5 Best Tarot Books for Beginners
Tarot can be really overwhelming when you’re starting out. There is so much to learn! There's the card meanings, esoteric correspondences, different tarot spreads, and then there’s the task of learning how to build your intuitive abilities. So today I thought I would share some of my favorite tarot books that have really helped me make sense of this fascinating divinatory system.
Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack
Rachel Pollack is best known for her book 78 Degrees of Wisdom, but I actually prefer this one for tarot beginners. I love how she includes imagery of multiple versions of each card as I think it’s important to see how these archetypes have changed and evolved over time. I also love how there's different reading exercises for each card so you can actively spend some time really getting to know the individual cards.
Tarot from the Library of Esoterica published by Taschen
This book is great for visual learners as there is a ton of gorgeous images that can help spark your intuitive understanding of the cards. I also love the intro that showcases the first decks that were created and includes a timeline which clearly lays out the evolution of this divinatory practice.
Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen
While this book has wonderful descriptions and interpretations of the cards, what I love most about it is the detailed instructions on performing tarot spreads and how to create your own spreads. I also love all the charts she includes and how she combines both a Western and an Eastern esoteric approach to tarot.
The Esoteric Tarot: Ancient Sources Rediscovered in Hermeticism & Cabala by Ronald Decker
While you don’t need to understand the origins of tarot to become a good reader, I think it really adds an extra layer of proficiency to spend a little time researching the history. While reading this book I had a ton of ‘lightbulb’ moments which really helped me better understand how tarot fits into the wider system of esoteric knowledge.
36 Secrets by Susan Chang
This last book is for those that struggle with the Minor arcana and want to dig really deep into their meanings and correspondences. This is a really unique book as it lays out the Minor arcana on a calendar system. Every 10-days of the calendar year correspond with some of the minor arcana cards. This allows you to go through the year focusing on building your knowledge of the minors slowly but deeply. It also helps you better understand the astrological correspondences for the minors and how these correspondences affect the card meanings and interpretations.
Hope you enjoyed this book list! I also have some additional tarot resources I’d like to share with you. Firstly, I’ve started to do a weekly live Free tarot workshop on Instagram. It’s every Tuesday at 2PM Central Time and here’s the link to my Instagram if you’d like to join the workshops. The workshops are hosted by me and my friend Jamie. We are both the creators of The Key Tarot deck, which is a Rider-Waite style deck that we completed earlier this year.
Lastly, if you’re interested in learning more and practicing your skills with a tarot community, I recommend checking out my new exclusive Discord server. I have a Tarot Journal and Tarot Study Guide on the Discord you can download if you choose to join the community. The Discord is linked to my Patreon so if you choose to support this channel on Patreon you’ll gain immediate access to the Discord along with a lot of other perks.
Let me know down in the comments what your favorite tarot book is and if there are any books you would like to recommend for tarot beginners!