Wisdom & Healing Tarot Reiki Numerology in Guelph Ontario.

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My review of Tarot A Life Guided By The Cards.

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Cover of Tarot A Life Guided By The Cards, by Maddy Elruna.

My review of

Tarot A Life Guided By The Cards

By Maddy Elruna.

 

I have truly enjoyed reading this book.

I have followed the author’s web site and social media platforms for a while, so I jumped at the opportunity to purchase her book.

 

It is 395 pages long, and it doesn’t contain any picture.

 

Let me start with what I like of Tarot A Life Guided By The Cards.

 

It is choke full of Tarot Knowledge.

It answers almost any questions you may think of.

It would make a great addition to the library of any Tarot reader, from beginner to professional.

It covers every card in depth through:

Description.

Associations.

Advice.

Warning.

Question.

Symbolism.

In a Reading.

Negative side of the card.

A personal experience Elruna had with the card.

 

Now let me tell you what I love.

 

The author really knows her symbols, and she explains them in ways that added to my understanding of the cards.

 

She brings the Court cards to life in a fun way.

Elruna introduces the Court Cards through their associated elements and through their ranks, same way as I and many other readers do.

I think that is beneficial to the students, because it introduces the cards in groups, therefore showing what they have in common, and how they differ.

She brings the court cards to life through a simple enough exercise that is entertaining and very effective.

She creates a scenario where the four Pages take you out on a first date, and she tells you what to expect from each.

She has the four Knights go through the process of decorating a room.

She shows how each Queen would take care of a friend in need.

She tells us how each King would take on a new job position.

 

To sum it up,

Tarot A Life Guided By The Cards

was worth the money and the time I spent reading it.

 

The one tip I would give you, is to read the book from beginning to end, before attempting to use it as a reference book. The reason being that it is written as an intimate conversation that flows freely, therefore the information does not fit into neat chapters. I found a beautiful insight on the Empress at the beginning of the section for the Minor Arcana.

The section on Tarot Spreads contains much more than that. I tried all the spreads provided and I found them versatile and the resulting readings went deep.

 

In closing I would like to thank Maddy Elruna for generously sharing her knowledge of Tarot and her life experience.

My review of Awaken Tarot.

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Edited image of the six of Pentacles from Awaken Tarot

Cropped image of the six of Pentacles from Awaken Tarot

My review of Awaken Tarot.

Let me start with what I like about this deck.
Nice size, meaning the cards fit comfortably in my hands.
Bright colours.
Nice, simple back that works well even if you are using reversals.
Modern looking people wearing more contemporary clothes.
Better representation. The deck shows more females and people of different races and ethnicities.
Two Lovers card options.
One showing a male and a female, the other showing a same sex couple.
The deck is based very closely on the R.W.S. therefore anyone familiar with it should be able to use this deck right away.
The deck comes in a beautiful and sturdy box, and with an upgrade of the Little white book. This one has coloured images for each card and a little bit more information than usual.
What I don’t like about the deck is that the cards tend to stick to each other. I have been using the cards for about ten days and the shuffling is getting better.
All in all, I am glad I bought this deck.

My review of Advanced Tarot by Paul Fenton-Smith

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Here is my review of Advanced Tarot

An in- depth guide to practical and intuitive tarot reading by Paul Fenton -Smith.

Paul Fenton – Smith is a well known Clairvoyant, Tarot reader, writer and teacher in Australia.

This is a massive book, 556 pages!

Surprisingly it is a nice, easy and entertaining read, full with valuable information.
The author explains the cards by dividing them in groups of the same number, then the Court cards divided by ranks, and finally the Major Arcana.

I agree with the method as it makes it easier to remember the information when you can lean on a basic understanding of Numerology and Elements.

Something else I like about Fenton- Smith style is that it is relaxed and cordial , as he teaches symbols, numbers , suits, and ranks. He gives plenty of examples.

