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Publisher: Reviewed by: Cholena Orr There have been many misconceptions about the tarot throughout religions and societies around the world. For a long time the tarot was conceived by some as either scary or evil. These days the tarot is becoming both more widely accepted and used. Men and women from all paths are choosing to purchase decks and learn to read oracles such as runes, I Ching, and even crystal balls. Amongst all of this new interest have been a flood of reference books on what the tarot is, as well as how to read the tarot. It can be helpful to buy a number of different books as each can show a new side of this multifaceted diamond. I purchased my first tarot deck six years ago and have been learning ever since. One of the best books which I have read on the tarot was called the "Spiritual Tarot" by Echols, Muller, and Thomson. The Spiritual Tarot takes you on a journey through the tarot inviting you to look at tarot cards as a guide to gain insight on issues and events and as a tool to show you where you are on your spiritual path -- rather than when you will meet that tall, dark, and handsome stranger. Giving each card a personality, and each suit a story, the Spiritual Tarot really does take you on a journey. Each card is given a key phrase and in turn a voice which makes the meanings so much easier to remember when you take the big step of reading tarot cards without the book. The book also ventures to give an in-depth analysis of traditional symbolism using the popular decks Rider-Waite, Aquarian, and Mogan-Greer as examples. Identifying the symbolism of each card through the universal language of symbol and myth in a way that teaches the reader analysis skills for other work like dream work and creative visualizations. The book opened my eyes to endless possibilities in working with the tarot, showing the tarot as a tool for self exploration, giving focus questions to help you find out what lessons each card is trying to convey to you, and what actions to take from drawing the cards. At the end of the book you are given examples of different spreads and a guide to analyzing the relationships which each card has with another within a spread. One of the things I liked so much about Spiritual Tarot was that it read so well. Often books on the tarot are written as reference material -- which are also important to own -- but this book can be read easily from cover to cover. Although all students of the tarot would find value in reading this book, I think it would provide a wonderful foundation for someone beginning the journey into the Tarot. Spiritual Tarot taught me to look at myself in a different light, I learnt to read the cards in terms of my personal evolution, and I now use the tarot as a tool for transformation. My friends always thank me for the fresh insights I may give them when I read their cards.
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