Books recommendation for using Tarot as a tool for self-development

[Kris]

Hi, 

 

I'm quite new to Tarot and my journey I have decided to start with reading as much is possible and learn and meditate on cards. I want to use Tarot for self-development and finding more about my inner spirit and how to become a better person. I'm using Rider & Waite deck. 

 

The books I have read so far includes:

 

Alejandro Jodorowsky - The Way of Tarot

 

78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack 

 

Meditation on Tarot

 

Ultimate Guide to Rider Waite Tarot 

 

Any further reading recommendations and information how to find out more about my deck, increase the connection. 

 

Many thanks for all your help! 

 

Krys 

[Rupicapra]

I love Mary K. Greer's books: Tarot For Yourself and 21 Ways To Read A Tarot Card. They are both workbooks with "exercises" for you to do with your deck. 

[Kris]

Thank you very much kindly for your answer I will check them out tonight. 

[sixdegrees]

One that I found surprisingly useful was Tarot Interactions by Deborah Lipp. I say "surprisingly" because I tend not to vibe with authors who stress the psychic dimensions of the cards, and Lipp starts right out the gate discussing one's Psychic Child. Beyond this discussion, however, the book is full of many useful reading ideas, especially in terms of the "grammar" of tarot (an important consideration that almost every contemporary book overlooks). I wish that I had read it when I was beginning with the tarot 15 years ago.

 

Another good resource is Tarot Tells the Tale by James Ricklef. Most people remember the book for its excellent, illustrative examples of three card spreads for fictional characters, but the first 50 pages or so also provide a really wonderful introduction to the process of reading itself. His discussion of reversals is particularly useful food for thought.

[FindYourSovereignty]

2 hours ago, sixdegrees said:

One that I found surprisingly useful was Tarot Interactions by Deborah Lipp. I say "surprisingly" because I tend not to vibe with authors who stress the psychic dimensions of the cards, and Lipp starts right out the gate discussing one's Psychic Child. Beyond this discussion, however, the book is full of many useful reading ideas, especially in terms of the "grammar" of tarot (an important consideration that almost every contemporary book overlooks). I wish that I had read it when I was beginning with the tarot 15 years ago.

 

@sixdegrees, would you elaborate more about the 'grammar' of tarot? I am intrigued.

[sixdegrees]

Sure. Most basically, she talks about the necessity of stringing together cards into coherent sentences. She talks about thinking about the same card as a noun, verb, or adjective, and how/when you might read the card according to each vantage (though this again delves into the Psychic Child/intuition discussion). She also talks about how sentences have subjects and objects, and that as readers we need to decide similarly what is the subject and what is the object of the reading. From a certain vantage it's very basic (grafting our understanding of reading language onto reading the tarot), but Lipp covers these important ideas in much greater depth than most other authors I've encountered.

 

As the title suggests, the book in general is good for exploring the process of interactions in the tarot--interactions between cards, between cards and spread positions, between reader and querent, etc. It's a resource I come back to often when looking for inspiration.

[Kris]

Thanks for your long reply to this subject and interesting new and inspiring point of the view into Tarot. I will definitely try to read this book next! 

[FindYourSovereignty]

14 hours ago, sixdegrees said:

Sure. Most basically, she talks about the necessity of stringing together cards into coherent sentences. She talks about thinking about the same card as a noun, verb, or adjective, and how/when you might read the card according to each vantage (though this again delves into the Psychic Child/intuition discussion). She also talks about how sentences have subjects and objects, and that as readers we need to decide similarly what is the subject and what is the object of the reading. From a certain vantage it's very basic (grafting our understanding of reading language onto reading the tarot), but Lipp covers these important ideas in much greater depth than most other authors I've encountered.

 

As the title suggests, the book in general is good for exploring the process of interactions in the tarot--interactions between cards, between cards and spread positions, between reader and querent, etc. It's a resource I come back to often when looking for inspiration.

Thank you very much. This sounds so interesting and I now want to read the book, too. I don’t think I have read any books that teaches this in the manner you describe. 

Edited July 24, 2020 by FindYourSovereignty