When I first accepted this path, I immediately went to research what books I should pick up. Spoilers: there are a lot of books out there, and a lot of different opinions, and honestly it was very overwhelming to wade through it all. But I did see some books with absolutely glowing reviews, and I made note. So, I intend to write about them as I read them. As a note, I believe this whole journey is extremely personal, and what I get out of a book may not resonate with you. That's okay! That's why we're all on different journeys. If these write-ups help you in any way, even if that's to say "This book isn't for me, I'll look elsewhere", then I've done my part.
Up first: Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness by Rachel Pollack.
I'm very new to reading tarot, and had only had my cards read by friends a few times prior to getting into it... and of course I had absolutely no idea what they were looking at at the time. So, this in-progress review comes from a naive and fresh perspective. Nothing wrong with that, but your mileage may vary. I've also yet to finish the book, or even the major arcana part of the book. Hence "currently reading". That said, I love this book.
I've been taking my time with it, reading about one card a night when I don't immediately fall asleep. This isn't a quick read or reference guide; while it does have information about how to interpret cards, its main use isn't to be a quick flip-through to find keywords for readings. Instead, it goes through a lot of history of tarot, its origin and uses through the years. Pollack delves in-depth about each card in the major arcana, often spending 5 or more pages on each card.. I haven't gotten to the minor arcana yet, but a quick glance offers a page or two for the minor cards, which is much more than most guides give. She draws on the traditional Rider-Waite cards, sometimes other decks in addition, and a lot of history and symbolism to give each card a detailed interpretation.
One of the things I especially like about this book is that nothing is "hard and true", and she leaves room for your own interpretations. Some people like this way of reading and some don't, so your mileage may vary. Personally, I'm much more inclined to intuition than memorization, so this sits well with me. She also includes a few paragraphs on reversals for each card; again, not everyone reads reversals, but this information is useful for those who do. (I, personally, struggle with reversals but I'll figure them out eventually.)
One thing to note is that she also dives into numerology to interpret these cards. I have no knowledge or interest in numerology, so I can't say if any of that is accurate or a fresh perspective. Honestly, I most often skip these passages, as none of it makes sense to me nor is it in my particular interest. (Truth be told? I hate numbers and my brain goes "out of focus" when I look at them.) It's another way to interpret the cards, however, if you're interested in numerology or just a deeper understanding of the cards. This information may be useful to me later down the line, but it's not for me with where I'm at at the moment. Still, I think it's important to note. The numerology sections are a paragraph or two of each card's chapter, so you don't miss much by skipping it but might offer plenty of insight to people who are interested.
In addition to learning to read tarot, or learning about the history of tarot, which this book does both of, it's also offered an abundance of nuggets of introspective wisdom in general. A few of my favorite excerpts that really resonated with me:
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| "The Fool's wand is black; the others are white. For the unconscious Fool the spirit force remains always in potential, always ready, because he is not consciously directing it. We tend to mis-understand the colour black, seeing it as evil, or negation of life. Rather, black means all things being possible, infinite energy of life before consciousness has constructed any boundaries. When we fear blackness or darkness we fear the deep unconscious source of life itself." |
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| "People often link passive with 'negative' or that is, inferior and weak. But passivity contains its own power. It gives the mind a chance to work. People who only know action never get a chance to reflect on what that action has taught them. In a deeper sense, passivity allows the unconscious to emerge. Only through withdrawal from outer involvement can we allow the inner voice of vision and psychic forces to speak to us. It is precisely to avoid this inner voice that many people never rest from action and movement. Our society, based completely on outer achievement, fosters a terror of the unconscious, yet without its wisdom we can never fully know ourselves or the world." |
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| "Life requires us to make decisions; at the same time each decision, once made, cannot be revoked. It becomes part of us. We are formed by the actions we have taken in the past; we form our future selves by the actions we take now." |
Overall, I've really enjoyed this book so far, I've learned a lot from it and feel that its information is going to aid me for a long time, possibly forever, on this journey. I'm really glad I picked it up and recommend it to anyone who may want a deeper knowledge of tarot, as long as you have an open mind. That last bit is key for tarot (and witchcraft) but I make it here especially because I saw a lot of close-minded reviews on Goodreads, including one of the top reviews.
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