He also provides several Tarot spreads, my favourite being The Seven-Card Layout.
I have now used it many times and it has proven to be a very reliable spread for prediction.

Something I appreciate is that the author, who has a Diploma in counselling, doesn’t shy away from divination.

In the book he explains Tarot reversals very well.

I have already endorsed this book with former Tarot students and I believe that anyone passionate about Tarot would benefit from reading it.

I am truly enjoying my copy.

My review of the Giant Rider-Waite Tarot deck.

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My review of the Giant Rider-Waite Tarot deck

The Fool from the Giant Rider-Waite deck and the regular size.

My review of the Giant Rider-Waite Tarot deck.

I have bought my Giant Rider-Waite Tarot deck because I thought it would come in handy when teaching Tarot classes.

What I had not anticipated it is how helpful this deck is when studying, reflecting or meditating on the cards.

Given the size of this deck the pictures are much bigger therefore it becomes easy to notice details that had not caught my eyes before.

I highly recommend it.

My review of Gilded Tarot Royale

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I Recently started to work with the Gilded Tarot Royale by Ciro Marchetti.

It is a lovely deck and I like that it is small and easy to shuffle.

It is borderless, which in my opinion is a plus. In the presence of a border I feel like I am looking at the image from the outside. Without it I feel like I am right in it.

I also like the back of the deck, which is pretty, not too busy, and it can work with reversals too.

I also own the Gilded Tarot deck and I find the Royale to be somewhat familiar, but not entirely.
Many of the Gilded Tarot Royale cards are completely different and those that remain true to the Gilded Tarot have also been revisited.

The images are beautiful. The colours are vibrant and there are lots of details.

I like the court cards. They are not traditional, but their associations to the elements are still clear and the figures are relatable.

I am a big fan of Ciro Marchetti and I own several of his Tarot decks.

I am not a collector. I use my decks all the time and I am enjoying getting to know the latest addition to my tool box.

I would not recommend the Gilded Tarot Royale to a beginner, because some of the cards do not contain the well associated symbols found in the RWS deck that most Tarot books refer to.
The Emperor, for example, is depicted standing and missing his cubic throne.

The Hierophant is by himself.

The Lovers shows no angel, trees or snake.

The four of Pentacles is totally different. It shows a lady standing and holding a box or tray in her hands.

I believe that most people familiar with the RWS deck will have no problem reading with this beautiful deck.

To absolute beginners I would suggest to learn with a more traditional deck, and then move on to this one if they like.

Last but not least, the deck comes in a small box with a very basic little white book, containing two Tarot spreads.
I am testing the Daily spread, which requires five cards and I like it.

 

My review of Tarot No Questions Asked

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Review of Tarot No Questions AskedTarot: No Questions Asked:
Mastering the Art of Intuitive Reading
By Theresa Reed.

I love this book! Let me tell you why.

It is a great resource for beginners as well as experienced readers. I will definitely recommend it to all my students.

Tarot: No Questions asked is a nice size, not too tall, not too thick, very easy to handle.

It covers everything you need to know and without feeling heavy.
Theresa explains numbers, elements, Majors and Minors, even reversals!

She goes through the meaning of each card and provides a Rider Waite Smith image for each. She also gives you exercises to truly familiarize yourself with the cards.

The second part of the book explains the basics of intuition and why it is so important in everyday life.

Theresa teaches you how to recognize the voice of intuition, and how to work with it. She provides lots of funny exercises to strengthen yours and grow confident using it.

Theresa also touches on the importance of meditation and suggests a few ways to give it a try.

In Tarot No Questions Asked you will also learn three spreads:
One – Card Draws
Past Present Future
The Celtic Cross

The reading examples show you how Theresa thinks and they are very helpful.

The book is filled with valuable, practical tips. There is even a section for those who are thinking to go pro.

All in all the book flows beautifully. Theresa generously shares her decades of experience as a full time reader. Her tone is friendly, confident and to top it all, she is funny!

