Absolute Beginner's Guide to Tarot (Paperback)

Is there a Queen of Pentacles or a Fool in your future? What does the Empress card have to say about your career, your relationship, or your weekend plans? Discover the answer to these questions and many more in the Absolute Beginner's Guide to Tarot -- a fun and fascinating guide to the deck Trends Journal calls "America's most popular form of do-it-yourself therapy" [The Trends Journal, 8/00].

Mark McElroy, a nationally-known Tarot author and teacher, provides you with everything you need to read the cards with confidence. His book honors both practical and mystical approaches to the cards, allowing the reader to choose the path he or she prefers. Its engaging text goes beyond "cookbook-style" divinatory meanings and teaches you how to draw your own insights from any card. While illustrated with four popular, contemporary decks (the Universal Tarot, the Bright Idea Deck, the Gilded Tarot, and the classic Tarot de Marseilles), this book offers applications and insights that will work with any deck.

In addition to learning to read the cards for yourself, you'll discover a broad range of Tarot applications, including divination, fortune-telling, meditation, brainstorming, and even creative writing. Unlike other beginner-level books, the Absolute Beginner's Guide to Tarot gives you specific advice on choosing a personal deck from the more than 2000 now on the market. You'll also learn insider secrets that will help you distinguish qualified Tarot readers from con artists and scammers. Finally, the book also provides a comprehensive guide to Tarot books, courses, websites, and Internet groups, giving you a strong foundation for continuing your work with cards.

Mark McElroy, author and creator of the Bright Idea Deck, started reading Tarot cards over thirty years ago. Later, Mark's fascination with the I Ching and other forms of divination prompted a more serious study of Tarot. Mark lives and writes in Mississippi. While interested in the divinatory and meditative applications of Tarot, Mark favors a more practical, less mystical approach to the cards. Today, he calls Tarot "the ultimate self-help tool," and shares techniques designed to help others ask better questions, see more options, and achieve their goals.