By Sandra Thomson
Reviewed by Lorrie Kazan for Whole Life Times
This compendium is a welcome addition to the literary world of tarot. Ms. Thomson is a well-respected author, tarot reader and teacher. The depth of her knowledge is impressive and incorporates psychology, mythology and history. Moreover, she is able to clarify and categorize pertinent information so that the reader has immediate access to a range of ideas.
While her credits were not fully listed in the book, she is in fact the current President of the American Tarot Association, a Certified Tarot Grand Master from both the Tarot Certification Board of America and from the Canadian Tarot Network, author of Cloud Nine: A Dreamer’s Dictionary, and co-author of The Lovers’ Tarot, Spiritual Tarot, and The Heart of Tarot.
The first section provides an overview of the cards, their uses, history and ways they can be best approached for self-discovery and mastery. Chapters include: “Flashcards of the Self,” “The Mysteries,” “Collision of Myth and Reality,” and “The Symbolic Quest.” She then proceeds to compare and contrast 25 of the most popular decks, interweaving image, with history and myth. Whether you’re new to tarot, or an experienced collector, you’ll derive a strong sense about which decks you want to acquire.
The second section is the dictionary, which includes, symbols, colors, numbers, cards, and suits. You can look up everything from abyss to zodiacal attributions. Her bibliography and endnotes present one of the most interesting and comprehensive reading lists I’ve seen.
Sources include David Allen Hulse’s New Dimensions for the Cube of Space, to Rachel Pollack’s Shining Tribe, Japanese mudra theory to Mary Greer, and Carl Jung. The Internet resource section highlights some of the best on-line sites, such as www.villarevak.org and www.Tarotpassages.com, to name only two.
After reading this one may wish to rush out and buy her other books, especially Cloud Nine: A Dreamer’s Dictionary. I know I will.
St Martin’s Griffin 2003
