Bought three beginner tarot books before finding one that actually helped. Rachel Pollack’s “78 Degrees of Wisdom” was the one. She teaches you how to read intuitively instead of just throwing keyword lists at you. Most beginner books are just the same meaning copied and pasted with different fonts.
What you really need is a tarot book that shows how cards talk to each other in spreads, not just “Death = transformation” over and over. Pollack gets that. If you’re broke, combine her book with Biddy Tarot’s free stuff online and you’ll develop your own style faster than memorizing rigid meanings.
I think everyone should have this book. Not just beginners, everyone.
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If you’re comfortable with the Tarot already then I 100% agree you should have this book. Most professionals probably already do.
If you’re just geting started and looking for a Tarot book then Liz Dean is a better introduction to how it all works and how you can start doing readings. I think 78 degrees might actually scare beginners off.
This is what I used to learn and you can honestly start doing decent readings on your first day.
I swear I saw a thread about this one today but we can’t have a thread about Tarot books and not include Meditations on the Tarot. Will change how you use the cards.
Check your local library, they can usually get Pollack’s book through interlibrary loan if you’re short on cash. Libraries are great for finding stuff like this.
Yeah the title’s a bit much, but ‘The Easiest Way to Learn Tarot Ever’ by Dusty White really helped me out.
What makes it good is how it links your gut feelings about a card to the actual meanings. I remember being completely overwhelmed when I first got my deck (78 cards is a lot to learn. This workbook was exactly what I needed to make sense of it all.
There’s this book, The Heart of the Tarot by Thompson, Mueller, and Echols.
Out of print now, but worth hunting down if you can find it. Try your library or interlibrary loan.
The cool thing is they teach you to read cards as either Situation or Challenge, depending on context. So the same card can mean totally different things based on where it lands and what you’re asking. Much more flexible than memorizing definitions.
James Rickleff’s Tarot Tells the Tale is great for three-card spreads. His sample readings show you can get really deep with just a few cards. I mostly do small spreads now after reading it, they work surprisingly well once you practice.
If you’re into exploring different cultures, Mara Zumaya’s ‘Tarot and Latin American Spirituality’ is worth a look. It highlights how tarot in Latin America is closely tied to spirituality and rituals.
Rachel Pollack’s books are also pretty helpful, as they push you to trust your instincts and honor your culture. And if you want more, ‘78 Degrees of Wisdom’ gives awesome tips on combining your intuition with traditional ways.
My mentor always said the best tarot book is the one you write yourself. I started gathering my own meanings from different places like Biddy Tarot, some classic books, and even YouTube readers.
Kind of like when you’re a kid in school, taking notes is how you learn. Not just reading the book.
I created these personal notes for each card that made way more sense than sticking to one author’s definitions. Each source offered a different view on the same card, and putting them all together helped me see the whole picture. Now, when I draw the Three of Swords, I don’t just think ‘heartbreak’; I have a whole range of meanings from seeing how different readers interpret it.
Not that there’s anything wrong with these books, just alternatives!
Yes! Pollack is amazing. 78 Degrees really stays with you, I’ll be reading cards years later and suddenly remember something she wrote about shadow aspects or elements.
Those aha moments continue to happen even now. You find new stuff every time you go back to it. The basic keyword books simply lack that depth once you know them by heart.
Does Pollack’s book get into reversals with that same intuitive approach? Or is it mostly focused on upright meanings?
I think I’ve flicked through it before and it did look like one of those books that give you something new every time you read it, but it’s reversals kicking my butt at the moment and I could use the help there.
Rachel Pollack’s approach really showed me how to read card combinations intuitively, I remember doing a three-card spread during last month’s new moon and suddenly seeing how the cards were having a conversation with each other rather than just sitting there as isolated meanings. The way she teaches about cards influencing and modifying each other is how I still do readings to this day.
so i’ve been reading Pollack and noticed she really sticks to RWS symbolism in her examples. anyone else find you have to tweak her approach for other decks? especially thinking about Marseilles or those abstract modern ones. would love to hear how you guys handle this, do you just translate the concepts or do something totally different?
Just a heads up for beginners here, there are SO many interpretations out there that it’s really easy to get lost in them all when you’re starting out.
Try not to mix too many different perspectives right off the bat. It can actually make things more confusing when you’re building your own understanding of the cards. Pollack keeps things pretty straightforward, which could help you find your footing without all the extra clutter.
I embarrassingly tried to learn every card by heart like it was an exam. Rachel Pollack’s New Tarot Handbook taught me how to trust my gut. I still have Mary K. Greer’s 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card around for when my intuition needs a breather.
Funny how tarot resources seem to find you at the perfect time.
I was having a rough patch with my practice and suddenly friends started gifting me decks out of nowhere. Made me think about what Rachel Pollack writes, when you quit trying to force your intuitive style and just trust things to unfold, the books and teachers you need basically fall into your lap.
Starting with Pollack’s book? Try focusing on one chapter each week. I paired that with daily single card pulls on the same theme, and it really made the lessons sink in without feeling like I was in a hurry.
I was pronouncing ‘Marseilles’ like ‘marshmallows’ for half a year. Someone finally corrected me at a tarot meetup (so embarrassing! Pollack’s book was great though. Really helped me understand those Marseilles patterns after I stopped butchering the name.
Try starting with just the Major Arcana section in 78 Degrees.
I spent a week pulling only Major cards when I started. So much easier than jumping into all 78 cards. Pollack goes deep on the symbolism in those Major Arcana chapters, really good stuff.
After you get comfortable with those 22, the rest doesn’t feel so overwhelming. The Fool’s way section is great to read along with your daily card too. Just bookmark it and flip back whenever you pull something.
I just read this a few weeks ago! Her take on the Major and Minor Arcana is really solid, been noticing way more in my daily draws now. No wonder everyone recommends this book. It’s become my go-to reference.
