Tarot Card Combinations

by Dorothy Kelly

Tarot Card Combinations is a unique, comprehensive, and highly practical presentation of interpreting the tarot that has helped thousands master the ancient divination. Dorothy Kelly's easy-to-understand approach shares everything one needs to know to unlock the story presented when the cards are drawn. Like other tarot reading guides, basic tarot definitions of the major and minor arcana are included, as well as explanations of basic layout, and how to interpret upright and reversed cards. What makes this book unique is Kelly's presentation of cards in endless combinations, revealing how the cards relate to each other and endowing each card with richer meaning and more subtle nuances than when considered alone. Beginners will learn the basics and be presented with an easy to follow organic system of learning to interpret the cards. Intermediate practitioners can build on what they already know and for advanced readers, Tarot Card Combinations will provide new insight and food for thought. With illustrations showing 2, 3, 4, and 5 card combinations of cards in the popular Waite deck, Tarot Card Combinations is as beautiful as it is informative. Reading tarot cards one after another never reveals the rich meaning of cards considered together. Use Tarot Card Combinations to unlock the depth and meaning of stories revealed in the tarot.

Genres: Tarot, New Age, Divination, Witchcraft, Reference

354 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a problem with reviewing a tarot book: if you don't agree with the author's take on the cards, it's hard to judge anything else about the book. That's what happened with me and this book. I think the general approach is sound. Kelly spends most of the book putting together 2-, 3-, and 4-card combinations and showing how she uses keywords to turn those combinations into plain English interpretations, followed by demonstrating some spreads. But much of the time, I wondered how she came up with her keywords in the first place since they were not at all like how I think of the cards, and this distracted me.

[Madalynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the concept of this book, but I find it severely lacking and also very just... jumbled.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the concept of this book - demonstrating how to interpret combinations of cards. However, my biggest problem with it is the lack of organization. There's no easy way to find the combination you're looking for (and I believe some are left out), which is frustrating when you're doing a reading and want to cross-reference.

I agree with the reviewer that said the author's interpretations of the cards don't resonate with her - me, either. I do, however, enjoy seeing a different perspective, so this isn't as much of an issue for me as the organization is. (What can I say? I'm obsessive about those sorts of things.)

I would recommend for an intermediate tarot reader, but definitely not a beginner.

[Tabitha Chamberlain · Rating 2 out of 5]

While meant to help newer tarot readers, there is a lot left unsaid in this book. It only gives basic keywords to each card. The book uses those keywords ONLY in reading a tarot spread. IE: Lovers/Hierophant, the lovers will be married. Which is a very general and basic reading, but doesn't take into consideration the question being asked. Good idea that fell short of it's goal I believe.

There are some good points to the book, but I wouldn't suggest it to a newbie.

[Electric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended to take your interpretations and verbiage to the next level. :) Great for teaching on how to begin to put things together. Singular, coupled, triple, quads, and beyond. A great resource for weaving stories.

*The more I study Tarot the more this book becomes one of my favorites.

** I've used this book so much that it is literally falling apart.