Book advice

risingdreamer

I was considering one of the two tarot kids (either Beginner's Tarot or Easy Tarot). I'm not sure on which one and would like some advice. I have some knowdlege of tarot and did some readings, but I don't have a lot of self-confidence and trouble in decoding it, so to speak. Both are books for beginners and this is half the concept, really. I'd like a tarot book to help me improve my skills, maybe another point of view.
 

Tigerangel

My first book was the tarot bible by Sarah Bartlett, I found this a very useful tool when getting to grips with the tarot as well as using www.learntarot.com and it's a still a good point of reference even now if a card is giving me a hard time a quick check in with the book helps to refresh my memory.
 

Grizabella

I recommend Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack. It's a book that beginners and advanced can make use of so it's a good basic Tarot reference book.

You might also like a book called Tarot Journaling (Corrine Kenner, I think) as it helps you to journal about what you're learning. It's also a helpful book for both beginners and those who are more advanced but need some new ideas for giving the incentive to journal about the cards.
 

dawning_tarot

if I may ask which tarot deck are you using? as some times it simply comes down to finding the right deck to connect with
 

Cocobird55

Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning was my first tarot book. I was taking a free tarot class online at Barnes and Noble and they used it. Very helpful book. I still look through it once in a while.
 

Nemia

I know neither of these tarot kits but I have an instinctive distrust of anyone who promises that tarot can be "easy". You can make tarot easy, certainly, but the real fun starts where the easy ends IMO. So while we all start out in more or less shallow waters, I'm a bit sceptical about this "easy" promise.

Why a kit? because you like the deck?

I'd tend to recommend you seek a deck that speaks to you and intrigues you, among the many good ones available, and at least two good, solid books. Joan Bunnings is a very good teacher, Mary K. Greer is excellent (Tarot for Yourself), Anthony Louis (Tarot Plain and Simple) and Rachel Pollack (78 Degrees or Tarot Wisdom) as well.

I'd recommend Tarot for Yourself because it's a workbook, and at least one other more "theoretical" book.

Even if you don't have a kindle, you can download the app for free and download samples of books. Which speaks to your mind best?

And I also recommend that you start collecting your most important material: your own insights. For that, you need a journal, either on your computer or handwritten. Write down your readings, insights, connections you make while reading, daily cards, tarot dreams, wishlists ... everything.

Over time, IF you're serious with tarot and continue to read and study, you'll rely less and less on other writers and more and more on yourself.

That's my recommendation. "Complex tarot" ;-)
 

gregory

The book with Easy Tarot isn't up to much. (Yes I have it.) If you are JUST starting out - Barbara Moore's latest - Your Tarot Your Way is excellent. Then you can branch out into more complicated stuff - but for a beginner you really can't do better. One thing it has over ALL the others is the basic "what are you hoping to do with tarot". That's so important - thinking that through !
 

rwcarter

I know neither of these tarot kits but I have an instinctive distrust of anyone who promises that tarot can be "easy". You can make tarot easy, certainly, but the real fun starts where the easy ends IMO. So while we all start out in more or less shallow waters, I'm a bit sceptical about this "easy" promise.
The publisher more so than the author usually determines the title of the book. So the book may be excellent, but with an unfortunate title. (I had a discussion about this with the author of a very popular book released within the last couple of years. The title of the book was unfortunate, but the author had no control over that. The marketing department did. And they thought it was a wonderful title even though it didn't properly represent the contents of the book.)

I have the Easy Tarot Kit and have flipped through the book to add it to my Books Index. I'm much further along in my tarot journey, so didn't really look at the book to see how good it is.

Rodney
 

gregory

I have the Easy Tarot Kit and have flipped through the book to add it to my Books Index. I'm much further along in my tarot journey, so didn't really look at the book to see how good it is.

Rodney
Not great. It annoys me; it is sold in that kit with the Gilded Tarot, and the book Barbara Moore wrote for the deck is a thousand times better. :mad:
 

bradford

We build our knowledge base from the ground up, and if we build on a crappy foundation we only have lots to unlearn later. For that reason, I would advise avoiding beginners' books. Start with the best books you can find. And rise, as needed, to that occasion.