Best fortune telling books according to redditors

>What books or concepts are essentially the opposite of SSC? Things that allow you to get in touch with your fun and childish side, your System 1. What has helped you become happier and less neurotic?

Read native american mythology or fiction.

Seven Arrows is one of the best books ever

Animal Medicine cards

there is a tremendous amount of wisdom in traditional cultures or rather cultural traditions, this includes stories that may be irrational but is a product of cultural evolution that had some adaptive value in propagating a people or society.

My brain is hyperlogical but my girlfriends is tapped into the native american mythology and traditions but somehow she is one of the most reasonable people i ever met who i have to explain the least amount of stuff too in everyday life. Intuitive people understand these things at some lizard brain level.

More or less, yes. There are a lot of great resources out there. I did have a friend who read them, but even though she got me into them, I really taught myself.

First, discard any and all nonsense about "you have to be gifted your deck" or "you have to bury your old deck in the ground." It's bull, really. A lot of Tarot "myths" like that are, mostly born from traditions passed down, I imagine. But you can absolutely buy your own deck, and used decks too. It's a great way to see if you like a style of deck without dropping a ton of money for nothing.

Some people recommend never reading for yourself, while others swear that they can only read themselves. In reality? Read for whoever you want.

The main thing is to realize that Tarot really is what you make of it. So many people have so many ideas of what it is, from communing with spirits/collective unconscious/gods, to psychology and Jungian archetypes, and I don't think any one way is right or wrong. Tarot is Tarot, whatever that means to you.

There are also a lot of decks out there. "Tarot" isn't limited to just Tarot; there's actually a lot of different types of cartomancy out there, like Lenormand and Oracle cards. I don't know Lenormand myself, and am only beginning on working with an Oracle deck.

And then you have different types of Tarot itself: Thoth Tarot decks and similar ones, mostly "invented" by Aleister Crowley; Rider-Waite/Rider-Waite-Smith decks, sometimes called RWS, commissioned by the Order of the Golden Dawn; historical decks, based off the tarrochi card game popular in the Renaissance; and some decks just barely following a Tarot deck and pretty much created by the author. None of them are better than another, it's all just based off of what you like and what you feel drawn to/comfortable with.

For good or for bad, there are many, many resources out there. Always critically examine what you're reading from.

Aecletic Tarot is a good first stop. Not only does it have listings of decks, from popular to rare, with pictures and sometimes reviews, but it has a lively forum section where you can find just about anything related to Tarot there.

Biddy Tarot is a site I have used in the past. Careful, though, it seems that they have been promoting their online Tarot course more and more. I've never taken it, so I can't say whether its bad or good, but I always feel a little wary about Tarot courses. I feel like you never know what kind of instructor you'd get -- there are some people out there who are a little too... "fluffy bunny" as it can be said at times. That is to say: no scholarship or scholarship based on poorly-researched books, often promoting an unbalanced and inaccurate worldview on the Roma people or Wiccans or anything else. I digress: if you stick to the free parts of the site with card meanings and spreads, its pretty good, and generally the first place I hit when I can't quite get the feel of a card.

Next, there's always reddit's very own /r/tarot. It's not terribly active, but there's good people there. Ask questions, read what is posted, and you can learn a lot. Everyone has different opinions, though, so keep that in mind. And plenty of people trade free readings there, so it's a good place to practice as well!

There are some wonderful Youtube channels out there as well. I'd like to link you this one in particular, because it's a great place to start learning how to discern sources. I also love Rose from The Cackling Moon, and she has a great Tumblr blog that could point you to a ton of good diviners there as well.

As for actual books, I had some around here, but its been so long since I read them that I don't know where they've gotten to. I know one was Tarot for Dummies, which was okay for a start. The other was Complete Book of Tarot Spreads, which I'd peg at intermediate. (That's probably the level I'm on myself). One I want but have yet to get is Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack. Again, Aecletic Tarot has a good list going, and you can always ask /r/tarot for their favorite books as well.

A few tips for getting your first deck:

• As I said above, there are so many out there, so pick one you like the best. That said, most resources out there are for Rider-Waite-Smith decks and their clones, so you might find that its easier to start out with in that. But there are a lot of varieties out there, so find a pretty one that draws you in. You'll be spending a long time studying them. For that matter, if you find one and don't "click," try another. I've had several different decks over the year, including one that I really ended up hating. I have one of my original RWS decks that I mainly read with, and it suits me just fine even after all these years.
  
  
• The Little White Book (often referred to affectionately as LWB) is good for starting out, but can seriously hold you back. It's just simple keywords and phrases that can be associated with the cards, but honestly you'll find that there's so much more than what can be expressed in a few words, especially when you take in a whole context of a spread.
  
  
• Conversely, don't be afraid to reach for resources when you do a reading. Seriously, don't put pressure on yourself to memorize all 78 card's meanings. Sometimes going through a couple different sources can a meaning stand out to you, especially when you start looking at the card less individually and more in combinations.
  
