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The Tarot is one of the few books that cuts through conventional misperceptions to explore the Tarot deck as it really developed in the Middle Ages and Renaissance Europe-not, as some would suggest, in the far reaches of Egyp-tian antiquity. Mining the Hermetic, alchemical, and Neoplatonic influences behind the evolution of the deck, author Robert M. Place provides a historically grounded and compelling portrait of the Tarot's true origins, without overlooking the deck's mystical dimensions. Indeed, Place uncommonly weds reliable historiography with a practical understanding of the intuitive help and divinatory guidance that the cards can bring. He presents techniques that offer new and valuable ways to read and interpret the cards. Based on a simple three-card spread, Place's approach can be used by either the seasoned practitioner or the new inquirer. … (more)
User reviews
The first half of the book is one of the most comprehensive and readable histories of the Tarot ever
The latter half of the book focuses on divination. His card-by-card descriptions are concise and useful, but I was most impressed by his layouts. No Celtic Cross here, mostly variations on three-card layouts. I regularly use three cards myself, and was delighted to get new insights and ideas. After reading cards for decades, it’s fun to know you can learn a new trick or two.
If you’re not a Tarot or history geek, the opening chapters might be overwhelming. For a beginner, there’d be no harm in beginning at the end and still becoming a competent card reader. But the serious card reader will find the entire book a treasure.
There is a bit of run-on in the introduction, but once the author got to the actual subject of the Tarot, I was impressed. In fact there was a piece of information I had been searching for, in order to print an hand-out for my class.
Even the history