What one book helped you the most?

tarotlova

Yes I too loved The Complete Idoits Guide To Tarot & Fortune Telling and I have Tarot For Yourself by Mary k Greer and a few others Nancy Garen for example but the one book that I really love is Tarot For The Green Witch by Ann Moura as this is the spirtual path that I am on, but I would still highly recomend this book to others regardless of the spirtual path they are on. She really made me think about the cards in ways that I haven't before.
 

CloeCat

the one that set me free?

I have owned and read many books that were helpful, but the one book that truly helped me the most is "A Magical Course in Tarot" by Michele Morgan.

The way it is writen, its like she talking to you. She shares and gets you intouch with your deck not wallowing in memorisation (sp?). Mostly she confermed for me that intuitive/Empathic reading is ligit and to go for it. Simple basics are given and ideas about simbols, but there is much more and I use this book when I teach others. I have been wondering why the book is not listed here.

For those starting out or who have strugaled with tarot I would give this book a look see it might help you get over the hump.

Many purrrs,

CloeCat
 

Sophie

78 Degrees of Wisdom, hands down. Although I don't use it much for meanings now (I am allergic to fixed meanings), I found its discussion of symbology a great help when I started out and started looking at all that - stuff on the cards!

At the moment I am working through Alexandro Jodorowski's The Way of the Tarot (La Voie du Tarot), which is fantastically illuminating, even if rather eccentric. Not a book for complete beginners, I'd say, though he has several chapters given over to "how to start with tarot", and certainly a book for those who are used to analytical as well as intuitive thinking (both being important in Tarot). Having studied taoism, I enjoyed the parallels he draws - more in the way of intimations than crude juxtaposition.
 

Chronata

I had forgotten that I started this thread!

Thanks everyone for your great answers! Some of these books I had not heard of...a few sit on my shelf. Some I may have to give a second look to...


The book that helped me most...made me look at the tarot in a new way...was the Mythic Tarot Workbook.

In it, there is an exercise where you take each Minor card meaning and focus on some memory of account from your life which reminds you of the card. There is space to write down all the times that particular meaning refected in your own experience.

This has been most helpful in the way I read psychically...as certain memories flash into my head, I can descibe them to clients, and find that that particular meaning is the one that best parallels the current life of the client.

no other book before then, made the meanings of the cards so personal for me. It was nice to see that the tarot could be my own, as well as a universal tool.
 

Sophie

Gosh you know, funny you should mention that one, Chronata- I love that book too, more than the LWB. My nephew's done all the colourings, but I did the exercises alone! But then, I'm such a Mythic Tarot fan, that it seemed obvious to me and didn't think of mentioning it ;) (it's the nose on your face syndrome...)
 

SunChariot

One of my favourites now is: Tarot for Self Discovery, by Nina Lee Braden. It is a short little book, with simple exercises that can be done in any order, but they really can let you understand yourself more deeply. Some can be a bit painful, those are the ones that give me ideas for new Tarot readings to fix the problem. Bringing to light the things I need to see to be happy.

Some of the exercises are truly joyous, The "Love Break" exercise I am doing now is full of joy. All the exercises are extremely enlightening and they are directions on how to create your own exercises of the same type.

I love this book, I would not want to be without it. It has sparked some of my best and most important Tarot readings.

Bar
 

tarobones

my2cents

For me the top three (RWS/Universal Waite) books are: 78 Degrees of Wisdom and Forest of Souls by Rachel Pollack. A close third is Tarot and the Tree of Life: Finding Everyday Wisdom in the Minor Arcana, by Isabel Radow Kliegman. I don't know about non RWS decks or books. BB, Michael
 

Sophie

tarobones said:
For me the top three (RWS/Universal Waite) books are: 78 Degrees of Wisdom and Forest of Souls by Rachel Pollack.

I've not read Forest of Souls, but am considering buying it (I have to order it from the US and pay for transatlantic delivery, so I'm careful) - can you tell a bit about it!
 

Adjustment

"Tarot for yourself" by Mary K Greer.
 

all78degrees

dadsnook2000 said:
Both of my (most) favorite books among many that I treasure are from Rachel Pollack; 78 Degrees of Wisdom as a deep teaching tool and Forest of Souls as an inspirational tool.

I have to second the recomendation of Forest of the Souls. This book goes beyond meanings, and looks at tarot as a spiritual device.

And I'll throw Tarot for Self Discovery by NinaLee Braden into the mix, a wonderful collection of tarot related exercises.