  
• Keep a journal. Write down your spreads and your interpretations of them. Not only will you be able to look back and see what you found was right, but you'll find common themes in certain cards or card combinations.
  
  
• Cards have different symbolism for different people. Sure, they may have general themes, such as The Tower being a card of disaster or sudden change, but we can all have an opinion or feeling of a card all our own. I highly recommend writing your thoughts on different cards down in your journal too: what jumps out at you, what you didn't notice at first glance, how the card makes you feel. Eventually, you'll impart your own meanings onto them.
  
  
• Don't be afraid of certain cards, though. Media likes to play up cards like Death or The Devil, but they aren't evil or scary, and they don't mean your going to die or get possessed by the devil or anything. Generally, the meanings are symbolic: Death is an ending (or sometimes, a new beginning), and the Devil can mean you let your passions and vices control you.
  
  
• No matter what they cards say, they are changeable. In fact, often the point of Tarot reading is to see where you are now and if you don't do anything, where you'll end up. It's generally a tool for great self-reflection more than predicting anything concrete in the future, I've found.
  
  
• After you've been reading for a while and shuffling your deck (regular card shuffling is okay, but the method doesn't really matter as long as they're shuffled well) and you find it getting difficult to read the cards, try putting them in "order" like it was freshly out of the box. It's kind of a reset button. I don't know if its psychological or "magical" but it works for me. There's lots of ways to "cleanse" a deck, though, so do what you feel is best.
  
  
• This one may be a tad advanced, but I feel like I should say something on it: research Tarot ethics. This is a big one when you start reading for other people. Ask yourself: what kind of questions would you be comfortable answering to the best of your ability? Generally, most readers avoid medical questions (including pregnancy-related) and legal ones, and many avoid reading about third parties without permission out of respect. And if there's a less than pleasant implication in the cards, how would you handle that? Would you tell the truth? What would you do if they reacted negatively? What would happen if they disregard it, it came to pass, and blamed you? It's a lot to consider. If you just read for yourself, obviously that's not a big deal, but keep it in mind if you ever read for someone else.
  
  Last but not least, I have to comment on your username... I love pugs! Sadly, the last pug in the family, my grandma's old guy, was put down tonight. I'm going to miss him, but it was his time to go to rest.
  
  Good luck with your journey into Tarot. I hope it pans out well for you, and that I was in some way helpful :)

I'm not sure about essential to every occult library (and I realize some of these aren't necessarily considered primarily 'occult' texts), but here are a few I've found useful:

• The Golden Dawn - Israel Regardie
  
• Morals and Dogma - Alfred Pike
  
• Modern Magick - Donald Michael Kraig
  
• The Secret Teachings of All Ages - Manly P. Hall
  
• Initiation into Hermetics - Franz Bardon
  
• Sefer Yetzirah - Aryeh Kaplan
  
• The Secret Doctrine - Madame Blavatsky
  
• Liber Null & Psychonaut - Peter J. Carroll
  
• The Book of Thoth - Aleister Crowley
  
• Undoing Yourself with Energized Meditation and Other Devices - Christopher S. Hyatt
  
• Prometheus Rising - Robert Anton Wilson
  
• Enochian Vision Magick - Lon Milo DuQuette
  
• The Chicken Qabalah - Lon Milo DuQuette
  
• Brain Magick - Philip Farber
  
• Info-Psychology - Timothy Leary
  
• Beelzebub's Tales to his Grandson - George Gurdjieff
  
• Initiation, Human and Solar - Alice Bailey
  
• The Red Book - Carl Jung
  
• Principia Discordia - Malaclypse the Younger

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack has been very useful to me as I'm still learning: https://www.amazon.com/Seventy-Eight-Degrees-Wisdom-Book-Tarot/dp/1578634083

I always recommend to start with reading to develop an understanding before you completely dive in.

My favorite books for beginners are:

Liber Al vel Legis/Book the Law by Aleister Crowley - Book Crowley wrote in 1904 in Cairo. It contains, in my own opinion, the most supreme occult philosophy and theology.

Liber ABA/Book 4 by Aleister Crowley - Book written by Crowley that covers everything you may wish to know, from yoga to meditation to working tools to ritual to magick techniques.

The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune - Arguably the most comprehensive and most easily understood on the qabalah to have ever been written.

The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley - Explanation of the tarot.

Circles of Power by John Michael Greer - An excellent guide to the hermetic magickal practices of the Golden Dawn.

Enochian Magick in Theory along with Enochian Magick in Practice - Great guides on one of the most popular systems of magick.

The Mystical and Magical System of the A .'. A .'. - Book on the methods of achieving enlightenment in the system utilized by the A .'. A .'.

The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot - Ever!! by Dusty White is an awesome book that helps a lot of people. I think most people shuffle the deck between each use, but it's entirely up to you. You can shuffle as many times as you like, lay down as many cards as you like (1 card readings are a thing too). It's really up to you!

