How to Deal: Tarot for Everyday Life

. . . meaning that this Tarot book is of such low quality, you could not give it to intelligent, perceptive, and/or serious 11- to 14-year-old girls without losing some of your credibility. This book is for vapid girls following the Kardashians on social media and having fortune-telling sleepovers. I grew up in a card-telling family. When we were young, we might have been given simplified teachings and examples. But NEVER dumbed-down teachings and examples, which is what you have here. This is an insult to the art of card-reading, itself. Much of it appears to be either made-up or dumbed-down from the Rider-Waite tradition.I'll give a brief outline of the Tarot universe so, in the future, dear reader, you can judge these matters for yourself. At one time, there was essentially one divinatory tradition...a tradition in which cardtellers gave accurate predictions of future events, found presently lost objects, clarified unclear circumstances from the past, and similar useful things. That was all there was. There were no Tarot "life coaches" or "empaths" or "intuitives." And there are still great card readers of the old stripe around.And then there are the pretenders---the life coaches, the empaths, the intuitives, the therapists, etc. The pretenders do not have the gift for cardtelling, and no one skilled in the art ever educated them. They learned from books, mostly. But they still liked the mystery of the cards, and the ego-tripping and the attention that said mystery could bring. They set themselves up as readers, perhaps even experts, made money, wrote their own books, held workshops, gave internet courses, etc. What differentiated the pretenders from great card readers is that, not having the gift of magic, their interpretations gradually became psychological, largely divorced from reality. Another difference is that the pretenders read so many books that they confused themselves with contradictory information, and so they no longer see clearly in the Mirror of Nature. Their own minds are too filled with numerous overlapping concentric ripplings. I generally ignore the pretenders. You should, too.So, that's our first division: magical skill versus psychological navel-gazing, clarity versus confusionOur second division is really about card symbolism. We have what we can call the Marseilles-type decks (somewhat detailed major arcana; minor arcana without illustrative pictures) and the Rider Waite-type decks (highly detailed major arcana; minor arcana with illustrative pictures). In my mind, the division is a hard one. That is to say, the 3 of Wands on the Marseilles side does not mean the same things as the 3 of Wands on the Rider-Waite side.3 of Wands/Marseilles: The 3 in the Marseilles tradition is about small things, growing things, or temporary things. Usually associated with something practical, useful, or business-like. For instance, it can represent a temporary job, a part-time job, a small promotion, on-the-job training, a small business deal, a small business, growing plants such as in a garden, even growing hair. You'll see it come up in combinations like:King of Wands, 3 of Wands, any Sword: male boss assigns more work, extra project; asks you to work overtime3 of Wands, 2 of Swords: haircut3 of Wands, Temperance: medical herablism3 of Wands, Moon: a person that has a part-time job, or very serious hobby, at night3 of Wands, 10 of Coins: small promotion in title, but huge pay raise3 of Wands/Rider Waite: On the other hand, the 3 of Wands in the Rider Waite tradition is a card of distance, temporally and geographically. It may indicate commerce or business. Sometimes patience, sometimes planning. Completely different from the Marseilles tradition. You'll see it in such combinations as:3 of Wands, Lovers: long-distance relationship3 of Wands, World: expanding business internationally, or by internet3 of Wands, 6 of Wands: business advertising3 of Wands, Wheel of Fortune, 5 of Pentacles: financial market tumbles3 of Wands, Ace of Cups: moving for a new job3 of Wands, 8 of Pentacles: work opportunity at a distance3 of Wands, Ace: timing toward a season, depending on the Ace.------ Example: 3 of Wands, Ace of Cups: at Summer.3 of Wands, 4 of Pentacles: A warning to start saving money.Now, let's take a look at the 3 of Wands as described in this book. It is described as the "card of support" -- friends and family who have helped you along the way. Friends, and leaning on them, are emphasized. Celebrate the advice and help they have given you in the past. It doesn't really jive with either the Marseilles or Rider Waite interpretations. In fact, advice and help are usually given to the 2 of Wands in the Rider Waite system (the bolted staff behind the back of the 2 of Wands is kind of like "I've got your back" in symbology....it is mirroring the man's spine).I suppose someone looked at the Rider Waite 3 of Wands and came up with his or her own meanings for this book. And, to the extent that you think that's a valid way to teach an oracle that is now hundreds of years old, the book might make a good gift for a vapid 11- to 14-year-old girl. For me, it felt like aspirating pink cotton candy. I am returning my copy forthwith.

