Product Description

Drawing on nearly forty years of tarot experience, Mary K. Greer has developed a new energizing approach-made up of twenty-one stimulating techniques-to interpret or deepen your understanding of each card. Just as the twenty-one letters of the alphabet can be combined to form billions of words, Greer's twenty-one methods can be used in any combination for gaining amazing new insights and perspectives.

Emphasizing both traditional and personal methods of interpretation, Greer's techniques involve storytelling, sketching, symbols, metaphors, dialogues, acting, and other imaginative exercises. Designed to bring about interaction, transformation, and empowerment, this twenty-one-pronged approach to tarot can help readers expand standard interpretations and evolve new ways of connecting to the cards. Winner of the Coalition of Visionary Resources Award for Best Divination Book

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39936 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780738707846
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Mary Greer is an author and teacher specializing in methods of self-exploration and transformation.  A Grandmaster of the American Tarot Association, she is a member of numerous Tarot organizations, and is featured at Tarot conferences and symposia in the United States and abroad.  

Mary also has a wide following in the women's and pagan communities for her work in women's spirituality and magic.  A Priestess-Hierophant in the Fellowship of Isis, she is the founder of the Iseum of Isis Aurea.

Mary has studied and practiced Tarot and astrology for over 34 years.  Her teaching experience includes eleven years at New College of California, as well as at many workshops, conferences, and classes.  She is the founder and director of the learning center T.A.R.O.T. (Tools and Rites of Transformation).

Her books include Tarot for Your Self: A Workbook for Personal Transformation (1984); Tarot Constellations: Patterns of Personal Destiny (1987); Tarot Mirrors: Reflections of Personal Meaning (1988); The Essence of Magic: Tarot, Ritual, and Aromatherapy (1993); Women of the Golden Dawn: Rebels and Priestesses (1995); and Aromatherapy: Healing for the Body and Soul (1998), with Kathi Keville.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Step 1
Name

Action without a name, a "who" attached to it, is meaningless.
-hannah arendt, the human condition

The Way of the Apprentice

Preliminaries: Choosing Your Card

Now's the time to select the card that you'll use through each of the twenty-one ways to read a tarot card. That's right; you might as well jump right in. Choose a deck that has storytelling images on all the cards, and shuffle it thoroughly as you ask, "What do I most need to look at in my life right now?"

Draw three cards and turn them to their faceup and upright positions (see Glossary). Which card is most intriguing? Which one is most unsettling? Which card has the most detail? Which card has the least detail? Decide which one of the three will be your "chosen card." It should have enough symbolism for you to explore in depth and, perhaps, be more interesting than pleasing. Aces are not your best bet or the Eight of Wands, as they usually have few details. It helps if one or more people are actively doing something in the image. If in doubt, pick a Major Arcana card.

You'll be working with your chosen card throughout the book. Do not look up its meaning until you get to Step 10. If you feel truly drawn to do so, you can change your card at any time, but remember: the greater the challenge, the greater the potential growth. If you change your card, go back through the previous steps to get an overview of the new card before continuing where you left off.

Activity
1:1
Say the name of the card you have chosen aloud:
"I've drawn 10, the Wheel of Fortune."
"You received the Four of Pentacles."
"This card is the King of Cups."
"I got 13, Transformation, which is usually called Death."

That's all there is to this first step. Say the name of the card! It seems obvious but don't overlook doing it. Time after time, I see students look at a card in desperate silence, with no idea of what to say or where to begin.

Saying the name of the card opens your mouth and starts it moving-what I call "priming the pump" or getting the ideas flowing. You'll then find it's easier to say the next thing and the next. Naming something helps you own it and thus connects you to what you know about it. It's like a key that unlocks a gate-sometimes a floodgate-of information.

Activity
1:2

If you are new to tarot or have just purchased an unusual deck, shuffle it and then examine the cards, one by one, saying their names as you do so. This simple exercise will help familiarize you with this particular pack.

