grizabella's Essential Tarot Library

Grizabella

I thought I should post my favorite and most used Tarot books just in case it might inspire others.

1. Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack---I like this book and find it more interesting than her first book 78 Degrees of Wisdom. They're both good but I just like this one more.

2. Tarot and the Tree of Life by Isabel Radow Kliegman.---Rather than leaning more on discussing the Majors, this book is very "meaty" on dealing with the Minors and Courts. It's very enjoyable to read, too.

3.Tarot Your Everyday Guide by Janina Renee---Very helpful and thorough on giving insight into using Tarot for advice.

4. The 2-Hour Tarot Tutor by Wilma Carroll---Not only is this very helpful for beginners, it's also entertaining to read and offers the usual Tsrot meanings and then adds a few new ones.

5. Tarot Journaling by Corrine Kenner---Very helpful ideas and exercises for keeping your Tarot journal. Lots of ideas for spicing it up and carrying on if you feel stuck.

6. Last but certainly not least is It's All in the Cards by our own tarotbear, John Mangiapane. Good for all levels of Tarot learning, this one covers lots of territory whether you're beginner or advanced and all in between.

I said "last", didn't I? But there are two more books I consider part of my Tarot library.

7. Cirlot's Dictionary of Symbols. It's just what the title says.

8. Meeting the Shadow edited by Connie Zweig and Jeremiah Abrams. This is a compilation of articles and writings by many well known psychologists and psychiatrists like Rollo May, Jung, Joseph Campbell, M. Scott Peck, Larry Dossey and many more. The subject is the shadow we all have and how it affects us and those around us. It really has nothing to do with Tarot in particular but it gives lots and lots of insight that's been helpful to me in my card studies.
 

Ethereal

Thanks, grizabella for posting these books!
Just wrote them down, and intend to add these
to my library...much appreciated!
 

Grizabella

I've come back to add a book. It's another Janina Renee book called Tarot for a New Generation. It, on first glance, appears geared toward young people but that's actually deceptive. It's an excellent book to keep as a reference in your basic Tarot library even if you're an experienced reader.

You sometimes see comments around the forum that say toss the books and wing it. But in reality, even those who advocate doing that obviously didn't gain all their knowledge by not reading books, if you read between the lines. Some of us learn best from what we read.

Any reader would benefit from a basic Tarot library. Even though it's a no-no to refer to a book while actually reading for someone else, books do have their place. We all need to keep our Tarot education ongoing and having a trusted resource of Tarot books to refer to between readings or to further our education is essential, in my opinion.

By all means, consider adding this book to your library.
 

Barleywine

You sometimes see comments around the forum that say toss the books and wing it. But in reality, even those who advocate doing that obviously didn't gain all their knowledge by not reading books, if you read between the lines. Some of us learn best from what we read.

As an omnivorous reader of all kinds of "ageless wisdom," I fully agree. I would only amend this to say "what we read and actually put into practice."

Any reader would benefit from a basic Tarot library. Even though it's a no-no to refer to a book while actually reading for someone else, books do have their place. We all need to keep our Tarot education ongoing and having a trusted resource of Tarot books to refer to between readings or to further our education is essential, in my opinion.

This struck a nerve with me. I once went to a dermatologist who looked at my condition, said "Just a minute," went to her office and came back with a book, then proceeded to page through it and point things out to me. Yikes! I never went back to her.

All of my early books are from the 1960s and 1970s (and, not coincidentally, all by Eden Gray). It stood to reason; she was all I could get my hands on. Beyond that you had to move on to Waite, Papus, <gulp!> Crowley, Richard Cavendish, Joseph Maxwell and very few others. Not that it was a bad path to take, but modern readers have so many more equally worthy options.

I do have that Kliegman book on my wishlist :) And Cirlot's dictionary is always worthwhile to dip into.
 

re-pete-a

BOOK>>>

Metanoia, Renovating the house of your spirit...x...Russell Sturgess...


WOW...

all about the origins of the Majors.


May be available through A.T.
 

Grizabella

BOOK>>>

Metanoia, Renovating the house of your spirit...x...Russell Sturgess...


WOW...

all about the origins of the Majors.


May be available through A.T.

I'll be looking for that one. :)
 

DamianStraton

I thought I should post my favorite and most used Tarot books just in case it might inspire others.

1. Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack---I like this book and find it more interesting than her first book 78 Degrees of Wisdom. They're both good but I just like this one more.

Great books. I agree that Tarot Wisdom is more interesting, though 78 has meatier meanings.

7. Cirlot's Dictionary of Symbols. It's just what the title says.

An absolute must for everyone who wants to understand the symbolism. Not all symbols are covered, but the book covers quite a few of them. Probably the best book on symbols out there.