Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot

I was wary of buying a tarot book online, though I finally did make the decision to buy this book based on the reviews here as compared to the reviews of other tarot books. I've been rather impressed with this book. The author chose, wisely, to use the gold-standard in tarot, the Rider-Waite deck for her demonstrations and detailed study of the tarot symbolism. The Rider-Waite is widely available in both the original as well as other variations (I personally love the Universal Waite deck... same deck with prettier colors). I've waited for some time to review, but decided now would be as good a time as any since I can see that this is a book I will be working through for some time. I've given it a once-through, and have been using it as a reference since I bought it. This book emphasises learning and study (which takes years) over quick-fix guides to the tarot which suggest one could effectively read tarot in only minutes. And it is a long process, one I've been working on for over a decade casually, and one which I will continue to work on for years to come, aided by this very good reference. Seventy-Eight degrees of Wisdom also presents the use of the tarot without excess new-age trappings, focusing on the cards and their symbols themselves, not on extraneous things, particular religious views, or other things which I've read in scanning other tarot books. I think this book is excellent for intermediate students of the Tarot, and gives a wonderful sense of the complexities of tarot, while keeping it to the basics, focusing on the foundations of learning rather than a host of many spreads to use. May your journey of learning be fruitful.

This Book is a Must Have....I have been interrested in learning the cards for many years...even as a elementary school child I remember going into a little corner store gift shop and found this very generic tarot playing cards, they were very simplistic and fascinating..I gave made up readings to my mom LOL and funny she marveled at how accurate they were...but sadly they got lost in the shuffle with toy parts in the bottom of my toy box...Prior every book I would pick up I would casually glance through and put back down...maybe it overwhelmed me..I just didn't feel a connection or desire to study the book. I own angel cards, spanish playing cards ect ect but never committed to any...SO...I read Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom unbelievable on a spiritual level it spoke to me..honestly everyday it was hard for me to put down I had to read the next page, the next page...I began to have more of an awareness of how it all is connected, me, the cards, my actions, energy, the universe..it all came alive to me..and as I would read the description's of the cards they came alive to me..I thought oooh wow that is so me or yep I know a person like that..I just recently purchased my first riders deck per a friends recommendation..boy have I been so stubborn LOL actually the Radiant Rider Deck and I am so excited to receive them...This book was so spiritual so philasophical so deep..she really elaborated the meanings and gave other perspectives. I felt like I could see the card in my head with just the black and white pictures in the book.so half way thru I ordered my deck...but I already feel like I know most of them and anticipating the secrets they want to whisper to me...This is not a book u loan :) noo noo noo this is a "Bible" Tarot Bible..which I will be rereading again and again....A Must Have for the Tarot and Spiritual Development :).......If anyone could recommend any spiritual tarot books and books on symbols that are very deep and enlightening......Jenny

If you are a Tarot beginner, you will be temted to buy at least 10 decks before even doing any reading at all, you will also buy about 5 tarot books to explore. I have passed that road too, and yeah there are a lot of good books for beginner. Time after time, you will come back to just one deck: Raider White deck, and for me the miniature deck (the size of almost a usual regular bicycle deck). And you will start to forget all the book and time to time come back to the very few books you love. And this one is it. It is a very rich book with deep reading of all the cards. It touch you and teach you deeply and teach you how to grow your own way of reading the pictures of tarot deck. This is not for the ultimate beginners! But invest in this one. After you get "bored" to the beginner books of tarot, you will start to appreciate this book. It is not for the people who just "want to know a bit" about tarot. In fact if you only want one book on Tarot, this is it. The book describe deeply and richly for each card.

I am learning Tarot and purchased this book to go along with Arthur Waite's "Pictorial Key to the Tarot." Good thing that I did because Mr. Waite, in my opinion, does not know how to simplify a sentence. Then there are the words he used in 1910. Ms. Pollack is clear and to the point. She is organized. She give lots of background for the Major and Minor Arcana. Eventually she discloses why Tarot readings work. (synchronicity) One still needs to do some memorizing and perhaps more reading. However, I think it would be prudent for anyone serious about Tarot reading to consider this as a necessary part of background preparation for readings. One also learns a great deal concerning spirituality and morality. Your learning and Tarot skills are not developed by the time you finish reading this. You then begin to memorize and work with spreads. You will probably refer back to this book in the future. I hate reading but found it difficult to put this down. Check out Wikipedia regarding what she's accomplished so far in her life. Clearly she is an amazing person.

Most of the negative reviews of this book all claimed there is a strong "Anti-Christian" slant by the Author. I can day without a doubt this is entirely untrue. Rachel Pollack's messages are not anti-christian nor are they anti-jewish. She does pull quite a bit of the Kabbalah from the TAROT however there is much in the symbology which comes directly from the Kabbalah. I do not know where the one reviewer pulled that in Key 21 - The World is not an androgynous figure but in truth supposedly Jesus Christ and the four animals depicted are that of the four apostles. I have studied the TAROT for 33 years and never once heard of or was told the androgynous figure was anything other then an androgynous figure. The beauty of the TAROT is that by understanding the symbols and the esoteric meanings behind those symbols one can invariably understand any spiritual system of the world. Yes this means one can throw a bunch of Christian beliefs into the TAROT and make sense of Christianity. Yet it does not mean the TAROT was meant to add to the Bible or encourage the Christian Philosophy over any other world Philosophy. I find Rachel Pollack's information is insightful and helpful. There are times some of the symbology is covered at the wrong time for the particular key. However I have found the information useful and helpful in understanding the TAROT system and how it moves one closer to enlightenment and self-actualization with this wondrous system of archetypes and symbols. For beginners this book may "seem" over their head. However with time for meditation and understanding, they will find this book far more helpful then by just reading a list of what each of the Keys means in a reading. For the medium to advanced practitioners of the TAROT, they will find the insights and details of description profound and deeply meaningful. This book is an excellent resource for those wanting to know more about the some of the symbols found on the TAROT Keys and what those symbols mean. I gave this book four stars as I feel Rachel Pollack needs some better organization to her information and perhaps a bit more time on each of the Major Arcana. I advise spending time with all the reviews and coming to your own conclusion if this book is right for you.

