Jenna Matlin, Will You Give Me a Reading? What You Need to Read Tarot With Confidence. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2022. ISBN: 9780738770109.
This may be one of the better books on Tarot I've read so far. When I started reading it, there were some things I did not totally agree on. However, I kept reading, and I found much to learn and apply. I may still have a disagreement here or there, but reading the book was worth the effort.
The book is arranged as follows:
- Foreword by Benebell Wen.
- Introduction.
- 16 Chapters on various topics.
- Final Thoughts and Acknowledgements.
- Recommended reading list.
- Bibliography, which covers the works cited in the book.
The author then expands the scope of the book. Whether you are a beginner or been doing Tarot for a while, this book is for you according to the author. She writes: "Even professional readers will find plenty of food for thought within these pages" (1). Having read the book, I am not sure it really can work for beginners unless they put in a lot of work. In the first chapter, she does state an assumption "that, on some level, you have a baseline familiarity of how to read tarot" (3). If you lack that baseline familiarity, it is not impossible to read this book, but you will need to put in more work. You may or not also need a basic Tarot book, the type with card meanings ad other basics. This book does not include that basic information, and that is fine if you already know the basics.
Assuming you have the baseline, this book can bring your readings to the next level. Her emphasis is on you developing fluency with the cards and then reading for others as soon as possible. At times, this may feel a bit like an accelerated course, but it is much like learning a foreign language. Immersion is the best path to fluency, so that is what the author emphasizes. Practice and do so with others who are willing to give you a chance.
I am not totally sure of the full speed ahead approach, but there it is. In addition, she advocates not reading for yourself and not doing daily card draws. While she explains her reasons, this does go against the advice other also reputable Tarot teachers and gurus provide. In this regard, all I will say is what I have said before: take what works for you and resonates, leave what does not work. In other words, your mileage may vary.
Certain points of contention aside, and most of the remaining advice is helpful and can be useful to develop your craft. The author does take you step by step to help develop your card reading skills in a holistic way.
The author explores topics such as steps to a good reading, developing intuition and empathy, and setting boundaries. Much of the writing is also to help you build confidence as a reader. She also addresses various situations such as if a reading does not go well or deal with some difficult querents. She does cover a lot of ground, and a lot of it are things you won't find in basic books.
A strength in the book are the activities and exercises. Each chapter features detailed exercises to try out to help you grow. Many of the exercises can be done multiple times with different cards and/or decks. This ability to redo exercises over time adds a lot of value to this book. Definitely keep your Tarot journal handy to do the exercises. Another good feature is the "reader's tips" you find throughout the book. Note also that throughout the book the author is constantly asking questions, prompts to consider, to reflect. These are helpful, and it may be helpful to pause reading the book to reflect, maybe write in your journal for further insights.
For the most part, the book is easy to read. It does offer some good advice. It may feel a bit contrarian on some points, but it is worth reading overall. I read the book cover to cover to write this review, but this is a book to read a chapter at a time, then take the time to do the end of chapter exercises. Do that and try to practice actual card reading as soon as you can. If you can't find querents right away, the author does provide practice scenarios to keep sharpening your skills in the meantime.
This is definitely a very good intermediate level book. If you know your basics, this book is a good step up. Even if you never intend to read for others and/or publicly (and many Tarot readers never do), you can get value from reading the book. This is a book I would buy for my personal library. I do recommend it for libraries that already collect Tarot and other esoterica. This should not be the first Tarot book for a library as it is not really for beginners, not without other basic guides. In the end, I am glad to have reader it, and it is one I will revisit to keep up my skills.
5 out of 5 stars.
Additional reading notes:
On empathy:
"In contrast, empathy is a person's ability to put themselves in the shoes of another. It is a cognitive skill that is partly inherited but can also be trained. Empathy allows us to imagine what someone else is going through and allows us to feel for someone not take on their feelings, per se. With empathy, you feel for someone. As an empath, you feel as someone. They seem similar, the difference is huge" (17).
