Illustrated Tarot Spreads: 78 New Layouts For Personal Discovery [Paperback]

Heidermarie Pielmeier (Author), Markus Schirner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1999

Embark on an enlightening journey of self-discovery with 78 new tarot spreads! From a simple 3-card layout to a complex arrangement of 34 cards, this marvelously illustrated volume shows how to gain a better understanding of yourself, your partner, your environment, and your problems. * Learn the meaning of each tarot card and how to use the Major and Minor Arcanas. * Find out your key card is based on your birthday (this card will always have personal meaning in your spreads). * Get layouts for dream interpretation, for life's turning points, to remove obstacles, on karmic development, health, partnerships, your current situation, wish fulfillment, and much more. * Extra value: a summary of each of the astrological signs and a powerful "plan of life." 96 pages, 78 b/w illus., 11 1/2 x 8 1/4.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Sterling; 2nd Pntg edition (December 31, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080696345X
• ISBN-13: 978-0806963457
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok to begin with, June 22, 2001

By 

Sarah "mawkinberd" (Ruston, LA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Illustrated Tarot Spreads: 78 New Layouts For Personal Discovery (Paperback)

I have had the opportunity to work with several different books that collect tarot card readings in them. To its credit, this one is the strongest graphically. It has picture examples of many decks that I have not been able to find in the common market that are absolutely stunning visually and very nice to see. The book does have several nice layouts that are useful for people who are just starting out and would like to get some basic ideas. However, there really aren't enough in the book to make it challenging or interesting to me, a person who has read for several years. Besides this, several of the readings don't "read" well, and I have found them to be of limited use for me. I have not taken any one of the readings out of this text as inspiring enough to me for memorization, and I have gotten little inspiration for new layouts of my own, either. All in all, this book was not as strong as promised.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 78 spreads - that's one for every card!, April 28, 2003

By 

Bruce Gray "gurpsgm" (Shenandoah Valley, VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Illustrated Tarot Spreads: 78 New Layouts For Personal Discovery (Paperback)

I happened to find a copy of "Illustrated Tarot Spreads" in a used book store recently, and I must say I wish I had sprung and bought a copy earlier.

The main feature of this book are the 78 different Tarot card spreads in this book - that's one for every card in the Tarot deck. That's a lot of spreads, and thus you might find that some of them aren't "right" for you.

I've been reading a long time, and I generally use a "Tree of Life" spread when reading for my friends, and a "Celtic Cross" when reading for people I don't know. But this book provides tools to read for both of those types of readings, as well as plenty in between.

The authors start with an introduction to Tarot cards, as many books geared to beginners do. There's a nice section about Using the Tarot properly, and an unusual section dealing with a "Sum of the Digits" card that might add a new facet to readings. Then there's a short guide to interpreting meanings of cards, followed by a section that allows you to select your significator - your own personal Tarot card.

Then we finally get into the meat of this book - the 78 different Tarot reading spreads. I found some of the beginning spreads such as the three card "Know Thyself" and the four card "Reaching the Goal" too simple for an in depth reading, but they might be OK for an answer to a simple question or a surface reading. There are two instances of using the Celtic Cross arrangement - one for your use on yourself and another with prompts for using it on others. There's three occurrences of the "Tree of Life" layout I like to use - one labeled "as the Tarot sees it", one labeled "of the seven levels", and one labeled "My World". The prompts for discovering the meanings of the cards in the layout are different for each, but I would have been happier had there only been one occurrence of each type of layout.

One of my favorite sections was the Astrological signs. There are layouts for each sign of the Zodiac, as well as a general Astrological sign layout. Each includes ways to find out what each card means in that layout. I plan on using this to tailor my deeper readings of people I don't know well based on their star sign.

The book ends with a fantastic "Structure of Life" layout using 34 cards. Labeled "The Total Human Being", it is broken down into easily digestible sections each dealing with a different facet of things that normally come up in readings. I am now using this layout for thorough readings for friends.

This is a good book for beginners, and a fine book to add to the experienced Tarot Card reader's library. If you want to do more than the "Celtic Cross" then this book is for you.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Illustrated Tarot Spreads : 78 New Layouts for Personal Disc, March 30, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Illustrated Tarot Spreads: 78 New Layouts For Personal Discovery (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for anyone. If you are just starting out or an accomplished reader, this is a great resource to have on hand. It can be used with any Tarot deck. The book covers many different issues and has more spreads than any book I have seen. A must for anyone serious about Tarot.