Best Tarot books you've come across?

Seed Crystal

"Tarot for Yourself" by Mary Greer. Many exercises; very stimulating.

"Heart of Tarot" by Amber K; there are at least two books with this title, so check the author. Very open-to-uour-intuition, leave-the-references-behind approach.

I don't like Tarot dictionaries in general except for reserach. But I do like Bill Butler's Dictionary of the Tarot
 

RedMaple

darwinia said:
My favourite of several books is Tarot and the Tree of Life: Finding Everyday Wisdom in the Minor Arcana
by Isabel Radow Kliegman

One of the few books that deals with the Minors with depth. She is humorous too and very insightful about human nature. A book with character and a fresh look at things. Lots of wisdom about the human condition.


I love this book also. Along with Rachel Pollack's 78 Degrees, and Forest of Souls, it is my favorite.

I worked with the Tree of Life book, looking at several decks side by side, and really feel comfortable with the minors, and more respectful of them as well than I did before.

My first book on Tarot was Mary Greer's wonderful workbook, which so many others have mentioned.

I also like A Magical Course in Tarot by Michele Morgan, which is a light-hearted little book, very friendly and easy to read. She teaches an intuitive approach (she suggests you not look at a book for three months of readings....and it works.) I never have to look up a meaning any more. Now, when I "study" - it is never in the context of a reading, it is just stoking the old subconscious.

I think of it as I would an acting class, or a class in any kind of artistic technique: make the material as conscious as possible, then when you're actually doing (that is, acting, writing the poem, doing the reading) forget it! Just trust that the tools you need are there and your subconscious will know -- it's really been a delight to let go. Like riding a bike without the training wheels.
 

Thordia

A few of my faves so far are:

Rachel Pollack- 'Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom' and 'The Forest of Souls'

Joan Bunning- 'Learning the Tarot'

Mary Greer- 'Tarot for Your Self'

Christine Jette- 'Tarot Shadow Work'
 

maria42airam

Tarot books - an addiction

The first book I bought, "Tarot for Dummies" by Amber Jayanti, came with an RWS deck and a fold out spread "template" for a four card spread (plus a place for the significator and a clarifying card if needed). Like most of the "...for Dummies" books, it was a good starting point. One thing I liked is that it did not give keywords but instead it listed questions that you should ask yourself for each card. All in all, it was a good starting book.

After that I ordered:

"Power Tarot" by Trish MacGregor and Phyllis Vega ( RWS / lots of useful spreads)

"Tarot for the Green Witch" by Ann Moura (uses a mixture of decks, and addresses card pairs)

"Learning Tarot Reversals" by Joan Bunning (RWS / I haven't read this one yet. I'm waiting a bit on reversals.)

"Learning the Tarot" by Joan Bunning (RWS / excellent beginner book, and there's a webpage that can be used with it www.learntarot.com, and is the textbook for the Barnes & Noble "Tarot for Beginners" class.)

"Tarot and the Journey of the Hero" by Hajo Banzhaf (I'm only through the first few chapters but I find it very interesting. It takes a very different view of the Tarot. Has lots of history and connects the Tarot with many other branches of metaphysics. So far so good.)

Today I received my next "installment" of books (can't recommend them yet, but I'll update this as I read them):

"Tarot Card Combinations" by Dorothy Kelley (RWS) (shows 2 card and 3 card reading combinations)

"The Tarot Court Cards" by Kate Warwick-Smith (RWS) (I have found this very useful. Provides insight on the court cards)

"Pictures from the Heart - A Tarot Dictionary" by Sandra A. Thomson (I love this book - but then I have always loved dictionaries! Lots of excellent insight to specific symbols. Is -jnot- strictly RWS. Covers Thoth, Osho and other styles also)

I also received my Osho Zen deck with "Tarot in the Spirit of ZEN - The game of life" by Osho (contains "pop-out" cards (mini) for the major arcana)

Maria
 

wadeeddy

my tarot books

hi all,

this is my first post!:)

my favourite books are: Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners , and this older one Tarot of the Spirit.

one source of them:
http://bookstore24x7.com/?s=tarot

Pamela Eakins makes interesting paralet between the major Arcana and the reality of the senses

ed
 

Brammetje

Rusty Neon said:
Currently for me, it's

Jodorowsky: _La Voie du Tarot_

hm?
I wonder...
I am going to check this out
Jodorowsky; isn't he a director too?
 

Brammetje

perhaps you do mean Alejandro Jodorowsky!

well, if that is the case;
I saw some films of a director named Alejandro Jodorowsky, and it was full of tarot symbolism...(so it could be possible that we are talking about the same person).

at amazon I see only the book:

The Particle Tarot
by Alejandro Jodorowsky
3 used & new from $72.50
Edition: Hardcover


I wonder, if your writer also happens to be the director of films such as Santa Sangre and El Topo.



Bram
 

Ellie

Many have already mentioned these books, but I thought I'd add my vote for them as well.

Mary Greer's 'Tarot for Yourself' is the best interactive workbook for building a good relationship with the cards - at least that I have found so far. I also enjoy her 'Tarot Constellations' and 'Tarot Mirrors' books.

Joan Bunning's 'Learning the Tarot' is a great reference for standard interpretation of the cards. This information is also available for free on her website, however if you use the site and want to show your appreciation for making it available - buy her book. I've not seen her book on reversals yet, but I would imagine it is clearly stated and nicely laid out like her other work.

Forest of Souls by Rachel Pollack - what a wonderful book indeed! It reads like a novel that you don't want to put down, and when you finally do...you can't wait to get back to reading. I'm quite fond of her Shining Tribe deck, which she uses often throughout the book - but I think somebody could use their favorite deck and follow along with the examples well enough if you didn't have the Shining Tribe (or Shining Woman) deck as a reference.

Also in Llewellyn's recent series of Tarot books, my favorites are Mary Greer's 'Tarot Reversals', Nina Lee Braden's 'Tarot for Self Discovery', Theresa Michelsen's 'Designing Your Own Tarot Spreads' and 'Understanding the Tarot Court' by Greer and Tom Little. It's great to see books that explore these selected topics in depth rather than another book that tries to cover the whole gamut.

Still reading Lon Milo DuQuette's recent book on the Thoth deck and find it to be quite interesting. The Thoth deck has been a favorite of mine to read with for many years, yet I've found much of what has been written about it to be rather dry and lofty. (not to offend anyone who values the writings of Crowley, but he's not my cup of tea) I do like Hazo Banzhaf's book on the Thoth keywords as a reference. And while mentioning Banzhaf, I would also recommend his 'Journey of the Hero'.

Of course what a person finds useful in any given book will vary, but of the several dozen books that are on my shelves, these are among the ones I've enjoyed and learned from the most.

Be well,
Ellie
 

smokey

Tarot for Self Discovery: Nina Lee Braden
Forest of Souls: Rachel Pollack
Tarot for Your Self: Mary K. Greer
The Essence of Magic: Mary K. Greer
Wheel of Change Tarot: Alexandra Genetti
Encyclopedia of Tarot,Vol.1 & II: ..(I haven't seen Vol.III!)..
 

DarkAngel_Claudia

I didn't come across any worth while books, but
I did happen to fing an awersome website with a free
course to download on the net
here'tis
www.learntarot.com