As for tips, I would practice with the cards without looking up the meanings just yet. Your own interpretations of the cards will always be most accurate for you, and if you learn the textbook meanings first it's hard to shake those as a beginner when you're trying to intuitively read them at the same time. I would maybe even consider writing down what the cards mean to you and then you can start learning textbook meanings and see how you feel about them. Tarot journaling is a great way to do it too, just writing down everything you see in each card one at a time.

A good exercise is to pull 3 cards and read them like a story from one side to the next, then flip those around and read them in different orders. You can also read them in a simple 3 card spread of your choosing, like Past-Present-Future or Me-Them-Us, etc.

Also, do readings for everything as practice. Do a spread each morning for the coming day, at night, ask about your dreams, ask about school, work, your friends, etc. The more you practice, the better you'll get and the more you'll understand what the cards are trying to tell you.

Let me know if you have any more questions! :)

For Rider-Waite deck I like the classic Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom book by Rachel Pollack.

ALright so primarily I started out as a tarot reader so the 2 texts i use the most would be:
The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals (Special Topics in Tarot Series 1) by Mary K. Greer

and Power Tarot: More Than 100 Spreads That Give Specific Answers to Your Most Important Question Kindle Edition by Phyllis Vega for its spreads at the back

As for my witchcraft, I don't think theres a specific source I go to. I'm eclectic so I dabble in p much everything and I go from resource to resource.

​

If you really want to dig into this buy a Thoth Tarot deck, Crowley's book, and probably also Duquette's book to give you a good primer on Crowley.

Modern Tarot decks are visual representations of the Tree Of Life because almost all modern decks are based on either the Rider-Waite-Smith deck or the Thoth Deck. Waite and Crowley were members of the Hermetic Order Of The Golden Dawn which used the tarot as a tool for learning Kaballah(among other things). I'm suggesting the Thoth because it's better in almost every way and you will really appreciate the artwork. The small cards are the sephiroths (ace=kether, 2=chokmah... 10=malkuth, the suit of wands represents the tree of life in the kabbalistic world of atziluth(the classical element fire and the first Yod in the Tetragrammaton) etc...) and the major arcana represent the 22 paths between the sephiroths(Atu 0 The Fool connects Kether and Chokhmah, Atu 1 The Magus connect Kether and Binah, etc...). Here is some of the artwork The Magus, The Universe, The Ace Of Cups. The cards will give you more to meditate on then you could possibly get through in a single lifetime.

Also Malkuth means Kingdom and is related to the physical world. The Knowledge and Conversation Of The Holy Guardian Angel is attributed Tipheret.

I'm glad to see some conversation about the occult on here. I don't think anyone would argue that all occult and mystical practices arise from the type of shamanism the people in this forum practice. The two types of approaches go great together whether you are into Kabballah, Buddhism, Daoism, or any other system.

The Tree Of Life is just a map created by people who have been there before. It might be fun to just storm off into the wilderness without knowing where you are going, but your chances of finding something interesting will increase greatly with the help. I've had great luck performing a little ritual where I get into a trance, take a hit of hash, invoke one of the cards, and experience it's energy. It's much more powerful than just taking a drug to see what will happen and all kinds of interesting synchronicities will start appearing in your life.

Good luck! If you have any questions I can try to answer them.

I got a great deal from 78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollock.

https://www.amazon.com/Seventy-Eight-Degrees-Wisdom-Book-Tarot/dp/1578634083

In the spirit of one newb helping another, I suggest starting with a Rider-Waite (aka Waite-Smith) deck, or one of the many, many decks based on it, for the simple reason that most English-language books, websites, etc. gear their interpretations to it.

The best book on Tarot that I've come across is The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination by Robert M. Place. It details the history of tarot and its symbolism and includes divinatory information on each card. Place has produced a large number of well-received tarot decks (such as the Alchemical Tarot and Mystery of the Sevenfold Tarot) in the Rider-Waite tradition, so he knows what he is talking about. I have the Kindle edition, but I would suggest buying the paperback version to make it easier to flip right to entries on specific cards.

Also, Aeclectic Tarot has pictures and reviews of a large number of decks.

Magick is for all, I would recommend working on the kabbalah for a start, or reading the liber 4, not necessarily in that order, maybe try liber 4 and then A Garden of Pomegranates by Israel Rgardie and Mystical Kabbalah by Dion Fortune. The Hardcover edition of Liber 4 is a great edition. I have it and it is amazing, and not as complex as most of his writings. This book has a lot of appendixes too, that helps. Having the Thoth Tarot deck and the Book of Thoth and studying its correspondencies with the tree of life is very helpful too.

Fascinating readings anyway.

About what he is in relation to mankind, better judge yourself from his writings.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Thoth-Egyptians-Equinox/dp/0877282684/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z

http://www.amazon.com/Thoth-Tarot-Deck-Aleister-Crowley/dp/1572815108/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422560601&sr=1-1&keywords=thoth+tarot+deck


http://www.amazon.com/Magick-Liber-ABA-Book-4/dp/0877289190/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422560336&sr=1-2&keywords=magick

http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Pomegranates-Skrying-Tree-Life/dp/1567181414

http://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Qabalah-Dion-Fortune/dp/1578631505/ref=pd_sim_b_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0TNF7RPG3Y67DX4G00QH

78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack is a great resource.

lol. I actually own the Kawaii Tarot - it's super cute.

check out r/Lenormand and the book

The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook: Reading the Language and Symbols of the Cards - one of the best books about lenormand I have come across.

