8 Resources to Improve your Tarot Readings
for more clarity, meaning, + depth
Tarot is a divinatory practice that’s been around since the Middle Ages. Divination can help you slow down and pay attention to the connections before you. It aids in decision making and finding the directions in life. Tarot can open you up to deeper levels of intuition and greater levels of self trust. Inside of our KIN membership, we offer a new Tarot spread each month as part of the Cosmic Calendar.
Whether you’re brand new to Tarot or you want to deepen your existing practice, each of these resources points you to expert teachers + experienced readers who can help you uncover a new level of meaning and bring more richness to your personal Tarot readings.
The following books + podcasts will help you do as Marseille Tarot practitioner, teacher + author Camelia Elias says :
“Answer the damn question” and “Read the damn cards.”
Tarot Books
Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack
This bestselling classic is my go-to recommendation for all Tarot lovers or lovers-to-be. With her vast knowledge of the Tarot — as well as mystical + esoteric traditions— this book offers deep insight into each card + how to read them. Whether you’re reading for yourself or others, readers can also learn more about different Tarot spreads and how to get the most out of readings. Rachel gives specific examples from her personal experience and also offers historical context. Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom is a hearty, thorough reference that you will come back to again + again for years to come.
Reviews “It is the most in-depth exploration of tarot and my most trusted resource. If you want to learn tarot, you'll want 78 Degrees on your bookshelf too. It's the gold standard in tarot." —Theresa Reed, author of Tarot No Questions Asked
Buy Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom
Queering the Tarot by Cassandra Snow
We need to make sure we don’t assume all Tarot readers + querents are European, cis-gendered, white or heterosexual. This important book intentionally looks at each of the cards with the intent to open up the interpretations to those outside of the historically normative narrative. From the publisher —
Queering the Tarot explores themes of sexuality, coming out, gender and gender-queering, sources of oppression and empowerment, and many other topics especially familiar to not-straight folks. Cassandra's identity-based approach speaks directly to those whose identity is either up in the air or consuming the forefront of their consciousness. It also speaks to those struggling with mental illness or the effects of trauma, all seekers looking for personal affirmation that who they are is okay.
Tarot — Library of Esoterica
This gorgeous reference fulfills everything you’ve come to expect from Taschen. Gorgeous design. Big, colorful pages. A book you can open up to any page and experience beauty + a knowledge nuggets. From the publisher —
The book explores the symbolic meaning behind more than 500 cards and works of original art, two thirds of which have never been published outside of the decks themselves. It's the first ever visual compendium of its kind, spanning from Medieval to modern, and artfully arranged according to the sequencing of the 78 cards of the Major and Minor Arcana. It explores the powerful influence of Tarot as muse to artists like Salvador Dalí and Niki de Saint Phalle and includes the decks of nearly 100 diverse contemporary artists from around the world, all of whom have embraced the medium for its capacity to push cultural identity forward. Rounding out the volume are excerpts from thinkers such as Éliphas Lévi, Carl Jung, and Joseph Campbell; a foreword by artist Penny Slinger; a guide to reading the cards by Johannes Fiebig; and an essay on oracle decks by Marcella Kroll.
Tarot for Change by Jessica Dore
The full title is Tarot for Change: Using the Cards for Self-Care, Acceptance, and Growth. Yes, please. From the publisher —
Dore shows readers how to choose a deck, interpret images, and build a relationship with the cards, while also demonstrating how the mythic imagery of tarot supports modern therapeutic concepts like mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion. Her reflections on each of the seventy-eight cards are a vibrant tapestry that weaves together ideas from psychology, behavioral science, spirituality, and old stories, breathing new language into ancient wisdoms about what it means to be human.
Tarot Podcasts
Black Queer Tarot on In Search of Tarot
This episode of In Search of Tarot with Kendrick Daye + Justin Henry, co-creators of the Black Queer Tarot, takes on the lack of diversity traditionally found in Tarot decks, readers + creators.
Together, they discuss the importance of representation in Tarot, the complications of taking on the role of reader, oracle, or guide, and the need for vivid imagination in both Tarot and queer life.
Listen to In Search of Tarot episode on Black Queer Tarot
Tarot for the Wild Soul with Lindsay Mack
A kind, generous podcast that approaches the Tarot as a tool for self-evolution and healing. Primarily solo episodes, you can expect a soft place to land that is inclusive, sensitive + trauma-informed. The Monthly Medicine episodes offer an intuitive, Tarot-inspired forecast for the month ahead.
*Bonus* for a great introduction to Lindsay’s work and ethos, check out her episode on the home—body podcast.
Listen to Tarot for the Wild Soul
Fortune’s Wheelhouse
Co-hosted by Susan Chang + Mel Meleen, this podcast brings a highly intellectual, comprehensive approach to the cards. You can find an in-depth episode for each of the 78 cards to learn all about their meanings + esoteric correspondences.
Listen to Fortune’s Wheelhouse
Rachel Pollack on Bespoken Bones
In this episode of Bespoken Bones, the host Pavini Moray + Tarotist Rachel Pollack explore the connection between ancestors + the cards, gate cards and magic as a science of hidden connections.
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