Review by Lady Desiree of the Blue Moon Lake for Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners Rating:
I would suggest that the beginer tarot reader start from page 1 and take your time in this book. I look at it as more of a Tarot Course and this course is the best one I have ever seen for a beginner tarot reader. At first you will feel that there is too much to remember, but you should not try to memorize everything too fast. Take each chapter like you are in a class and follow the easy instructions. You will see how this book really guides you to knowing and understanding the tarot. It includes pictures of all the Tarot Cards of the Rider-Waite Tarot DeckThe Rider-Waite Tarot Deck along with some important card layouts and even some examples of card readings.
This books should be the First Tarot book you should learn from or at least when you want to start getting serious about learning the Tarot Cards. It is so packed with everything you would need to learn without going into anything extra – you will truly learn the cards step-by-step. Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners
I would also recommend this book even to a more advanced tarot reader as it has a treasure of information you can easily refer to and add to your bag of knowledge. It could also be of help if you are teaching other people to understand the tarot.
Although it does not contain reversals, it is still a great entrance into the world of tarot reading as the beginner can concentrate on just learning and understanding the tarot cards.
You will find that this is a book you will read over and over again – it is such a great investment.
Review by for Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners Rating:
I have just finished going through the “lesson” portion of this book, and found it to be one of the more direct and accessible of the tarot books I have used. In general, the author skips new-age jargon and would-be-psychobabble to get to the point. I particularly like her emphasis on the process of card interpretation; she suggests a way (without claiming it is “the only way”) that makes for logical and easily-remembered connections between the cards. My only caveat was that the book’s pages and/or binding began to come apart with very little use. Still, the content and her thoughtful interpretive methods were above-par.
Review by for Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners Rating:
This tarot book had nice pictures of the 78 cards, and great key meaning charts, but overall, it was too confusing for a beginner like me. The meanings for the 22 major arcana cards were too lengthy, and there weren’t any reversed card meanings. I wouldn’t buy this book if I were you, but if it was cheaper, maybe. QL
Review by Nathalie Wigmore for Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners Rating:
In her book “Learning the Tarot,” author Joan Bunning successfully manages to pull off a difficult task: condensing the intricate world of the Tarot into a clear, organized and easy-to-follow format that addresses nearly every angle of Tarot reading for beginners. Tarot reading is not difficult per se, but it is a deeply intuitive process that is rich in layers of nuance, and this alone often makes writing a good “Tarot 101” book a daunting challenge.
In her book, Joan Bunning uses illustrations of the well-known Rider-Waite (RW) deck to guide the reader. The book is divided into five sections that cover the major topics of Tarot reading: composition of a Tarot deck, principles of interpretation, exercises, card descriptions and the Celtic Cross spread. Every section is explained thoroughly and succintly with the help of situational examples, without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. Worthy of note in my books is the fact that Bunning touches on topics such as position pairs, opposing and reinforcing cards, and suit elemental attributes (again with examples) – subjects that I have rarely seen in introductory-level books.
Although the entire book is solid, what stands out in my mind as being its most helpful aspect for the beginner is the author’s use of a few keywords associated with each card in the deck. In fact, the first page of the Major Arcana section is a simple grid chart listing the 22 Majors and their four keywords. The rest of the chapter then takes each card in sequence and elaborates on the meaning of the keywords. The section on the Minor Arcana also starts off with a similar grid chart. This keyword association learning method is bound to be a tremendous boon for any beginner, as memorising the various meanings of 78 cards can often seem an overwhelming task. And the keywords actually reinforce themselves logically, as they refer to the same cards – again, another memorisation bonus.
The only thing I would’ve added that the author didn’t touch upon is the importance of selecting the right deck. Most Tarot readers will likely agree that it is very important to choose a deck that speaks to the reader, that resonates with her/him. I believe that this is one of the very first things that all beginners need to be aware of, as Tarot artwork often makes or breaks one’s connection to the deck. After all, not everyone resonates with the RW deck. This is by no means a criticism aimed at Ms. Bunning, but only a personal commentary about a subject I would’ve addressed, if only in one or two pages.
Overall, this is the best introductory book on the Tarot that I have read. If there were such a thing as a Bachelor’s Degree in Tarot reading, I would make “Learning the Tarot” the core textbook of “Tarot 101.”
Review by Machushka for Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners Rating:
This version permits your to learn by keywords or major descriptors that concern each card. I find that the book helps develop the first Tarot insights and then eventually, when person gets good at it,can choose whichever Tarot they like and personalize their readings. It is great with Universal Waite Tarot which is a soft and colorful version of the traditional Waite Tarot.