I am a part of that group and have been reading Lenormand for years. This looks like a petite lenormand deck. Very cool find.

I don't think it's a coincidence, but I don't think that deck specifically had the power to give you bad dreams. The tarot is just cardboard and ink, and I think it does more harm than good to prescribe this amount of power to it.

That being said, images can have a real effect on us. It's why I eventually I want to use tarot as a part of the group therapy process! If you have any hang-ups at all about the tarot due to the way you grew up, or because of a religious upbringing perhaps you should try something lighter; going with what you love and are drawn to is never a bad thing! Kudos to your fiance for supporting this newfound interest of yours.

Get a book on the history of the tarot, too. Robert M Place's The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination is a good starting point because he talks about the deck's actual history in the Middle Ages and Renaissance Europe. It may help dispel some of your fears.

> And does anyone know which meanings Crowley personally ascribed to the cards?

Check out the Book of Thoth.

The Thoth Tarot is special in that its genesis in symbolism and meaning is very well documented through the letters Crowley and Harris wrote during its creation, the Book of Thoth itself and by Crowley's other works which shed light on what he thought about some aspects of the Tarot and its various correspondences. Nonetheless reading the cards is a matter of interpretation. Individual, personal interpretation. You might have wondered why the chapter with the divinatory meanings of the cards in Lon's Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot is so short compared to the rest of the book. It's because these are Lon's interpretations, not yours or any kind of objective truths. Get to know the cards by heart, check out the correspondences on the Tree of Life and from astrology and alchemy, the connections between them and the symbolism depicted in the images. Of course be inspired by the interpretations of others, but do not consider these as truths. Rather try to reconcile the apparent contradictions in different interpretations and find your own way to read their message.

There's a reason why the cards are images, not text. They speak at a intuitive, asthetic level to us, beyond rationality, and they speak directly to you.

This one.

There are really only three essential books on Lenormand in English.

The Essential Lenormand by Rana George is always my go-to when I feel stuck on a card. It's my Lenormand Bible.

The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook by Caitlín Matthews is also excellent, but I had troubles with it as a beginner. I found that the difficulty level escalated very quickly. Rana's book felt much more forgiving to the beginner.

Lenormand Thirty-Six Cards by Andy Boroveshengra is the third book that everyone talks about. I haven't read it myself because I'm waiting for the revised edition to come out in print. There is an updated Kindle edition though.

I completely agree with /u/demlegs_doe about supplementing tarot with Lenormand. They complement each other phenomenally.

okay, I've watched this video before and just watched it again.

​

first, your second paragraph is pretty ridiculous you're putting a lot of words in his mouth without actually using quotes.. like in a academic paper you have to use citations or even on a wikipedia page you need citations. you need to give a person a fair representation in order to make an argument against someone. this is the definition of straw man fallacy, in every sentence you are just assigning a false view to jordan peterson. I can address each one. but first the point of straw man is you need to assign these false views because it's the only way to support your point. if you can't make a rational argument against a person you create a straw man who is easy to defeat. so I'll talk about each of your points against him.

​

1. "to him a feminist is someone who wants cut the balls off every man" I mean that one is pretty far off, I think you can probably see why that's stupid. and where could you possibly find a quote to support that one? the only thing he talks about concerning "feminist" issues is the fact that there are gender differences. social constructionist try to make the claim that gender is a construct of society, and that's just ridiculous. if gender differences didn't exist why would there be trans people? peterson on gender differences
   
2. " a trans person is someone trying to sneak into bathrooms and assault children " I mean what the fuck are you talking about? seriously what the fuck is that? can you see how this is the definition of straw man fallacy? you're making up a completely ridiculous view point and then assigning it to a person in order to make them seem ridiculous. can you see that?
   
3. "He began his rise to fame by misconstruing a bill which would add trans people to Canada's protected minorities which has existed here for years in order to prevent people from being discriminated against for their ethnicity or sexual preferences. " peterson on bill c-16 he talks about how not using preferred pronouns is considered a hate crime under the bill. his argument is against compelled speech legislation. his argument isn't that we shouldn't use preferred pronouns, it's that it shouldn't be compelled by law. like for example here in the US I can call a black person the N-word , of course that's a repulsive thing to do and you shouldn't do it. but there's certain roles of government and then certain roles of society. society controls what is considered proper behaviour and government what is legal behaviour. and you can't intertwine the two. like for example a rule in christianity is the golden rule, do unto others and all that. imagine if you could go to jail for not being kind to people? society has a role and government has a role. society is our mother and government our father, and if you think that's a bad comparison you shouldn't be an occult subreddit. there's a difference between god and goddess.
   
   and then your other stuff about him taking weird viewpoints so that he can get patreon donations, that's just stupid. he makes the majority of his money from his lecture tour. and he doesn't just dawn new viewpoints in order to gain support. that's called an ad hominem attack. also I happen to be a fan of Gavin McInnes, but no need to go into that.
   
