ZOMGs, "Classic Tarot Spreads" is so on fleek!

MacMorrighan

Okay, so I just got a copy of Sandor Konraad's "Classic Tarot Spread" (Whitford Press/ Schiffer Publishing, 1985), and I am simply over the Moon! I am so ecstatic because, based upon the title alone I expected that it would be little more than a compendium of tarot spreads, like Evelin Burger's and Johannes Fiebig's "Complete Book of Tarot Spreads".* But, it's not, thank goodness! It's much, much, MUCH more!!! It sets out a plan for learning the tarot in 30 days, but it also employs a system that may be used with Merseilles-style pip-cards (since I am a committed Indo-Europeanist as a freelance scholar, my mind becomes famished for patterns!); though it can almost certainly be transferred to RWS clones, as well. While this text does contain some tarot spreads--some that I am utterly unfamiliar with (I have seen a LOT of spreads, too!)--I was floored by some of the philosophical and brilliant, almost poetic, descriptions of the Major Arcana. Since I am a Witch and I employ the Tarot in my Magick, this description really inspired me to use The Moon card (I am also a Pisces) in a Witch Bottle Spell to protect a home or residence, with the Seven of Wands. I also learned something very interesting from this book that I haven't learned from another book, yet...an early name for the Strength/ Fortitude card was, "The Enchantress"! I really think that every Tarot Reader ought to add this book to their personal Library, though I worry that such a JUICY book suffers from a flawed and ill-suited title.

*FWIW, I would LOVE to see English translations of tarot books by European authors....I'm lookin' at you, Inner Traditions! ;)
 

rwcarter

I've had that book for probably 20 years. It's been a long time since I've looked at it though. I do remember pulling a lot of great spreads from that book. (I have ~700 spreads in my database.) I don't remember any of the other things you mention, but I wouldn't have been interested in those things 20 years ago.

ZOMGs is apparently a take-off on OMG (Oh My God - I had to look it up). We discourage acronyms in thread titles as Aeclectic has an international membership and not everyone is going to know what a particular acronym means.

Rodney
 

MacMorrighan

Ah, maybe it's my Scorpio Rising, but comparative methodology utterly enthralls me on oh so many levels. :)