I have an extensive Tarot library, Tarot: No Questions Asked, makes a valuable addition.

I only have one complaint. I believe this is one of those books designed to be used frequently and for a very long time, but the cover is already falling apart.  I have had the book for only three days. There is some kind of plastic film on it and it is separating from the cover.

My opinion of Tarot Grand Luxe by Ciro Marchetti.

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I bought Tarot Grand Luxe directly from Ciro Marchetti a few months ago.
I love his work!

I own two other Tarot decks from Marchetti . I find them all beautiful and a pleasure to work with.

Tarot Grand Luxe comes with a lovely bag for easy storage and no companion book.

Ciro Marchetti is very active on social media. He shared photos of the cards as he was creating them. I loved reading the background stories and how his life was influencing his creation of the cards.

I love the vibrant colours and how some images trespass over their borders.

Anyone familiar with the R.W.S. deck should have no problem reading with Tarot Grand Luxe.
That is not to say that Ciro has not gone creative with some of the cards, because he has.

The 2 of cups is one example and the 10 of swords is another. Personally I like both.

I also love the Court Cards. Strength, Justice and the Tower are some of my favourite cards in this deck.

Getting used to The Devil card took me a while. I am quite fond of the sexy devils he has portrayed in other decks.

The only thing I wish it was different, is the size of the deck.

The cards are on the big side and I do not find them easy to shuffle.

Even so, I have been using Tarot Grand Luxe every day for the past couple of months and I just love it.
Hopefully Ciro Marchetti will continue to create Tarot decks for a very long time.

CONFESSIONS OF A TAROT READER by Jane Stern

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Confessions of a Tarot Reader

Practical advice from this realm and beyond.

ISBN 978-1-59921-993-6

I have read this book because I love Tarot and because I like to get a glimpse in the life of fellow Tarot readers. I like to find out if they embraced their path quickly or if they were reluctant. I like to see if we share interpretations and reading style.

I enjoyed the book. Stern has a good sense of humor and she is good at explaining difficult concepts in simple words.

The book works with the Major Arcana only. Stern does not deal with the Minor (the other 56 cards in the deck) at all.
She goes through the 22 Major one by one, following what is commonly known as the Fool’s path. Essentially the Fool is the soul at the beginning of his journey in life and each Major card represents a major lesson or experience.

Stern explains the experience represented by each card and gives practical  examples by relating moments from the lives of people she has read for. I do not agree with each interpretation, but I found them all  interesting. The stories are sometimes funny and sometimes sad and they usually fit well with the energy of the card explained .

Normally Tarot readers are very respectful of the privacy of their clients, so I truly hope Ms. Stern asked for their permission before sharing their experiences with the readers.

Before starting to write my humble opinion of the book I did a small search to see what was already out there. I was surprised by some of the very nasty reviews.
One of the big complaints out there was that Stern explanation of the origin of the Tarot was not accurate. It did not bother me.

On page xiv Stern writes:
Confession of a Tarot Reader is not a how-to book for would -be tarot card readers, but rather a summary of knowledge I have gleaned over my long career reading cards.
My insights and observations will show you the pitfalls of your actions-and, more important, the uncanny simplicity of finding the right answer-as well as how to recover from the cycle of hurtful habits.

Keeping that in mind I find the book clever, informative and entertaining.

The wisdom of your face by Jean Haner

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The Wisdom of your face by Jean Haner.

ISBN 978-1-4019-1755-5

Hay House

Since reading this book I look at people differently.

Face reading can provide a lot of information.

The author explains what certain features mean. The ears tell about childhood, the hairline about adolescence, the forehead has information about our 20s, the eyes are about our 30s, the nose is about our 40s, the mouth our 50s, the chin our 60s , the jaw our 70s and the sides of the face are about the 80s and 90s.

