good second book

Also for something online and RWS, there is Joan Bunning's free online tarot course. There is a book that goes with the course but you can do it without the book.

closrapexa said:

Those two really aren't that different. Personally I don`t like books with "meanings," I like to discover them for myself by study of the symbols and thinking about them. Even the best books can`t tell you things that aren't subjective, and learning Tarot by rote will only result in those kinds of readings. I agree with gregory, take up a good symbols dictionary, and take your time with the journey.

You may want to learn "the craft" but remember that the actual reading is the smallest part of tarot, it is merely the point in which the reader "gets on stage." The true benifit Tarot can give is behind the scenes.

Click to expand...

I appreciate you guys taking the time to ask questions and help me clarify my goals.

I feel that any pursuit of tarot reading will come to encompass personal, subjective reading of the cards, whether or not the reader is trying to go "by the book". I do feel that tarot is rich with tradition, both historically and interpretively, and I would like to have a firm grasp on that when doing my readings. I see that as another tool in the shed. I do, however, ultimately believe that the value of reading comes from personal identification with the symbolism, and this is an intuitive process I'm looking to develop as my pursuit of the tarot continues.

The symbols dictionary sounds fantastic - I will definitely check out Paul Huson's work! This is the kind of direction I want to be headed in, so I greatly appreciate the input

I agree with the importance of both intuition and tradition, and I want to second both the 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card and Joan Bunning's free online tarot course. I'm still a beginner myself, and have just started the 21 ways book. Very, very shortly that book started making things click in a way that went boom, and I'm still rather awestruck at a personal revelation from just an hour or so ago due to the fourth exercise. The beginning of the book is about personal interpretation, but I do believe that more traditional interpretations are coming, or rather a guide on bridging the two. You can look up the meanings on Bunning's free site (I don't think any meanings are given in the 21 ways book, just a guide to interpretation, but I haven't gotten that far yet). Bunning's site also has some great exercises, and I also really like her book on reading tarot reversals. I would recommend that book as well though for later perhaps.(has some good stuff on feeling if the card is cycling or if it's coming or going, and more tools than simply the "opposite" of a non-inverted card).

21 Ways is SO much freer than Bunning. It leads you to discover; I find Bunning so proscriptive that it holds you back. This card does not always mean that - there can't really be a rigidly defined meaning for anything - but she asks you to memorise them as if there were.

gregory said:

21 Ways is SO much freer than Bunning. It leads you to discover; I find Bunning so proscriptive that it holds you back. This card does not always mean that - there can't really be a rigidly defined meaning for anything - but she asks you to memorise them as if there were.

Click to expand...

I think for a beginner Joan Bunning's course gives a good foundation to start from if you like keywords and set meanings. I have a soft spot for this course because it was through her online site that I found AT

But I agree that there are newer tarot books available now that challenge you to see the artwork and not just dole out learned meanings no matter what you see. I see things and get ideas from my Liber T and now also the Pagan Cats that fit for me but they aren't from books.

Pictures from the Heart

Pictures from the Heart: A Tarot Dictionary
by Sandra A. Thomson

Definitely!

Hi, I've been away from the tarot for a long time and so I'm starting from scratch again (to be honest never really made it that far before! lol) - I'm using 3 books at present - The Absolute beginner's guide to tarot, by Mark McElroy - is a great book to start with and gives loads of information and can be used as a reference. I also really like Tarot plain and simple by Anthony Louis.

I'm taking my time to read Rachel Pollack's Tarot wisdom, spiritual teachings and deeper meanings as it gives excellent information regarding history/symbolism/myth etc for each card. It is really made a difference to understanding each card.

I also would like to read Mary Greer's 21 ways to read a tarot. The trouble is, having too many books can be rather overwhelming (for me anyway).