Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot

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Description:

A top tarotist's secrets to personal growth, one card at a time.
The two volumes of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom have inspired a whole generation of tarot students. It has often been described by readers, booksellers, and teachers as the "Bible of tarot readers." It is also often cited as one of the landmark books in modern tarot, and it helped to launch the "Tarot Renaissance" of the 1980s. The two texts-one for The Major Arcana and one for The Minor Arcana--appear together in this volume, which is a reissue of the 1998 edition first published by Thorsons.
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom draws on mythology and esoteric traditions and delves deeply into the symbolism and ideas of each card. It also gives the cards a modern psychological slant based on the pictures rather than a system of occult symbolism. This endlessly useful reference tool provides a concise history of tarot, introduces common spreads, and is a clear and readable book for both the beginning and advanced tarot student.
* Author is one of the most highly regarded tarotists in the world.
* The Major Arcana and The Minor Arcana brought together in one volume.

Features:

ISBN13: 9781578634088
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Product Details:

Author:	Rachel Pollack
Paperback:	368 pages
Publisher:	Weiser Books
Publication Date:	September 01, 2007
Language:	English
ISBN:	1578634083
Package Length:	8.5 inches
Package Width:	5.3 inches
Package Height:	1.0 inches
Package Weight:	0.85 pounds
Average Customer Rating:	based on 57 reviews

Customer Reviews:

Average Customer Review: 5.0

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1 of 2 found the following review helpful:

Boring Dissertation Aug 08, 2009
This book reminds me of the saying "If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind, give it more thought."

This is probably the most exhausting, boring, unhelpful tarot book I've ever read. It's like reading someone's dry PhD dissertation. It this had been my intro to tarot, I would have been turned off totally from by it and never continued with the adventure. Tarot is about intuition. I don't need someone trying to make esoteric connections to every possible item or image encountered. Geesh! Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. There is way too much extraneous verbage to sort thru before you found the "wisdom" this book.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

This is a great book, loaded with meaningful insights! Jul 02, 2009
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I refer back to it often. Naturally it provides a "meaning" for each card --including reversals-- but what I have found to be much more useful is the analysis given for each card. The background and exploration of meanings behind and related to the Major Arcana is especially deep. I highly recommend this book.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

Wonderful! May 27, 2009
As someone who is just coming back into Tarot, I felt I needed a firmer grasp on the meanings behind the cards. Something beyond the simple "Book in hand A, cards in hand B," read out the meanings, repeat. I felt this text was much easier for me to digest because I had previous history reading cards, but might have been more challenging to digest if a complete newcomer.

It gives a fascinating insight to the symbolism and (possible) history behind the creation of the Rider-Waite deck. It is thorough, interesting, and above all an entertaining read. If there are any problems, it would be a lack of ease in locating the definitions. Some of them (particularly the Majors) are pages long, and if you're flipping through the book while doing a reading you will be hard pressed to come up with the cards keywords.

This book is much better as a background study, to help you enhance your knowledge of the cards and cement their symbolism into your mind. Being the first book I've read on Tarot outside of the little white books included in my decks, this is an encouraging first volume for my study.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

One of the best ever May 16, 2009
I recently returned to study of the tarot. This is by far the best book that I have found. Her descriptions of the cards are insightful and thought-provoking. I appreciate the depth of the descriptions and the reversals. Rachel Pollack goes beyond the stock phrases and incorporates observations drawn from many sources, yet she stays true to the traditional meanings of the cards. Finally, the material is well-organized and well-written; I found it easy to understand, although it will provide years of study! Every tarot library should include this book.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

Excellent Source of Wisdom and Insight May 14, 2009
An excellent resource for wisdom and insight-with or without the cards.

I have a variety of books on Tarot, and this is the best I have found to bring deeper meanings to each of the cards and integrate those with ancient teachings. From Egyptian symbolism to Gnostic teachings to more modern views, this book looks at the many messages that can be gained from the cards. It is the polar opposite of books such as "Tarot Made Easy" by Nancy Garen.

With 78 Degrees of Wisdom, the three levels of progression through the major arcana is explained in depth along with the relationships between the various cards and the progression of growth through each number (i.e. the World being a more mature and expanded version of lessons learned with the Wheel.)

The book is heavy with text, and one card might have eight pages (major arcana) or only a few paragraphs (minor arcana)and is best read first from the beginning to get the full understanding of the meanings and relationships of and between the cards.

This is a fabulous book, however, it could be a bit overwhelming for those just beginning to work with the Tarot. It has so much "other" information in it to help broaden base knowledge of the arcane and esoteric and give personal insight that I highly recommend it if you really want to get to know the cards--and yourself.

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