The author also explains about the 5 elements: water, wood, fire, earth and metal. Each element has certain characteristics and dominant features. Most people are a combination of elements, with one or two dominant over the others.

By looking at the dominant features in a person you can determine what elements are more strongly represented.

As an example large ears are a water feature ,which also tells of endurance and the ability to take risks. Large earlobes indicate you are good with money. A strong chin equals strong will.

Thick, bushy eyebrows belong to the wood element and they indicate drive, confidence and ambition. A small space between eyebrows is a sign of a person who works best independently.

Curly or red hair, light in the eyes = fire element

A pointed tip of the nose tells of a curious nature, while a rounded tip speaks of enjoyment of the pleasure and comfort of life.

A round face, a big mouth, full lips are all consistent with the element of earth.

A large mouth indicates a generous person who treasure friendships. Vertical lines above the upper lips reveal disappointment, resentment.

A large nose, prominent upper cheeks, concave or lined lower cheeks are all signs of metal.

A perfect nose = idealist.

A bump just below the bridge of the nose indicates a need to be in charge.

Prominent cheeks show you can hold positions of authority and can handle giving orders.

Flat cheeks on the other hand suggest you prefer to work on your own and do not like to be supervised.

I personally find reading specific features or wrinkles easy. What I find challenging is identifying the predominant elements in a person. I guess that will come with time and practice. I can hardly wait, as I believe that to be the most revealing part of this ancient practice.

As an example, to know that someone has a lot of water will tell you that:

he feels things deeply, will cry easily, needs a lot of time to make a decision, will have courage, determination and tenacity to spare. Water people love to lie down, walk and speak slowly, tend to be late often. They like to stay up late and sleep late. They like to wake up slowly from their fascinating and vivid dreams and they need a lot of alone quiet time. Water people wear soft clothes that tend to flow, the hair is often long, the footwear is the kind they can kick off easily. They like to live near water, they prefer open plan houses.

Fire people on the other hand are exuberant, joyful, yearn intimacy, are passionate, love change and new experiences. They laugh a lot, joke, talk and walk fast, they are great at multitasking. They love to flirt. They create drama, have a tendency to exaggerate. They like to be noticed.

They like to have fun with clothes, dramatic combinations, high heels, sexy styles. In the home cutting edge design, unusual architecture and design, collections. Fire people often work in marketing, public relations, sales or are performers.

To sum it up, The wisdom of your face is a book that will make you look at people in a totally different way. It is funny, direct, compassionate and very informative. I highly recommend it.

Psychic Tarot, by Nancy Antenucci with Melanie Howard.

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Psychic Tarot, by Nancy Antenucci with Melanie Howard .

Published in 2011 by Llewellyn

ISBN 978-0-7387-1975-7

Paperback, 203 pages.

In my opinion this small, unpretentious, reasonably priced book has a lot to offer.

What I like most about it, is how it breaks down the reading process in a way that is easy to understand.

The book does not spend much time on the meaning of the individual cards.

The Minor Arcana are presented together as The First Family, followed by the Court Cards as The Second Family and finally the Major Arcana as The Third Family. Each group is presented briefly but effectively. The elements associations are clearly explained.

For the Major Arcana The Fool’s journey is presented in a concise but effective way. There are exercises and spreads to try for each family.

The experience of reading is broken down is six principles.

Grounding.

Intent.

Form.

Synchronicity.

Closure.

Integration.

Each step is explained in details.

The author also talks about energies, responsibilities, boundaries.

Example of Tarot readings using more or less intuition and psychic abilities are presented.

There is a chapter called Reading Tarot with the Sight.

It gives different examples of how to read .

1) A Tarot reading.

2 A tarot reading with a hint of the Sight.

3) A Tarot and Psychic reading.

4) A Psychic Reading with a hint of Tarot.

5) A Psychic reading.

Psychic Tarot is generous with exercises designed to help the reader understand the cards better . The book also provides a lot of spreads, big and small . I have only tried a few so far and I was truly impressed.

