New Age Tarot by James Wanless,PhD

Mimers

I have many Tarot books. Many of them sit on the shelf. Not to say they have nothing to offer, but they are the kind that you read once, say, 'very interesting', and put on the shelf.

There are a few that I could read over and over and learn more each time. Tarot for Yourself by Mary Greer, 78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack to name a couple. I think I have found another, New Age Tarot by James Wanless, PhD.

It is basically a study book/workbook for the Thoth deck. I think it is a shame to limit this to just one deck. This book could help anyone explore the meanings of any particular deck.

Dr. Wanless offers in this book, an introduction that spends about 6 pages going through the kind of stuff every Tarot book has, history, backround, how to lay the cards, FAQ, etc...

What benefits me most about this book, you might say is the lack of details. He goes through each card of the Thoth deck and gives a brief description of the symbolism in each card. Brief is a good word here, because he gives you enough information to give you some clues, but leaves enough room for you to develop your own interpretations. I love this. I don't like the Tarot books that jam your mind with every possible interpretation of the cards. I find this clogs my intuition from making it's own interpretations.

Here is the best part of this book. After each discription of the symbolism of the card, he provides a spread designed not only to help you get to know the particular card, but also to help you get to know yourself. These spreads bring out new meanings for the cards. They make you think about how that card is working in your life right now. They also serve to expose you to the other cards in the deck. Most of all, they are an excellent tool for self growth (as long as you can look at them honestly ;) ) I can not express enough how invaluable I think these spreads he designed are. He did not include an induvidual spread for each Minor Arcana card, but has included a self reflecting spread for each suit. For the court cards, he uses 'The Whole Self Mandela' to bring you in tune to the Royalty cards.

Icing on the cake: throughout the book are short essays on various topics. Various blurbs of insight and observation that are wonderful. They leave you thinking. For example, 'Developing Your Intuition' after the High Priestess. The 'Who am I' Game of Tarot which is from his Voyager Tarot Deck Guidebook. He talks about the benefits of creating your own deck. It goes on and on. These little essays are usually only a page or so long, but full of wonderfull tips, advise and wisdom.

This book is not only a great workbook to familularize one with the Thoth Tarot, but it is also a great tool for self growth. I recomend it highly.

Mimers
 

Molly

Thanks for taking the time to share this Mimers. I haven't gotten the toth deck yet, but have been thinking about it... if I ever do, I knew I wanted to get the Tarot Workbook by Arrian (spelling?) and I will definitely get this book now as well... it sounds like a nice mix of enjoyable reading and ideas for application. Thanks!