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(out of 43 reviews)
Review by Lady Desiree of the Blue Moon Lake for Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners
Rating:
I would suggest that the beginer tarot reader start from page 1 and take your time in this book. I look at it as more of a Tarot Course and this course is the best one I have ever seen for a beginner tarot reader. At first you will feel that there is too much to remember, but you should not try to memorize everything too fast. Take each chapter like you are in a class and follow the easy instructions. You will see how this book really guides you to knowing and understanding the tarot. It includes pictures of all the Tarot Cards of the Rider-Waite Tarot DeckThe Rider-Waite Tarot Deck along with some important card layouts and even some examples of card readings.
This books should be the First Tarot book you should learn from or at least when you want to start getting serious about learning the Tarot Cards. It is so packed with everything you would need to learn without going into anything extra – you will truly learn the cards step-by-step. Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners
I would also recommend this book even to a more advanced tarot reader as it has a treasure of information you can easily refer to and add to your bag of knowledge. It could also be of help if you are teaching other people to understand the tarot.
Although it does not contain reversals, it is still a great entrance into the world of tarot reading as the beginner can concentrate on just learning and understanding the tarot cards.
You will find that this is a book you will read over and over again – it is such a great investment.
Bright Blessings,
Lady Desiree of the Blue Moon Lake
Certified Tarot Master
Review by for Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners
Rating:
I have just finished going through the “lesson” portion of this book, and found it to be one of the more direct and accessible of the tarot books I have used. In general, the author skips new-age jargon and would-be-psychobabble to get to the point. I particularly like her emphasis on the process of card interpretation; she suggests a way (without claiming it is “the only way”) that makes for logical and easily-remembered connections between the cards. My only caveat was that the book’s pages and/or binding began to come apart with very little use. Still, the content and her thoughtful interpretive methods were above-par.
Review by for Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners
Rating:
This tarot book had nice pictures of the 78 cards, and great key meaning charts, but overall, it was too confusing for a beginner like me. The meanings for the 22 major arcana cards were too lengthy, and there weren’t any reversed card meanings. I wouldn’t buy this book if I were you, but if it was cheaper, maybe. QL
Review by Nathalie Wigmore for Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners
Rating:
In her book “Learning the Tarot,” author Joan Bunning successfully manages to pull off a difficult task: condensing the intricate world of the Tarot into a clear, organized and easy-to-follow format that addresses nearly every angle of Tarot reading for beginners. Tarot reading is not difficult per se, but it is a deeply intuitive process that is rich in layers of nuance, and this alone often makes writing a good “Tarot 101” book a daunting challenge.
In her book, Joan Bunning uses illustrations of the well-known Rider-Waite (RW) deck to guide the reader. The book is divided into five sections that cover the major topics of Tarot reading: composition of a Tarot deck, principles of interpretation, exercises, card descriptions and the Celtic Cross spread. Every section is explained thoroughly and succintly with the help of situational examples, without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. Worthy of note in my books is the fact that Bunning touches on topics such as position pairs, opposing and reinforcing cards, and suit elemental attributes (again with examples) – subjects that I have rarely seen in introductory-level books.
Although the entire book is solid, what stands out in my mind as being its most helpful aspect for the beginner is the author’s use of a few keywords associated with each card in the deck. In fact, the first page of the Major Arcana section is a simple grid chart listing the 22 Majors and their four keywords. The rest of the chapter then takes each card in sequence and elaborates on the meaning of the keywords. The section on the Minor Arcana also starts off with a similar grid chart. This keyword association learning method is bound to be a tremendous boon for any beginner, as memorising the various meanings of 78 cards can often seem an overwhelming task. And the keywords actually reinforce themselves logically, as they refer to the same cards – again, another memorisation bonus.
The only thing I would’ve added that the author didn’t touch upon is the importance of selecting the right deck. Most Tarot readers will likely agree that it is very important to choose a deck that speaks to the reader, that resonates with her/him. I believe that this is one of the very first things that all beginners need to be aware of, as Tarot artwork often makes or breaks one’s connection to the deck. After all, not everyone resonates with the RW deck. This is by no means a criticism aimed at Ms. Bunning, but only a personal commentary about a subject I would’ve addressed, if only in one or two pages.
Overall, this is the best introductory book on the Tarot that I have read. If there were such a thing as a Bachelor’s Degree in Tarot reading, I would make “Learning the Tarot” the core textbook of “Tarot 101.”
Review by Machushka for Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners
Rating:
This version permits your to learn by keywords or major descriptors that concern each card. I find that the book helps develop the first Tarot insights and then eventually, when person gets good at it,can choose whichever Tarot they like and personalize their readings. It is great with Universal Waite Tarot which is a soft and colorful version of the traditional Waite Tarot.