Rachel Pollack's Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachings and Deeper Meanings [Paperback]

Rachel Pollack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 2008

Beloved by nearly half a million Tarot enthusiasts, Rachel Pollack’s Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom forever transformed the study of Tarot. This much-anticipated follow-up to Pollack’s classic guidebook will inspire Tarot aficionados and inform a new generation of Tarot students. Enhanced by the author’s personal stories and insights gained over the past three decades, this book on tarot invites you on a fascinating and fun adventure.

Offering an abundant array of new ideas mixed in with enlightening discussions about Tarot’s checkered past, this tarot guidebook features innovative ways to interpret and use Tarot, and a wealth of original spreads to try for yourself—including spreads for predictive, psychological, magical, and spiritual readings. All seventy-eight cards are explored from fresh angles: history, art, psychology, and a variety of spiritual and occult traditions, using cards from seven diverse decks so you can easily contrast and compare. No matter where your starting point on the path of personal discovery, this tarot book will prove a trusted companion for your journey.
 

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rachel  is considered one of the World’s foremost authorities on the modern interpretation of the Tarot. She is also a poet, an award-winning novelist, and a Tarot card and comic book artist. She has published 12 books on the Tarot, including 78 Degrees of Wisdom (Thorsons, 1998), considered a modern classic and “the Bible of Tarot reading.” Its’ marriage of common sense, wide-ranging knowledge, and esoteric awareness have inspired many tens of thousands of readers worldwide to a deeper knowledge of the Tarot.

She is a member of the American Tarot Association, the International Tarot Society, and the Tarot Guild of Australia. With fellow Tarot author Mary Greer, she has taught at the famed Omega Institute for the past twelve years. She has been conferred the title of “Tarot Grand Master” by the Tarot Certification Board, an independent body located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

As a fiction writer, Pollack has been bestowed many honors and awards, among them the famed Arthur C. Clarke Award for Science Fiction (for Unquenchable Fire) and the World Fantasy Award (for Godmother Night). She is a recommended member of PEN International, and has written for numerous publications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (November 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738713090
• ISBN-13: 978-0738713090
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Tell All Book of Tarot, February 8, 2009

By 

Scott Martin (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rachel Pollack's Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachings and Deeper Meanings (Paperback)

In the beginning was the word, and the word was SEVENTY-EIGHT DEGREES OF WISDOM, (often called the "Tarot Bible" by Pollack disciples) and we saw that it was good.
And now, building on that masterful work, Ms. Pollack has written a "tell all" book of Tarot. In this unique body of work, she has ingeniously integrated Tarot history, traditional meanings, astrology, Kabbalah and mythology, along with reading techniques, original spreads, and her own rich life experiences as a Taroist, author and teacher.
In these challenging economic times, if you are looking for that one book that gives your the biggest bang for your buck, look no further: It is TAROT WISDOM. Scott Martin

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just when I thought it couldn't get better..., April 4, 2009

By 

Lisa "lilija" (Union Beach, NJ, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rachel Pollack's Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachings and Deeper Meanings (Paperback)

I've had 78 Degrees of Wisdom, for a long time, and if anyone asked, I would have called that book my absolute go-to Tarot guide, for beginner, and experienced alike.

Now, 78 Degrees is my SECOND favorite, next to this one. Each of the Major Arcana has a history, detailed explanation, meanings, reverse meanings, and one or two readings focusing on the meaning of each card. Each minor has a page, within a chapter. Very in depth.

Every chapter is a journey. Every new spread she offers adds so much insight to the cards. Nevermind how much knowledge I'm getting from the book, but it's an absolute pleasure to read. It's not textbooky at all, not dry and disconnected, like some Tarot books can be. It feels like Ms. Pollack is right here, with me at my table, guiding me through the deck. The illustrations are interesting, the layout is excellent, her voice (as always) is terriffic. I love the comparisons of the cards throughout history, too. It's such an interactive book, never did I find myself passively reading. Every time I picked it up, I had to dig out a deck and mull it over, as I read.

I can't say enough good about this book, but I feel like it would be a very valuable addition to every Tarot reader's shelf.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Comparative Approach, March 7, 2009

By 

Dandylioness (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Rachel Pollack's Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachings and Deeper Meanings (Paperback)

In the introduction, Pollack describes Tarot Wisdom simply as "what I have learned about Tarot over the past forty years." Like her earlier book, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, Tarot Wisdom discusses each card in turn and offers ample information on interpreting the cards in a reading. But whereas Seventy-Eight Degrees focuses mainly on the popular Rider deck, Tarot Wisdom takes a more comparative approach. Pollack discusses the Rider meanings and images in relation to older decks and approaches, including the Visconti, Marseille, and Golden Dawn decks. She also frequently discusses how her understanding of cards informed the designs in her own Shining Tribe deck.

I usually enjoy Pollack's writing style in her Tarot books, and this book was no exception. While she consistently provides list of correspondences and historical and modern meanings for the cards, her discussions are more free-flowing, concentrating on what she finds most interesting about each card. Occasionally this left me wishing she had spent more time discussing a particular meaning or image, but it also kept the writing from becoming overly dry or tedious. I enjoyed her analysis of the Major Arcana cards, but the most informative parts of the book for me were centered around the Minors and the court cards. She goes into some detail about interpreting Marseille-style pip cards and offers both Pythagorean and Kabalistic number theories as guides. Her chapter on the court cards made these cards come alive for me in a way other books have not achieved, and made it worth including in my collection. She also includes a useful comparison of Rider and Golden Dawn titling conventions.

The book ends with some spreads and pointers for giving readings. Tarot Wisdom would serve well as an fairly detailed introduction for someone new to Tarot. If you already have some books on Tarot meanings or history, much of the material will be repetitive, but if you are interested in comparative approaches or have enjoyed Pollack's other works, Tarot Wisdom is definitely worth a look.