Customer Reviews

The Secrets of the Tarot: Origins, History, and Symbolism

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

....on Tarot history, mystryies and an all around spectacular book on pagan history. One that I'd definately recommend to anyone interested in paganism and the tarot. I've been reading tarot cards and books on tarot for over ten years now and I'm very pleased with the info in this book. Much of what is delved into here is not even mentioned in other volumes. A must have! I really hope it goes back into print.

I am purchasing a new copy of this book as mine has gone astray, and I consider it to be (for me) one of the most life-changing books I have owned. It helped me to 'crack the code'and enter into a rich world of symbolism and mystery that I am continuing to explore many years on. The breadth of Walker's research is astounding. Walker quite often takes a blatantly anti-Christian stance in her writing, yet I found the connections between the tarot and christian symbolism, and the roots of that symbolism in earlier traditions, most enlightening. Like entering a stream of 'meaning-ness' that connects us across time and space.

This is an excellent interpretation of the tarot, from a feminist perspective. As we explore the occult, it must be ready to grow and adapt with a person's needs. This book allows and open new avenues of exploration and understanding of occult history, or should I say, herstory.

First of all, to the reader from...where was that again???oh yeah, Bogart Georgia, there obviously just weren't enough pictures to satisfy a scholar such as yourself...
I, on the other hand, am no 'scholar', but I have read the book as well as most of her other titles, and I've enjoyed it immensely. It's packed with information pertaining to history and symbolism with a feminist focus, and all I can say to that is that it's time we looked at the past from all sides. We've enough wars happening today because of the narrow-mindedness of the "patriarchal regimes" of the world.

I bought this book when it first came out and have consulted it through the years. As tarot studies become more accepted and better understood, this book is bound to become a classic. Barbara Walker has researched her book extensively and makes sure to note all the necessary references. Just for the references, it is worth buying. When we consider new additons to tarot history, like Paul Huson's recently published book on the mystical origins of the tarot, we realize how scholarly research is really at the core of serious understanding of any subject, especially such topics as cartomancy, which most people reject as not worthy of any study. This book should be part of any serious core collection on this much maligned and misunderstood subject.

I bought the B.Walker deck as a beginner, and found it helped me learn. When I finally had the opportunity to pick up the book that went with it, it was a real eye opener to the world of tarot. She uses celtic references, as well as other religions and expands on her deck quite well. I will never forget any of the things she has taught me.

Being a feminist, this is definitely a must read.
Very detailed researching of history.

The cards themselves are also so powerful.

Great addition to the Wiccan Library or for the just curious. Barbara Walker is a researcher by trade and does a wonderful job with her detasil and insight in this book. If you need to know HOW to read the Tarot cards, this is not the book for you but if you want to learn all about the cards to enable you to better interpret them, then this is your book.

Thank you, Barbara! Open minded researchers have struggled to overcome the conspiracy against the true history of Tarot (as evidenced by the cards themselves) and your excellent book puts the "historians" in their place ~ let them squawk! 5 STARS

If you have the Barbara Walker tarot deck, this book is an excellent accompaniment because there is a description of each card in the book.

However....there is a definite anti-Christian theme in the history of the tarot section and, even though I'm not really a Christian, I am skeptical of anything that carries too much of a bias.

As a huge fan of Barbara Walker's treasury of knitting pattern books and an aspiring Tarot student, the book and the card deck are definitely worth it, ultimately.