Cover Image: Tarot for Change

Tarot for Change

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Member Reviews

This is a book that looks at Tarot mainly through a lens of psychology and self help. The book strives to present Tarot as a tool for personal development, one you can use to work on things like mindfulness and compassion. If you are looking for a Tarot book with a little less "woo," this book may be a good option.

The book is arranged into three major sections: 

Section I looks at what is Tarot, a brief history of Tarot and psychology, the basics of a Tarot deck, and instructions on how to use the book.
Section II covers the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards. 
Section III goes over additional issues like how to choose a deck, asking questions, and spreads. 

The book starts with a history of Tarot. Then it looks at Tarot and psychology with special attention to Carl Jung and Tarot. Here we look at ideas such as the collective unconscious. The author then tells her story. She worked for a publisher of self help books, which gave her access to a lot of materials including psychology textbooks that most lay people might never see let alone afford. The author eventually pursued a masters degree in social work, but chose not to do a doctorate in psychology nor become a full therapist. She thus claims she prefers to "dwell on the edges, in the liminal space" between Tarot card readers and therapists. She claims this gives her a different perspective. I will let readers decide; I think she leans more on the self help towards therapy, at times doing therapy without a license so to speak. Having said that, it is worth nothing, as the author points out, that many psychotherapists do use Tarot in their work. 

On a small side note, the practicing therapy without a license observation reminds me of Brother Tarcisio, a Benedictine monk back in my school days, who pretty much "confessed" the students then sent them to the full priest to get their absolution. Basically he was doing confessions "without a license" when he listened and provide counsel to my peers. But I digress. 

The Major Arcana chapter is mostly a retelling of the Fool's Journey that many Tarot practitioners learn. The journey has a bit more psychology tossed in, but that is the core. For each card entry, the author blends traditional elements of Tarot with psychological concepts. She draws on various authors from self help and psychology fields, some that readers may or not know or recognize. 

The third section of the book is pretty light in terms of actual instruction. The author discusses spreads, for example, but no actual spreads other than 3-card spreads. If you want to learn more about spreads, you may need a different book. Much of the overall process is left to readers. If readers are OK with just jumping in and with ambiguity, this is a good book. For readers who need more structure, they will not find it here. On that basis, this is not a good book for beginners. 

The book at times can feel like a self help book or manual, a bit too technical here or there, cold. It does have some good moments and some good words of wisdom, but you have to find them. As the book ends, it lacks a bibliography or reading list. At least a basic list of authors mentioned in the book would have been helpful for readers. 

Overall, I am glad to have read it as it adds a new perspective to my Tarot practice. I do appreciate the good parts. However, it is not an easy book to read. It can get bogged down a bit in the psychology, in terms and acronyms. Probably better to consult the parts about the cards as needed or based on interest. I like it, but I would consider it an optional acquisition.

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Excellent dive into tarot as a tool for reading tarot. Loved this book and plan to purchase it for my own collection!

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A new approach to modern wellness combining tarot iconography with spiritual/philosophical readings and psychology. Dore, who has a background in social work, pulls from myriad influences to give readers new insightful tools to use for mental well-being. Not a magical witchy type of book, but rather like the "magic" of Buddhism or philosophical alchemists- the magic of altering the self by gaining new understanding of the world, life, etc. Not every entry will strike a cord, but there is almost certainly something valuable in this book for everyone.

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"Tarot for Change" by Jessica Dore does not just focus on the aspects of using the cards for divination but as a self-discovery tool that, honestly, therapists should use more often. Throughout the book, I found the author's tone enlightening and uplifting, full of helpful information and breakthrough techniques for tarot readers of all levels.
Although this book does not give strict meanings to the cards, it offers a much greater gift: using the cards for self-knowledge. I highly recommend "Tarot for Change," and I look forward to additional books by this author.

#TarotforChange #NetGalley

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I've been reading tarot cards for about 25 years, and I wish a book like this were around when I started my own relationship with the cards. Jessica sets herself apart from other tarot experts by incorporating both psychology and cultural archetypes into her practice. Rather than using the cards for divination, Jessica uses them for self-discovery, with each card and its imagery holding special meaning that reveals "secrets" about ourselves. It's a beautifully-written debut, and I can't wait to see more from her.

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Tarot for Change is exactly the book I was looking for when considering a secular approach to tarot. Jessica Dore has a history of studying and working in the field of psychology and they brought a wonderful new view to the cards that I had not considered. I have my own educational background in psychology and this book spoke to me in so many ways on how to marry the art of tarot and self-help. Each description of the suits and cards gave me a new way to consider my tarot readings and ways to apply them to my life. This book was a breath of fresh air amongst all the usual tarot books that rely on providing more traditional meanings of the cards. I recommend this book for people who are trying to find a perspective on tarot that is outside of those traditional approaches, or even those who are wanting to enhance their readings with a new perspective.

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I like the stated approach of this book to connect the meanings of the cards to different traditions of spirituality, psychology, and self-reflection. I personally use tarot as a reflective tool so this approach is one I am glad to see reflected in a guidebook. I think I was hoping for something deeper in the individual card descriptions, but perhaps I am not the right audience for this book.

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A unique take on the traditional tarot divination. The book is a little dry and not too terribly engaging overall, but the information in it is useful and it's worth having as a reference.

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Tarot is hugely popular right now and this book is an unusual, welcome addition to the how-to genre. Experienced practitioners won’t get a lot out of it but newbies are sure to find it appealing

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