right now. The Dali is a treasure, one almost doesn't need the cards. Almost.

baba-prague	04 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Gardener The Dali is a treasure, one almost doesn't need the cards. Almost. Yes, I decided I could afford the deck or the book but not both, so in fact I went for the book. I think if it has to be one or the other then the book does have good pictures - and honestly I'm not sure I'd ever read with the Dali anyway. I have to just add that this is one of the main reasons we chose to make "Hermes" the extra card on the BBCats deck - see Invocation to Hermes here: http://www.rachelpollack.com/new/index.html I read this a short time ago and it got me thinking a lot about Hermes and what he means. When I was a child he was always my favourite Greek god. Now of course I see him in much more symbolic terms - and it was great that he pushed his way into the deck. Anyway, not to derail the thread, back on track, has anyone here read the Kabbalah Tree yet? I think it's out, but perhaps not quite?

Gardener	04 Jul 2004
Oh, derail away, Ms. Baba Prague, anytime! I just want to hear about Rachel and her writing. Thanks for the website, that was very fun. I am going off to try to find her books now...

Moongold	04 Jul 2004
Hi Gardener ~ Rachel Pollack wrote which is one of the classic books on Tarot with the Rider Waite Smith deck in mind. It was written in the late 1980's I think but I heard recently that it is now out of print. Definitely a must have for serious tarot collectors. She also wrote which is one of the best general books I have seen. It's beautifully illustrated with coloured pictures and photographs throughout. Great book for a beginner but one that you will continue to use for years to comer if you buy it. I have the deck and book and love it. The illustrations very much remind me of the Australian desert which adds to its appeal for me. The colours are great. And, of course, does basically use the Shining Tribe, although the book stands in its own right. Have you had a look at Pollack's web site? She writes science fiction as well. Moongold

lisaria	07 Jul 2004
I have the 78 degrees of wisdom book and another one she wrote called the big little book of tarot. The 78 degrees was a little intimidating at first (I'm a newbie) but it is still one I've turned to alot. The little book of tarot is one that is small enough I can slip it in my purse and take it with me to read when I'm waiting around in line or something. It has lots of general information and lots of pics of many different decks. I think I just like the size though. LOL :)

Jewel	07 Jul 2004
Forest of Souls was EXCELLENT, when I started reading I had to go buy her deck (Shining Tribe) and it was great to be able to lay out the cards as I read along. 78 Degrees of Wisdom is also one of my favorite tarot books, I use it mainly as a text book, and for the first few chapters I even created some questions that assist me in studying new RWS based decks. I cannot recommend these two books highly enough. On another note, another goood author is Mary Greer. Her last two books, Tarot Reversals, and Tarot Courts were really good.

Asher	07 Jul 2004
One of my favorite Rachel Pollack books is _Tarot, the Open Labyrinth: A Collection of Tarot Readings and Meditations_. I believe it was also issued under another title, but can't recall. My copy was published by Aquarian Press, ISBN 0-85030-465-2. It should be available on the used market. Rachel lets us peek over her shoulder as she reads for others, using 3 spreads: 3 Card, Celtic Cross, and the Work Cycle. It's a fascinating glimpse into a reader's psyche to see how she interprets the cards. Asher

Cerulean	07 Jul 2004
and mean to savor it this summer, with her Haindl reading companion book and the deck. Interesting poster, kind of hints at the surrealistic mix that Haindl could have done with large formats. Cheers. Cerulean

Satori	08 Jul 2004
I thought folks might want to know Shining Tribe is on sale for half price, the set, on the Llewellyn website/catalog...sale ends tomorrow I think...check that, I'm not sure. I am having to physically hold myself back from buying it because I just ordered a few sets....so many decks.....so little time.... I'm reading Forest of Souls right now too, and I'm loving it! I can hardly wait to start doing readings the Rachel Pollack way. Asking the Tarot to help you ask the question is sheer genius I think. So obvious, yet I never thought of it!

The Lastest collecting obsession thread was originally posted on 04 Jul 2004 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.