Thursday, March 15, 2018

TAROT FUNDAMENTALS


Tarot Fundamentals, Giordano Berti, Tali Goodwin, Sasha Graham, Marcus Katz, Mark McElroy, Riccardo Minetti, Barbara Moore, Lo Scarabeo, Torino, Italy, 2015, 640pp, $39.95.
Tarot Fundamentals

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

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