Tarot Dictionary and Compendium (Paperback)

by Jana Riley (Author) "The tarot is a collection of 78 pictures presented in the form of a deck of cards..." (more)
Key Phrases: middle self, divination works, plant essences, Word Archetype, Minor Arcana, Major Arcana (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Tarot Dictionary & Compendium includes basic definitions of the cards, correspondences (with esoterica, gemstones, runes, astrology, Huna, color, essences, mythology, and language), and a short section on layouts. Jana Riley (a superlative researcher in the world of esoteric study) has quoted card definitions from major authors to provide succinct definitions of each card in the deck. Reader's will get new insights into the meaning of the cards and how different teachers approach the tarot. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Description
Students of the tarot will call this the reference book of the century! Includes basic definitions of the cards, correspondences (with esoterica, gemstones, runes, astrology, Huna, color, essences, mythology, and language), and a short section describing basic layouts. Jana Riley (a superlative researcher in the world of esoteric study) has quoted card definitions from major authors to provide succinct definitions of each card in the deck. Readers will gain new insights into card interpretation and how different teachers approach the tarot.

Riley has collected material from major authors (both modern and traditional) in order to provide definitions of each card in the deck. Many of these authors also offer great number of decks, ranging from the well-known Waite, Crowely Thoth, and Wirth decks, to the more modern, such as The William Blake Tarot of Creative Imagination, Tarot of the Spirit, Motherpeace Round Tarot, Shining Woman Tarot, The Mythic Tarot, The Merlin Tarot, The Dreampower Deck, The Barbara Walker Tarot, The Voyager Tarot. This the first time that students of tarot symbolism can combine card meanings from such an eclectic group of experts. This book is destined to become an invaluable resource for all interested in the tarot!

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Red Wheel / Weiser (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877288216
• ISBN-13: 978-0877288213
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #754,512 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must have book., July 13, 2000

By	Uri Raz (Israel) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Resource, December 25, 2004

By	J. W. Kennedy "in statu uiae et meriti" (Richmond, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All the correspondences, all the time!, June 1, 2008

By	Alison M. Wild "Alison M. Wild" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.