Customer Reviews

Tarot Dictionary and Compendium

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book's main part is a collection of cards meanings from different major tarot book authors, collected with the purpose of getting to a card's meaning by integrating the different texts written about the card.

This is, indeed, very useful - it's like appreciating a precious cut stone by looking at it from different angles and directions.

I like reading the descriptions, e.g. poems by Aleister Crowley, heavy text by Waite, Angeles Arrien's text, and Mary greer's text.

Actually, I like this book so much that I take it along with my tarot deck to refresh my memory and view of cards.

This is a very good approach, but with a slight problem - the descriptions are for different decks (e.g. Rider Waite, Thoth, and Motherpeace), so a reader would get the general idea of a card but must still know the nuances of the deck she works with and which nuances belong to other decks.

Jana Riley has compiled commentary and interpretations on each card from 14 Tarot writers (plus herself) so you can quickly look up a card and get 15 different perspectives on it when you're not sure what it might be saying in a particular context. The authorities included are: Angeles Arrien, Norma Cowie, Aliester Crowley, Pamela Eakins, Gail Fairfield, Mary Greer, Vicki Noble, Rachel Pollack, Jana Riley, Juliet Shurman-Burke, RJ Stewart, AE Waite, Barbara Walker, Dr James Wanless, and Oswald Wirth. I have found that Fairfield tends to be way out in left field, and Wanless & Riley are sometimes questionable, but overall this book is an invaluable reference and should be part of any Tarot student's library. ...Because it _IS_ an entire Tarot library, digested in one volume.

There may be another book out there that gathers this many correspondences together in one place. I doubt it. The astrological signs, the planets, the rune sign, the musical note, the colour, the plant or flower, the season, the gemstone, and the meaning of each card from over 13 different authors are here at your fingertips and all together on just a few pages per card.

These are not "fashionable" authors. These are the heavy hitters of the tarot world across the span of tarot's popularity.

I am ordering a second copy today. This is the most useful tarot guide I have ever found in over 20 years of study. You will not regret buying this book, but you will wonder how you ever got by without it.

Besides Jana Riley's other book, this one is the one Tarot book I reach for again and again. It's treasures and wisdom never fail to surprise me and offer new insights and perspectives. She takes all the varied authors and puts them all together in one book for you, how wonderful is that?! It's really enhanced and added to my skills and range of reading and knowledge of each card.

She did an awesome job of gathering the right authors and interpertations for this book. Of course it's not meant to be all inclusive, that would be near impossible! But there is a bursting weath of knowledge awaiting you in these plages.

Excellent book and one you won't regret adding to you Tarot must have list!

I have one word that comes to mind after reading through this book, WOW!!!
After suffering a brain tumor and loss of most of my ability to remember I needed this book! I had to laugh at her story about a friend who stopped by for coffee one morning and remarked that she had enough material to make a library proud!! You should see my house! I have bought book after book in hopes of being able to get back to the level of reading/interpretation and joy I had before the surgery. Many books have helped but none have really put it all together for me like this book!!
I have been reading Tarot for over 20 years and most of that is just a memory now. However Ms. Riley's book has been a blessing to me. Boy would I love to see her original notebook! hehe! Because of this book I'm able to re learn the Tarot again. As to date this book has been the most helpful. Easy to understand and the layout is a breeze! It is really helping me recall what I loved and do love about so many different decks. I have over 200 decks and some are in this book. Just to name a few authors; Mary Greer, A.E.Waite, Aleister Crowley, Vicki Noble, R.J. Stewart and Jana Riley, Barbara Walker, Juliet Sharman-Burke, Oswald Wirth. This is a wonderful dictionary / compendium and it makes it easy for me to follow along with a favorite deck. With definitions from the authors themselves you are able to gain insights into the different card interpretations directly from the authors themselves! How neat is that!! Ms. Riley includes a section describing basic layouts too. This book has much much more than my feeble mind can recall but trust me it is loaded with a wealth of knowledge! I truly love this book!! I have only had it a month and it is already dogeared so I have already ordered another copy as I don't want to ever be without it!!

I thank you Ms. Riley!! :)) You are a blessing! :))

I think the best thing I've found about this book so far is the wide range of meanings given. It's a change from the usual, where you have the author write the book give their meanings, and only theirs.

This gives you a far wider range of ways to read into the cards, there are no less than 15 other authors (modern and traditional) meanings included for each card too majors and minors people such as, Greer,Arrien,Cowie,Crowley,Pollack,Waite,Walker, to name but a few.

It includes a wheel of correspondences too, which is quite useful, this helps you to understand which cards stand for what Chakra and what Rune if your interested in these areas too. Lots of interesting information on a number of other subjects rather than just the usual Tarot meanings. 272 Pages not counting the bibliography,contents,preface etc.

All in all a good informative read.

This book is well described as Dictionary and Compendium. It is loaded with information and history on understanding the Tarot cards. It may have more information than some people would want, but I personally love the challenge.

It certainly lives up to it's promise of collecting a lot of information about each Tarot card in the deck. I wouldn't call it the best "introduction" to the Tarot though. The first chapter about the generalities is a bit short, not that it doesn't ring true! It's just not as in depth as a beginner might want.

The real strength of the book is that there are several interprtaions of each card, provided from some of the biggest names in Tarot experts. Of course not all of them see eye to eye on every card. There can be a whole lot of fluxuation. But to have to opinions of such notables collected without having to buy every book on the shelf is really nice. What's more, it lets you get a feeling for whose views yours are likely to follow, and then you know that their book is the one you want to flesh out the details!

So whose opinions were gathered in the Tarot Dictionary & Compendium?
Arrien, Angeles
Cowie, Norma
Crowley, Aleister
Eakins, Joyce and Pamela
Fairfield, Gail
Greer, Mary
Noble, Vicki
Pollack, Rachel
Sharman-Burke, Juliet
Stewart, R.J.
Waite, Arthur Edward
Walker, Barbara
Wanless, James
Wirth, Oswald (not included in the Minor Arcana)
Riley, Jana

There is a chapter on correspondences (major arcana only) that introduces the reader to some of the tarot links to other more esoteric concepts (astrology, runes, chakras, Qaballah and such). The chapter on spreads (all 3 of them) is pretty useless however. What I did like was that there are 2 bibliographies, one just for Tarot books and another for the rest such as Jungian concepts, myth, even encycolpedias.

I'm sure that this book is going to cut my study time radically. I can flip to the section on any card to brush up on something, or to remember what source I've got on the tip of my tongue. It's just perfect for jogging one's memory or leading you to new meanings to explore.

I was hoping for modern methods for reading tarot. If I live 100 years ago, this would be great. Its set up , as an opinion of different readers, with suggestions of what they mean. I been reading for 40 years . I always want to keep up to date. This is so old school.