The Tarot Spellbook

July 11, 2022
Tarot and magic come together in this enchanting manual by tarot reader Magdaleno (The Big Book of Tarot Meanings). Offering a spell for each of the 78 tarot cards, she “translate the teachings of the cards into spells that you can use as you go through the different chapters, obstacles, and transitions of your life.” Magdaleno notes that the fool card is associated with new beginnings and provides a spell to help readers “gather the courage to start something new” by mixing rose essential oil and water in a spray bottle and spritzing oneself while imagining oneself as the fool on the card. Magdaleno keeps the ingredient lists simple for readers without access to specialty shops; for example, her judgment card spell for “banishing” self-doubt requires only paper, a pen, and a bell. Accompanying each spell are stylized card illustrations by Tanya Jacobson, which pop with a bold purple and pink color scheme that vibrantly updates the designs of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck for a new generation (a city skyline replaces the castles in the background of the chariot card, for instance). The author’s conversational prose (the strength card “isn’t about beating Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in an arm wrestling contest”) contributes to the volume’s novice-friendly approach, and the affirming advice heartens (“When you believe in yourself, others will believe in you, too”). Witches will want to check out this accessible and handsomely illustrated outing.