Beginner and Anytime Books on Tarot

The Reader as the 17th Trump

When I first fell in love with Tarot, it felt as if I needed to clone myself because there weren't enough hours in the day to absorb it all. I believe Tarot is a lifetime study and this became apparent to me early on. I would wake up two hours earlier than usual almost daily in order to devote some serious time to my new obsession, as I felt like I was already “behind everyone else”. It was as if something overtook me from within and I was flying down the highway at top speeds. I needed to know everything there was to know about this vast subject. I couldn’t turn it off, like a gushing water source that could not be plugged.

Something had been sparked internally and I was merely following where I was being led. What did that mean for me? Every free moment I had was spent reading and learning as much information as I could about the cards from various sources.

Was this healthy? Who knows. Did I learn a lot? Yup!

I’m also convinced that sometimes experiences move through you and your only recourse is to ride the wave of inspiration for as long and as far as it will take you, because inevitably, the river will slow and you will find yourself at its banks shaking your head thinking “Wow! What was that all about?! And also…thank you 🙏“

In my early learning stages, some of the classic interpretations of the cards rarely made sense or applied to my life. At first I thought I was doing something wrong, or that I was missing something (despite my carefully highlighted and underlined texts). Over time, I learned that this wasn’t true. It was only after reading Tarot for myself and others consistently for 3 years that I learned how to incorporate my own lived experiences into the cards and their meanings. I found that in my world, some of the traditional meanings took on a different shape, perhaps they were more subtle and less forceful than what I had come across in books, or they had flavorings of the classic interpretation but with an entirely different twist. I began to understand why many Tarot readers proclaimed we should “Get rid of the guide book. All you need is your intuition”, and yet, this also didn’t feel true for me. 

While this sentiment is well-meaning, wanting you to trust in your own power and your own feeling rather than relying heavily on others and a pre-scripted methodology, I also feel that many people need a starting line, a good base to build from. I wouldn't take myself out snowboarding on Day One and say “Just trust your intuition!” Noooo way. I need some guidelines, and then over time, and with lots of practice, I can understand what works best for my body.

I’m not suggesting that snowboarding and Tarot reading are similar in risk level. There is no threat of death in shuffling some cards (no matter what you may have seen in movies) and most Tarot readers don’t show up to your reading in a protective helmet and wrist guards, but I think there is something to be said for laying the ground work whenever we embark on something new 🙃

For me this applies to learning Tarot. 

I need structure. I need a foundation. And then I can decide what to keep and what to let go of.

With the Lunar New Year just in our rearview, I thought this would be a good time to share a few of my favorite Tarot books for beginners that I found to be immensely helpful in taking the first steps on my card reading journey. 

While there are many books out there that are wonderful for beginners, these just happen to be the three that I gravitated to. Additionally, I believe they can be helpful even for those past the beginner stage, as I think multiple perspectives on any subject can only enhance what you have come to know. 

Now on to the list…

A few of my favorite Tarot books

1.Kitchen Table Tarot by Melissa Cynova

Saying “I loved this book” is an understatement. I had tried to learn Tarot for what felt like forever, and this is the book that allowed it all to click into place (along with the right deck). I’m pretty sure I finished it in two days. Not that you need to read with the same vigor, it’s just that the writing in this book made it so accessible to me and I gobbled it up.

I loved the way Melissa Cynova wrote about the cards, and her very straightforward, no bullshit and direct style. It reminded me of all of the people that I grew up with in New York City, a place where people just say it like it is, and the way you feel about it is on you. This does not mean the book is cold, quite the contrary, there is deep care about the well being of others and always considering your voice and your inner and moral compass as you step into readings. As the author beautifully wrote in the chapter titled, The Ethics of Reading,  “Remember when you read for someone, you’re carrying their dreams in your hands for a short while. Even if you have to deliver bad news, do it gently, and hand their dreams to them back unbruised”. That line really stuck with me, and I’ve carried it in my metaphorical pocket ever since. 

I also loved the way the author wrote about the Minor Arcana and organized them by number, rather than by suit, as in: all of the Aces are explored together, then the Twos, Threes, and so on. It gave me a better understanding of the numerology of Tarot and how I can apply it and notice patterns during readings. Each Major Arcana card has an “I…….” statement written with it, which I see as a subtitle or rather, if I imagined the card speaking to me, this is what they would say. For example, The High Priestess states, “I am knowing” and the Tower suggests, “ I am rebuilding.” As a beginner, I found these short statements incredibly valuable. 

I think what I may love most about this author is how approachable they feel, as if they could be my friend in a parallel universe and those are really the only people I want to learn from.

2. Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea

This book has been highlighted, underlined and marked up like I was studying for a final in college. Now that, my friends, is a book that you can count on to reference when you’re in doubt. A Tarot book from a feminist and political perspective, this is another author whose voice reminds me of an older cousin or friend that I would have looked up to as a teenager. You know the one, the person who shared their experiences with you so that when you came up against a similar situation, you wouldn't be as shocked. The one who let you borrow the clothes your parents wouldn’t get you and who made sure you were taken care of at that party you weren’t supposed to be at. That’s how this author reads for me, it brings me back to the root of myself and whenever a book can do that AND teach me something, I’m all in.

What I loved about this book were the personal examples the author inserts throughout the teaching of each card. They let you in on how this card has shown up for them in their life and I found that to be so important as I began to map my own experiences with each card in my journal. The author also includes ways to work with each card after their description of it, allowing you to embody each one in several different ways. It was “Modern Tarot” that allowed me to discover my own special ways in working with individual cards, through ritual, journaling and dream work. It allowed me to take Tarot to a level beyond just pulling cards and interpreting their meaning, resulting in deepening my knowledge and understanding.

3. The Magic of Tarot by Sasha Graham

Last but not least, “The Magic of Tarot” by Sasha Graham.  This book does not even go into specific card meanings until page 213 (yes, that’s right!) What on earth could have possibly been written leading up to this portion in the last 212 pages you might be asking? So much magic, as the book is aptly titled. The author writes that to understand Tarot is to observe it all around us. There are prompts in the first two-thirds of the book that allow you to understand yourself and in turn, the Tarot, on a more nuanced level.

For example, in the Chapter titled Magical Readings, the author discusses the wide array of elements that are involved in readings, such as colors, suits, numbers, working with reversals (along with permission not to!) just to name a few. One of the prompts written is intended to allow you to explore your relationship with the element of Air (as is represented by the Suit of Swords).

The prompt asks the following, all while understanding that there are no right or wrong answers:

 “A sword makes me think of…

A sword makes me feel…

The words I free-associate with “sword” are…

The message of the sword is…”

There are prompts and correlations made between Tarot and our energetic energy centers (chakras), its connection to Yoga, using Tarot to explore dreaming and shadow work amongst many other topics BEFORE bringing you to the interpretation of individual card meanings. In choosing to write the book this way, I see it as the author suggesting, “Hey, look, the meanings aren’t going anywhere, and while understanding them is important and we will get to it, perhaps even more important is understanding yourself first”, and I’m here for all of that.  

I will say that this might be an excellent first read for many, if you prefer to start off by seeing the big picture, and then narrowing in on the details later. And if you are more like me, and are itching for card meanings, you can just as easily flip to page 213 and scratch that itch when needed 🙂

Lastly, I should mention that all of these books contain tips on caring for your cards, how to shuffle, and individual spreads for getting to know your cards and yourself a little better.

Do you have any favorite books on Tarot? Let me know in the comments 💖

Happy Reading!! 🤓 📚