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TAROT COMPANION: AN ESSENTIAL REFERENCE
GUIDE |
When I began putting a class together for the beginning Tarot student, I spent a great deal of time printing up lists of correspondences from a variety of sources. I know of several publications which have simple lists of correspondences, but I needed to have more than a list of words; I needed some details. Now I have this wonderful reference book by Tarcy Porter which more than meets the needs of both beginning students, who may be confused by Tarot's vast world of connections and relationships, or advanced readers who may want to delve into new areas in order to add depth to their interpretations.
Ms. Porter starts with the basics - traditional meanings and the makeup of the Tarot. These two chapters are fairly standard in many Tarot books. The element which stands out most in the writing style of these chapters, as well as with the entire book, is that the author has an astute way of paring down the vast amount of information out there to it's most important points. There is no fluff or filler here. In fact, the size of the book may lead one to believe there is not a great deal of data included. Ms. Tracy is able to squeeze more useful facts into 232 pages than many books twice that size are able to contain.
Following these first two chapters is a fascinating chapter on the people of the Tarot. My first thought was that this chapter would be the usual discussion of the Court cards. Instead this chapter explores each card of the Major Arcana in personified terms. For each card, Ms. Porter answers the question, "If this card were a person, what type of person would it be?" I personally have found this approach exceedingly helpful in those readings where I just wasn't quite getting the big picture.
This is probably the most practical reason to get this book. If, because of this book, the professional reader can find three new ways to look at the cards, they will find those intuitional roadblocks will happen less often and will be easier to overcome. Finding three new ways to approach the cards in this book is not difficult either. Chapters cover Tarot's relationships to symbolism, numerology, elements, astrology, Cabala, I Ching, Runes, color and chakras. The chapter on Cabala is one of the most concise and clear I have ever seen on the subject. Her interpretation of the paths should be read by anyone doing research for the CTM Certification. "Tarot Companion" gives an excellent groundwork on which the CTM candidates can build their own analysis of the Tree of Life.
Chapter 4, Combinations in Spreads, gives a very usable tool for reading multiple cards which appear in a reading. Chapter 5, Timing and the Tarot, offers one very simple way to answer timing questions, an area which many of us shun. Again, it's not that I haven't seen this information before, but it is now so nice to know it is all in one simple book. Not only is it in one book, the information is presented in it's most essential form - no footnotes, no long discussions, no editorial comments - just facts about the cards which can be utilized immediately to enhance readings and leap over intuitional roadblocks
"Tarot Companion: An Essential Reference
Guide" (ISBN 1-56718-574-6) is a new offering by Llewellyn Publications
in St. Paul, Minnesota. This small addition to a bookcase could very well
take the place of half a dozen books. In addition to providing the core
of information needed to go off in a myriad of directions in the study
of Tarot, Ms. Porter provides the reader with an excellent bibliography
to act as a guide to more in depth study of the facets of Tarot she so
brilliantly compiles in her text. An inspirational book for beginners,
a practical tool for advanced readers, "Tarot Companion" is
well worth the investment
"TAROT COMPANION: An
Essential Reference Guide",
by Tracy Porter
© Llewellyn Publications
Images used by kind permission from Llewellyn
Publications.