What would be a good book for a beginner?

[Trowa Strife]

Ive been into Tarot for a few weeks, and im getting a good grip on most of what im learning, but mostly everything im studying is over the net, and some of it contradicts itself. i was wondering what you guys would recommend for a good book to learn from..

 

[bleuivy]

Hi Trowa Strife,

Good question! What deck are you using? If your deck has a book written specific to that, I reccomend you get that. It will have information that applies specifically to your deck, as well as an explanation of the symbolism found in your deck. The better books also discuss the differences between your deck and other standard tarot decks. ("Most tarot decks do X, but we've decided to do Y instead for this reason...") Very helpful.

The other book I reccomend to all people starting out in tarot is: The Complete Tarot Reader by Teresa Michelsen. It doesn't contain card meanings, but instead discusses how to build your own relationship with the cards. I wish I had this book when I was starting tarot cards. Too bad it wasn't published yet!

Hope this helps!

 

[Trowa Strife]

I have the Tarot of the Ages deck, and i love itrs symbolism deminstrated through the booklet it came with. I dont think it has a specific book with it though. Ill check that book out, thanx ^^

 

[bleuivy]

You're welcome.

 

[lunakasha]

I have the Tarot of the Ages deck, and i love itrs symbolism deminstrated through the booklet it came with. I dont think it has a specific book with it though. Ill check that book out, thanx ^^

I don't believe that there is a full-size companion book for the Tarot of the Ages (and the LWB that comes with it is a little....odd I would say). Some of the meanings given in the book are, IMO, just strange and probably not helpful to someone just beginning to study the tarot.

Some excellent books to get you started would be:

Mary Greer: Tarot for Yourself
Joan Bunning: Learning the Tarot
Rachel Pollack: 78 Degrees of Wisdom

I have also heard rave reviews of Complete Tarot Reader by Teresa Michelsen, although I personally have not read it....

I think any combination of these would be helpful and fun...good luck!

Luna

 

[Nevada]

My three favorite reference books on tarot, right now, are also books I'd happily recommend to any beginner:

Choice Centered Tarot by Gail Fairfield

It appears to be out of print, but her book, Every Day Tarot: A Choice Centered Book (ISBN: 1578632684) is the updated version and looks to expand on the ideas presented in the original.

This one's (I own the original, so can only comment on it) basis is in numerology, and the only close-to traditional meanings given are for the majors, but I find it quite helpful, and I use it with Marseilles and other non-scenic pip decks like the Crystal Tarot, as well as an adjunct to traditional interpretation. I've nearly worn out my copy!


The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals by Mary K. Greer
(ISBN: 1567182852)

You don't have to use reversals to get full benefit from this book. It gives you a good basis in Tarot, with fairly traditionally based interpretations. It's also terrific to have if you decide to take the plunge into reading reversals. I find the interpretations given to be quite insightful, and I like the "shamanic" meaning given at the end of each reversal interpretation.


Tarot As a Way of Life: A Jungian approach to the Tarot by Karen Hamaker-Zondag
(ISBN: 087728878X)

At first I didn't like this book, but the more I use it the more it grows on me, until it's become one of my mainstays. If there's one thing I still don't care for, it's that the author takes you on a sequential journey through the majors, and I've never liked the "Fool's Journey" type of interpretations that imply the lessons of the majors have to come in any particular order. But other people do like that, and this book has so much to offer in other regards, that aspect doesn't bother me much. I can take the meanings in any order I like, anyway.


Nevada

 

[bleuivy]

I have to say that Joan Bunning's book Learning the Tarot is wonderful for many, many people, but I didn't like it. I tried using it, and I responded to it so poorly that I almost quit studying tarot. (Thank goodness I didn't end up quitting, though.) 78 Degrees of Wisdom, on the other hand, worked very well for me.

The point I'm trying to make is: if one book doesn't work for you, there are many more where that came from.

Enjoy reading them!

 

[Fatima]

I completely second Joan Bunning's and as a bonus, you can read it all for free on the net before committing:

www.learntarot.com

F.

 

[tarotgirlfl]

I have to say that Joan Bunning's book Learning the Tarot is wonderful for many, many people, but I didn't like it. I tried using it, and I responded to it so poorly that I almost quit studying tarot. (Thank goodness I didn't end up quitting, though.) 78 Degrees of Wisdom, on the other hand, worked very well for me.

The point I'm trying to make is: if one book doesn't work for you, there are many more where that came from.

Enjoy reading them!

I'm learning from Bunning's book, well, the digital version anyway... I'm reading it on my tiny laptop that folds. Anyway, I feel I'm learning a lot. I'm glad I found this thread, because I was wondering what other books were good. I may add some of these to my amazon wish list.

 

[Rosanne]

Hi Trowa Strife! Welcome to Tarot.
I have many books about Tarot as I collect both Cards and books.
Some are particularly good about Tarot History,others are good in spreads and meanings. As has been mentioned the book that goes with a Deck is often very good. If I was starting again with very little knowledge about Tarot, I would like to form my individual way to reading the cards. One book that is not long published is Mary.K.Greer's '21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card'
Some people might tell you all you need is your cards- but I am not one of those.
Mary Greer will tell you to walk the middle line between the extremes of absolute meanings from a book and just looking at a card and saying what comes to mind. A book- an agreed upon structure- No book -individualised interpretation. I say be a swinger between the two. Have fun and do not forget to buy some sort of Journal to scribble in.
~Rosanne