Customer Reviews

Tarot for Life: Reading the Cards for Everyday Guidance and Growth

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Over the past 35 years I have bought or perused just about every book on tarot that there is. The single most inspiring is TAROT FOR LIFE. I have had to wait 35 years to find a book that can be used as a textbook for myself and students. Its simplicity yet depth is a jewel. I could easily get rid of my tarot book library and carry this one with me for ever. Yes it is simple for beginners and intermediates but it inspires advanced and practicing users in a way that is magical, opening doors to the self and doors of understanding others that is contemporary and free of all the blah, blah, blah that other writers concern themselves with. Mr. Quinn writes with the deepest understanding of the workings of the cards and the deepest understanding of human nature. He is able to blend these beautifully as a guide for the reader's interpretation and expanding knowledge. I have read books on tarot that are interesting in their complexity but useless in their practicality and I have read others that are interesting because of their concentration. Many of the latter are obviously written to make money. TAROT FOR LIFE stands on its own. Tarot reading should be simple and straightforward. The hard work is not done in the memorization of lots of card meanings nor the knowledge of esoteric symbols. The real work is done by the user who delves deep within themselves, reflecting on their true self and then knowing and linking their self to the universal. Psychic feedback is a result of this relationship not an end in itself. Mr. Quinn's book will get you to this place. Your job is to lose the self that you know and cling to. Our exploration of self through the tarot helps us to understand and experience how we already ARE free like the Fool but masterful like the Magician and all knowing like the High Priestess. This is by far the only book on tarot that you will NEED.

Paul Quinn's book "Tarot for Life" is my new number one tarot book. It's not about 78 degrees of wisdom (which was totally over my head when I was first learning tarot). Instead, it's a fresh approach, a fresh voice in my tarot journey. Totally readable, it dives into each card in a well-thought-out approach. Key words are kept to a minimum; the book focuses on friendly narrative about 78 old friends. And it's the "stories" at the end of each chapter that really bring it all home. First, the stories are short. Extra points for that, in my opinion. But secondly, the revelations are spot on. They illustrate the meaning of the card AND help teach me new insights for my own readings. "Tarot for Life" is the right size (feels great in your hands) and laid out well on the inside (the quotes Mr Quinn uses for each and every card are worth the price of the book alone!). It has truly become my most treasured tarot book. Beginners, intermediates, and experienced tarot readers would all gain something from this book.

I have a large library of books on tarot interpretation and history. I have an even larger collection of tarot decks. This is among the best of the tarot books. It is direct, sensitive,and scholarly. His treatment of each card is complete without becoming tedious. He acknowledges symbols (though this is not an emphasis) and he pays close attention to the visual elements of each along with its possible significance. Along with a narrative description of each card, he gives an example of a reading in which the card appeared and how he interpreted the card in that situation. He offers useful lists of meanings and interpretation clues, both upright and reversed. His section on reading and card spreads, though fairly short, has excellent examples. They are not a repetition of what others have written. The book has much of the compelling quality of a personal encounter. Throughout we sense the caring of the author not only for his clients but for the reader and all life. I highly recommend this to all levels of Tarot enthusiasts.

This book is a good addition to every person's New Age shelf. I'm not the most expert person in the Tarot, but I'm not a complete novice either and this book really fills the gap between the two. I've found several books that go so deeply into the meanings of the cards that they make Lord of the Rings seem terse, while "beginner" books get so bogged down in the practical details of spreads that they forget to help with the actual interpretation. This book finds just the right balance between the two. The explanations of the cards are thorough enough to give the reader a good grasp of the cards without feeling overwhelmed. There are little stories at the end of each explanation which help demonstrate interpretations without making each card seem fixed with just one way of looking at things. The How to do Readings section at the end offers sound advice on when to do (and when NOT to do) readings for yourself and others. There are also some new ideas for spreads which I've never seen before and they were fun to do. Tarot for Life was an entertaining read, but was also very helpful and practical and made the Tarot Cards much more accessible to me than they have ever been.

I love this book!! I had ordered Tarot for Life from Amazon based on reading the raving reviews which proved to be not only accurate but truly understated. Tarot For Life is saving MY life! I have always been into tarot cards and own several decks which I enjoy ... but none of the books that accompanied my cards went into depth about the true meaning of the card. I use this book not only for my Universal Waite Tarot deck but now I cross reference my other cards from other decks with this book as well. Included are samples of readings that the author Paul Quinn has given to clients that actually show you how you can incorporate these meanings into your own readings. I could not be happier with my purchase and all of my lucky friends will be receiving a copy for Christmas!!!

I first discovered Tarot back in the early 90's. I decided to buy Paul Quinn's book after meeting him at the annual "Reader's Studio" in NY. I love it. I have discovered information that I had never run across in any other book. For example, I had never noticed that the Knight of Cups is the only knight without gloves on.

I am having a lot of fun with the tarot spread he has listed on page 310. It's is a spread sometimes takes a little bit to understand the message of the cards. For example, The Sun ended up in the "What to let go of" spot, and that took a while to dial in. After talking with the person getting the reading, she said she had been neglecting herself. I used the Rabbit Tarot which has the sun behind the rabbit which signified to me that she was not "looking" to her spirit to tap into her intuition. Therefore, she was missing some guidance that her soul/spirit was sending her. So the message we took was that she had to let go neglecting herself and neglecting her spirit's messages.

Another great book is "A Magical Course in Tarot" by Michele Morgan. It's a super easy reader and it really teaches how to read the cards intuitively. It's another book that does NOT focus on memorization. I just love both those books.

FYI: for anyone interested, there is a great Tarot site,[...] where you can see cards, descriptions, learn, join the forum, etc

I've been reading tarot cards for 25 years and I have an extensive library of tarot books. I've also taken workshops with experts such as Mary Greer,Rachel Pollack and Ruth and Wald Amberstone. They were all wonderful but nothing has given me the clarity and insight as this book. You will find jewels of information every time you consult it. Also...it's so EASY to understand! This is such a big plus as many other books get so bogged down and go on and on and then you don't even remember what you have read! If you are a novice or an experienced tarot reader this book is a must. Again...just love this book!

I have been working with the Tarot nearly 40 years and I wish I'd had this book decades ago. It is wise and funny, and very, very helpful. It offers a fresh, clear understanding of how the cards, when used with skill, are a beautiful, powerful tool for self-discovery, illumination, and healing.

Rather than yet another re-hashing of esoteric meanings, Paul relates each card to actual clients and situations. Make no mistake! He does not ignore the archetypes or the rich, symbolic language of the Tarot. But unlike so many other books on the market, he demonstrates how those components actually translate into real-world, modern life situations. Very, very few other Tarot books really make this connection in such clear, believable, easy-to-understand ways.

Not only have I loved reading through this book for pure pleasure, I highly recommend it for my own Tarot students. First rate!

This a book easy to read and understand. Appreciate the author's views on Soul task oriented, Shadows work, Numbers meaning and Astrological Correspondences. Also, the pictures of Tarot cards are well printed. I enjoyed very much on reading this book, highly recommended.

Paul Quinn's take on Tarot to me is a breath of fresh air. Very practical, yet Paul uncovers the secret layers one by one in such a way that leaves you wanting more. I've read so many tarot books and have grown to love Rachel Pollack and Mary Greer, who I refer to as the Mothers of Tarot, so I was very pleased to find Paul's book with a forward by Rachel Pollack, a stamp of approval so to speak. Well this book has my stamp of approval as well. The best part about this book are the stories. After teaching the divinitory meaning, he adds a story like a page from his journal that gives an example of how that card rang true for that particular instance. Paul's style is instantly likable!