Rachel Pollack- which book should I buy?

WolfyJames

I have both 78 Degrees of Wisdom and Tarot Wisdom. The parts about the majors in 78 Degrees of Wisdom are mesmerizing, but the minors in the other hand she does very quickly and are not indepth. In the other hand, in Tarot Wisdom, she spends more time on the minors, the book is more equal. Also, in 78 Degrees of Wisdom, she solely focuses on the Rider-Waite Tarot, while in Tarot Wisdom she approaches other decks as well. So my advice would be to pick Tarot Wisdom.
 

Lee

I like Rachel Pollack's writing a lot. Her 78 Degrees book was my first tarot book after Eden Gray's books and certainly did a lot to motivate and inspire me.

My problem with Tarot Wisdom is that there are a lot of references to Qabala and Christian Hermeticism in it. I do appreciate and respect the role that those traditions have played in tarot interpretation over the last several decades, but for the last few years I've been finding greater insight and enjoyment in tarot by stripping all of that out and concentrating on basic meanings, storytelling, and psychological and spiritual resonances without muddying the waters by bringing in other traditions and other symbol systems. Despite being Jewish, I would be perfectly happy if I never saw another Hebrew letter on a tarot card.

For these reasons, for anyone with a similar viewpoint, I'd recommend her New Tarot Handbook, in which she consciously follows Eden Gray's lead and presents insightful and thoughtful meanings for the cards but without overwhelming the reader with esoteric overload.
 

Le Fanu

Interesting point, Lee, though from my perspective I hadn't seen this as an issue.

What is an issue to me in the book - and this did niggle ,but during one of my lulls I managed to "let go" - is the fact that for all the mention of Kabbalah etc there is no explicit mention of the Thoth deck. Or maybe it is referred to briefly in passing (3 references in the index). Certainly there are no illustrations from it. It made the book feel rather lob-sided, especially as there are images from (IMO) less significant decks.

It feels odd to write so in depth about tarot and not refer to the Thoth in any depth. It is the "other" deck of the twentieth century. And to not refer to it but to refer so much to Shining Tribe and Llewellyn decks, makes you question where it's coming from. I mean, I know where it's coming from - with so many Llewellyn deck references you don't have to worry about copyight because it's a Llewellyn book...

But I do like it a lot.
 

Lee

I agree, and it probably is indeed a copyright issue. For all we know, Llewellyn may have said no to using Thoth images, and she may have felt that it would have been awkward to refer to specific Thoth cards without showing them.
 

jema

I love the wisdom book, one of my fave tarot books.
I especially love the spreads in it and the sample readings that really helped me to grow.
And if you like her you should consider getting the deck and book Shining tribe.
I know the art is not pretty but it is still one of my top 10 decks and the book for it is wonderful!
 

bogiesan

Cruise several used book aggregators and get them all!
 

jsgrrchg

If you don't have any book of pollack, I recommend her two best books (in my opinion) calls 78 degrees of wisdom. Is simple and complex at the same, and after you study them you are able to expand by yourself the meanings of ech card of the deck.
 

Hedera

78 Degrees of Wisdom was one of my first tarot books; it a very thorough book on the RWS deck, with for some cards more attention to the little details than even an ant's accountant could wish for....

It's a classic, but I feel it is a bit on the dry side sometimes and some of her interpretations felt a bit far-fetched to me.

(I am liking Paul Quinn's 'Tarot for Life' much better as a 'standard' book on the RWS deck; I really like the way he writes, his takes on the cards make sense to me and the book reads wonderfully, especially the little anecdotes for each card where he describes it coming up in a reading. But, of course, Paul Quinn is not Rachel Pollack, and you asked which Rachel Pollack book to buy! ;))


I like Tarot Wisdom a bit better I think; it is broader in scope (although I also miss the Thoth, it's like a very quiet invisible elephant in the room!) and has some interesting spreads.


But by far my favorite of her books is 'The Forest of Souls'.


Someone upthread said that Ms Pollack is more like a philosopher on tarot, which I agree with; and this book is her philosophical masterpiece, I think.
It is not about card meanings, but instead treats tarot like a spiritual tool, a way to ask and anwer questions about... Life,the Universe and Everything, really. :D

It is very interesting and thought-provoking and it's one of the few (tarot) books which I have re-read once or twice over the years, and I will probably re-read it again in the near future.


Of course, if this thread goes on long enough, eventually every one of her books will be named as a favorite by someone! ;)



Edit: 78 Degrees is a book that's very popular, and I've seen it turn up second hand in loads of places - you should be able to pick it up quite cheaply somewhere. If there aren't any brick & mortar second hand bookstores near you, betterworldbooks online is one of my favorites.
 

missyjean130

The Tarot Wisdom book I just got in the mail this morning and it is *deep*. I am in such a reflective state right now. That lady is definitely a philosopher.

I haven't even finished it and I want to recommend it to everyone!

I'm a beginner, but I don't find it *too* heavy thus far in my reading and thumb throughs.
 

3ill.yazi

I'm two thirds the way through 78 degrees and am enjoying it. Unlike some books which become a blur of keywords to me, I find her writing quite a pleasure to read, and thought provoking. I like the little autobiographical anecdotes, and she seems pretty no nonsense. Like the best teachers.