Top Ten essential tarot titles

Morgane_49

Wendywu said:
Nah, it all gets too complicated for me and she loses me ....

goes and stands in thickie corner ......

She does take it too far at times, but I enjoyed reading some of the history and just skimmed over what wasn't of interest to me. The Tarot Wisdom book was the first one I'd bought by her, and I doubt very seriously that I would buy another one.

I did walk away from it with some interesting tidbits that I wasn't aware of before. And, my favourite part was the excercise/spreads she included after each of the MA cards. I found them very helpful.

I would never recommend it as the only tarot book you'll ever need! You'd be so confused and frustrated that you'd never get to the enjoyment part!
 

Wendywu

I liked Tarot Wisdom - it was the Haindl books I lost it with ...
 

gregory

I was OK with 78 degrees and Forest of Souls....
 

Le Fanu

Im gonna come clean; I don't really like "touchy-feely, visualise your spirit guide and swim with the dolphin-fairy whilst massaging your ancestors' chakras" approach to tarot. Im not knocking it, I just can't do it. My question is;

is "Tarot Wisdom" like this?

I want something that sanely orientates me without having to jump through all kinds of wooky hoops. This is the kind of Tarot Book/reading methodology book I'm looking for.

(there. Ive said it)
 

gregory

Huson is MADE for you. Wooky-free !
:)

Never read Wisdom; I saw it in Watkins once and it didn't really SCREAM to me so I bought a deck instead :D
 

rif

I agree, Huson is good.
 

Wendywu

Yes - the Huson is excellent. Very clear and well put. No new agey stuff at all.....
 

rif

Le Fanu said:
What I feel I need is a good "reading methodology" book. Approaches to reading without "keywords" (Tarot Plain & Simple is great for that)

I'm sorry, but Tarot Plain & Simple puts me to sleep every time I've looked at it! :) I liked his reading examples at the beginning, but the rest of the book... meh. I also don't care for the deck it's illustrated with, so reading about those cards doesn't do much for me.

I also can't get into 78 Degrees of Wisdom; it seems a little too personal for the author's experience for me to relate to. Her more recent Tarot Wisdom is a more enjoyable and useful read to me; although she extensively relies on Huson's book. See? You're in good shape with that one. :)

Check out Tarot for Life, by Prospero. It's a gem of a book, and may help you rethink your approach to tarot. Compact and a good read. If you google the author, you can find a sample from his book.

One of my most treasured tarot books is Mastering Tarot by Paul Fenton-Smith. :amor: If you're ever fortunate enough to get your hands on a reasonable priced copy, I highly recommend it. I learn something every time I read it. The chapter of real-life stories of strange reading experiences is priceless!

These are two titles I don't see mentioned very often, so I wanted to offer you suggestions off the beaten path.
 

lark

rif said:
One of my most treasured tarot books is Mastering Tarot by Paul Fenton-Smith. :amor: If you're ever fortunate enough to get your hands on a reasonable priced copy, I highly recommend it. I learn something every time I read it. The chapter of real-life stories of strange reading experiences is priceless!
Paul Fenton-Smith has a new book out called Tarot Masterclass.
Very good book...check it out.
 

Le Fanu

rif said:
I'm sorry, but Tarot Plain & Simple puts me to sleep every time I've looked at it! :) I liked his reading examples at the beginning, but the rest of the book... meh. I also don't care for the deck it's illustrated with, so reading about those cards doesn't do much for me
Yes, I ignore the illustrations, but I like the quickfire meanings. It is as if his keywords are almost stream of consciousness. As if James Joyce or Virginia Woolf were writing keywords. I think he gives a very well-rounded sense of a card's meanings. I like those keywords. I think they cover most aspects of a cards meaning. Of course, the idea is to go off at a tangent, but they have a contemporary feel which I like (see Queen of Swords reversed; "a real bitch").

I tend to just consult it sometimes after Ive done a reading for myself to see if there is anything which sets me thinking in another direction...