A Journey into the World of Tarot: 5 Books to Kickstart Your Learning
If you have wandered to this blog post, I have to believe that you may be trying to nurture a newly discovered interest in the Tarot. Perhaps the seed was planted by something you saw on TikTok, maybe you watched a friend shuffling a deck at a party, or perhaps you have gotten your cards read for you in the past and want to figure out how to do it for yourself.
As a newcomer to the Tarot world, it can be quite daunting to know where to begin. Learning the Tarot is not as simple as taking a course at a local community college, and there is no recognized certification to aspire to. While some fortunate beginners might find a mentor, most Tarot Practitioners are self-taught. So, the question remains: How does one teach themselves the Tarot?
Fortunately, with the rise of the internet and renewed interest in the Tarot, it has become easier than ever to create a personalized self-taught Tarot curriculum. However, the abundance of information available online makes it challenging to know where to start. Therefore, we are once again compelled to ask: Where do we begin?
As a Virgo, I prefer to start at the bookstore. For me, and perhaps for other left-brained individuals, nothing compares to a highlighted, dog-eared, sticky-noted, used-and-abused, hard copy book. With a book, I can read and annotate to my heart's content, and with my handwritten notes and musings, it morphs into my very own text.
I have my trusty sidekicks, which have accompanied me on adventures across the country because one never knows when a good reference book might come in handy. I have large coffee table reference books that don't tuck as well into my backpack, workbooks that encourage self-reflection, and even some textbooks that teach the general history of Cartomancy. My collection has grown to become my very own Tarot Literature Library, and although my friends may tease me, I cherish them all.
Through my years of working with the Tarot, I have learned that there is no one true way to read a card. Sure, there are generally accepted keywords and ideas, but every Practitioner has a unique way of interpreting the cards. A Tarot card is like looking through a window into a scene unfolding outside. Depending on your height, which side of the window you prefer to stand on, or whether you need prescription lenses can change what you see through that window. By asking multiple witnesses what they can see through the window, you can start to get an idea of what may be out there.
By studying multiple texts, we can flesh out more and more nuance from each card. Every author has their own unique perspective, and each viewpoint gives us a little more insight. So every book I add to my (admittedly overburdened) shelves gives another piece to the enigmatic picture that is the Tarot.
Now, I can go on and on about my love of books, and by extension my love of collecting books, but the original questions are still at hand... With so many different books about Tarot floating around, where do we even start?
Well, the good news is that I've definitely purchased and dissected dozens of Tarot books and I've come up with a short list of my favorites. These are the Top 5 Tarot Books for Beginners, and I can personally attest to every single one.
This list does contain affiliate links!
# 5 - In Focus Tarot: Your Personal Guide By Steven Bright
I first picked this book up at Spencer's Gifts at my local dying mall. If I recall correctly, I went in looking for a novelty mug to gift to a friend of mine and happened across a random bookshelf tucked in the back of the store. The price was reasonable, so I decided to bring it back home for the collection.
The contents of this book were a pleasant surprise! I'll admit, my expectations for a Tarot book purchased at Spencer's were only just above the floor, but honestly, this book is very well laid out and very easy to follow.
This book gives keywords, but also gives detailed entries on how each card relates to different prompts: 'This card as a situation', 'This card as a Person', 'This card and you'...
In my opinion, this format is part of what makes this book stand out from others. There are so many Tarot books that give keywords and a generic description of the card, and this book blows them away by helping to actually put the cards into the context of a reading. And while I do believe that keyword memorization is important for new Tarot Readers, it's equally as important to figure out how to place a card into the story of a reading.
You can find a copy of this book here
#4 The Ultimate Guide to Tarot: A Beginner's Guide to the Cards, Spreads, and Revealing the Mystery of the Tarot by Liz Deane
This is one of those large coffee table books I was telling you about before. I've had this book for so long that I can't actually remember where I originally picked it up, but it's definitely an in-depth source for anyone studying the Tarot.
There are chapters regarding different spreads, and each card through the Majors and Minors is broken down with keywords, interpretations, astrological meanings, numerological meanings, as well as other factors that can be used for interpretation.
If you want an authoritative text with beautiful graphics, this book is definitely a great option. It's #4 on my list because of its size, I do like to cart my books around with me everywhere and this one mostly lives on my Leaning Tower of Tarot Books.
You can get yourself a copy of this book here
#3 Tarot: Connect With Yourself, Develop Your Intuition, Live Mindfully by Tina Gong
This is one of my trusty go-to reference books when I'm doing in-depth readings for myself. Learning how to read for yourself is probably one of the more difficult skills to master, it can be a struggle to differentiate what the cards are trying to tell you, and what you want to hear.
Tina Gong's book gives keywords, but the real value of this book is the thought-provoking questions that she gives to go along with every card. These questions help guide you through a process of introspection so you can reach more meaningful answers to your readings.
Gong also goes through and gives Action Items for every card, so not only do you have what a spread means, but you also have what the heck you should do with the information.
I love this book so much that I actually gifted it to my best friends, and it would be higher on my list if not for the top two contenders.
Pick up this book here
#2 WTF is Tarot?: ...& How Do I Do It? by Bakara Wintner
Okay, dear reader, this is where I admit to you that I'm a bit of a sass-hole. I enjoy the pragmatic over the esoteric, and this book gives down-to-earth descriptions of all the cards with a punch of wit and humor that makes the cards easier to remember.
Wintner's book really humanizes the cards, and I feel like there are a lot of publications in this realm that push too hard toward the mysticism side of Tarot. While I do agree that there is an amount of mysticism to be found in Tarot, I believe that it makes it very intimidating for the Modern Tarot Enthusiast.
So if you also enjoy your learning with a heavy dose of sass- definitely pick up a copy of this book.
You can find it here
#1 Kitchen Table Tarot: Pull Up a Chair, Shuffle the Cards, and Let's Talk Tarot by Melissa Cynova
Any time I talk to a budding Tarot Enthusiast, I inevitably mention my absolute favorite book in my collection- Kitchen Table Tarot.
I believe I can write a stand-alone blog post about this book, such is the level of my appreciation for the contents. I loved my copy of this book so hard that the binding literally fell apart and I had to hole-punch the entire thing to keep it together.
As the name suggests, this author has the voice of a trusted friend or mentor sitting at the kitchen table with you, discussing card meanings over a piping-hot cup of tea. Her descriptions of the cards make the concepts extremely easy to grasp, and she peels away layers of fear and misunderstanding from the 'scary' cards in the deck.
This is where I learned that Towers burn so we can rebuild and that Death means change. And I know I'm putting this into simple terms, but so many people have preconceived notions regarding meanings in Tarot that Cynova's nuance empowers her readers to tackle those things that may be scary.
If you are embarking on a Tarot journey without the benefit of a mentor, I highly recommend you find one in Kitchen Table Tarot.
You can buy your very own copy to use and abuse here-> https://amzn.to/497rVpd
So there you have it! My top 5 book recommendations for those starting out on their Tarot Journey. Although, honestly, I’ve been working with the Tarot for over a decade and I still find myself pulling these books off the shelf to deepen my understanding of readings.
Do you have a favorite Tarot book? Or have you picked up one off my list and have opinions to share? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear your thoughts!