Empathy is a good skill for Tarot readers:
"In fact, it is empathy that can fundamentally make or break a session. Even if you are not so good with your card just yet, the practice of empathy with querents will make up for that. Everyone wants to be seen and understood. One of your roles as a reader is to show querents that they are seen and understood with your presence and your actions" (18).
A Tarot definition:
"Tarot is the bridge between both the ordinary world, and the non-ordinary world of spirit. Tarot can be the scaffolding upon which you can build your own capacity to perceive information from non-traditional sources" (41).
Work with any and all tools available to you as a reader. Just because you are an intuitive does not mean you toss out standards and/or traditions:
"My feeling is this: why take a tool out of the toolbox? Why not work to build both the intuitive flexibility and intellectual rigor by doing both? That way, if your intuition is quiet, you can always fall back on the standard card meanings, which is what I do. I go back and forth between standard meanings and my own intuitive hits" (46).
I agree with that and over time this is how I learn and strive to read the cards. Make use of any tool at your disposal. Don't cut yourself short.
A good reading:
"A good reading consists of three pillars: a good question, a good spread (or reading style), and mastery of the card meanings. Some may argue a fourth pillar is intuitive talent" (83).
On learning the court cards and just learning Tarot in general:
"When it comes to learning the court cards, more is more. Read all the booklets that came with your decks, tarot books, and online resources to get a full sense of all the possibilities that can play into each card. You don't have to do this in one sitting, your understanding of each court card personality will grow alongside your tarot journey. With some research time, and practice, each court card will begin to feel like they are sitting right next to you. Make them come alive" (118).
I find the above statement affirming as I always strive to read texts that come with card decks plus I read books like this one. I don't quite get those people who take pride in not reading texts because all they need is intuition. Again, why remove tools from the toolbox? However, I am not one to tell others what to do, so do what works for you. As for me, what I need to do next is reread some books I've found useful, do it more to do exercises and reflection. Go more in depth.
Tip on deck choices for reading for others:
"Consider your audience when reading with strongly thematic or political decks. You can always have 'your' deck, but use a public deck or even a variety of decks depending on whom you are reading for. While I may love my super pagan witchy decks, they aren't for everyone. I choose for the querents or, better yet, give the querent a choice of decks to choose from" (135).
That is what I do. I give deck choices when I read in public when I can. I've written a bit on this topic over at Alchemical Thoughts, my cartomancy and commonplace book blog. I certainly would not bring anything overly political. In fact, I mostly avoid such decks; I don't need possible aggravation not to break my politics/social issues/activist stuff moratorium. As much as I can keep deck choices relatively safe for all.
Another tip on reading books:
"Read more books. Read books on philosophy and psychology. Read books on theology and human nature. Read books on pain and resilience and growth. Reading books about the human condition gives you a greater vocabulary when relaying tarot's message. The wisdom in other's pages will inspire your own and add depth to your readings. Less social media, more books" (149).
I admit that though I've read a book here or there on the topics above, it has not been in a regular way. This is an area I can work on. Looking at the top of my TBR (to be read) list, I do have a couple of books that fit this category, so I will work to read them sooner. Needless to say, "less social media, more books" is great advice and one I am taking. Lately I do find myself stepping away from social media to read, and it feels good.
Tips on keeping a resource binder, notebook, etc. I do have a cartomancy reference notebook (can't quite call it a grimoire), and I need to put some serious work on it. This tip can be helpful towards that work:
"Build your own tarot resources binder full of spreads and activities that you find particularly helpful and meaningful. You can even arrange them by problem such as 'anxiety' or 'boredom.' Then, when you're struggling, choose an activity that would best help with the area you are feeling challenged in" (210).
I will add the reference notebook I keep is in addition to my Tarot journals where I record things like daily and monthly readings, spreads done, and other cartomancy miscellany. The journal I use regularly, and in fact I have filled various notebooks and continue to keep journaling my cartomancy journey.
In the books recommended list, she lists 14 Tarot books "geared toward the reader-to-querent experience" (233). I have read the following three books from that list (links to my reviews):
This book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenges:
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