   ​
   
   Now I'd like to say why jordan peterson is important for understanding Occult wisdom. first example is that quote up there, essentially what he's saying is our personalities, what most people consider albeit falsely to be the self, is merely a shuffling of the tarot deck. the tarot deck is an amazing book to read, for a better understanding of tarot I would recommend the book The symbolism of the Tarot by P. D. Ouspensky . the 72 cards of the Tarot represent the 72 Cosmic archetypes . what Peterson is saying here is that you are not unique, you're a manifestation of archetypes. or at least your personality is , the thing most people Identify with, the thing you call "me" is just a shuffled tarot deck. that is Occult wisdom. and when he says you can Change the very nature of the universe by cleaning your room, that is occult wisdom. you should look up the law of seven, the seven cosmos. "you are the world and the world is you" - Jiddu Krishnamurti. "you are never alone or helpless, the force that guides the stars guides you too" Sri Sri Anandamurti . the entire universe is contained in every individual, you are the microcosm within the macrocosm. that's what the Occult is, the wisdom of the universe as it is. Occult isn't lighting some candles and trying to commune with spirits, that's just religion, it might not be "christianity" but it's still just religious practice. the word occult means hidden knowledge, and understanding that your personality is not unique its just a shuffling of the tarot is part of that hidden knowledge. also his stance against post-modern neo-marxism is also part of occult wisdom. you see what marxism does is seperates people into groups, you have the oppressors and the oppressed, that works in opposition to the law of seven. change needs to happen from the point of the individual, that's a cosmic principle. you don't change society before changing yourself. it's part of the law of seven, just like you'll see in kundalini yoga the muladhara chakra needs to be opened first. this is a good jordan peterson video on dealing with oppression .. the fact that we're oppressed is the thing we hold in common with all of humanity that's the occult wisdom that Siddharta Buddha disseminated to the world , krishnamurti talks about these principles in this video he describes it so beautifully I cried a lot while listening to it, I believe he is a buddha. it's towards the end where he says "in a far away village the primitive man, he's just like you, you are humanity, you are the rest of the world and the world is you" here . the beauty of the occult is that its hidden right in front of you. it's like Christ said when he said the kingdom of heaven is spread on the earth yet people don't see it. what jordan peterson teaches is embodied by the quote "be the change you want to see in the world" . reactive politics can only cause harm in the world that's also a cosmic principle, there's a good sadhguru video on that that I can't find.
   
   also about the contrapoint's video, he makes a major mistake in saying that marxism is an extention of the enlightenment. the difference is that marxism seperates people into groups of opressor and opressed. the enlightenment is about the sacredness of the individual, each person is sovereign. you are the oppressor and the oppressed.
   
   ​
   
   here's some good videos I recommend
   
   ​
   
   please watch this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XvI6Y5Yq8o
   
   ​
   
   here is Alan watts on Jung https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezVyg_I0uGo

Yes this is an issue with the cards.


In the original system (which you still see in Marseilles decks) Justice came before Strength. A.E. Waite switched the order of the cards to better fit into his astrological correspondences, as Leo (Strength, to him) comes before Libra (Justice, to him). Aleister Crowley then reverted the order back, putting Justice before Strength, but he changed the name of Strength to "Lust."

Some decks use the original Marseilles order, and some use the RWS order. For more information on Tarot History, I recommend the book: "The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination" by Robert M Place

I buy from Amazon. I like the Rider-Waite-Colman deck. As you'll see, it comes in many flavors:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_12?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rider+waite+tarot+deck&sprefix=rider+waite+%2Caps%2C220&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Arider+waite+tarot+deck

I recommend Dusty White's book, it really makes you interact with the cards and rely on your intuition to pull the meanings together. I believe he recommends that you also buy the jumbo-sized deck so you can really see the images.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Easiest-Way-Learn-Tarot/dp/1419692887

Joan Bunning offers a free class online. She also has a book.
http://www.learntarot.com/

There are numerous resources. I suggest you start with these to keep from getting overwhelmed. You're lucky to have a roommate with whom you can learn.

93 - I would look in Book of Thoth for a lot of symbolism as well as, of course, 777. I can tell you that the Vesica Piscis is understood to be a feminine symbol, composed of two intersecting circles, forming the Yoni. It is usually 'balanced' by various 'masculine' symbols, often those of the cross or some form thereof, in or around it. That one is fairly obvious.

This deck is actually [being re-released] (https://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Tarot-Kit-25th-Anniversary/dp/1631063715) in an anniversary edition this fall!

What are you interested in? Wicca, candle magick, hermeticism and alchemy, Setianism, Qabalah, tarot, mythology, astrology, goetia, esoteric christianity? A little bit of everything?

