Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84485 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

Beautiful deck and very helpful book.
The Beginners Guide to Tarot comprises of a beatifully illustrated tarot deck and book. The blurb on the back of the box states that the deck has been specifically designed for the novice, with each card illustrated clearly. Something I'd definately agree with as each card is very clear and has two pages assigned to it in the book.

The book starts off with information on each of the four suits of the minor arcana before going into the interpretations of each of the cards. Each cards interpretation is covered by two pages which point out the symbols on the card and what they represent before going into the divinatory meaning of the card. Sample readings for each suit, the minor arcana, major arcana and for the complete deck are given throughout the book.

The clearest information I've seen so far so it get's five stars from me.

Excellent for beginners and those of nervous dispositions
This is the first tarot deck that I bought and boy did I do it with much trepidation! Being a bit scared by the idea of the tarot because of its infamous reputation and links with the occult, but at the same time fascinated by the world behind those images, I decided to go ahead and buy my own deck. I looked through many of the hundreds of decks on the internet looking for one that was the least threatening and came up with -the Sharman-Caselli deck.
I have not regretted my purchase.

This deck is loosely based on the Rider-Waite but the drawings are far better, more attractive than the ugly RW (sorry RW fans!). They have also been doctored to make the symbolism and imagery more accessible for those with zero knowledge of the tarot like me. The pastel colouring is very pleasing on the eye.

Summary of the good points:
*clearly and attractively drawn images
*Scaled down for easy access for beginners
*nice pastel colours that don't offend the eye
*pip cards contain images which is v important for beginners
*cards have a border and are clearly labelled so that you know which one you are looking at
*each suit has been assigned a colour relevant to the mood of the suit for example Cool Swords contain many steely greys, Fiery Wands have a predominance of yellow and orange, Watery Cups are lavenders, pale blues, you get the picture (no pun intended)
*the cards also have indicators of the horoscope signs they are relevant to - for example one card shows a king/queen on a throne carved with rams or the king at whose feet sits a little crab.
*the images have been cleverly chosen to stimulate your intuition and evoke meanings

The only thing that is slightly disappointing is that the backs of the cards are just a plain red whereas some of the other decks have really artistic elaborate reverses. The cards feel nice on the front but have a slightly grainy feel on the reverse, however, the more you handle them, the smoother they seem to get. All in all, they feel pleasant and friendly.

The set also comes with a large book (large as in, 192 or so pages) with two pages dedicated to each card. The book is typed in nice blue print and is probably roughly A5 size so not miniscule so you go blind trying to read it. Each card is depicted and the author points out the images on the card that need to be drawn to your attention. She then goes on to tell you some of the basic meanings of the cards and what they might mean in a reading. At the back of the book there are sample readings and some suggested spreads.

Overall, I would thoroughly recommend this pack to any person that is a true beginner to tarot and wants something non-threatening and not too deep to begin with. The card and book set makes for a really good introduction into teh world of tarot.

An excellent first tarot package
I was pleasently surprised when I delved into this set. I have purchased many tarot books and cards over the past few years in an attempt to fully grasp the meanings of each individual card and then bring them together in a reading. However, I have never been able to successfully do that until I read this book.

The cards are extremely beautiful and set your imagination going very easily. Each card is full of symbolism, which is fully explained in the book. This means that it is much easier to remember the main focus of each card once you have read the book.

The book focuses on teaching you the cards by introducing each suit of the minor arcana one by one. After the explanation of each suit, there is an example horseshoe spread using just that suit. You can then practice with just this suit until you feel comfortable with the meanings of each card and can bring them all together. When you have finished all 4 suits, there is another sample spread using all minor arcana cards in the celtic cross spread. You are advised, again, to keep practising until you feel comfortable with them all. You then move on to the major arcana, and another smaple spread etc.

This way of introducing the cards slowly, and not moving on until you felt completely comfortable with all the cards, made me feel much more confident about using them. In turn, I have now become a much better tarot reader, and am well on my way to being able to read my family and friends' tarot without having a tarot book anywhere nearby!!

Each card has 2 pages of the book dedicated to it. It contains a black and white illustration of the card, with explanations around the edges of the symbolism. Underneath, there is more explanation of the symbolism, and the divinatory meaning of the card. All information is written in easy to understand and everyday language, making it much easier to remember what everything means.

I would highly recommend this set for it's book or deck, and together this is an unmissable set. If you are looking for a book or a set that will enable you to read people's tarot (and your own!) without having to look in a Tarot book for each card's meaning, then this is certainly the set for you!!