Customer Reviews

Pictures from the Heart: A Tarot Dictionary

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The product of exhaustive research, PICTURES FROM THE HEART organizes into alphabetical order detailed notes on the symbolism and meaning of Tarot cards.

This is the book I wanted years ago when my study of the Tarot began. What kind of bird is that in the background of The Star? Why is the word DIN concealed within the art on the Magician trump? Why is there a lobster (or is that a lobster?) on the card called The Moon? PICTURES FROM THE HEART answers these questions -- and hundreds more -- in simple, concise language.

PICTURES FROM THE HEART supports both a systematic and intuitive study of the cards. Those people looking for comprehensive, comparative information on specific cards will find it. Others, having been drawn to a specific detail on a card, will be able to discover at a glance the concepts associated with it.

In addition to the dictionary, Thomson includes:

- a brief (and objective) history of the Tarot

- insights into the origins of familiar card meanings

- balanced reviews of twenty-five decks

- an introduction to card reading and spreads

In short? This is a great reference and resource ... made all the more accessible thanks to its organization in a dictionary format. If you're curious about Tarot or interested in seeing familiar cards in new ways ... buy this book!

When looking at the Five or Six of Pentacles card in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, did you ever wonder why there were beggars on the card? What do they mean? What is the significance? In Thomson's Pictures from the Heart: A Tarot Dictionary, this symbol and many more are explained.

More than just a dictionary, Pictures from the Heart is a journey through the symbols and terms used by Tarotists. This book is good for both the baby beginner and the experienced Tarotist.

I first met Sandra A. Thomson when she was teaching a Tarot class at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Feliz, CA. I was a baby beginner. When I had questions about the meanings of symbols, cards, etc., I had to ask questions. It would have been so wonderful to have the research material available at my finger tips. Now, as I explore many different tarot decks, I finally have the research material I have so longed for.

Thomson is a Tarot Grand Master. She has been certified by both the Tarot Certification Board of America and the Canadian Tarot Network. She is the elected president of the American Tarot Association. Other works by Thomson include; Cloud Nine: A Dreamer's Dictionary, and works written with Robert E. Mueller and Signe E. Echols, which include The Heart of the Tarot: The Two-Card Layout, Spiritual Tarot: Seventy-Eight Paths to Personal Development, and The Lovers' Tarot.

In order for the book to stand alone, Pictures from the Heart includes a brief history of the Tarot. Thomson writes, "Imagine yourself sitting around the campfire at tarot camp, listening to your tarot counselor tell stories. She begins, `Once upon a time there were a group of people known as Gypsies.' Here she smiles knowingly and adds, `because they came from ancient Egypt.'" How many of us have heard that version of tarot history? It is nice to be able to smile at the versions of tarot history that circulate. Thomson goes on to give a more factual version as well.

Pictures from the Heart also includes summaries of 25 of the most common Tarot decks. The decks are also categorized. One of the categories includes Multicultural Decks. Under this category, Thomson lists Shining Tribe (Llewellyn) and The Ancestral Path Tarot (U.S. Games). I find this beneficial for those of us who like to explore decks and genres.

The book also contains some insight into spreads. Thomson writes, "Spreads (also called layouts) form the structure of a reading. They create or provide order to information received from the cards. Otherwise, you might as well throw the tarot deck into the air and read `meaning' into how and where the cards fall in the room. It if weren't so complicated, that in itself wouldn't be a bad idea, but since it might take a lot of bending over and stretching upward (to reach those cards dangling from the light fixture), a spread becomes one way of simplifying and clarifying the reading process."

Dr. Thomson, as she is known for, cites all of her sources. This is very helpful for those who like to really get into a symbol or definition. It allows the reader to access works from several well-known Tarotists.

Pictures from the Heart is called a dictionary, but it is so much more. It is a plethora of information in one book. The information is concise, some times humorous (where appropriate), and above all fascinating. I wonder how Thomson was able to put so many tid bits of information, from so many traditions of study, into a collective work and still make it meaningful. It is a must for anyone interested in the Tarot.

The content of this book is superb! I echo every good thing said about it. However, the paper is the worst newsprint I have ever witnessed. This is a book I would want to have in hardback, but it does not seem to be available. I feel like it will disintegrate in no time.

Pictures from the Heart: A Tarot Dictionary: A Tarot Dictionary
A Book Review by Robert E. Mueller

