Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot
by Rachel Pollack

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot
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Book Summary Information

Author: Rachel Pollack
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-01
ISBN: 1578634083
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Weiser Books

Book Reviews of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot

Book Review: Top-notch guide for serious mid-level students...
Summary: 5 Stars

Let me add my voice to the generally enthusiastic chorus.

Here's a tarot book that you don't have to be embarrassed to be seen reading. Pollack offers a down-to-earth but intelligent guide to the cards, (using the Rider-Waite deck), that is neither insultingly simplistic nor worthlessly esoteric.

Generally speaking, she follows a mythic/psychological model of interpretation, taking each of the 78 cards one-by-one. Originally published in two separate volumes, this edition combines interpretative descriptions of both the major and minor arcana, as well as offering enough detailed information on spreads and readings to get you started. Her approach is pragmatic, whether discussing the tarot's origins or the magickal tradition that has grown up around it over the years, but doesn't rob the tarot of its intrinsic magic and mystery.

I found Pollack's interpretations of the cards to be clear, intuitive, and authoritative without shutting the door on possible alternative readings; in fact, she encourages them, stressing the importance of developing your own personal relationship with the cards. Still, for me, one of the great joys I had in reading this book was in finding that for as many times as I've looked at the cards over the years Pollack often pointed out surprising images or perspectives that I'd never noticed before.

Particularly valuable for her discussion and description of the minor arcana which is very often given short shrift, *78 Degrees of Wisdom* is the best single book I've ever read on the tarot--a perfect place to ground yourself on your own tarot journey.

Summary of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot

A top tarotist's secrets to personal growth, one card at a time. The two volumes of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom have inspired a whole generation of tarot students. It has often been described by readers, booksellers, and teachers as the "Bible of tarot readers." It is also often cited as one of the landmark books in modern tarot, and it helped to launch the "Tarot Renaissance" of the 1980s. The two texts-one for The Major Arcana and one for The Minor Arcana--appear together in this volume, which is a reissue of the 1998 edition first published by Thorsons. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom draws on mythology and esoteric traditions and delves deeply into the symbolism and ideas of each card. It also gives the cards a modern psychological slant based on the pictures rather than a system of occult symbolism. This endlessly useful reference tool provides a concise history of tarot, introduces common spreads, and is a clear and readable book for both the beginning and advanced tarot student.

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