Teresa Michelsen

I read this book back when it came out in 2005, and thought that it would be good to reread it. And it was, but it's clear that the book is intended for beginners. Many of the exercises in the early chapters are for readers who know little or nothing about the tarot. Readers who are already familiar with the cards may have trouble "forgetting" what they know when doing these exercises and may not get that much use out of these chapters. Also, unlike many tarot authors, Michelsen doesn't show more include a list of card meanings. This will either help beginners learn to rely on their intuition or send them running off to find books that do include them.

This time around, I found the book more useful in the later chapters. Michelsen discusses reversed cards thoroughly, covering several ways of interpreting them in readings and making clear that readers don't have to stick with only one way. She also has a chapter on elemental dignities. which are not often discussed in beginners' books, and her explanations are clear and easy to understand. She includes a system of astrological and mythological correspondences to the Major Arcana that is an alternative to the one popularized by the Golden Dawn, and I found it interesting. The appendices include numerological and astrological associations, a glossary of symbols found in the cards, and rules for how to play tarocchi.

This is a good book for beginners, although beginners could probably learn the basics just as easily from other books. It may be of more use to the intermediate student who's developing their skills with larger readings and possibly reversals and/or elemental dignities. show less

Much of this book is about designing spreads so you can read other people's card, something I generally don't do. What I appreciated in this book is the way the author saw the question and the spread as related. There are many ways to work towards the solution to a problem. Simply thinking through a way to analyze the question in terms of a tarot spread can provide a helpful jump-start to finding a solution.