Customer Reviews

Easy Tarot Guide

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I own at least a dozen books on Tarot and every time I walk into a bookstore, I look to see if a new one has come out. I admit it, it's an addiction. However I can learn more about Tarot...books, web pages, classes...I'm there. But this would definitely have to be my desert island Tarot book (along with A Magical Course in Tarot by Michele Morgan). It's simply superb if you're a beginner/intermediate Tarot enthusiast.

The book is divided into Minor and Major Arcana sections. The Minor Arcana is divided into chapters, i.e. Aces, Twos and Threes are grouped together, then Fours, Fives and Sixes, etc. Marcia Masino gives keywords and then a more detailed paragraph for each card in both its upright and reversed orientations. At the end of each chapter, there are fill in the blank and multiple choice quizzes to test your progress. Plus, and I think this is exceptionally helpful, she also gives you several Celtic Cross readings to interpret along the way, as you learn more and more cards (she also clearly explains what each position in the CC means, for those unfamiliar with that spread). Say what you will about the Celtic Cross, I've usually found it quite helpful, easy to work with, and illuminating. Even if you choose not to use it regularly, it still helps to reinforce what you learn about the cards as you work through the book.

The Major Arcana follows the same general format as the Minor Arcana, but Ms. Masino gives more detailed descriptions of the symbolism and esoteric background of the cards, along with the keywords and practical meanings.

I will admit, I don't agree with all of her card meanings. As I continue to work with the Tarot, I find that some cards take on certain meanings specific just to me and not found in any of the books I've read. That's as it should be, as Tarot is always at its best when you form a personal relationship with it and learn to let your intuition open up and adapt to each reading, rather than always relying inflexibly on canned interpretations. But, in general, I have found Ms. Masino's interpretations to be more on-target than any other Tarot author I have come across. Her writing style is also extremely clear and unambiguous, without being simplistic. The title may be Easy Tarot Guide, but learning Tarot (as the author points out) requires a good deal of effort and patience, and will not come instantaneously. But if you're interested in self-exploration, practical guidance, and yes, even insight into the future... (I did a reading for myself that predicted a major event that came true 7 months later, although I discounted it at the time, because I didn't think I was interested in going in that direction...just goes to show), then it is most certainly worth the effort.

For beginners who can remember that no Tarot author (including Ms. Masino) will be completely right for everyone, who are willing to stay open-minded and adaptive as they learn, and who are looking for an excellent resource that will take them from absolute novice to someone with a firm foundation in Tarot, as well as anyone who'd like an excellent reference they can check with when the mood strikes, this is the book to get.

If you could own just one book on Tarot card reading this would be the one to have. It gives you a card by card analysis and incorporates all aspects of the cards in the interpertations of the cards. It is easy to use as a reference book. I have many books on Tarot card reading but this one is the most complete guide and makes the Tarot much easier to understand.

Great beginner's book, the best until Joan Bunning's Learning the Tarot came along and still darn useful. Excellent especially if you want to do readings on love and career type things.

This is the only book you need to learn from at the start. After you have read and worked thru this book go get others. The copy I had I gave to a friend that moved so I went and bought another copy. This is a must have for everyone who wants to learn tarot.

what is different is the psychological depth the author goes into, which makes the cards really applicable to real life situations. she also has a great grasp of the higher, soul journey aspects of the tarot. this is truly a magical resource, my thanks to marcia for the wonderful life teachings in this book.

This is such a good book! It serves as both a workbook and a reference for learning to read tarot. Marcia's 'method' is to learn the cards mechanically; the aces, the twos and so forth, till you know the meanings without thinking about them. With this mental preparation, you can let intuition take over and truly be able to use a Tarot deck as a tool for inner guidance. An excellent book, I highly recommend it :)

This is best beginners book that I have found. It throughly covers the basics in an interesting, understandable, and easy to read format.It gives an excellent foundation for futher Tarot study.

