A Complete Guide to the Tarot
By Eden Gray
Bantam Books, 1970
I highly recommend Eden Gray’s A Complete Guide to the Tarot as a simple yet comprehensive book for the beginning student of Tarot. It is also a good reference or refresher book for intermediate to advanced students. It is small, fits easily into purse or briefcase, and is inexpensive at $5.95. It is the best buy for the money on the market. Ms. Gray bases her information on the work of the original writers of the Arcane Hermetic school, and she has the ability to explain complex, abstract subjects, such as the Kabalah, in accessible, easy-to-understand language.
Contents and Positive Elements
* Excellent historical reference
* Good explanation of what Tarot is and how it works
* Excellent explanation of the visual symbols of the Rider-Waite deck, particularly the major arcana
* Inclusion of illustrations of the Rider-Waite deck, which is the “standard” deck
* Accurate, simple and practical divinatory meanings.
* Clear, well-written introduction to the Hermetic tradition and philosophy (without which the cards cannot be properly learned)
* Good support for student intuition with its stress on visual rather than verbal aspects of the cards
* Excellent, simple how-to-read instructions
* Step-by-step instructions for Celtic, Horoscope, and Tree of Life spreads
* Good, but simple, example readings
* Use of Tarot for meditation
* Tarot correlations to Numerology, Kabalah, and Astrology
* Simple, concise explanations of complicated philosophical ideas
* Good glossary and bibliography
* Ease of-use; well-organized
Drawbacks and Limitations
The divinatory meanings are rather short, and include reversed meanings that tend to give a negative flavor to readings. The interpretations for the suit of swords are too negative, though a reader can use the reversed meanings of swords, which are positive.
Although her explanations of numerology, Kabalah, and astrology are excellent, many
of her Tarot correlations to these disciplines are not generally accepted. In Ms. Gray’s description of the Celtic spread, she assigns “fears” to position seven, which is traditionally associated with “self” or “point of view.”
As in most books on the Tarot, Ms. Gray relates court card suits to Caucasian coloring only. The Rider-Waite deck was based on the ethnicities of people living in Europe one hundred years ago. However, Ms. Gray does remind the reader to look primarily for internal aspects of the personality. She does not describe the impersonal aspects of the court cards, but then no books do.
In summary, this is good, practical, information-packed introduction to the Tarot at a bargain price.
Busy
Websites