tarotlova
Can anyone suggest a good book on this subject at all? I'm just trying to delve a bit deeper in my Tarot readings 
Tarot Symbol Book?
gregory
Pictures from the Heart: A Tarot Dictionary by Sandra Thomson. I bless the day Sulis put me on to it
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/books/tarot-dictionary/
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/books/tarot-dictionary/
Astraea
That's the one I would recommend, as well. It appears to be out of print and pricey in the paperback version (in the US, anyway), but if you have a Kindle the e-book is quite reasonable.
CrystalSeas
Some Useful Websites
Until you're able to find complete books, you might spend some time looking through websites
This one in particular tries to pull together historical influences on the RWS deck
http://www.tarotpassages.com/old_moonstruck/oneill/
http://www.tarot.com/tarot/robert-oneill/tarot-symbolism
And some of these threads are useful, especially the ones where the Tarot historians start talking the deep meanings of the symbols:
The Index thread for the Tarot History And Development forum
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=8356
Imagery history
http://tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=90352
Until you're able to find complete books, you might spend some time looking through websites
This one in particular tries to pull together historical influences on the RWS deck
http://www.tarotpassages.com/old_moonstruck/oneill/
http://www.tarot.com/tarot/robert-oneill/tarot-symbolism
And some of these threads are useful, especially the ones where the Tarot historians start talking the deep meanings of the symbols:
The Index thread for the Tarot History And Development forum
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=8356
Imagery history
http://tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=90352
tarotlova
Thank you so much everyone! Egads the paperback is pricey but the Kindle is quite cheap so I have downloaded a free sample and will now take a look as well as all those links CrystalSeas has put up
BlueLotus
I just knew I owned a book on tarot card symbols, so after thoroughly sifting through my book collection I found it.
It's The Ultimate Guide To The Rider Waite Tarot
It goes through each and every card in the RWS deck explaining most symbols, with all cards in color; translated from German, it's a good size but not overly hefty.
I suggest you give it a try.
It's The Ultimate Guide To The Rider Waite Tarot
It goes through each and every card in the RWS deck explaining most symbols, with all cards in color; translated from German, it's a good size but not overly hefty.
I suggest you give it a try.
Freyja of V
I see that you joined the forum back in '04. If you have been reading Tarot since then (instead of other ways of divination), then I am really surprised that the urge to dive deeper into the symbolism, took so long to strike. You must have a really good intuitive mind.
To me, the symbolism is the heart of the cards, above all else. I have been studying Tarot only about 2 1/2 years now and I bought every well-known book and the thing that helped me the most was an exercise:
I took the time (about a couple of weeks) to go through each card and list every and any object/symbol that I could see and then I wrote what those symbols meant to me. You could also use a free mapping tool. Then, I began to research online what these symbols traditionally meant and voila...a whole new world opened up to me. I couldn't believe it. How much religious, mythological, ancient world symbols were drawn in the cards. I learned so much plus it made it easier to read the cards 'intuitively'.
The symbols the artist decides to draw in the scene are there for a reason (obviously) and I was surprised at the things I discovered that I had not seen before.
I also bought several symbolism books to further my study.
Here's a list of all that I think are the best:
Best website: Avia Venefica's
Her tarot website: http://www.tarotteachings.com/
Her symbol website: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/
Tarot books:
The Secret Language of Tarot (best)
The Ultimate Guide to Tarot - the list the top ten symbols in each card and give meanings.
The Illustrated Key to Tarot can be found here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43548
The Symbolism of Tarot: http://sacred-texts.com/tarot/sot/index.htm
Symbolism Books:
The Dictionary of Symbols: J. E. Cirlot
Book of Psychic Symbols
I cannot emphasize how much this helped me and I believe in the long, exercise I did that I would love to write a book...but...I have a way to go before I could do that. I still have so much to learn; like the Court Cards which are still stumping me.
Have fun!
Freyja
To me, the symbolism is the heart of the cards, above all else. I have been studying Tarot only about 2 1/2 years now and I bought every well-known book and the thing that helped me the most was an exercise:
I took the time (about a couple of weeks) to go through each card and list every and any object/symbol that I could see and then I wrote what those symbols meant to me. You could also use a free mapping tool. Then, I began to research online what these symbols traditionally meant and voila...a whole new world opened up to me. I couldn't believe it. How much religious, mythological, ancient world symbols were drawn in the cards. I learned so much plus it made it easier to read the cards 'intuitively'.