I have a stack of Tarot books bought over the last year; the stack is at least 2 feet high. If I had found this book a year ago it would have saved me a lot of money! This beautiful, glossy, full-color book with its many pictures and lessons is the only one a beginner really needs. This is an actual workbook as well as a manual, and it is so intelligently organized and well thought-out that it makes me wonder if Marcia Masino is an professional educator. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to learn Tarot, and to anyone who already knows Tarot but has some confusion regarding certain cards. Masino is crystal clear in her understanding and presentation. Three cheers--and five stars--for this book!

This is a great book for a more advanced reader. I feel that there is too much information for it to be basic. It covered the cards well but i've been reading for 20 years.

Easy Tarot Guide

Author: Marcia Masino
ACS Publications
1987
ISBN #0-917086-59-7

Having read Masino's latest book (Best Tarot Practices), I thought that it might behove me to read her previous book - and I am very happy that I did! "Easy Tarot Guide" is just that - a guide to learning the Tarot that is easy enough for anyone to follow. It is also a hands on book - intellectual exercise combined with reader participation. This book evolved from Masino's experiences in teaching the Tarot over a period of several years.

The book is divided into four parts: (1) Deck Description, (2) Reading Description, (3) Card Interpretations and (4) Summary. This is a very basic introductory book, aimed at individuals that are attempting to learn the Tarot on their own (as many of us did).

The first exercise with the cards is to go through the deck and take out the cards that you like and the cards that you dislike. Masino feels that the cards that are drawn will reflect the student's present life conditions. The cards that the student likes may represent current goals or aspirations, or aspects of life that they are working on. The cards that the student dislikes may reflect parts of their life that they are unhappy with, or that cause them distress (perhaps areas that they are avoiding dealing with).

The Minor Arcana are the first cards that the student works with. There are a list of qualities for each suit, and the student is asked to go through that suit and pick out cards that represent each quality. For example, the qualities listed for the suit of Wands are: (1) Victory concerning goals, (2) Overwork, over-ambitious, (3) Fighting, (4) Defending and (5) Looking forward towards new enterprises and their results. At the end of this section is a review with both matching and true/false questions so that the student can assess their progress.

The Major Arcana are given astrological associations, and the student is asked to review the trump associated with their birth sign. The review questions at the end of this section are true/false questions.

The section on performing a reading is quite explicit - forming the question, choosing the significator, shuffling (and interpreting how the Seeker shuffles) and reading and interpreting the cut. The Tarot spread used as a sample reading is the traditional Celtic Cross spread. An overall interpretation of the cards is given as the first step in reading the cards. (i.e. Which cards are predominate - a specific suit, Court cards or Major Arcana.) There is an overview on numbers meanings, and on card combinations. The review at the end of this section is fill in the blank. A format is also given for recording readings in a diary.

The interpretation for the Minor Arcana cards is presented in groupings: Ace-Three, Four-Six, Seven and Eight, Nine and Ten. The main theme, upright and reversed meanings are given, accompanied by a color scan of each card. The review questions at the end of each section are a combination of fill in the blank, true and false and matching. There is also an assignment using the cards in a specified reading and interpreting them.

The Court cards are interpreted in title groupings (i.e. all of the Pages, all of the Knights, all of the Queens and all of the Kings), with the personality qualities, upright and reversed meanings, accompanied by a color scan of the card. The review questions are fill in the blank and matching.

The Major Arcana cards are listed in three groupings: 0-VII, VIII-XIV, and XV-XXI. They are presented with an archetypal association, symbolism, a discussion of the card and its imagery, and upright and reversed meanings. The review questions are a combination of fill in the blank, matching, and true/false. The assignment is to use the cards in a specified reading and interpreting them.

There are appendices at the end of the book with keywords for the Minor Arcana (Pips and Court cards), and the Major Arcana, along with a bibliography.

The book carries a very fluid pace, and is easily understood. The review questions are of a very good quality, and will help an aspiring reader to assess their level of understanding of the cards. I recommend this as a good addition to any Tarot library.

© April 2009