My recommendation is to start with something you're really interested in and pick up that one thing. If you're interested in Crowley, then you might be interested in tarot. My suggestion is getting a simple book by a laymen's author like Amber Jayanti on the tarot. As you read the book, circle, highlight or write down (or add to a shopping list) sources to which that author refers - Jayanti may cite Paul Foster Case a lot. Once you read some Case books, then you'll start to see Crowley pop up. Pick up Lon Milo DuQuette's book on Crowley's Tarot. Then you can probably read Crowley's Book of Thoth.

My other advice is not to worry about not picking up every little detail of every book. You won't have the schema necessary for every small detail in every book, and part of reading in the occult is rediscovering the deeper meaning of something you thought you already knew, like a spiral upward.

For me, the key thing with divination is that you are trying to answer a question, not just looking for the book meanings of the cards/runes/whatever. So, at least to start, you need a fairly simplistic interpretation of what each tool means, and a lot of flexibility to apply that to the situation in front of you.
In terms of remembering what things mean, I found Tarot books most useful which start from the basis of 'the two's mean this, the threes mean this etc. when applied to the relevant suit', so there was some sort of pattern to follow rather than 78 individual meanings. My memory is poor these days, but I think Rachel Pollock's 78 Degrees of Wisdom was good for that. It is, in any case, one of the all-time classic Tarot books.

> I had especially in mind free resources from the internet.

All of these books are interesting in places: sacred texts tarot

The best ones I have read are not online:

The Thursday Night Tarot: Weekly Talks on the Wisdom of the Major Arcana by Jason Lotterhand
and
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot by Rachel Pollack

I have heard great things about this book from others new to tarot.

Honestly one of the best books I've found for starting is Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack

https://www.amazon.ca/Seventy-Eight-Degrees-Wisdom-Book-Tarot/dp/1578634083

It gives a great fundamental look at the history of the cards as well as teasing some more advanced topics, so you can really take any topic from the book and go wild with your journey. It works with the RWS deck which most people start with I would say, but the wisdom is universal. It's a great resource and I've never stopped sourcing it even though I've gone through tons of other books since reading this one.

I really love using Pixie's Astounding Lenormand. It's a French system similar to tarot, but much simpler and more straightforward. Also the deck is gorgeous. :)

I was gifted these Medicine Cards and I’m really happy with them, animal symbology coming from the Native American understanding.

I have enjoyed this one.

Probably not a beginner's book, and I don't agree with everything that's presented, but it has helped me make connections that I might not have come to on my own. Easily one of my favorites.

I completely agree with your comment.

The Thoth tarot is wonderfully deep, if you are also interested in studying the occult symbology.

If you prefer a gentler approach to learning, then other decks - especially R/W are a good starting point.

I only came to love the Thoth deck after using RW for tarot for several years, and, in addition, studying occult disciplines. And I read The Book of Thoth before I read "Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot"

Rider-Waite is a fantastic learning tarot, and far, far more powerful as a teaching deck than most others on the market today IMHO.

By far my favorite is Rachel Pollak's Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot https://www.amazon.com/dp/1578634083/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_alPTCb8MYZDZ1

I got it from this place called attic salt but you can also find it on Amazon c:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1454929073/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6UFzDbPGFB7WD

I'm getting a lot of mileage out of this book. Great exercises.

The Easiest Way to Learn Tarot—Ever!! by Dusty White is a fantastic place to start. It’s a workbook that guides you through learning the cards intuitively and also provides lots of information on spreads, interpretations, history, etc. I love it!

I'm guessing you've not tried Amazon yet?

The Original Rider Waite Tarot Pack https://www.amazon.in/dp/0712670572/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_vFqVBbB8XQAFM

If you're at all a fan of the traditional Rider Waite Smith Tarot decks, you might want to look into [Pixie's Astounding Lenormand] (https://www.amazon.com/Pixies-Astounding-Lenormand-Edmund-Zebrowski/dp/1572818050), which combines actual elements of Pamela Coleman Smith's drawings (both from the RWS deck and her other work) into a convincing - and highly readable IMO - version of what an actual Lenormand deck designed by her might have looked like.

Plus, it comes in an adorable storage tin with a nicely designed and informative book accompanying it.

I'm willing to bet that you don't have this Kawaii Tarot on your WL. I forget how I even found it, but apparently at the end of August I stumbled upon it.

Ok. Start with these books. And know that despite what you’ll learn, it is still 100% okay for you to enjoy Tarot without using them for divination. Lots of people do and that’s a wonderful thing.


The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot

Tarot - The Open Reading

Hello, kanukia

​

The cards in the image appear to have been taken from the reproduction of the so-called Visconti Sforza tarocci that Lo Scarabeo offer (the said reproduction is titled Visconti Tarots): https://www.amazon.com/Visconti-Tarots-deck-Lo-Scarabeo/dp/0738700193

​

Here are links to two other reproductions, one by Mary Packard and one by U.S. Games:

https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Tarot-Visconti-Sforza-Deck/dp/1937994090

https://www.usgamesinc.com/Visconti-Sforza_Pierpont_Morgan_Tarocchi_Deck.html?partner=VN1

​

Regards

KevinM

Tarot reader and horary astrologer

Have you thought of trying a different deck? I could only find one source of information on that type of deck.

http://www.amazon.com/Book-Thoth-Short-Egyptians-Equinox/dp/0877282684/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396830124&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Book+of+Thoth

Amazon

"The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot - Ever!!"