The Way of the Adept

You can continue exploring this step now or come back later, after trying out the other ways to read a tarot card.

Before beginning a reading, you should have psychically grounded yourself, paid attention to your breath, and shuffled the cards. Step 1 establishes an essential quality in a reading: a focused state. Now you bring your focus to bear on a single card and what it has to offer. Naming the card is a formal introduction to the energies before you, an acknowledgment of the players in the game.

The tone and emphasis you use when naming the card will convey a tremendous amount of information in itself. You might surprise yourself with a feeling you didn't know you had. For instance, you might greet the Empress with a sense of letdown-"Oh, the Empress"-only realizing later that you were hoping for a little more dynamic and assertive card. If reading for a querent, you can disarm their assumptions about a card by your manner of naming it. For example, you might greet a disturbing card by cheerfully exclaiming, "How exciting, you've drawn the Tower!" The task then becomes to convey what makes this card so exciting. Don't overdo it and definitely don't fake a response. In general, you are best served by being open and curious about why this particular card appears at this place and time. Always pay close attention to first impressions, both when reading for yourself and with a querent.

When reading for another, empathize with their first response to a card. Acknowledge and support their response before continuing.

Activity
1:3
Shuffle your deck. Ask the question, "Who am I?" Then turn over a card and say its name. Notice any physical response in your body as you first see the card and name it. Did you hold your breath or did you inhale, as if to take in the card? Did you move subtly back or forward? Was there any tenseness or relaxation? What was your very first sensory impression-a flush, a chill, an increased heartbeat, surprise, disappointment, satisfaction, nostalgia? Try this with two or three more cards.

Activity
1:4
Have another person draw a card for the same question. Say the name of the card. Simultaneously note the person's initial physical response. Tell the person what you observed and then ask what her first impression was. For example, Amy draws a card and I tell her, "It's the Ten of Coins." Then I say, "You moved forward slightly when you saw it and seemed to smile. What's going on?" Amy responds, "I'd like having that many coins and my own family." Was the response what you expected?

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Step 1
Name

Action without a name, a "who" attached to it, is meaningless.
-hannah arendt, the human condition

The Way of the Apprentice

Preliminaries: Choosing Your Card

Now's the time to select the card that you'll use through each of the twenty-one ways to read a tarot card. That's right; you might as well jump right in. Choose a deck that has storytelling images on all the cards, and shuffle it thoroughly as you ask, "What do I most need to look at in my life right now?"

Draw three cards and turn them to their faceup and upright positions (see Glossary). Which card is most intriguing? Which one is most unsettling? Which card has the most detail? Which card has the least detail? Decide which one of the three will be your "chosen card." It should have enough symbolism for you to explore in depth and, perhaps, be more interesting than pleasing. Aces are not your best bet or the Eight of Wands, as they usually have few details. It helps if one or more people are actively doing something in the image. If in doubt, pick a Major Arcana card.

You'll be working with your chosen card throughout the book. Do not look up its meaning until you get to Step 10. If you feel truly drawn to do so, you can change your card at any time, but remember: the greater the challenge, the greater the potential growth. If you change your card, go back through the previous steps to get an overview of the new card before continuing where you left off.

Activity
1:1
Say the name of the card you have chosen aloud:
"I've drawn 10, the Wheel of Fortune."
"You received the Four of Pentacles."
"This card is the King of Cups."
"I got 13, Transformation, which is usually called Death."

That's all there is to this first step. Say the name of the card! It seems obvious but don't overlook doing it. Time after time, I see students look at a card in desperate silence, with no idea of what to say or where to begin.

Saying the name of the card opens your mouth and starts it moving-what I call "priming the pump" or getting the ideas flowing. You'll then find it's easier to say the next thing and the next. Naming something helps you own it and thus connects you to what you know about it. It's like a key that unlocks a gate-sometimes a floodgate-of information.

