Jessica Dore, Tarot for Change: Using the Cards for Self-Care, Acceptance, and Growth. London, UK: Penguin Life, 2021. ISBN: 9780593295939.
This is a book that looks at Tarot mainly through a lens of psychology and self help. The book strives to present Tarot as a tool for personal development, one you can use to work on things like mindfulness and compassion. If you are looking for a Tarot book with a little less "woo," this book may be a good option.
The book is arranged into three major sections:
- Section I looks at what is Tarot, a brief history of Tarot and psychology, the basics of a Tarot deck, and instructions on how to use the book.
- Section II covers the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards.
- Section III goes over additional issues like how to choose a deck, asking questions, and spreads.
The book starts with a history of Tarot. Then it looks at Tarot and psychology with special attention to Carl Jung and Tarot. Here we look at ideas such as the collective unconscious. The author then tells her story. She worked for a publisher of self help books, which gave her access to a lot of materials including psychology textbooks that most lay people might never see let alone afford. The author eventually pursued a masters degree in social work, but chose not to do a doctorate in psychology nor become a full therapist. She thus claims she prefers to "dwell on the edges, in the liminal space" between Tarot card readers and therapists. She claims this gives her a different perspective. I will let readers decide; I think she leans more on the self help towards therapy, at times doing therapy without a license so to speak. Having said that, it is worth nothing, as the author points out, that many psychotherapists do use Tarot in their work.
On a small side note, the practicing therapy without a license observation reminds me of Brother Tarcisio, a Benedictine monk back in my school days, who pretty much "confessed" the students then sent them to the full priest to get their absolution. Basically he was doing confessions "without a license" when he listened and provide counsel to my peers. But I digress.
The Major Arcana chapter is mostly a retelling of the Fool's Journey that many Tarot practitioners learn. The journey has a bit more psychology tossed in, but that is the core. For each card entry, the author blends traditional elements of Tarot with psychological concepts. She draws on various authors from self help and psychology fields, some that readers may or not know or recognize.
The third section of the book is pretty light in terms of actual instruction. The author discusses spreads, for example, but no actual spreads other than 3-card spreads. If you want to learn more about spreads, you may need a different book. Much of the overall process is left to readers. If readers are OK with just jumping in and with ambiguity, this is a good book. For readers who need more structure, they will not find it here. On that basis, this is not a good book for beginners.
The book at times can feel like a self help book or manual, a bit too technical here or there, cold. It does have some good moments and some good words of wisdom, but you have to find them. As the book ends, it lacks a bibliography or reading list. At least a basic list of authors mentioned in the book would have been helpful for readers.
Overall, I am glad to have read it as it adds a new perspective to my Tarot practice. I do appreciate the good parts. However, it is not an easy book to read. It can get bogged down a bit in the psychology, in terms and acronyms. Probably better to consult the parts about the cards as needed or based on interest. I like it, but I would consider it an optional acquisition.
3 out of 5 stars.
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Additional reading notes:
A definition of Tarot:
"Tarot is a book of seventy-eight secrets that reveal themselves over time. The cards have meanings, but they often shape-shift, so depending on the context, a card might appear in the form of an aid, charm, talisman, or benediction" (3).
On Tarot and synchronicities:
"When synchronicities occur, as is so often the case when we pull tarot cards and they nail the details of our lives with astounding accuracy, it may be that something previously hidden in the unconscious is trying to emerge. And that it might just be bubbling up in order to help us evolve" (7).
On Tarot card meanings:
"The cards do have meanings, it's true. But they-- like everything else in the world-- are not islands and they are not static. Their meanings shape-shift with time and in context, depending to a great extent on the beholder and what that person is ready, willing, and able to receive. The impact that a card has on a person is not about the person's intellectual understanding of the card's significance. Rather, each card is like an old brass bell that, when rung, holds the potential to send a ripple through our being that activates latent pools and pockets of wisdom" (17).
Using the cards for understanding:
"The cards can be used to help us understand ourselves as individuals, and they can be used to help us understand ourselves as part of a larger context" (20).
An aim of the book:
"The practical aim of this book is to provide you with new ways of understanding the tarot based on an attempt to synthesize knowledge from the fields of psychology, behavioral science, spirituality, and old stories" (29).
How simple a spiritual practice can get:
"Even if your spiritual practice is just recognizing in some way, each day, that there are things unfolding that you have no say in, that's a way of honoring something greater" (56).
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