THE VIKING RUNES is a study of the ancient Norse fuþark script used in everyday inscriptions, carved memorials and divination. It covers the Elder fuþark as well as the Viking fuþark of Orkney and Norse Scotland and the wider Viking world.


With references to Norse and Celtic history, myth and saga, the Norse Gaelic tradition and warrior mysteries, this book covers the origins of the runic fuþark, inscriptions and secret codes, how to carve the runes, how to read them, the Norse gods and beings of the elder world, the practices of shape changing, galdrar, spá and seiðr, animal cults, and the down to earth lore found in Old Norse verse.


This book should be useful for anyone seeking to expand their knowledge of the runes and more.


https://www.amazon.com/VIKING-RUNES-Runes-Saga-Lore-ebook/dp/B00AWF9DLK/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=The+Viking+Runes&qid=1572009139&s=books&sr=1-6

I also have to recommend Caitlin Matthews

The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook: Reading the Language and Symbols of the Cards

Its the only book about Lenormand (including the book that came with the cards) that I have kept and still use. I have it in both print and ebook so I always have a copy handy.

I recommend [Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1578634083/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Nsbyyb2ZCJ74A)

The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot - Ever!! by Dusty White is a really helpful book.

Good advice. I recommend this and this for those reading this thread.

I'm using these to learn

Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot:

https://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Aleister-Crowleys-Thoth-Tarot/dp/1578632765

Book of Thoth

https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Thoth-Egyptian-Tarot/dp/0877282684/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CWZHPFQA9ETTKABGTTGP

The tarot can be for you whatever you want it to mean.

I've been doing it on-and-off for maybe about six years now, and every single time I return to it my method feels more refined and more "me" as I get older and learn more about myself.

For me, tarot is like a fun-house mirror. The same mirror can be held up to different people and they can have much different reactions to it. Some people go "Wow, I look funny!", and others can go "Dammit, my thighs are huge". People have different reactions and interpretations of the same readings.

I've met a tarot reader who would always un-reverse the cards because he doesn't like reading reversals. I've met another one who would only answer yes/no questions with a full tarot deck. Some people take the pictures on the cards as the only definition, some people depend entirely on books that are independent from the cards, and some people just make shit up entirely depending on their own personal experiences. Some people think they have supernatural properties, and some people (like me) think they're entirely random, but when people read them they put meaning into them based on their lives.

There's no wrong way to use a tarot deck, and there's no wrong way to view tarot or to interpret the cards. They're a subjective tool in that way, almost like an art. How you want to approach tarot will come in time as you practice and refine your methods and you come to figure out what the cards mean to you.

In getting to know them: that really depends on you. I started out with reading this book, completely unrelated to the tarot, but it helped jump-start my interest in it. I also give readings to other tarot readers, since I've found them more likely to "believe" and therefore less likely to argue, so long as they lean more eclectic. I also give myself readings frequently, just single-card readings to answer simple questions, or I toss out a card when I'm hanging out with my friends and they ask questions like "What would happen if I ordered pizza at three in the morning". I know a common method is to just draw a card each morning and dedicate that day to paying attention to that card, but I'm too scatterbrained to remember to do that, plus I feel it imparts too much importance to something that I don't take all that seriously normally. I also like writing so sometimes I do spreads for my characters or for story planning.

That's a lot, but I hope some of it helps!

Thank you!

I have Caitlin Matthews book, The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook and Andy Boroveshngra's book Lenormand Thirty Six Cards: An Introduction to the Petite Lenormand

Not entirely sure if this is what you're looking for, but, there's a handful of books that people have written that attempt to explore the symbolism and meaning of Crowley's deck.

A friend of mine, a member of the local OTO Lodge and EGC, has several. I know these two are in his library for sure:

- Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot
- The Thoth Companion

There's also the old stand-by, Crowley's own exploration and essay about the deck:

- The Book of Thoth

Apologies if these aren't what you're looking for, and I hope someone comes along that can answer your questions more satisfactorily.

I am currently reading and really appreciating an older book. Before even getting into the cards, this book has a really fantastic first section on the history of the Tarot, with discussions of numbers, colors, and connections with Qabbala, among other things.


https://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Tarot-Rosemary-Ellen-Guiley/dp/0451168003/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542621846&sr=8-2&keywords=the+mystical+tarot+guiley


I am also looking at purchasing the following at the end of the month, primarily for its discussions of the symbols in each of the cards in the RW deck. Also for a way to reinforce associations with the suits, pips, etc.


https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Rider-Waite-Tarot/dp/0738735795/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542621922&sr=8-1&keywords=ultimate+guide+to+rider+waite


I learn by absorbing as much info as possible and then trying to put it into practice. I know many here prefer to just pick a keyword, but that's not working for me. I want to know aspects, correspondences, and nuances up-and-down-and-all-around so that I can learn to apply them in interpreting through practice.