As someone who is just coming back into Tarot, I felt I needed a firmer grasp on the meanings behind the cards. Something beyond the simple "Book in hand A, cards in hand B," read out the meanings, repeat. I felt this text was much easier for me to digest because I had previous history reading cards, but might have been more challenging to digest if a complete newcomer. It gives a fascinating insight to the symbolism and (possible) history behind the creation of the Rider-Waite deck. It is thorough, interesting, and above all an entertaining read. If there are any problems, it would be a lack of ease in locating the definitions. Some of them (particularly the Majors) are pages long, and if you're flipping through the book while doing a reading you will be hard pressed to come up with the cards keywords. This book is much better as a background study, to help you enhance your knowledge of the cards and cement their symbolism into your mind. Being the first book I've read on Tarot outside of the little white books included in my decks, this is an encouraging first volume for my study.

This has to be one of the all time best books penned on the subject of Tarot. I've been a Reader since the mid-1970s and found myself feeling like a neophyte as I moved through the pages, discovering a treasure trove of wonders. Normally, when a novice asks for help in learning about the Tarot I point them to the older Connolly series but when it comes to those that have invested the time and become the "Journeyman" -- seasoned but still learning -- this is the next big step. There are others, including those that cater to the Cabala and simply refer to the cards for the sake of meditation (see M.D. Kraig's "Modern Magick") but when it comes to learning and actually connecting with the cards, this is the book to study. . . to read at least 3 times that the information will sink in and become a part of you; once as you would normally read a tome, once out loud as if teaching a class; and finally, as the student with pen and paper at hand . . . and if you recognize that bit of paraphrasing, congratulations.

This is an awesome book on tarot. I think it is right up there with Eden Gray and Arthur Edward Waite himself. Rachel Pollack has made the descriptions of the cards full and accurate and very understandable to read. I also have Mary K Greer books and find that Rachel Pollack's book is just as good if not better. When learning or reading about the tarot, in my opinion I look to Eden Gray Tarot books, Rachel Pollack tarot books and Arthur Edward Waite tarot books. That would include the little booklet in the Raider Waite tarot deck. Over the years there have been many new writers of the tarot. I like to go back to the older authors of tarot reading books Eden Gray, Alistair Crowley Arthur Waite, are some of my old time favorites. Rachel Pollack Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom puts me in mind of these great past authors. This is the best book out there for these days modern readers. Get a copy if you want to learn how to read the tarot. This book will be going as a gift for a friend. Fawn

Un libro completo y serio sobre cada carta del tarot en una narrativa casi perfecta

一ヶ月ほど前に、全文和訳完了しました。心理学的な洞察をもとにしたタロット解読本といってもいいかと思います。 メジャー・アルカナを7で分割するというのも面白かったし、スプレッドも類書にはないものがのっていて興味深かった。 このような本が翻訳・出版されるならば日本のタロット理解もワンランクアップするのではと思うのですが。英文は分かりやすいです。 魔術的なものとは違いますが、そうした傾向のものをお求めの方でも買いではないかと思います。『タロット・バイブル』という同じ著者の本も翻訳され出版されていますので、そちらを覗いて気に入ったらこれもいけると思う。タロット・リーダーならば読んで損はなしです。

I avoided this book for quite a long time because I had a feeling it would be one of those cases when everyone loves something - everyone compliments the king on his new apparel though they can't see it and are only afraid to sound stupid. Well, I was wrong. All the clichés I have read about this book are applicable: - It IS the best book on tarot I have read - My readings did reach another level - I did learn a lot about myself - It is the book you should read if you can only read one - I couldn't put this book down and finished it in record time. I actually felt sorry when it was over. I am not going into detais of the contents which many reviews have already addressed. Suffice it to say that I have read so many commonplace but well marketed books that added nothing. Rachel Pollack was a pleasure to read because she not only shares so much valuable knowledge; she uses language that is a joy to read and does not imply we are beginner readers as well as beginner tarot readers. She holds nothing back. Few books in my life have GIVEN me so much. Even if I give up tarot I will not regret reading 78 Degrees of wisdom.

This book is a classic for good reason. Even for more advanced tarot fanatics and/or readers, it's full of insights. The valuable intersection with history, psychology and symbolism is priceless. I use it as an inspirational guidance rather frequently. Totally recommend it

I have read this book as a beginner in tarot but it can be used at anytime. It provides such a deep insight of the cards and their meanings and on their psychological angle, too. Definitely, a must have book for any tarot reader!