Spiritual Tarot.

Divine Onyx

I just bought this book about a week ago and I'm loving it.
 

Asbestos Mango

Yeah, Spiritual Tarot is a great book. It's right behind Tarot and You for books that changed the way I look at Tarot.
 

Darkness

Who is the author may i ask?
 

artemis

The authors of Spiritual Tarot are Signe E Echols, Robert Mueller and Sandra A Thomson. This book is one of my all time favourite books. Its battered state attests to that.
 

Zelmira

This book is one of my favorite ones. It gets out of just giving you key words, and puts you more on situations for different planes. I love it!
Zelmira
 

Madrigal

I am *loving* this book. It trumps several classics I've got. I don't see it referred to very much and I thought I'd give this old thread a bump in case anyone's looking for a great Tarot book.
 

Madrigal

A little more about this book as I work my way through it...

Each card is given several pages and the authors use three different decks...RWS, MG and Aquarian. Each card begins with a paragraph spoken from the point of view of the card. This is such an inspired approach. Because the card is speaking directly to you various interesting and intuitive dialogue ensues from there. The paragraph ends with the card sharing what its key phrase is, a pithy descriptive. The next couple of pages is spent discussing the symbolism in each of the 3 cards from the decks and the author is able to integrate the cards into a seamless whole giving a fairly layered analysis of the card. Then there is a paragraph on the shadow aspect of the card, not its reversed meaning but meanings that might be pertinent if the card shows up in a challenge position in a spread, or a 'cross' position etc. This allows the card to be seen in its full spectrum of qualities. Finally the author ends with questions to ask oneself about the card as it relates to one's life. These are actually pretty good questions, better than the usual.

The first section of the book is an intro on Tarot in general aimed at those starting out on the journey with things like choosing a deck, preparing the space etc. The bulk of the book, the middle section, explores each card in the manner indicated above. And the last section focuses on putting it all together, some sample readings, and several very good spreads as well as describing several different reading styles--practical, psycho-spiritual, descriptive etc.

I shared the authors', Fountain of Creation spread in the Spreads forum linked in the Mod's note. It's a slightly different take on a goal-oriented spread. (Spread split out into new thread over in Tarot Spreads by Moderator.)
 

FaintlyMacabre

I just got another copy of this today. Apparently I had sent my original off when things were just in the way here. The pictures of the cards in the latest printing (2003 Quill) are terrible.

The first one I bought from eBay did not arrive; today the replacement came. The older book appears thicker but I think that is just the quality of the paper. The new version has whiter paper and it is easy to read but the card drawings on the old one are much clearer. I guess I will keep them both for awhile.

I found I really did miss this book (took me awhile to figure out what it had been).

Diana
 

Nemia

This was my first tarot book, and I still love it. It's a great support if you want to read intuitively; the authors look very closely at every card. Colours, shapes, facial expressions - things we "read" in everyday life with ease.

There is little to no esoteric "baggage" which makes it an ideal beginner's book. You don't feel hit over the head with a ten-year-study-program just to pull your card of the day. With this book, you start reading what is on the card. Once you are more familiar with the tarot, its structure and different interpretations, you can always go and fill your head with astrology, kabbalah and alchemy ;-) But still, the skill of looking at a card and "reading" it like you would read a person next to you, her expressions and way of dress and body language, is a core skill for tarot readers IMO.

If you work through Tarot for Yourself afterwards, you really know to find your way into new decks and readings.

I also like that they look at three decks, Aquarian, Morgan Greer and RWS, and talk about the differences. That makes it easier to accept that there are more ways of looking at a Hierophant than just one. The decks are close enough so they won't confuse a beginner, but there are nuances and differences.

Yes, it's a very optimistic book and reminds me a bit of the fortune teller Lisa Simpson met. Death? Wonderful card! But they also show the shadow sides of the cards and even talk a bit about shadow work, and all of it in a non-threatening way.

This book was one of the starting points of my tarot journey. I bought it on a whim in the early 90s, still remembering an amzing Thoth reading a friend gave me in 1982 or 83... I didn't find the card that I was looking for and that had stuck in my mind (Lust), but I found so much to interest me that I bought a deck of cards later, not even looking at them opened before. I liked the box. When I opened the cards, I recognized the Thoth...

My second deck was the Morgan Greer; the buy was inspired by the book Spiritual Tarot.

I can recommend the book, it gives you good basis and even spread sheets to copy for your tarot journal. Mine is full of pencil notes. Always a good sign.