I loved the Turning Point Exercise 1 on page 49.

All in all,  Psychic Tarot is a great book, full of information delivered in an easy, direct way. It helps the reader trust her senses , question his or her beliefs and learn seeing the unseen.

“The Back in Time Tarot Book” by Janet Boyer

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I have read a lot of Tarot books and I have found this one refreshing.

Why do I like it so much?

Several reasons.

1) This book is not about memorizing meanings for the cards.

2) It is a system that helps the reader experience the cards and come up with new associations for them.

3) It is fun.

4) The exercises expand the personal associations with the cards while providing insights into the experiences explored.

5) Once you understand the system you can use it for everything.

How does BIT work?

The system asks you to think back to an experience that you had or that you witnessed. Break it down into snapshots. Select cards to represent those images. Write down why you selected those cards.

Once you get familiar with the system you can use it to retell songs, movies, books, dreams. To find associations with places, holidays and so on.

You can use the BIT method with any deck you like. You can use it if you are new to Tarot, as well as if you have been at it for decades.

Someone new to Tarot will likely select the cards mostly because of the images on them. As an example, someone using the RWS deck may choose the Sun to depict the first time he rode a horse as a young child.

Someone who already knows the meaning of the cards may use the Sun to express a moment of pure joy, as a young person or as an adult.

Something else I found interesting, was a comment the author of the book made. Janet Boyer wrote that sometimes experienced Tarot readers can gain deep insight from figuring out why they did not choose a card that would be “expected” to represent a particular situation.

I also like the BIT system because it is very creative. Like in writing a story with words, you can go straight to the point and use only a few cards, or be quite descriptive and use as many as you like.

The Back in Time Tarot Book is reasonably priced. It is well written and a pleasure to read. It offers a fresh way to experience Tarot and the readings resulting from the exercises can be very revealing.

I would recommend the book to anyone interested in Tarot.

The Gift by Echo Bodine

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Echo Bodine is a well known psychic, spiritual healer and teacher. She has written several other books, but I haven’t read them yet. She is also the older sister of Michael Bodine, author of “Growing up Psychic”.

The gift is designed to help people understand and develop their psychic abilities.

175 pages long, the book explains in clear, easy to understand language what psychic abilities are, the different kinds that exist and the risks and responsibilities that go with using them.

Echo tries to dispel misconceptions about psychics and what they can and cannot do.

She devotes a chapter to debunk the belief that the Bible teaches psychic abilities to be the work of the Devil. She actually works hard to prove that psychic abilities are gifts from God, and that Jesus expected people to do great work with them.

Most of the book is designed to teach how to develop our gifts, how to interpret the information we get, and how to do so in a kind and ethical manner.

The book contains guided visualizations to facilitate opening up psychically, way to protect ourselves by grounding and clearing energies, as well as specific exercises.

I particularly enjoyed how Echo explains the way she receives information, as pieces of a puzzle that she needs to put together. She describes the process she uses to verify the information that she gets. She gives examples where she interpreted the information correctly, as well as instances where she made mistakes and why. I found the explanation of the process she uses very helpful.

The last chapter covers short interviews of five professional psychics. The aim I believe is to show that psychics come in different shapes and sizes, with different interests, talents and philosophies just like in any other field.

Growing up psychic by Michael Bodine

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I have read the book in a week end. That is how I am, when I start reading I don’t want to stop.

I found the story of Michael very interesting.

Essentially, when Michael was about eight or nine years old a ghost made his presence known in the family home.

Michael’s mother need to understand what was happening in her house started her on a path of learning anything she could on the paranormal.

She was very open about this new found passion, and soon the house was filled with all sort of psychics and ghosts.

Michael and his two sisters, as well as a male cousin who lived with them did their best to adjust to their new reality.

