The Deck and Book Nook - Tarot For Beginners

Even though I have been reading tarot for many years, I still read a lot of tarot books. And you may be surprised to hear that I read plenty of beginner’s books. The reason why is this – each author has a different take or method for learning tarot and I am always finding new ways to understand the cards. A beginner’s book often will be written clearly without some heady esoteric mumbo jumbo (which I enjoy on occasion) and this lends to clear, practical insights.

Barbara Moore has delivered such a book with her newest offering, Tarot For Beginners. The writing is crisp and easy to follow – there is no arcane murky language here to contend with, making this book ideal for anyone who wants to delve into tarot but felt intimidated.

She sets a great foundation by covering all the basics without hard and fast tarot “rules”. This creates an energy that allows the reader to have a strong base but still room to be an individual with their own unique voice. Moore offers interpretations for each card along with a “core concept” – which is a short, pithy statement that defines the core meaning of the card. This is a great idea and gives a beginner a simple easy to remember sentence, which makes it simpler to grasp and retain the basic interpretation. I love the extended interpretations as well but the core concept is a brilliant idea – and ideal for budding tarot readers.

Moore also lovingly covers all the basics – numbers, Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, suits, elements, Court cards, spreads, history, different readings styles and more. This is a lot of information to digest, but once again, her friendly relaxed tone makes it easy to understand.

My only critique: There are three different decks featured in the book – Rider Waite, Shadowscapes, and Legacy of the Divine. Some readers will appreciate it (especially those who do not read with the Rider Waite deck) but I felt this was a bit unnecessary and somewhat distracting for me (my brain prefers to focus on one thing at a time – too many things to look at makes me a bit dizzy). However, this is simply a matter of taste and not a major issue.

I do a lot of teaching and I especially like working with beginners. I am going to heartily recommend this to all of my students. It makes a great manual! But even old hats like me will find something useful here. So don’t let the “beginner” title hold you back from grabbing a copy.

I give this book 2 Swords Up. Get it, devour it and start shuffling!

Blessings!