advanced tarot books
lately, i have been looking for something specific in my tarot study-- books that are more than a list of the 78 cards with their individual meanings.
lately, i have been looking for something specific in my tarot study-- books that are more than a list of the 78 cards with their individual meanings. that’s great, and definitely valuable for tarot readers of all levels, but i want more variety out of my tarot study.
here’s what i’ve been reading.
tarot in other words, edited by cassandra snow
this anthology is edited by cassandra snow, who wrote queering the tarot (which kicked my ass when it came out in like, 2019) and also a killer essay in becoming dangerous that made my beloved roommate ugly-cry. also included are maria minnis (author of tarot for the hard work), charlie claire burgess (radical tarot and the fifth spirit tarot deck, which is my favorite deck ever!) and meg jones wall (finding the fool and tarot spreads; her “3am tarot” online resource is also awesome!).
a walk through the forest of souls by rachel pollack
a walk through the forest of souls is kind of a super weird book in the best way. rachel pollack, tarot superstar, muses on various spiritual matters but especially the entire system tarot. she’s making connections all over the place that blow my mind. highly enjoying this, and will definitely be giving it a reread to catch everything.
a modern fortune-teller’s field guide by tom benjamin
i heard about this book from the kelly-ann maddox patreon-- apparently the author is a youtuber, but i have not done the deep dive into his channel that this amazing book has proved he deserves.
the fortune-teller in question gives us an absolutely amazing guide to telling the truth, in a way that doesn’t perpetuate systems of bias. he is REGULARLY kicking my ASS you guys-- reading this definitely counts as shadow work (for libras anyway).
it’s also actually divination-system agnostic. while he is primarily a tarot reader, his thoughts can be applied to any type of divination, so pick it up (no matter what, but especially) if you are planning to branch out sometime soon.
the psychic art of tarot by mat auryn
i will be honest, i don’t love how mat auryn writes about his spiritual beliefs as if they are fact, BUT i REALLY respect how practical he is, so i will let it slide and recommend this book. if you are into meditations, he is your guy.
21 ways to read a tarot card by mary k. greer
this one is probably my favorite tarot book ever. rather than giving you meanings to mull over, mary k. greer (another tarot superstar) gives you 21 METHODS of figuring out the meanings for yourself.
you’re definitely gonna need a notebook for this one. which leads me to:
tarot for your self by mary k. greer
this is one of the books that absolutely revolutionized tarot when it was first published-- reading for yourself was a controversial practice in itself, but she also originates the infamous tarot journal.
something that i particularly liked from this one, that hasn’t made as big of a splash on the tarot scene, is the practice of choosing a tarot card face-up.
honorable mention: holistic tarot by benebell wen
okay, this one DOES include a dictionary of tarot card meanings, but the hefty volume (and i mean hefty!) also includes tons of other stuff that can find a home in your tarot reading practice.
for an ongoing list of all my various projects, feel free to check out linktr.ee/bugtourmaline!