The feminist outlook of the author was also evident, and it added a certain je ne sais quoi to the writing. Well, get over yourself and let Crispin enchant you with this beautiful and oftentimes surprising look into the intertwining of tarot and the creative process.

Mainly, the books that I've picked up have been about tarot card theory and how the cards tie in to the Tree of Life.Many believe that your dreams can tell you your future, if you sleep with certain items under your pillow or drink or eat the right things before bed. There’s an old Irish New Year’s custom that requires you to melt metal and then pour it into cold water. The reader also learns how to do a reading, from setting up the cards, learning about the cards, choosing a deck, and then deciphering the meaning behind the cards. Plus I really enjoy making people uncomfortable, and I find that talking about the gods makes people really uncomfortable these days. So if you find yourself stuck without inspiration, it’s worth picking up a tarot deck for two reasons.

Assuming no previous knowledge, the guide answers common questions, summarizes the history of the tarot deck, and describes how artists and authors such as Italo Calvino have used it as a source of inspiration. It’s an interesting way to think about each card and may help some people better relate and remember the meanings.In my many years studying tarot, I’ve found that reading multiple sources with only generalized tarot meanings can be confusing and overwhelming. I was hoping for a book that would talk about using tarot to help with creative projects and only really got 10 or so pages of that. Imagine my relief to read a book about just the cards themselves and not an arcane “theory of everything. The Minor Arcana comes in four suits that correspond with the four elements: Cups (water), Wands (fire), Swords (air), and Coins or Pentacles (earth).