If you come across other books you found useful about Tarot, I'd love to know which ones!

Check out the Thoth tarot book for more info on reading the cards. I also recommend reading Lon Milo Duquettes book on understanding the Thoth Tarot. Also also, check out liber Theta from Temple of Thelema . There's also an explanation and analysis on divination with Tarot from Soror Meral in Temple of Thelema's periodical called In the Continuum.

book of thoth

understanding Thoth tarot

liber Theta

in the Continuum vol 1

You'll want to read issue no.7 for divination

It seems very boring to a lot of mystic newbs but I've been evangelizing the shit out of Qabalah lately. If you want to see the connections between all things and the machinery that runs the universe, this is the place to start.

Begin with something breezy that'll let you ease into the concepts: Lon Milo DuQuette's Chicken Qabalah. It's like an exegesis of Douglas Adams's Life, The Universe, and Everything.

Then dive in deep.

Dion Fortune's Mystical Qabalah

Aleister Crowley's Book of Thoth

This shit will blow your mind wide open. You can see how the 10 Sephiroth directly correspond to the 10 dimensions of the universe, how the first 4 correspond to actual space and the 5th to time as we understand it.

It'll show you the operating schematic for literally everything and how we are all connected and sprang forth from the same no-thing. Every new page I read blows my mind.

here is the book

and here is the deck

also, here is a stylized reworking of the crowley thoth deck, which has illustrations for the pips and is a little simpler. I would recommend getting the original thoth, but if it simply does not speak to you, this is very close.

To start I really don’t recommend doing any complicated spreads. It gets overwhelming. Just do a three card spread for each eventual outcome or person.

I would start with either blending cards or if you want you can even do something that’s past present future on a situation so you could get some background information on it to try to understand what could happen in the future if that makes sense? You can also do a three card reading and do it as of this or that reading.

Dusty white has a great work book that teaches you how to blend cards for a new shared meaning.

https://www.amazon.com/Easiest-Way-Learn-Tarot-EVER-Aphrodites-ebook/dp/B07FNZ8HV2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=dusty+white&qid=1570919409&sprefix=dusty+white&sr=8-1

My two go-to decks for the past 15+ years are Thoth deck, for the classic tarot experience, with this book for interpretation: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0874778956

Coupled with the Medicine Cards (comes with its own book) https://www.amazon.com/Medicine-Cards-Discovery-Through-Animals/dp/0312204914 . It is the Native American stories on many different animals and what their lesson is. Highly recommended.

Biddy tarot is a great resource, go check out her website. It has many definitions.

Wikipedia page is good for the history, dont get too bogged down in the history i you want to learn to read for divinatory purposes, the long and short of it is that it originated in multiple cultures as a form of card game that was adopted by esoteric folk as the cards represented archetypal aspects of human existence.

Also in terms of the deck, 100% buy the rider waite smith deck.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Rider-Waite-Tarot-Deck/dp/0712670572/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467242735&sr=8-1&keywords=tarot

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Radiant-Rider-Waite-Tarot-Pamela-Smith/dp/1572814136/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1467242710&sr=8-3&keywords=rider+waite+smith


those are by far the best for beginners. They are what I started learning with and I still adore my RWS deck. I bought the original, but if you like vivid colours then go for the radiant deck. Its the same pictures just with more vivid colours.

The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot is a very detailed book on the imagery of RW tarot. It's formatted in a way that's very pleasing to the eye as well. I own the Kindle version, not sure about the hard copy.

Best quick reference for card meanings

Do you already have a deck? This is my favorite reference for the rider-waite deck, but it's helpful for other ones too.

http://www.amazon.com/Seventy-Eight-Degrees-Wisdom-Book-Tarot/dp/1578634083

Just get a copy of that. It's fifteen bucks, get a common deck like the Rider-Waite. Another 10 probs.

Tarot is more of a personal learning experience. Paying someone a hundred bucks to pat you on the back isn't gonna help. Learn it with your wife maybe?

I enjoy it. I pull it out every so often and learn a bit more about the subconscious shit going on with me in my life. Meditation is similar.

btw, that book is the best.

I decided to cruise the town one day and check out all the local occult shops. One was mostly focused on wicca. I happened to put my address on their e-mailing list, and one day I received an e-mail from them about a series of beginner tarot classes that would be held nearby for $30, presumably taught by an acquaintance of the owner of the shop.

I didn't attend these particular classes, but my point is you might try finding local community stuff in a similar manner, by poking your head in an occult shop and asking around.

I have consulted these sources:

• The Book of Thoth on Hermetic.com - Crowley's approach to tarot is syncretic, throwing qabalah and astrology into the mix among other things. If you're wanting to work with popular Rider-Waite-style decks maybe skip this one and check out:
  
  
• Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom - A popular reference. Pretty dry, IMO, but comprehensive.
  
  
• The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages - Paul Foster Case knows his shit. I just got this one, haven't started it yet. Also a syncretic approach tying in other disciplines.