Love love love this book.It's perfect for those who are just starting out our with tarot.Very modern and fun!

I couldn’t wait for this book to be delivered and I was not disappointed! This is the tarot book for you if you want practical & modern interpretations of the cards. The illustrations are cute & fun. I love the journal type questions after each chapter, I find they really help me apply the meanings of the cards to my own life. VERY satisfied with this purchase!

Very new to Tarot! I love this guidebook, it is very trendy-teen (obviously) but it gives clear and easy interpretations of each card, and great spread tutorials! The illustrations are gorgeous and mystical as well! I think it'd make a great gift!

I’m a beginner, and this is even a bit too basic for me. I’m keeping it in case I have a friend who decides to get into tarot.

Loved this easy introduction to reading tarot. Sure it was meant for the YA crowd, but I found it useful!

Love this book! Super easy to understand and great to come back to from time to time.

this is really helpful for new tarot readers

This is a lovely book with fun, cheerful graphics of the Circo tarot,with simple easy to remember card meanings and towards the end of the book useful spreads, the most famous and popular spread being the Celtic spread.This book is not for everyone, especially those among us, who want/need indepth esoteric information and symbolism. Personally, I think it is hard to develop intuition with such books, because one can get bogged down with all the going on and correspondences Astrology, Numerology, Elements and Mythology. There is a need for the simplicity of the carefree gypsy fairground ways and style, because tarot is in the application, developing your insights and intuitions, going with you hunches to answer the sitters question skilfully in a way that makes sense, prompted by the suits before you, be it one of, or more of the Wands,Cups,Swords,Coins/Pentacles and Major Arcana cards. The meanings in any one tarot book don't always fit into the answer, then what do you do? Then you rely on your linguistic ability, hunches and imagination. I think this book would be a suitable gift for teenagers who are into crystals, dream wheels, unicorns, mermaids. For older folk, but young at heart, here among us have a little fun with this book on a rainy day whilst drinking Hot chocolate or Coffee/Tea and tossing cards. This book with tarot deck in hand would provide talking point entertainment for a girls night in, and a laugh and merriment at a Birthday party. Ensure tarot deck is a bright and cheerful themed tarot deck these come to mind: Halloween tarot, Crystal Unicorn tarot, Circo tarot, Dame Darcy Mermaid tarot, Kim Kahane tarot. Those who desire to become more serious practitioners can purchase " Everyday tarot", The Ultimate Tarot Guide by Brigit Esselmont or for the more intellectual among us " Holistic Tarot" by Benebell Wen and any book by Rachel Pollack.

Very basic. Was definitely expecting the meanings for each card to be slightly longer and more in depth. The meanings are a bit like a little while book ? Lots of little drawings , very cutesy. Overall it is ok , the price is quite high for the content you actually get , not awful not amazing. Basic. Not much else to say.

A bit simple, light on detail, would suit beginner

A livello di contenuti è per super principianti. La grafica è deliziosa. Io lo consigli per i principianti, da usare proprio come un quaderno, non solo nelle pagine degli esercizi, ma anche sotto le descrizioni, di spazio ce n'è parecchio. Per me non lo ricomprerei, per un principiante, specialmente se parliamo di giovani, è molto grazioso

Obwohl die Aufmachung des Buches sehr niedlich und modern ist, kann ich leider nur 2 Sterne vergeben. Es ist einfach zu wenig Inhalt; zu jeder Karte wird nur wenig geschrieben, fast jedes Begleitbuch, das bei Tarot-Decks dabei ist, hat mehr Info. Zusätzlich richtet sich die Schreibweise wohl eher an junge Teenager, so dass ich mir vorstellen kann, dass es als Geschenk an jemanden in dieser Zielgruppe, der sich bis jetzt noch nie mit dem Thema Tarot beschäftigt hat, ganz nett sein könnte. Für Menschen, die bereits Grundwissen zu den Karten haben, eignet sich dieses Buch leider nicht.