THE CELTIC CROSS TAROT Cutting To The Chase

                                                                                                                                             Review by: Misha

The Celtic Cross spread seems to be the most common spread used by readers. Reality would surprise you though; there are just as many readers out there that do not use it, including myself. Oh I have attempted it many times with it leading to nothing more then staring blankly at the cards and wondering wth is this. Frustration was the only result I ever had with trying to get the Celtic Cross spread to work.
This book written by Shannon MacLeod and Illustrated by Beth Seilonen will put those frustrations to rest. Shannon has made it “easy-peasy” as she states in her How To Use This Book section. Her own 13 year daughter was the inspiration behind writing this book; as you can read in the Forward.
Shannon has taken each card (yes all 78 of them) and written their meaning in both upright and reverse for all 10 positions of the Celtic Cross spread. It just can’t get any easier then that!
So if you are a beginning and feeling overwhelmed about spreads and how to do them, this is a must have. For those who have shied away and ignored the Celtic Cross spread this book is also for you. Shannon will shed light where there was once confusion and total darkness.

Published by Schiffer Publishing
Author Shannon MacLeod
Illustrator: Beth Seilonen

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Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot With Confidence

By: Brigit Esselmont

Review by: Misha

     I love Biddy Tarot, it was the main site that I always referred to when I was starting out. Brigit Esselmont is direct and to the point with all of her tarot knowledge. I was honored to have received an email from her asking me to consider reviewing her latest ebook Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot With Confidence. I am even more excited to be arranging her to appear as a guest on my internet tv show Universal Sight. Not being too tech savy however I was not sure I would be able to do a review for her as I am an old fashion gal that enjoys having book in hand. I have never had an interest in owning a kindle or any other computerized way of owning and reading a book. For those like me you will be happy to know that the expense of a new gadget is not needed. All you have to have on your computer is the free adobe program and this wonderful ebook for learning tarot can be enjoyed by you as well.

      This is really done in 31 days and you do not even start working with a deck at all until the 3^rd day. Brigit writes this in a way that allows one to decide what way works for them. Tarot is a diverse tool, there is no “one way” to do anything and Brigit shows that repeatedly through her book. She even gives different ways of how cleansing your deck can be done, so that one knows there isn’t a “right” way of doing anything when it comes to tarot. Every aspect of tarot is about what works for you, from which deck to use, meanings, spreads and doing readings.

      Tarot is not about memorizing some card meanings or keywords; there is an intuitive way of reading as well as the rational way. You get to try it both ways so that you are able to see firsthand what works for you.. The importance of keeping a tarot journal is explained and is one of the activities you will be doing. You will learn how to do a tarot journal, and for beginners this is a very important and helpful thing to do.

     There are lots of other things that a reader can learn that they can use when doing a reading; numerology is the one that is discussed in this book. Specific meanings are not given, the general meaning of each suit is given and a numerological meaning is given. You will do an activity in which you will use both of these principals to be able to create your own keywords. In tarot symbols are very important and this is also discussed as well.

      Besides learning all about the importance of a journal, you also are taught how to make your own keyword charts. You are also encouraged to use other outside resources, and not only Tarot Foundations and your deck.

      Tarot is something that you never stop learning about, there is always something new to learn. One can continue learning new things their entire life or stop with the basics, the choice is yours. Tarot Foundations can be done in 31 days, like it’s title, or you may take less or more days then that. This is done so that each exercise is done in a day, you may take longer or less then a day working at your own pace. I would never suggest that anyone rush through it though especially just for the sake of hurrying up in order to start charging.

        This is a wonderful book and I wish it was out years ago for myself to use. There are things in it that I personally do not agree with such as suggested decks to use and timing. I feel that some of the deck suggestions given are not appropriate for a beginner to use. Some of them do not follow the traditional Rider Waite at all and would be very confusing for someone just starting out and are using Brigit’s Tarot Foundation as their learning book. As far as timing goes that is something that is not structured and also has more then one way it can be done. For some reason Brigit deviates from her way of teaching when it comes to timing. Throughout the entire learning process you are taught so that you develop what works for you, except for timing. Brigit explains timing in one structured way, which actually does differ from my own. Timing can be done a multitude of ways and is another aspect of tarot in which each reader finds what works for them and for some reason this was not done and actually is what surprised me the most.

