Book Review: Tarot Magic

Fortuna Noir, Tarot Magic: a Handbook of Intuitive Readings, Rituals, and Spells. New York: Wellfleet Press, 2024.  ISBN: 978157153948.

This is a guide to learn Tarot and then use it in your magical practice. The book is part of Wellfleet Press's Mystical Handbook series. 

The book is arranged as follows: 

• Prologue. This is a nice poem and blessing. It is a nice way to open the book, and it sets a gentle tone. 
• Introduction. This provides an overview of what the book covers, a basic description of Tarot, and how it can be used in magic. The introduction tells you what the book will do. 
• Major Arcana.
• Minor Arcana. 
• Traditional Magical Elements. This chapter goes over magical tools, what they are, and how they are used. The material is basic, but it is good for beginners. 
• Meditations, spells, and rituals. You get a variety of spells and rituals on topics such as love, fortune, and the Sabbats. 
• Epilogue.
• Resources and references. 
• Index.

 

 Once you read past the Introduction, you start with the Major Arcana. The entries here go over card meanings, symbols, and how to use the cards. The entry information is basic and gets to the point. You get a character description, upright and reversed interpretations. The meanings are well within Rider Waite Smith (RWS) traditions. This is good material for beginners, but it can also be good reference for card readers overall. The Minor Arcana entries are about the same in terms of content and quality. You don't feel like they skimp on the Minor Arcana as other books might do. 

The Meditations, spells, and rituals chapter offers a good variety on common topics. You may need some materials to do some of the spells and rituals. Overall the materials don't seem complicated, and many are things you can acquire. Naturally, you can substitute materials as needed. Not all activities require physical materials. Instructions are easy and simple. 

The resources list features 20 sources. There are a few books, but it is heavily reliant on popular websites, especially blogs. Nothing wrong with blogs-- heck I have been a blogger for years, and you are reading this on a blog-- but it means you need to more carefully evaluate what you may find online. Actually, there is only one book on the sources list I have not read: The Book of Spells by Jamie Della (link to Worldcat record).  

Overall, this is a pretty good book. It is a very easy read. It may be mostly for beginners, but some of us at the mid level/intermediate level can find a new idea or two to try out. Libraries, especially public libraries that collect pagan and esoteric materials may want to add it to the collections. In the end, I really liked it. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

Book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenges: