The Secret Language of Tarot

February 11, 2008
Reading tarot symbols is complicated—each appears many times and in a variety of contexts in a deck, with many possible layers of meaning. (For example, a rose can symbolize “the feminine path of emergence” when appearing with the Magician, and as a “style of learning” that bestows “unconditional love” when appearing with the Hierophant.) Using Ride-Waite-Smith imagery, the Amberstones (Tarot Tips
) provide both a reference manual and a course on reading tarot symbols, even introducing discussions as if speaking directly to students. Becoming a skilled tarot reader requires an odd combination of natural talent and skill—familiarity with symbols through study is important, yet at the same time, “tarot imagery was originally created to evoke an immediate, intuitively surefooted emotional response from looked at it, whether they knew anything about tarot or not,” say the Amberstones. To get in touch with both aspects, they provide exercises to help “enter your inner universe and find whatever you are looking for” when contemplating various symbols. Though the guide is organized thematically rather than alphabetically as most symbol dictionaries are arranged, it still works well as a reference manual.