Activity
1:2

If you are new to tarot or have just purchased an unusual deck, shuffle it and then examine the cards, one by one, saying their names as you do so. This simple exercise will help familiarize you with this particular pack.

The Way of the Adept

You can continue exploring this step now or come back later, after trying out the other ways to read a tarot card.

Before beginning a reading, you should have psychically grounded yourself, paid attention to your breath, and shuffled the cards. Step 1 establishes an essential quality in a reading: a focused state. Now you bring your focus to bear on a single card and what it has to offer. Naming the card is a formal introduction to the energies before you, an acknowledgment of the players in the game.

The tone and emphasis you use when naming the card will convey a tremendous amount of information in itself. You might surprise yourself with a feeling you didn't know you had. For instance, you might greet the Empress with a sense of letdown-"Oh, the Empress"-only realizing later that you were hoping for a little more dynamic and assertive card. If reading for a querent, you can disarm their assumptions about a card by your manner of naming it. For example, you might greet a disturbing card by cheerfully exclaiming, "How exciting, you've drawn the Tower!" The task then becomes to convey what makes this card so exciting. Don't overdo it and definitely don't fake a response. In general, you are best served by being open and curious about why this particular card appears at this place and time. Always pay close attention to first impressions, both when reading for yourself and with a querent.

When reading for another, empathize with their first response to a card. Acknowledge and support their response before continuing.

Activity
1:3
Shuffle your deck. Ask the question, "Who am I?" Then turn over a card and say its name. Notice any physical response in your body as you first see the card and name it. Did you hold your breath or did you inhale, as if to take in the card? Did you move subtly back or forward? Was there any tenseness or relaxation? What was your very first sensory impression-a flush, a chill, an increased heartbeat, surprise, disappointment, satisfaction, nostalgia? Try this with two or three more cards.

Activity
1:4
Have another person draw a card for the same question. Say the name of the card. Simultaneously note the person's initial physical response. Tell the person what you observed and then ask what her first impression was. For example, Amy draws a card and I tell her, "It's the Ten of Coins." Then I say, "You moved forward slightly when you saw it and seemed to smile. What's going on?" Amy responds, "I'd like having that many coins and my own family." Was the response what you expected?

Customer Reviews

Excellent Experiential Book--Belongs on the Shelf of Every Tarot Reader
"It's often assumed that the answers are in the cards and that we, as readers, should point them out. But whose answers? And what if there are no answers in the cards, only questions? My philosophy is that there are usually multiple responses to any question and that all answers lie within the person seeking them." - From the book

Mary K. Greer, author of popular books such as Tarot for Yourself and Understanding the Tarot Court, has developed a new "bag of tricks" for Tarot readers, with the intent to foster interactive, transformational, and empowering readings. In 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card, Greer offers twenty-one stimulating, interactive techniques designed to engage powers of observation, interpretation, and intuition. While many of the techniques are geared towards in-person readings and receiving real-time feedback from the querent, Tarot readers who read via email or phone--as well as for themselves--will also discover exciting approaches to the cards.

With lucid explanations and examples, Greer invites readers to stretch, embody, synthesize, and play with Tarot images, themes, and symbols. Rather than consulting the Tarot as a cosmic 8-ball with definitive answers, the author's approach coaxes additional questions from the cards, probing the psyche and revealing innate wisdom.

Among the techniques offered in 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card are:

* Emotion
* Range
* Symbols
* Numbers
* Dignity and Theme
* Dialogs
* Myth and Archetypes

Each approach has two levels of use, called the apprentice and the adept. The apprentice exercises provide a quick overview of card messages. The adept level takes you more deeply into concepts with variations and intriguing activities.

At Step 1, we're encouraged to shuffle a Tarot deck, asking, "What do I most need to look at in my life right now?" After drawing three cards, pick one. This will be the "chosen card" that you'll explore using all twenty-one techniques. After doing 99% of the activities in the book, I can guarantee that if you do most of the exercises, your understanding of a card will expand exponentially. It would certainly take a good deal of time to put each of the 78 cards through its paces using the twenty-one techniques, but the process will yield immeasurable insights.

