The Deck and Book Nook: Tarot Prediction And Divination

As a fan of predictive style tarot reading, I was looking forward to receiving my copy of Tarot Prediction And Divination by Susyn Blair-Hunt (Llewellyn Worldwide, Jan 2011, ISBN 0738721727). Although there are many tarot books on the market, finding a good one on “how to predict” is always a challenge. Most books tend to focus on explaining individual card meanings and the mechanics of tarot reading.

Interpretation is an art form that requires a good grasp of intuition as well as experience. This is not easy to explain in a book – actually doing a reading seems to be the only way to get a handle on the prediction part.

The author attempts to bridge the gap with this book and although she presents some very good exercises, I think that the title was somewhat misleading as this book seemed to be more or less another book of “tarot spreads” rather than a “how to predict” book. Now, that is not meant to be a harsh criticism – the spreads here will help to access your intuition. I guess I expected this book to really lay out how to divine the future from the title alone.

The book begins by explaining the three different types of readings: divinatory, therapeutic and spiritual. (I did like to see that the author does not shy away from the word “fortune telling”.) She also covers free will and fate, looking at the visual cues in the deck, preparing your deck, and accuracy. This introduction is well written and gives a good, basic introduction to tarot.

She also explains how to read for each different astrology sign (ex: use keyword “I feel” for water signs, “I think” for air signs, etc.) which some readers may find helpful. One odd thing though that I didn’t agree with: she suggests taking negative cards out of the deck when predicting pregnancy or health situations. I had to disagree with that as my belief is that life has struggles and we can’t just deliver only rosy messages to a client. It’s irresponsible and leads to a less accurate reading. For example, a negative reading on health can bring the client awareness and give them the tools to seek the proper help. Sometimes a “warning” in a reading can be preventative if the information is delivered properly. While the author does not discourage readers from doing readings on negative situations, I felt that this suggestion to remove cards was questionable. (That being said, removing negative cards when reading for a child would be a situation that makes total sense.)

The rest of the book is laid out in three sections of tarot spreads: beginner, intermediate and advanced. The spreads are unique and I found a few gems in here that I really liked. The “Yes or No Reading” is a great one for those quick readings where the client is seeking a simple answer – but it also lends to more depth if desired. Other spreads I liked: The Illuminating Star, The Reasons Reading, The Veil/Truth, and Past Life Spread. I also found the “Channeling/Chalice Reading” to be an especially good spread for talking with loved ones who have passed over to the other side. I have been using that layout with great success.

The author uses example spreads throughout the book which really helps to show how the spreads work. This is a big help and allowed me to learn the layouts quickly. One bummer – the images of the cards in the book are so tiny, I could not see them well. If you do not have the decks she uses in the book, you are going to be out of luck trying to follow along.

The appendix section in the back is rock solid and chock full of additional information that will be valuable to any reader. Blair-Hunt covers keywords, significators, card combinations, and timing. Her insights are imaginative and novel. I was nodding my head as I could see exactly where she got her ideas. In my opinion, this section alone is priceless and makes the flaws in the book less important.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more spreads and/or is looking for another good tarot reference. Because of the issues though, this is a hesitant Two Swords Up.