Tarot for Beginners: An Easy Guide to Understanding & Interpreting the Tarot (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) [Paperback]

P. Scott Hollander (Author)

Book Description

Series: For Beginners (Llewellyn's) | Publication Date: September 8, 2002

The Tarot is much more than a simple divining tool. While it can give accurate and detailed answers to questions when used for fortune-telling, it can also lead you down the road to self-discovery. This text tells the reader how to use the Tarot cards for meditation and self-enlightenment, as well as for divination. It offers a straightforward definition of the meaning of each card that can be applied to any system of interpretation, with any Tarot deck, using any card layout. The book also requires no prior knowledge of the Tarot. It provides an overview of the cards of the Major and Minor Arcana in terms of their origin, purpose and interpretive uses as well as clear, in-depth descriptions and interpretations of each card.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

One of the things that some students of the occult forget is that they were once beginners too. As a result, some of them assume that everyone already has advanced knowledge.
So when you're starting your studies you may be confronted with books filled with mysterious terms and complex concepts. That makes the subject daunting and difficult to learn.
To overcome this problem, Llewellyn has started the "for Beginners" series of books. They are made for people who are starting out, not already advanced. Even so, they are complete and give you everything you need to know to begin studying one subject.
Tarot for Beginners by P. Scott Hollander is a perfect example. It will allow you to give great readings with any Tarot deck. And even though the book prepares you to give in-depth interpretations of the cards, it is written in plain English so you can understand it.
The book describes the typical symbols and images you will find on each card. It also gives the meanings for each card in both the upright and inverted positions. With this information you can interpret every card of the deck! It also includes three layouts so you'll know how to spread the cards and have their meanings when they interact with each other and with the meaning of where the cards fall in the spread. Also included are sample readings so you can see exactly how this works.
Of course, the Tarot is good for much more than fortune telling. You'll get a hint of this with the spiritual meanings given for each card. These can enhance your readings or you can use them as a basis for meditation.
If you're interested in the Tarot, this should not be the last book you get. But it should be the first. It will give you an excellent grounding in the Tarot that will last your entire life.

About the Author

P. Scott Hollander had studied and used the Tarot for more than 20 years. Over the years, she did numerous readings, both face to face and at long distance. She had also used the cards for counseling and some magical operations and had taught their use as meditation tools. (She felt that she has reached the level of The Star in her own studies.) A professional freelance writer, she wrote and published books, articles, and short stories for more than 25 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (September 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567183638
• ISBN-13: 978-1567183634
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great, but not for me., June 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Tarot for Beginners: An Easy Guide to Understanding & Interpreting the Tarot (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) (Paperback)

I think this book is put together very well, and the author is obviously quite knowledgeable. The book SHOULD be a great resource... but it hasn't really succeeded for me.
I'm a tarot beginner, and really haven't gotten anything out of this book that I didn't find better, more complete, and more accessible on various web sites for free. The card interpretations are so traditional (and often very pessimistic) and so at odds with those offered by the creator of my deck, the sites I've browsed, and my own intuition, that trying to do readings with them just left me more confused (and unnecessarily freaked out). I'll probably end up returning or selling my copy and trying to find something more helpful.
I know everyone's tarot experience is going to be different, and so I'm sure this book will help many people. I'm just not going to be one of them.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for the superstitious, April 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Tarot for Beginners: An Easy Guide to Understanding & Interpreting the Tarot (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) (Paperback)

If you are the least bit superstitious, skip this rendition of "Tarot for Beginners." Nobody needs to psych themself out unnecessarily with "The Nine of Swords fortells death, failure, utter despair ... an implacable enemy, evil fate!" And "The Ace of Swords ... Triumph by Force" is not necessarily such a positive suggestion either. However, the book is quite clear and well written. (Some of the cards are actually rather flattering.) So, if you are ever asked to do a tarot reading for someone comtemplating a criminal enterprise or other evil deeds, you may find just the material you need here to convince them they're jinxed.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent very clear, concise and to the point, May 17, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Ventura, California 93003) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tarot for Beginners: An Easy Guide to Understanding & Interpreting the Tarot (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) (Paperback)

Excellence in any endeavor in life requires that one has to master the fundamentals. This book has allowed me to master the fundamentals of tarot divination and meditation. This book is the first and most important building block in my progression as a reader of tarot spreads. I never found myself asking what? huh? or what is she trying to say? I highly recommend this book to anyone just starting out or to the advanced practitioner who may need some clarification of certain issues regarding the tarot. I really enjoyed the authors views on the subjective nature of the tarot and her emphasis on the fact that there is no one single most accurate system of reading tarot spreads. A reader must continue to gather more books, cards and information in order to become more adept at reading spreads. It can be a lifelong journey that can and does pay big dividends. I have had three different readings in my life and was amazed at the insight that was communicated to me through each of the readings. I continue to add more and more cards, books and other tarot sources to my body of knowledge and hence, to my overall tarot collection. I also highly recommend "Handbook of the Tarot by Angeles Arrien.It is excellent.