Tarot: Your Everyday Guide [Paperback]

Janina Renée (Author), Janina Renee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

Every day you make choices. Some are big, some are small-but all will affect the course of your future. The good news is that you don't have to do it alone-the tarot can give you advice when you need it most!
Reading the tarot for advice requires a different approach than reading for prediction. "Tarot: Your Everyday Guide "presents a new method of tarot interpretation. You'll learn how to use the tarot to help you make an informed decision and determine a course of action for just about any life situation.
For example, in an advice reading the Two of Wands could mean you should set up your own challenges to work out goals, define issues, and work out compromises. If the King of Cups comes up in an advice reading, it means you must give encouragement, acknowledge the accomplishments of others, give rewards, and let others enjoy the limelight. Alternatively, it could mean you need to seek a mentor who has these qualities. The position of a given card within a spread, and the cards before and after it, will clarify the cards' advice for you.
You can even use advice readings to augment traditional divination. If a divinatory spread shows trouble ahead, consult the cards for advice on how to avoid the situation or lessen its impact.
Whether you're an experienced tarot reader or have never even shuffled the cards before, this unique and practical book will open new doors of understanding and help you integrate the rich symbolism of the tarot into your daily life.
Winner of the 2001 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Award for best Self-help Book

Editorial Reviews

Review

"All of her interpretations are based on the cards lending down-to-earth advice and problem-solving, rather than cosmic predictions." -- Valerie Sim-Behi, Tarot Passages

From the Publisher

Several decades ago I thought that the market for Tarot decks was filled. There were a dozen or two decks and I couldn't see a reason for there to be any more. Boy, was I wrong! What I've learned is that the Tarot has struck a chord in the hearts and souls of millions of people. Today there are hundreds of decks. There is something about having the cards in front of you that is very powerful and can trigger deep spiritual insights.

In the past, most Tarot instructors have focused on the predictive power of the Tarot. But the truth is, that's only half of what most clients want. They also want to know if they should take a new job or stay with the old, say "yes" or "no" to an offer, move or not move. They want advice — specific advice — to complement the predictions. Being able to give an advice reading is what Tarot: Your Everyday Guide is all about.

For example, to many readers, if the Ten of Cups appears it means that there will be abundance of love and good feelings. It is a nice, positive prediction. In an advice reading, however, it tells you to make decisions and choices that favor the making and preservation of relationships. Do you see the difference? The divinatory approach tells you what is happening or what will happen (depending upon where it falls in the spread), while in the advice reading you are told exactly what to do.

Every card in the deck is fully explained so you can use the information to add new depth and energy to your readings. You don't want to miss this groundbreaking book! Tarot: Your Everyday Guide will help you integrate the cards fully into your daily life, strengthening your bond with the cards and helping you to make wise, fulfilling decisions.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567185657
• ISBN-13: 978-1567185652
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,992 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

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing and down-to-earth, August 19, 2001

By 

Kelly (Fantasy Literature) (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tarot: Your Everyday Guide (Paperback)

Ever done a Tarot reading to make sense of a difficult situation, examined all the cards, and still had no idea how to solve your predicament? Renee has written an excellent book that gets down to practical neamings of each card. She is coming from the perspective of "advice" readings, where you consult the cards in order to tackle a particular problem. Each card, including the often-neglected Minor Arcana, is examined in detail, and treated as advice you could take in a situation. You drew the 4 of Pentacles? Time to hold on to your resources and focus on security. The 6 of Pentacles? Now is the time to be generous. None of the cards are treated as "bad" cards, because--to use a cliche--to everything there is a season. This isn't an arcane, solemn tome about the Journey of the Fool and the mythical archetypes he runs into along the way; it's about your journey through your own life, and your own life situations both mundane and spiritual. Great for beginners and experienced readers alike.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading for advice.No nonsense, November 28, 2000

By 

Mar Calpena (Barcelona, Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tarot: Your Everyday Guide (Paperback)

First of all, a word of warning: This is not a "card-a-day" book (in the sense it isn't divided in 365 chapters as you could expect from the title. Or at least that's what I expected). This book is one of the most complete works I've found on tarot understood not as a means to divination but as a way to find guidance. I really enjoyed the fact the cards came from several different decks. This is a rather unusual book, and it feels like a real treat to those who do a daily reading to focus in in the morning.The approach is simpler than Mary K. Greer's "Tarot for your self", which might be slightly daunting for absolute beginners (much as I love the book). Janina Renee is also the author of "Tarot spells", another book which goes beyond the repetition of material many works offer these days.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tarot: Your Everyday Guide, December 14, 2002

By 

Cassandra Barnes "Cassandra" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tarot: Your Everyday Guide (Paperback)

Janina Renee holds degrees in Anthropology and Cultural Studies. She has taught and lectured on a variety of subjects, appeared in films and on radio. She says her "life calling is to explore means by which to translate the magic and mystery of the old ways into practices that are meaningful for modern people."
Tarot: Your Everyday Guide is her third book, and in it, she shows readers how to use tarot cards for advice, rather than for prediction. She uses a practical, problem-oriented approach, explaining "how the cards can suggest courses of action, attitudes to take, and other things we can do to help with some of the common questions that come up in our lives."
She first describes the kinds of questions that might be asked, saying that if you don't have a specific problem, you can always ask for advice on how to improve your life. She offers general instructions on how to lay out and interpret the cards.
The bulk of the book is devoted to describing the individual cards and their potential meanings and interpretations. Renee provides enough information that readers can understand the advice the cards are offering, regardless of their individual situations. She explains, however, that nothing bad will happen if a person doesn't take the cards' advice. She says the cards "are entirely neutral and have no good or bad, positive or negative associations, since they merely suggest things you can do, and not things that are going to happen to you."
Many factors go into making decisions and sometimes we need help in sorting the relevant date from the non-relevant. Tarot: Your Everyday Guide teaches readers how to use "the wisdom of the Tarot to define our issues and frame our outlook [to] help the course of daily life run much more smoothly."