Book advice for this deck - Vargo Gothic

[JeNNi]

Hi, Im new, and am anxiously awaiting this deck to be mailed to me so I can start learning.

I was wondering if anyone could direct me towards a good beginners book for this deck? I was looking at Pollacks Complete Illustrated Guide to Tarot, or Bunnings Learning the Tarot, but dont know if this would help me or not. Can anyone give me a nudge in the right direction?

-Thanks

 

[Alissa]

Hi JeNNi!

Well, this deck has no book that corresponds to it. It does come with a Little White Book inside the box that you can use, if you chose. However, the meanings are standard Golden Dawn (Rider Waite Smith) imagery, and I find the LWB doesn't address the cards' actual illustrations to my liking.

The Pollack and the Bunning books are very good ones, I'm sure - they are both well respected, notable Tarot authors who can give you a basis of standardized Tarot meanings to memorize, if you prefer. But, they use Rider Waite cards, and discuss the imagery from Rider Waite decks, in these books. And this is, of course, no Rider Waite. It's the Gothic.

You can still learn the meanings of cards from books like these, and find correlations to what you see when you read the Gothic deck. One is not mutually exclusive of the other, but the books you mention will not help you to read *this* deck.

No book out there, yet, will help you there.

I find reading a deck with no book to fall back on can push you to expand your abilities, because *there is no wrong answer*!!!

When you gaze at the Empress card one day, she may look like she's a Goddess who's been disturbed too soon (and then you may consider how this intuitive message *suggested to you by the illustration alone* interacts with your reading and your question). Another day, she may look pleasantly surprised to see you. How then does that seem to fit the context of your reading, I ask myself. There is no singular "right" answer, which may feel disorienting at first, I know.

For me, I practice with the deck often to get to know it. If you aren't comfortable doing long readings with it right away, try pulling a single card a day and see what it suggests to you, as well as how the card may present itself in the course of your day. (And then come share that with us, if you like, on the Vargo Gothic daily card thread!)

I continue to insist that Monolith Graphics would do well if they ever released a fullout companion book to their deck. It's been mentioned by others in this forum before. A girl can wish....

 

[JeNNi]

Thanks so much for replying to my post I do wish they would make a book to go with the deck. However what you say about getting comfy with my deck and using my intuition etc. sounds like an awesome idea also. I just hope that they "speak" to me.

The main reason I was looking around for books is that im kind of interested in the entire thing. Im just curious what the book says compared to what I think, and about what and how everyone else learns. I of course will be using this forum as a guide as well, and I know that I will learn a ton here. I think I will wait for my deck to arrive to make my decision on whether or not I need a book.

Thanks again for replying

Noooow if my new deck would only get here already!! hehe

 

[Moonbow]

Pollack's Complete Illustrated guide to Tarot is a brilliant book. It is a good all rounder as far as continued studies go IMO. It covers the history of Tarot, the individual cards, the suits and their meaning, some symbolism, and at the back it talks about spreads and other uses for the cards, such as storytelling and meditation, plus lots more!

On top of that she uses loads of different decks to illustrate throughout the book which is just great because she compares say, the RWS six of cups with the Thoth so you get a taste of the different types of Tarot too.

Even now, I would not like to be without this book and still refer to it at times.

I don't have the Gothic deck but I think this book is invaluable for learning Tarot and a referance aid.

 

[JeNNi]

Thank you very much for your information!

Can you believe this...I went to the barnes and nobles book store yesterday and they had a very sorry collection of tarot books there. *sigh* Just sorry! Just 2 little shelves of tarot books. Actually, they werent even all tarot. Oh and I just love how they kinda group all of the tarot/pagan/witchcraft stuff right next to the sexual book section...so you get peeps that come over and then are like....okay....im in the pagan section.....and then you turn around and youre like oh sex!!! Its like the best of both worlds! hahaha

Also went to walden books and they had maybe 10 different tiny thin books on tarot. I couldnt believe it. I guess thats what you get for living in the bible belt aye?

I will stop by books a million this afternoon and see what they have. I just want to thumb through them before I buy them online. I see them on ebay. They are calling my name!!! ahhhhh

 

[Alissa]

Oh and I just love how they kinda group all of the tarot/pagan/witchcraft stuff right next to the sexual book section...so you get peeps that come over and then are like....okay....im in the pagan section.....and then you turn around and youre like oh sex!!! Its like the best of both worlds! hahaha

ROFLMAO~! Isn't that the truth!!! As a former librarian, I always see the huge difference in how a bookstore (meant to cater to sales) arranges their collection, compared to a library (meant to cater to research).

This kinda arrangement can of course imply that all Tarot readers are pagans, and are all sex maniacs to boot!

Oh sales.... Isn't it a hoot?

 

[annik]

Maybe they think that pagan will feel "horny"...

Ok, Ok, I am not doing the most original jokes around...

 

[JeNNi]

hmmm now a tshirt that says "horny pagan" would be great!

 

[Alissa]

Worthy mention...

content removed by author

 

[annik]

I think I should keep a eye there!