Best/Most Comprehensive Book on (Tarot) Symbolism

Marie-Bernard

I've been checking out both "Pictures From the Heart" and the dictionary of symbolism by Cirlot that Grizzabella recommended in her previous thread about her own Tarot library. My hesitation with "Pictures From the Heart" is that, from reviews, it seems to cover mostly RWS symbolism. The Cirlot book received a couple of negative reviews because of it's lack of pictures. Can anyone give me more information about either of these books, or recommend a different book you prefer?
 

rwcarter

Any book in English is going to focus on the Rider Waite Smith deck as the predominant deck in the English-speaking world.

I haven't gone down the Marseilles path yet, so I don't know if there is a good symbolism book for that type of deck.

I also haven't gone down the Thoth path yet, but Understanding the Thoth Tarot by DuQuette seems to be highly recommended. Thumbing through it, Integral Tarot by Suzanne Wagner seems to go into detail about the symbolism, but the book doesn't seem to be highly regarded.

My favorite symbolism books are:
An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols by JC Cooper
The Complete Dictionary of Symbols edited by Jack Tresidder
The Encyclopedia of Symbolism by Kevin J Todeschi in part because it contains metaphors related to the entry. For example, under Gems, you'll find ""he's a gem = he's wonderful". I find those metaphors can add a whole new layer of meaning to the symbol in the context of a specific card from a specific deck.

Rodney
 

Louis Cyphre

What about "78 grades of tarot wisdom" by Rachel Pollack ?

The major arcana part is very well covered, from a psychological perspective.
 

Marie-Bernard

Louis Cyphre said:
What about "78 grades of tarot wisdom" by Rachel Pollack ?

The major arcana part is very well covered, from a psychological perspective.
Click to expand...

Thanks LC, but that won't do. I'm wanting something more like a dictionary or encyclopedia of symbols.
 

Teheuti

My two favorites are:

The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols - especially good if you are looking at European decks like the Marseilles. Think of it as a massive upgrade to Cirlot.

Funk & Wagnall's Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend.
 

Marie-Bernard

Thanks Teheuti, I checked out the Penguin Dictionary of Symbols on Amazon and it sounds like it would fit the bill.
 

Zephyros

The Penguin dictionary really is a great asset, but if you start going down specific decks, you might want to get the specific books for those. The Thoth, for example, which rwcarter mentioned, has a habit of turning symbols upside down so that while their original significance is still there, it is highly modified by context. Beyond what is on the card itself, the structure and progression of a deck is in itself a symbol, and since almost all decks mimic the Golden Dawn RWS, they all have the same structure. I recommend DuQuette's Chicken Qabalah for this. It isn't a hard read, in parts it's hilarious and most importantly, it's a real eye-opener and opens any GD deck in ways unimaginable.

Apart from that, simply reading Greek and Roman myths helps a lot. The Majors each have an attribution that mirrors or complements the card in a big way, and knowing the stories adds a lot of depth. The minors have two attributions, of sorts, so there is even more to sink your teeth into. Don't worry if you don't know anything about astrology; merely knowing the stories will not only benefit you greatly and will give great insight into the cards, but they're also really good and fun to read.
 

moonswings

Marie-Bernard said:
Thanks LC, but that won't do. I'm wanting something more like a dictionary or encyclopedia of symbols.
Click to expand...

Would perhaps Dusty White's The Easiest Way to Learn Tarot Ever! be good for you? I have also seen good reviews of Biddy Tarot's The Ultimate Guide To Tarot Card Meanings. Here's a link to the two.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Easiest-Way-Learn-Tarot/dp/1419692887/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
http://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-guides/ultimate-guide-to-tarot-card-meanings/
 

Marie-Bernard

closrapexa said:
The Penguin dictionary really is a great asset, but if you start going down specific decks, you might want to get the specific books for those. The Thoth, for example, which rwcarter mentioned, has a habit of turning symbols upside down so that while their original significance is still there, it is highly modified by context. Beyond what is on the card itself, the structure and progression of a deck is in itself a symbol, and since almost all decks mimic the Golden Dawn RWS, they all have the same structure. I recommend DuQuette's Chicken Qabalah for this. It isn't a hard read, in parts it's hilarious and most importantly, it's a real eye-opener and opens any GD deck in ways unimaginable.

Apart from that, simply reading Greek and Roman myths helps a lot. The Majors each have an attribution that mirrors or complements the card in a big way, and knowing the stories adds a lot of depth. The minors have two attributions, of sorts, so there is even more to sink your teeth into. Don't worry if you don't know anything about astrology; merely knowing the stories will not only benefit you greatly and will give great insight into the cards, but they're also really good and fun to read.
Click to expand...

I ordered the Penguin Dictionary of Symbols (along with the Morgan Greer :)). I do find myself wanting to understand the astrological attribution more (how do Venus or Mercury influence things when visiting other signs). Every book I have so far is how astrology relates specifically to Tarot so Qabala is already in the mix, too. I'd like to pull those apart and look and them alone so I could better understand exactly how they've been blended together.
 

ann823

Dusty's book really doesn't go into the symbols as comprehensively as you're looking for, it's much more about reading the cards.
 
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