Tarot, Birth Cards, and You [Paperback]

There is a fantastic new book out by Bonnie Cehovet, "Tarot, Birth Cards and You..Keys To Empowering Yourself" and I had the honor of being able to review this amazing book. The title says, Empowering but what does empowering really mean? Well, empowerment comes from within yourself. It results in self-reliance which embodies assuming responsibility, making your own decisions, desiring to be informed/understand and knowing where you are heading.

It's the coming to a realization that something must change and in Bonnie's book, all the information that you need are right at your fingertips, using the archetypes of the 22 Major Arcana to guide you in understanding the path that you walk in this lifetime and to reach your full potential.

The way in which you figure out your Birth Cards is quite simple, using a system developed by The Tarot School, all you need to start with is the month, date and year that you were born. To illustrate this I will use my birth date in order to give you an idea of just how this is done. February 1st, 1966 which is then written like this:

02
01
19
66=
_____
88
8+8= 16

The number is then used to figure out which Major Arcana cards are your birth cards, in this case mine are The Tower (16) and Chariot (6+1=7). All together, there are eleven Birth Card pairs and a one Birth Card trio, that each come with their own challenges as well as gifts.

This is where Bonnie's brilliance begins to shine, each pair is described in a way that is not only easy to understand but enlightening as well as quite useful to better understand not only ourselves but those around us and can even be used to bring clarification for clients we may work with during a tarot reading.

As I have mentioned, my Birth Card pair of the Tower and Chariot (as with all described in this book) start with astrological information, keywords, theme, how such a combination empowers an individual and is followed by questions for that given card, absolutely transformative affirmations, journeying exercises and summary. At the end of each pair is a terrific segment about working with gifts, abilities and challenges that really defines areas that our Birth Cards can help us in our daily life and long term goal planning.

The true power of Tarot archetypes and the use of Birth Cards rests in their ability to intuitively see deeply into our lives and find new meaning. They can shed new light on many of the issues that challenge us including some things that we may not even be consciously aware of. Once these issues are brought to our attention and are properly understood, we can then seek ways to address them.

Did you know that using affirmations for a twenty two day period ( the length of time it takes to become part of our lives) can begin to heal us on all levels? They do this by opening us up to new ways of thinking and new possibilities. What an absolutely beautiful thought, that life as I know it can become richer, fuller and all those negative things I have a tendency to tell myself can be overcome...I can take all that Chariot and Tower energy and use it to guide my life, to direct how I approach and handle situations!

I could absolutely go on for days about how this information can truly transform how we see ourselves and our roles in the world! There is just so much information in this book, it is an excellent addition to one's "tarot toolkit" for personal enrichment, understanding and goal setting to reach one's full potential. This really is a "must have" book in your tarot book collection!

Tarot, Birth Cards, and You has a very personal feel to it, with a separate chapter devoted to each combination of cards. As you learn to walk the Lifetime represented by your Birth Cards, you will have a wise and supportive companion in Bonnie Cehovet. Her hope that this book will "help the reader define their path for this lifetime, and reach their full potential" is certain to be fulfilled.

Of particular value are the lists of questions we can pose to each card. By reading and answering these questions, we gain tremendous insights into the cards and how we can relate to them at a personal, practical level.

In addition to learning about my self from this book, I look forward to using it with clients. Cehovet recommends pulling the Seeker's Birth Cards from a deck that is not being used and placing them above the reading. I agree with her statement: "This gives both the reader and the Seeker a visual image of the energetic theme for this lifetime. The Seeker conducts his/her life between these parameters."

While astrological associations are included for the cards, Astrology is not a primary focus. Readers who know nothing of Astrology will still reap the full benefit of the material in this book.

"Tarot, Birth Cards and You", is a treat for the eye and the intellect! The cover, the format, Miss Cehovet's information and reader-friendly writing style all add up to one fabulous book! Since "Tarot, Birth Cards and You," can easily be understood it deserves to be read, by everyone who owns a deck of Tarot cards.
Karyn Easton's Tarot beautiful illustrations are the perfect compliment to Miss Cehovet's reader-friendly writing style. While the calculations (on Pages 10 & 11) for determining your birth cards are remarkably simple and easy to follow, Page 12 welcomes you into a crystal clear world of Tarot that is chock-full of sensible and easily attainable self-enlightenment.
Although "Tarot, Birth Cards and You" enables the reader to develop a clearer picture of their own needs and purpose, by working with the suggestions it can quickly and easily pave the way to a better understanding of your nearest and dearest family members, friends and lovers. Miss Cehovet also had the foresight to include a final section for recording your personal notes while they are still fresh in your mind. I endorse and highly recommend "Tarot, Birth Cards and You" to Tarot students and enthusiasts of all levels. In fact, I've purchased an extra copy for my clients waiting-room, because it's the perfect way to introduce potential students of the Tarot to the Tarot at their own pace! "Tarot, Birth Cards and You" is a superb first publication. I look forward to reading more volumes by Miss Cehovet, in the future!

Anna Burroughs Cook