Let me say at the outset that the author of this book, Sandra A. Thomson, is my teaching partner. She is invigorating and wonderful, and so is the book. That said, what else is there to say?
Well, a lot actually.
The first 54 pages of this volume serve as a basic introduction and contain two chapters that give summary information about the Tarot, a chapter that contains brief reviews of 25 top decks--selected from a brief survey of well-known Tarotists--and a fourth chapter that looks at the kinds of things that spreads can do, from a one-card reading to a section titled "Beyond Five Cards" and one titled "Creating Your Own Spreads." Compared to the material about these topics that we teach, these are relatively short chapters, but then our courses take some 16 weeks.
The remainder of the 466-page book contains alphabetized entries, some historical, as well as possible meanings of particular symbols, numbers, and colors on the cards. Mythologies that might apply to some cards are also included. There are brief biographical entries of some historical Tarot personages. It was a conscious decision not to include bios of any contemporary Tarotists.
Dr. Thomson states at the outset that the reader should consider all entries as "suggestions pointing to ideas you may not have considered. Allow them to trigger and amplify your own ideas and reactions."
For instance, consider the entry for "globe." Thomson writes, "Depending on where and how it appears in a card, it can represent dominion over nature of the world (New Palladini Emperor), or the process of unlimited worldly creations or manifestations. In several Two of Wands cards (Morgan-Greer, Rider Waite Smith-RWS, Robin Wood, Spiral), it suggests a person with far-ranging interests. See also royal orb."
The entry for "waterfall" says, "Water falls in the background of several Empress cards (Aquarian, Morgan-Greer, New Palladini, RWS, Spiral, World Spirit) and represents the stream of consciousness and the fecund creativity of the flow of the unconscious. The grain-near-a-waterfall motif was a Gnostic symbol of fertility, later adopted by Freemasonry to symbolize earth-sea fertility."
Did you know that? Have you even seen the waterfall in the RWS card (Many of our students have not and are surprised when it is pointed out?)
Whether you agree or disagree, each symbolic entry may nudge you to rethink where you stand with respect to the symbols on a card.
The most important and lengthier entries deal with each card in the Major and Minor Arcana, defining it, comparing cards from several decks to each other, and, finally, listing key words or phrases to consider. The entry for The Tower takes up 2 1/2 pages, and compares the card from the viewpoint of the Alchemical Tarot, Legend: The Arthurian Tarot, Osho Zen Tarot, Robin Wood Tarot, Nigel Jackson Tarot, Mythic Tarot, Wheel of Change Tarot, the Haindl Tarot, and, of course, the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS).
Information tangential to Tarot work includes, among others, such entries as alchemy, amplifying cards, background (of a card), certification (Could Thomson, being a Certified Tarot Grand Master-CTGM, keep it out?), polarities, reading frequency, world axis, and shadow (on which Thomson is an expert with regard to Tarot cards).
One of her fun tangential definitions is that for "corrected deck." If this is new to you, it refers to a tongue-in-cheek term applied to tarot cards with keywords and/or borders removed, known as having received a "borderectomy." Tarotist Mark McElroy coined the term as an in-joke and a jibe at occultists "who position their personal systems as 'corrections' or 'rectifications' of earlier decks. The entry was included with McElroy's permission and oversight.
Tarotist/astrologer Elizabeth Hazel wrote all the astrological entries for the dictionary. The book is heavily referenced, as it should be, crediting the sources of Thomson's ideas and information. A section on Internet Resources existing when the book was published, completes the book.

Pictures from the Heart (ISBN 0-312-29128-0) is published by St. Martin's Griffin. Available at amazon.com

I'm really glad I bought this book. I've already learned so much from just browsing! Some books come, some books go in my library. This one stays!

This is one hella a book. If you're a tarot reader or even just a collector this is a MUST have book. I was surprised it was not more talked about and reccommened on other sites.

The sheer wealth of information in this tome is unbelievable. Everytime I go to see if something is in here for clues, there it is. Also she includes the top 25 decks, and uses their imagery throughout the text. A huge bonus!

Also as someone else said, the paper is inferior. This is a book I reach for time and time again, and it's going to be ruined fast. Though perhaps using the heavier white paper that lasts longer, this book would be very heavy. That might be a reason they chose the cheaper, lighter paper.

Either way, you love tarot, you will LOVE this book!

An admitted symbolism junkie, this book has long graced my bookshelf and its cover is well-worn. One of those go-to books that includes references to symbolism included in numerous decks.

To be very honest, if you enjoy reading tarot, no matter what skill level you're at, you must buy this book. I've found it to be an invaluable resource over the years.

Dawn Jones
[...]

This book has a small section in front explaining different tarot decks. The rest of the book is a dictionary. I have immersed myself in learning to read the Tarot cards and developing my ESP now that I am retired and have the time. This book is a welcome addition to my library.

This book explains so many different things about Tarot cards. For example, the book explains numerous images found in many Tarot decks. There is an exhaustive amount of information in this book, but I was hoping for a little more insight into the definitions of the cards. I do not need more card definitions because I've been reading Tarot for 15+ years, but I do like to look at different meanings, and was hoping on a clear and concise book that covers reversals--this does not. I enjoy reading new books on Tarot--for novices, advanced readers, and enthusiasts. I ordered this book because I thought there'd be a vast amount of information in it, and I could suggest it to those that often turn to me for good books on Tarot. While this book will be suggested from me in the future to some, it will not be suggested for the novice. This book covers a wide range of information, but many that dabble in Tarot or are just starting out will not find this book of much use. This book is for the true Tarot enthusiast--and I am--but I rated it as 4 stars because I do not want people to get the wrong impression that this is truly a definitive text on Tarot because it isn't. It is well written and much of the information is great, but again, it's not for those that are mere dabblers or beginners to the art of Tarot because there is a lot of information in the book that only enthusiasts will be interested in.