Raven Croaks: Book Review: Introduction to the Tarot by Gary Shook

Disclaimers:

Relationship: Slight, I have met Gary at various events over the years but I’ve never had a beer with him. I’m afraid if I passed him on the street I might not recognize him. I guess it would be fair to say that he is an acquaintance but that's all.

Personal Expertise: Well, I am certainly not what anyone would call a tarot expert; in fact I do not regularly read or work with the tarot anymore. Like many Pagans I studied fairly seriously early on my path and I even read occasionally for the public when I had the store but I have since found that my divinatory talents lay elsewhere. I still have a collection of tarot and tarot type cards that I occasionally work with.

Review:

So since I’m not a tarot expert or even regular user one might ask why in the world am I reviewing a book on the tarot and that would be a fair question to be sure. Actually I stumbled onto this book while watching a friend’s store; it was on the shelf and business was slow. Since I had met Gary several times I thought what the hell, why not give it a peruse.

It didn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that I really liked this book and I wished that I had seen it 20 years ago when I was studying this divinatory art. The book was originally written as a workbook for Gary’s tarot classes and judging by the book I would guess that his workshops are really good as well.

Almost any book that you pick up on the tarot and almost any teacher of the tarot has lots of rules. Lots of things you must do or must never do when handling, choosing or reading tarot cards. Don’t shuffle the cards like they were playing cards, always keep your cards in a natural cloth bag, always keep your cards in a natural fiber cloth inside a box made of wood, don’t lay your cards on a bare table, etc. etc. etc. All of these rules always seemed a bit arbitrary to me; personal philosophies carved into stone and somehow made into cardinal rules over the years. Of course any different author or teacher might have their own set of cardinal rules or personal philosophies but seldom does a book encourage you to decide for yourself.

Ultimately Gary’s approach which is one of self-determination if you will makes so much more sense to me then a bunch of rigid do’s and don’ts. Yes, he covers the basic info, spreads, techniques and even mentions many of the “rules” that he has come across but he encourages the student/reader to find their own way. He includes exercises so that the student/reader can really get a feel for their cards and the art rather than a bunch of stuff that you have to memorize. And he discusses more than one method for learning the art. Honestly I wish more Pagan and metaphysical books would take this approach instead of the “one right and only true way” approach that so many seem to favor.

Cons: The book is generously illustrated with pictures of various cards from various decks and while this is a good thing it lacks identifying information for the cards so if a person reading the book is particularly drawn to the artwork and symbolism of a particular card they have no way of actually knowing which deck it came from.

Perhaps it’s not the only book you will ever need to learn the tarot but I definitely recommend it not only for beginners but for anyone who has struggled with the limitations and rigidity of standard tarot instruction or who feels that they need or just want a new approach. So to rate this book on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being "it might make a good doorstop" and 5 being " Awesome" I would give it a 4.

Availability can be a bit tricky. You won’t find this book on any online sites but you can contact the Enchanted Crystal in Running Springs, CA or you can contact the author directly.

Enchanted Crystal

909-867-1190

enchcrystal@earthlink.net

Gary Shook, author

garyshook@adelphia.net