Michael was quite scared by the ghosts.  He had a hard time living with them, and adjusting to the way his family life was quickly changing.  Michael lost his bearings for a while as alcohol and drugs took over his life at an extremely young age.

Eventually he cleaned out his act. Life was tough for quite some time and Michael did his best to avoid using his psychic abilities, but as he was surrounded by psychics he eventually accepted his gift.

Michael writes his story dispassionately. He doesn’t seem to make many excuses for himself. As I read the book I felt like I was there with him experiencing the good and the bad. His friends and his family felt very real to me. I admire how non judgmental he tried to be.

He is funny, and I could not help but smile even when I was reading about some of his lowest times.

All in all this is a good book. Michael has had a very interesting life, and he has been surrounded by very interesting characters.

The paranormal experiences he writes about are varied and I think the reader needs to keep an open mind.

This is not a book on how to develop your psychic abilities, it may even discourage you from trying.

This is a book about a young child growing up in a very unusual home and doing his best to come to term with it. It is also about family, friends, and trying to figure out what life is all about.

Calls to Mystic Alice by Alice Rose Morgan

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I enjoyed the book.

The writer is a psychic grandma somewhere in her seventies.

The book is 227 pages long. It is full of practical wisdom delivered in a straight forward, down to earth manner. In the book this very modern thinking lady writes about her life and work experiences. She speaks of how the Spooks help her with her work and with her life. The Spooks are the way she calls souls, guides and guardian angels.

A lot of material is covered here. Mystic Alice discuss Karma, past lives, soul purpose, death and dying. She explains the law of return, dreams, out of body experiences. She gives tips on how to work with affirmations. She touches on Alternative Healing methods. Alice gives tips on how to learn to see auras, increase psychic powers and be more aware of what goes on around us.

What I liked most were the personal stories and how they related to the discussed topics. There is something for everyone in this book. You get an understanding of what goes on between a client and a reader. You see what works and what doesn’t. The snapshots of people’s lives are great at showing the connections between beliefs, actions and results.

Something that is repeated over and over is how important it is not to judge, how we all rush to do it, and how we all pay dearly for it. Alice Rose Morgan is in my opinion a very wise and funny lady.

Tarot for Life by Paul Quinn

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I truly enjoyed reading Tarot for life.

Paul Quinn shares his vast knowledge in an easy direct style, that sounds like a conversation with a good friend.

The fairly thick book flows easily, and Quinn’s sense of humor makes it a pleasure to read..

In part one: Foundation

Some very important topics are addressed, like different ways to use the Tarot.

A life long key to unlock your Inner Wisdom

flash cards for your intuitive development

a set of visual affirmations

a meditation focuser

a spiritual advisor

a tool for self-understanding

are just some of the ideas offered by Quinn.

Some of the principles underlying the Tarot are also addressed, specifically:

As above so below.

The law of attraction.

Synchronicity.

The Self and Individuation.

Integration of Opposites.

Masculine and Feminine.

I found this part very interesting, and something most Tarot books don’t really address.

The Major Arcana are explained first, followed by the Minor, organized suit by suit, ace to king.

All cards are explained in details. Quinn works with the Rider Waite deck. He addresses the symbols present in each card and what they represent. He explains the Numerological significance of the cards.

Each card has a section called Attributes, where we find a list of Key words, and possible meanings divided under Being, Doing, Shadow aspects, Reversed and Possible advice.

If that wasn’t enough, Quinn provides a list of Questions for Reflection for each Major.

Something else that sets Tarot for Life apart, are the true stories told for each card.

The anecdotes are great ways to show how the energies of a card can translate in real life, and may also help the readers become more flexible with their interpretation.

At the end of the book Quinn provides some Tarot spreads, some tips on how to formulate good questions and customize your own spreads. He also addresses the pro and cons to read for yourself or others and different approaches to reading.

In my opinion this book can be helpful to both beginners and experienced Tarot readers. Great work!