When I began reading 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card, I selected the 7 of Cups as my "chosen" card. It seemed appropriate for me, especially since my Enneagram personality is Type 7, my numerological Life Path number is 7, and my Soul Number is 7--which means all of the Minor Arcana 7's are relevant to me. In addition, astrologically speaking, I happen to have Venus in Scorpio, which is the attribution for this particular card. 7 of cups is also among my Soul Lessons and Opportunities Cards (consult Tarot for Yourself for more information).

I received great insights on the 7 of Cups (as well as myself), and especially enjoyed the exercises on Emotion (pg.15), Story (pg. 22), Number (pg. 33), Metaphor (pg. 67), and the 3 Card "Drawing" (pg. 173). The 3 Card "Drawing", which is a technique featured in Llewellyn's 2006 Tarot Reader, proved to be intriguing. I don't enjoy drawing, but once I do this particular exercise, I'm always glad I did. I drew the Queen of Cups, 6 of Cups (my Destiny card!), and 8 of Wands. By melding some components together per Greer's suggestion (with a vast array of crayons on hand!), a Queenly godmother descends from the sky, walking on spiral steps made of the 8 wands. She offers the two children a huge bouquet of flowers, which they reach towards with smiling faces and outstretched hands. A house is in the background, a wading pool is in the foreground, and fluffy clouds, green grass, and a shining sun finish the scene.

Using the Emotion exercise, there were about 20 cards that I had difficulty ascribing information to, at first. But as I concentrated--trying to ascertain the one feeling evoked from the card--layers of emotion and psychological insight bubbled to the surface. Other books have suggested tapping into the emotion of a card, but they usually lump this in with other observational exercises. By forcing myself to isolate a sole emotion, I found new ways of looking at a card.

With 310 pages, 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card features dozens of illustrations, including card images from 25 different decks such as the Stick Figure Tarot, Shining Tribe, Shapeshifter, Quest Tarot, Robin Wood Tarot, and Motherpeace. In addition to the in-depth exercises, there are nine appendices rich with referential and practical information. These appendices feature 40 elemental dignity combinations, number and rank keyword chart, traps and solutions when doing readings, an archetypal motifs chart and more. The archetypal motifs chart lacks information on the Sun card, which is an unfortunate publishing error.

If you're interested in deepening your understanding of the Tarot, forming a personal bond with your deck, or enhancing your abilities as a reader, 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card is an excellent experiential guide for connecting with the cards. Greer offers imaginative exercises with practical applications, and the activities in the book must be done (rather than thought about) for maximum benefit. This book belongs on the shelf of every Tarot reader, in my opinion.

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

a must have for tarot readers
If you're familiar with Greer's other books on Tarot, this books continues her excellent tradition of continuing to provide innovative ways to do divination. If you're not familiar with her work, pick this book up as it will be all you'll need. Greer builds off her previous work quite well and elements of that previous work can easily be found in this book.

What I liked the most about this book was all the exercises she offered. This wasn't a theory book, but a book that demands work from the person. And at the same time the exercises build on each other. It's easy to incorporate them into each other as you go through the book. This not only encourages acquisition of the concepts but also allows for experimentation.

My only quibble is that she didn't include internal citations for her sources, as she did with her previous work, but this is likely a case of the publisher dictating policy on that.

If you want to improve your skills as a diviner then pick this book up, because you won't go wrong.

An essential tarot text!
Mary K. Greer's "21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card" is a MUST for all serious practitioners of tarot. The information and activities will change your tarot skills from "good" to "WOW!" If you do the processes laid out in "21 Ways...", your readings will take on rich, empowering nuances that can transform your life and the lives of your clients. Get it! Use it!