Tarot Fundamentals, Giordano Berti, Tali
Goodwin, Sasha Graham, Marcus Katz, Mark McElroy, Riccardo Minetti, Barbara
Moore, Lo Scarabeo, Torino, Italy, 2015, 640pp, $39.95.
Wow. This is a beautiful hard-cover book that any beginning tarot
student will love. A variety of decks are used to illustrate the meanings, so
no matter what deck you use, you’re likely to find yours represented.
When I first received
it for review, I leafed through and was thrilled that each card is presented
with detailed information in one place, which means no flipping through the
book to find what you want. You’ll find: Picture of the card (from various
decks); Keywords giving insight into the meaning; Description, explaining the
symbols; Lesson with insight into how the card can teach you more about
yourself, how you relate to others and how you look at the world;
Interpretations, both upright and reversed; Physical Persona – what a person
represented by this card might look like and what occupation they might hold;
Alternate names (different decks can use different names); Archetypes; and much
more!
The sections are easy
to use, and the ribbon bookmark helps keep your place. You’ll learn about both
arcana and how to read tarot. I must say, the section on readings is very good,
giving several spreads and teaching how to read for yourself.
I like the section on
“Techniques”, which gets into more depth when reading tarot. What kinds of
readings are there? (Hint: intuitive, symbolic) What do you do about negative
cards? What does it mean to “balance” a reading? Some intermediate readers I
know need to read this section.
If you’re interested
in the history of tarot, you’ll find that section fascinating.
This is a great book
for beginners, and a good review for those more experienced.
Are there any
minuses? Yes, as there are with any book. I noticed that some of the cards
depicted didn’t match the description, which can be a bit confusing, especially
to people not familiar with the cards. I also found quite a lot of typos. I
would recommend some serious proof-reading for future editions or any further books
in a series.
Bottom line: is it
worth $39.95, and will you learn from it? Definitely!
- Ken Lee
No comments:
Post a Comment