My Review Of "Beyond The Celtic Cross"

Can I make a confession? I’ve been waiting for this book with bated breath and was mighty envious that Douglas of Tarot Eon had his hands on a copy before I did. I’m usually not the jealous type but I was in full on coveting mode when I read his review. I had to have it! Immediate gratification!!! Oh, the agony of waiting! Finally the day came when the familiar Amazon smiley box arrived at my door and I got my paws around the long awaited book.

I’m an old timer here in regards to tarot reading. I’ve been playing around with it for almost 30 years. I’ve dealt with clients from all walks of life and answered every type of question that you can imagine. But I still find myself learning and searching for new techniques (even though I am rather fond of my own methods!). A few months ago, I got turned on to some excellent blogs from the UK that had some curious systems (card counting, Elemental Dignities, etc.) that caught my eye and I’ve been intrigued ever since. This book, “Beyond The Celtic Cross” by Paul Hughes Barlow and Catherine Chapman (two of the aforementioned bloggers) sheds light on these techniques and helps the reader to apply them in a way that can turn any tarot reading into a richer experience.

Written in a dialogue fashion between the two authors, we get to see these methods in action so to speak. It begins with Catherine writing to Paul about a tarot reading that she was having trouble interpreting. With Paul as her steady guide, they deftly maneuver through the different systems and demonstrate how to interpret with them using Catherine’s reading as the example throughout the entire book.

Card Counting is very new to me and it was confusing to understand – but by following along with their example, it finally begun to sink in. And yes – it does add a new dimension to tarot reading. I had a basic understanding of Elemental Dignities but this book cleared up any lingering questions I had. I am a very visual learner and by having Catherine’s reading to “see” what was happening, I put the pieces together and was able to understand where they got their interpretations. This is a huge plus in my opinion.

Not only do we get to see the methods in action but we get to see Catherine grow as a tarot reader and visionary. This made the book a very personal experience, not just some old dry tarot book that would have bored me to tears. I highly recommend this to any tarot reader – but especially to those who are looking to shake up their current reading style. Trust me, you will never look at tarot the same!

Blessings!
Theresa

Learn more about the authors and their techniques at their websites:

Paul Hughes Barlow at Supertarot
Catherine Chapman at Tarot Elements

Foreward written by:
Douglas Gibb at Tarot Eon