        This is a wonderful 5 chapter book for someone just starting to learn tarot and I highly recommend it. I also want to add that you should not rush out and buy your first tarot deck until you have purchased Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot With Confidence. Remember, I stated that you do not start to work with a deck until day 3 and the reason is because picking the right deck for you is discussed. This book will answer all those questions one always has about choosing their deck and if it’s ok to purchase it themselves. I found this self published work to be as professional as any that are done by a publishing company. The added plus is that it is in color and uses Rider Waite images. If you are like me and cringe at the thought of making charts Brigit explains it and how to do it so that it is easy to follow and do yourself. All the activities discussed and explained are very helpful when learning how to read tarot. I can’t recommend Tarot Foundations enough.

Click here to visit Biddy Tarot and purchase your copy of Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot With Confidence.

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Tarot For Beginners
By Barbara Moore
Review by: Misha

     There are some out there saying, “Another book about how to read tarot?” There are just so many out there, how different can this one be. Then there are those like myself that said, “ A book written by Barbara Moore, it’s about time, can’t wait to get it!” Well I have it and had it for awhile now but haven’t found the time to sit down and give it the attention it needed until now.

     Barbara has a way of writing that has the feeling she is right there in person talking to you. She also personalizes the book by telling about her own personal experiences. The book is simply written and easy to understand. I also like how Barbara makes it very clear throughout that there is not a wrong way to read tarot. From shuffling all the way through reading the cards the way it is done will vary from reader to reader and that is demonstrated throughout the book.

      The basic history of tarot is of course included, in the first chapter called Basics. Lots of information is covered in this short 28 page chapter, not just the history. Rituals and Journaling are just two other areas that Barbara touches on and she keeps it short, sweet but to the point.
     Chapter 2 The Card Meanings Barbara starts by explaining that even when learning the meanings of the cards there is no one way or one right way. Leaving the beginner free from fears of doing it wrong. Barbara has chosen to illustrate this by using three different decks; the Universal Waite Tarot, The Lagacy of the Divine Tarot and Shadowscapes. Each of these decks has its own unique portrayal of the cards. Some people may find this distracting, annoying and even confusing to follow and understand, myself included. However with “Tarot For Beginners” it is done eloquently and simply. Doing it this way also again demonstrates that each reader is different, each artist is different and that there is variety in the tarot. It is kept simplified by only having a few sentences about each card. Each card is given what is called its Core Meaning which is the general meaning for each card. It is then explained how it applies to the 3 completely different illustrated decks.

     Following the Card Meaning Chapter, Barbara continues with the chapters: Finding More Meaning, Adding Something Extra, Developing your Skills, Spreads and the final chapter Sample Readings. In these final chapters it is explained how to take the basic knowledge that you have learned and expand on it. It also shows how learning tarot is something that is always ongoing and no matter how long you do readings there is always something new to learn, see and experience. Tarot is an ongoing experiment and this is clearly stated in Barbara Moore’s last few sentences which state: “Shuffle your cards. Play with them. Do something differently. Do something new. Ask hard questions. Ask crazy questions. Be part of not only your own future but also the future of tarot.”

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The Tarot For Common Folk: The Tarot Explained in Simple English
Written by: Paul E. Gipp
Published by: Author House
ISBN: 978-1-4389-3064-0
Review by: Misha

This book is exactly as it is titled (in Simple English) it is simple and easy to read. It does not just explain the individual cards as a lot of tarot books do. Paul’s book gives easy to read explanations from the history of Tarot, parapsychology, the Golden Dawn, and Kabbalah just to name a few. His explanations are simple and easily understood in relation to the tarot cards. This allows a person to get a basic understanding of the many different aspects that can be used when reading tarot. Allowing you to better determine what areas you may want to further study in more depth. Numerology and astrology are also discussed in a simplified easy to understand style.

Reading Paul’s book is like listening to an instructor during a class. He not only writes about the cards in the traditional way but explains why he personally applies his own system to the cards. We all as readers have our own way of doing things and we each have something different that works for each of us. Paul explains this in a natural easy to understand style.

The Tarot For Common Folk is 237 pages, but is so well written and down to earth you are not overwhelmed with to much information and it does not take long at all to read. Chapter 6, the last chapter of the book, breaks down how to take the information learned so that you can do a reading. Examples of spreads are not just given in the chapter, but everything from Who You Should Read For, common factors that are appearing, timing, sample readings and everything in between.

I found this book not only informative but entertaining as well. The Tarot has so many aspects and knowledge that the learning never stops. For me personally this book made some of those areas that I just didn’t get finally click.

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