The Tarot Companion; An Essential Reference Guide [Paperback]

Tracy Porter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2000

For hundreds of years, people have pondered the meanings of the mysterious Tarot cards and their uses. Now you can get insights into the cards via tradition, symbolism, and comparison to several other spiritual traditions in Tarot Companion by Tracy Porter.

If you want to learn the Tarot, study the cards, or expand your knowledge of them, this book will be one of the most valuable on your bookshelf. It begins with a complete explanation of the meanings of every one of the seventy-eight cards of the Tarot. But that is just the beginning.

The book immediately goes into some of the more esoteric aspects of the Tarot. Here you will learn the meanings of the people in the Tarot, including those on the Major Arcana cards, and the face cards in the Minor Arcana. Then you will learn about combinations of cards in a spread. This is followed by a section on how to use the cards to determine when something will happen. And there's still more.

A major section in this book is the symbolism dictionary. In this part of the book you will learn the secret meanings of almost 100 of the symbols you will find in your Tarot deck. From sunflowers to pentacles, a cypress tree to a wreath, the hidden meanings are revealed so you can use them in a reading.

Next, Porter compares the Tarot to other spiritual systems and shows how they can enhance your reading techniques. This includes numerology, astrology, runes, colors, I Ching, and more. Finally, you will learn over twenty Tarot spreads you can use.

No matter what system of Tarot divination you use, this book will be, as its name says, a valuable companion. It will help open doors you didn't know existed, improving both your Tarot reading abilities and your understanding of other spiritual systems. Keep this book with you!

This is a Print-on-Demand title. Please allow an additional 2-3 days for delivery.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

OK, I like gadgets. I admit it. But I don't like all of them. I like ones that are helpful and make things easier or make me more productive. Perhaps you've seen those hand-held devices that combine a datebook, a calendar, a telephone book, an address book, and more. Some of them will even let you check your email, surf the internet, or play games. And these devices are so small they can fit in your pocket. I like that type of thing.

Tarot Companion by Tracy Porter is like those multi-use devices. It has so many different types of information in it, all of which you're going to find a use for. Would you like to have a quick explanation of the meaning of each of the Tarot cards? It's in there. How about the meaning of the symbols on the cards? It's in there, too.

How about using such systems as the I Ching, the runes, or astrology to enhance your understanding of the Tarot cards and let you give better readings. You'll find that covered in the book. You'll also have all the information you need to improve your Tarot reading using color, numerology, the Cabala, and more.

Do you want another Tarot spread to give a better reading for a specific question? This book doesn't have just one or two spreads, but offers over twenty of them so you can find exactly what you need.

Keep this book with your Tarot deck so you can consult it often. Every time you open it you're going to find something new that you can use. There's no longer a need to have multiple books because this one gives you what you need.

I hope you give this book a try. I know you're not only going to like it — you're going to use it!

About the Author

Tracy Porter is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, but now lives in England, where she has a career in business. While serving in the U.S. Air Force, she traveled extensively, and earned her B.A. in Computer Studies.
She studies and writes on topics such as numerology, the Tarot, and astrology, is a member of the American Federation of Astrologers, and has been published in a number of British and American magazines, including Today’s Astrologer, Prediction Magazine, and American Astrologer. She teaches Tarot classes, and also works as a reader at psychic fairs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567185746
• ISBN-13: 978-1567185744
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilled with this little gem!, November 8, 2002

By 

kooky Kid "Bookfiend1818" (east coast) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Tarot Companion; An Essential Reference Guide (Paperback)

How interesting that all sorts of readers come away with such different insights. I loved this little book, in fact it was an overdue library book that I thought I would thumb through before I returned it..and I loved it so much I plan to buy my own copy.
I am not a beginner at esoteric subjects, but I never quite got the hang of doing readings with cards.Perhaps I never will, but I feel more insightful after wolfing down this book in one sitting.
I loved the vast appendix on symbolism, there were some very poignant ideas that made me think in new ways. I remember the author explains that the hand symbolism is closely connected to the heart, that each hand chakra is connected to the heart chakra, and young lovers are often seen holding hands. I thought of the Beatles "I want to hold your hand",and later that night dreamed of riding a bus and holding someone's hand. I will never again see the symbol of the hand in the same way.This book is chock-ful of these pearls
The author also weaves in information and connections to the Cabala- and numerology which is very closely aligned with this hebrew system.Lastly, the color/ chakra associations delighted me as well. As far as the card interpretations, I always feel frustrated when too big an explanation is given for each card/ scenario, I like a general energetic symbolic basis that I can expand upon, and this is what was given here.
I would definetly recommend this delightful,concise manual that seems to me, to have something for everyone to enjoy...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good beginner book...., December 23, 2001

By 

Boudica (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tarot Companion; An Essential Reference Guide (Paperback)

So many tarot books you pick up these days give you the author's insight into what each of the different cards mean. You can get lost in the different references or bored to tears. Tarot Companion takes a unique approach.

Besides giving a general overview of each of the cards (Ms. Porter uses the Rider-Waite deck) she then takes a look at the symbology of the deck as well. By understanding the symbols used in the cards and the meanings behind them, we begin to see trends within a reading that we might not have seen before. The most obvious example would be a reading with four kings, or five pentacles. Ms. Porter covers these repeated trends, as well as explaining symbols that may repeat within the cards themselves. An example of this would be if roses repeated themselves in some of the cards (examples Fool and Magician in the Major Arcana). By understanding what roses might mean, you can draw a connection you may not have otherwise seen.

Her insight into the meanings of the symbology used on the Rider-Waite deck are refreshingly interesting, not a repeat of dozens of other books. Ms. Porter also points that many other decks based on the Rider-Waite deck use similar symbology and much of this material can be used with other decks.

There sections included on different tarot layouts, Chakra's and the tarot, Astrology and the tarot, Cabala and the tarot and many other correspondences.

A nicely put together book, well developed and with an interesting new look at how the tarot deck works.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A keeper of a reference book, July 21, 2000

By 

Errol McLendon - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tarot Companion; An Essential Reference Guide (Paperback)

Finally, someone has taken the correspondences from all the esoteric fields and combined them in one concise volume. From I Ching to Astrology to Chakras, this book give a great cross reference for each card. I read it cover to cover and enjoyed the hidden gems of information. It can also be bought as a reference book to be used occasionally to clarify confusion. The section on the Cabala pathways and their correspondences to the Major Arcanaa, is one of the most lucid interpretation I have ever seen. The meanings evolve naturally from Tarcy Porter's pages, not forced at all. For anyone drowning in Cabala, this is a lovely life raft. Timing is another area very well presented. I have seen the same ideas presented in other books, but Ms. Tracy has the gift of focusing on the essential. Finally, the appendix has a nice assortment of very functional spreads and a very nice bibliography for anyone needing more detailed information on any of the areas covered in this book.