The symbols the artist decides to draw in the scene are there for a reason (obviously) and I was surprised at the things I discovered that I had not seen before.
I also bought several symbolism books to further my study.
Here's a list of all that I think are the best:
Best website: Avia Venefica's
Her tarot website: http://www.tarotteachings.com/
Her symbol website: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/
Tarot books:
The Secret Language of Tarot (best)
The Ultimate Guide to Tarot - the list the top ten symbols in each card and give meanings.
The Illustrated Key to Tarot can be found here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43548
The Symbolism of Tarot: http://sacred-texts.com/tarot/sot/index.htm
Symbolism Books:
The Dictionary of Symbols: J. E. Cirlot
Book of Psychic Symbols
I cannot emphasize how much this helped me and I believe in the long, exercise I did that I would love to write a book...but...I have a way to go before I could do that. I still have so much to learn; like the Court Cards which are still stumping me.
Have fun!
Freyja
_R_
Two classic encyclopedic works on the subject of symbols (including the Tarot) are:
"The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols" by Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant'
and
"A Dictionary of Symbols" by J.E. Cirlot.
Both are still in print, and both are well worth getting for further, in-depth study.
"The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols" by Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant'
and
"A Dictionary of Symbols" by J.E. Cirlot.
Both are still in print, and both are well worth getting for further, in-depth study.
tarotlova
Thank you, you know I Googled this subject but none of the books, sites came up that everyone has mentioned on here. It always went to Amazon and I knew there had to be more! AT never fails me no matter what I ask
I see that you joined the forum back in '04. If you have been reading Tarot since then (instead of other ways of divination), then I am really surprised that the urge to dive deeper into the symbolism, took so long to strike. You must have a really good intuitive mind.
To me, the symbolism is the heart of the cards, above all else. I have been studying Tarot only about 2 1/2 years now and I bought every well-known book and the thing that helped me the most was an exercise:
I took the time (about a couple of weeks) to go through each card and list every and any object/symbol that I could see and then I wrote what those symbols meant to me. You could also use a free mapping tool. Then, I began to research online what these symbols traditionally meant and voila...a whole new world opened up to me. I couldn't believe it. How much religious, mythological, ancient world symbols were drawn in the cards. I learned so much plus it made it easier to read the cards 'intuitively'.
The symbols the artist decides to draw in the scene are there for a reason (obviously) and I was surprised at the things I discovered that I had not seen before.
I also bought several symbolism books to further my study.
Here's a list of all that I think are the best:
Best website: Avia Venefica's
Her tarot website: http://www.tarotteachings.com/
Her symbol website: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/
Tarot books:
The Secret Language of Tarot (best)
The Ultimate Guide to Tarot - the list the top ten symbols in each card and give meanings.
The Illustrated Key to Tarot can be found here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43548
The Symbolism of Tarot: http://sacred-texts.com/tarot/sot/index.htm
Symbolism Books:
The Dictionary of Symbols: J. E. Cirlot
Book of Psychic Symbols
I cannot emphasize how much this helped me and I believe in the long, exercise I did that I would love to write a book...but...I have a way to go before I could do that. I still have so much to learn; like the Court Cards which are still stumping me.
Have fun!
Freyja
Thanks yes I have been reading around 20 years now and I have never paid much attention to the symbolisation side of the cards, I just read them
It's only this past year that I have decided to look into this side of the cards more and I thinks it's because I started learning with Lenormand first then picked up the Tarot a few months later. Now I have started with the Kipper and I am surprised with how talkative they are, it could be my German Grandmothers skills I inherited as she used to read normal playing cards But lately in my readings I have been looking at the more smaller details in all the cards, I mean really looking at them, even the colours, and find my interest piqued in what other people's/countries meanings have been attached to certain symbols. From everyone's responses it looks like I will have a lot of reading to do! Thank you so much for your suggestions Thank you so much
I think I now have enough reading material for two lifetimes 
