The Tarot Companion: An Essential Reference Guide - Softcover

Porter, Tracy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1567185746 ISBN 13: 9781567185744

Publisher: Llewellyn Publications,U.S., 2000

Synopsis

Tracy Porter's Tarot Companion is a concise comparison of the Tarot to a wide variety of spiritual and divinatory systems. If you are new to the Tarot this book will answer many of the questions you had about the cards. But whether you are just beginning to take an interest in the Tarot or have studied its mysteries for years, you are going to refer to this book often! It begins with traditional meanings of each of the seventy-eight cards of the Tarot. Being able to quickly refer to this will be a boon to any Tarot reader. Next the book describes the meanings of the people in the Tarot. Here you will learn about both the court cards in the suits and the characters of the Major Arcana. Porter then discusses a frequently ignored but highly important aspect of giving a Tarot reading: combinations. What does it mean if only one card from a suit shows up in a reading? How about five cards from the same suit? What about several threes or queens or cards from the Major Arcana? The meanings are fully explained here. One of the most difficult problems with the Tarot is determining times: when something will happen. "If card numbers two, three, seven, or nine appear immediately before or after a card from the Major Arcana, a conjunction occurs," Porter writes. These conjunctions indicate when something will happen. If the card is a Two of Wands, it will be two days. If it is the Thee of Cups, the time frame is three weeks. You'll learn all of the timing techniques in these pages. Many Tarot readers begin with the traditional meanings and then modify them based on the symbols of the cards. But what do those symbols mean? You'll find the answer in the symbolism dictionary that clearly identifies almost 100 of the most important symbols. A banner represents freedom from the material realms. The devil represents materialistic urges. A scroll represents divine law and the hidden mysteries. Not only will you learn the meaning of the symbols, but you will also see on which cards they appear. The book goes on to show how ideas from other spiritual systems and divinatory techniques can improve your knowledge and understanding of the Tarot as well as enhance your reading abilities. This includes: numerology; the elements (as used in astrology) and how they can enhance your understanding of the Tarot; astrology and the Tarot; I Ching; runes; colors; cabala; and chakras. The amount of practical, usable information in this book in enormous. In fact, this may be the only book you need in order to learn to read Tarot cards. With the information above, plus information on the way you spread the cards to read them, you have an entire Tarot system. That's why this book also explains how to work with spreads and includes over twenty of them that you can use. If you want to work with the Tarot, this book is a must.

About this title

Product Description

For hundreds of years, people have pondered the meanings of the mysterious Tarot cards and their uses. Now you can get insights into the cards via tradition, symbolism, and comparison to several other spiritual traditions in Tarot Companion by Tracy Porter. If you want to learn the Tarot, study the cards, or expand your knowledge of them, this book will be one of the most valuable on your bookshelf. It begins with a complete explanation of the meanings of every one of the seventy-eight cards of the Tarot. But that is just the beginning. The book immediately goes into some of the more esoteric aspects of the Tarot. Here you will learn the meanings of the people in the Tarot, including those on the Major Arcana cards, and the face cards in the Minor Arcana. Then you will learn about combinations of cards in a spread. This is followed by a section on how to use the cards to determine when something will happen. And there's still more. A major section in this book is the symbolism dictionary. In this part of the book you will learn the secret meanings of almost 100 of the symbols you will find in your Tarot deck. From sunflowers to pentacles, a cypress tree to a wreath, the hidden meanings are revealed so you can use them in a reading. Next, Porter compares the Tarot to other spiritual systems and shows how they can enhance your reading techniques. This includes numerology, astrology, runes, colors, I Ching, and more. Finally, you will learn over twenty Tarot spreads you can use. No matter what system of Tarot divination you use, this book will be, as its name says, a valuable companion. It will help open doors you didn't know existed, improving both your Tarot reading abilities and your understanding of other spiritual systems. Keep this book with you!

Review

OK, I like gadgets. I admit it. But I don't like all of them. I like ones that are helpful and make things easier or make me more productive. Perhaps you've seen those hand-held devices that combine a datebook, a calendar, a telephone book, an address book, and more. Some of them will even let you check your email, surf the internet, or play games. And these devices are so small they can fit in your pocket. I like that type of thing.

Tarot Companion by Tracy Porter is like those multi-use devices. It has so many different types of information in it, all of which you're going to find a use for. Would you like to have a quick explanation of the meaning of each of the Tarot cards? It's in there. How about the meaning of the symbols on the cards? It's in there, too.

How about using such systems as the I Ching, the runes, or astrology to enhance your understanding of the Tarot cards and let you give better readings. You'll find that covered in the book. You'll also have all the information you need to improve your Tarot reading using color, numerology, the Cabala, and more.

Do you want another Tarot spread to give a better reading for a specific question? This book doesn't have just one or two spreads, but offers over twenty of them so you can find exactly what you need.

Keep this book with your Tarot deck so you can consult it often. Every time you open it you're going to find something new that you can use. There's no longer a need to have multiple books because this one gives you what you need.

I hope you give this book a try. I know you're not only going to like it -- you're going to use it!

Edition details

• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications,U.S.
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1567185746
• ISBN 13: 9781567185744
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 264