Llewellyn Publications
ISBN 1567185339
9.06 x 6.10 in, 278 pp., soft cover. $14.95
Rachel Pollack presents a magical and useful book to help you gain a deeper understanding of the meaning and nuances of your tarot deck - no matter which deck you choose to use. Rachel is considered one of the Worlds foremost authorities on the modern interpretation of the Tarot. She is also a poet, an award-winning novelist, and a Tarot card and comic book artist. So far, she has published 12 books on the Tarot. Rachel assumes a philosophical interpretative style to present the tarot, focusing on the archetypical, dreamy quality of the tarot symbols. From the back cover, "In the tradition of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, Rachel draws upon symbols, myths, and folk tales both ancient and modern, to illuminate the spiritual truths behind the Tarot's symbols."
The book covers several mythical themes including the origins of humankind including creation and the development of wisdom, Kabbalistic and dream symbols in the tarot, symbology of religion and philosophy, the abyss or void, the spiral, and inner struggle and discovery.
Nicely illustrated, the book leads the reader through a journey of inner discovery, as she teaches them how to use the tarot to explore their own inner symbology and knowings. "The occult tradition refers to the tarot cards as "arcana" or secrets. When we consider the word, we often assume it means secret information, like some classified document kept under lock and key (or, as the cliche goes, locked in the basement of the Vatican). And if not information, such as a formula of some sort, then maybe revelation. Or contemplation. At any rate, "secret" seems to imply "knowledge". (Pg. 150). Pollack goes on to explore the symbology of a card, such as the High Priestess to uncloak the "secrets" of the cards and make them meaningful. For instance, "the secret of the High Priestess is very simple: that no fixed rule defines existence, no absolute truth. To know reality we must flow like water, and open our souls to the pulse of life. Easy to say, perhaps, but hard, or maybe just frightening, to do. To truly experience such a reality we must let the fixed shape of our personality dissolve and flow away. We must give up our desire to count the stars and believe we control them. And that is what makes it a secret." (pg. 153).
This book is highly recommended to the serious, more advanced student of the tarot. It helps one's mind grasp the true symbology of the various cards, and to reap the benefit of deep knowing and insight. It also helps to dispel any dark sinister air that might taint the impression of the tarot, and lifts it to a place of honest, consistent mythology and communal meaning. After all, the tarot is a tool - one meant to help people delve into the images and visuals of their subconcious minds. Rachel's book is a definite step in the right direction for those who are intent in mastering the true message in their tarot readings.
