Product Description

Secret Language of Tarot sets itself apart from other tarot books by teaching readers how to translate the pictorial symbolism from one deck to another, strengthening the reader's ability to recognize specific icons in any deck and in the world around them.

The Secret Language of Tarot can be used as both a reference book and as a series of guided meditations on the individual symbols. Each of the seven chapters contain a set of symbols that share a common theme. Extensive research provides readers with the lore and mythological meanings of the symbols to help foster intuitive powers. The explanation of imagery is both insightful and eclectic.

When read from beginning to end, The Secret Language of Tarot reveals a hidden current of understanding and connection between the individual cards of the deck. Each chapter ends with an Integration Lesson and a special Symbol Spread to deepen the understanding of the cards.

The Secret Language of Tarot brings imagery and intuition into a course of study of the tarot. It is a must-have for any serious tarot reader that is written in accessible language for the novice as well.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #292750 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781578634163
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Reading tarot symbols is complicated—each appears many times and in a variety of contexts in a deck, with many possible layers of meaning. (For example, a rose can symbolize the feminine path of emergence when appearing with the Magician, and as a style of learning that bestows unconditional love when appearing with the Hierophant.) Using Ride-Waite-Smith imagery, the Amberstones (Tarot Tips) provide both a reference manual and a course on reading tarot symbols, even introducing discussions as if speaking directly to students. Becoming a skilled tarot reader requires an odd combination of natural talent and skill—familiarity with symbols through study is important, yet at the same time, tarot imagery was originally created to evoke an immediate, intuitively surefooted emotional response from [whoever] looked at it, whether they knew anything about tarot or not, say the Amberstones. To get in touch with both aspects, they provide exercises to help enter your inner universe and find whatever you are looking for when contemplating various symbols. Though the guide is organized thematically rather than alphabetically as most symbol dictionaries are arranged, it still works well as a reference manual. (Apr.)
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Review
This book is about exploring these symbols found in the RWS tarot deck. Paths and mountains; moon and stars - these all have meanings which can apply to everyday situations...The authors also include meditations to better explore each tarot card, as well as a number of unique spreads that are quite innovative...This book is a lovely resource which I will be working with for some time to come. ---Diane Saarinen, New Age Journal

About the Author
Ruth Ann & Wald Amberstone teach, write, and publish about tarot on all levels, from divination to psychology to esotercism and magical practice. They are perpetual pioneers of new tarot techniques and remain lifelong tarot students. They are the authors of Tarot Tips: 78 Practical Techniques to Enhance Your Tarot Reading Skills regular contributors to Llewellyn's Tarot Calendar and Tarot Reader almanacs.

Customer Reviews

Not quite as...compendious as I'd hoped.
I had pretty high hopes for this book--apparently too high. The Amberstones are the ones who want to separate you and roughly $800 of your cash to learn tarot, and I figured this book would be a taste of what I'd get should I decide to take their course. Apparently not too stupid a decision, since this book seems to be one of their courses merely in book format (chapters begin with some sort of 'welcome to our class on....' formula). While there is good stuff in here and I definitely like the across-the-deck approach of symbols, on the depth of information, I honestly wasn't blown away. Good stuff, yes, but not exactly mind blowing. And every chapter I ended up *filling* with marginal notes like "what about this?" "And this?" For example--they talk about the five-petaled rose as a symbol in class, erm, chapter one. While they're spot on in what they do have, they don't touch on some pretty obvious numerology--five in the Middle Ages represents *humankind*--the five senses, the four limbs & the head, five fingers, etc. It's also more closely tied to the Virgin Mary than they say--anyone saying the rosary knows of the *five* sorrows and joys of the Virgin. As for white versus red roses--any Englishman (such as Waite) would almost automatically have considered roses, red and white, with Lancaster and York. So while they're not *wrong*...they're just not as *right* as I wanted them to be. And for the columns, they completely skip over the notion of the Hebrew names possibly being further representation of gender polarity--Boaz "in him is strength" masculine, Jachin "God prepares"--hello? The Virgin Mary again? Medieval notions of the female as the fertile bed upon which the masculine seed is acted?

If I sound frustrated it's because I bought this book expecting *experts*, (on their website they boast of more than 80 years of tarot experience) not just a few neat titbits. The only way I can reconcile myself to this book is to say that I must in contrast be a Tarot Super Genius, which I most certainly am NOT!

I gave it a four because I do like the notion of analyzing SYMBOLS rather than cards, and because what they do have is good stuff--just not as much as I would have liked. It's a good book for an intermediate tarot reader, but advanced readers might not find enough (like me) to justify shelling out the money. It's definitely a 'look before you leap' book. I'd recommend either of Mary Greer's big Tarot books before, and possibly instead of, this one.

But god bless 'em for having one of the very *few* good titles to come out in Tarot in the last few years!

A Marvelous New Look at the Tarot
This book stands out sharply from all of the dozens of books in print that look at the symbolism of various Tarot decks. The other books all have one thing in common: they take the cards and dissect them into their various symbols. This remarkable work takes the symbols and integrates them with the cards.

Rather than simply go thought the Major Arcana and say "Oh, look there's a moon under the foot of the High Priestess", The Amberstones take the moon and look for its occurrences across the deck. The results can be surprising. Yes, the High Priestess does indeed have a crescent moon, but so does the Chariot, The Hierophant, The Moon and several Minor Arcana. As the author, so rightly points out, "Regardless of the card and regardless of its phase, every appearance of the moon in tarot brings with it the gift of all its meanings and references ready to the hand of the reader".

The same procedure is repeated for other common and important symbols: crowns, pillars, paths, mountains, horses, clouds and many more.

With forward by Mary K. Greer and afterward by Lon Milo DuQuette, two of Tarot's brightest lights join with the sterling reputation of the founders of The Tarot School to bring us a unique jewel in the crown of Tarot books.

I loved this book!
As a tarot professional and author myself, I have many book cases filled with tarot books and believe I own almost all of the books in print on the subject of tarot. I must admit I haven't read them all because some are either boring, hard to plow through or just plain uninteresting to me.
So it was to my great delight to delve into the Secret Language of Tarot and to enjoy every word of it!
After 30+ years of reading the cards, when I have access to new information, or a new way of looking at the cards, I am just thrilled. I have been recommending this book to everyone.
It is truly a wonderful read and contains many thought provoking ideas!