The Big Book of Tarot: How to Interpret the Cards and Work with Tarot Spreads for Personal Growth

by Joan Bunning

A complete beginner’s course with step-by-step lessons on how to work with tarot cards for personal guidance.Joan Bunning’s “Learning the Tarot—An Online Course” has helped hundreds of thousands of people worldwide discover the personal value of the tarot. Drawing on the material offered in this popular online course and from her previous books, Joan has created a complete guide to tarot for beginners, which serves as a handy and in-depth resource for more experienced tarot card readers as well.While there are countless books devoted to tarot, what sets Joan Bunning’s book apart is her ability to take a rather complicated esoteric system and break it down into clear, manageable, and easy-to-learn lessons . These lessons cover the basics and then move gradually into more advanced concepts.The book

Genres: Tarot, Witchcraft, Reference, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Occult, Divination

368 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2019

Reviews

[Emm]

This is by far my favorite book for learning tarot. I wish I had come across this years ago when I first started my tarot journey as I would have been more successful in how much I accomplished in the learning process back then. Joan Bunning’s approach is very accessible and the book is organized in a fluid way that assists wonderfully with learning. If you’re the type to jump around (that is me more often than not), information is also exceptionally easy to find and cross-reference with other areas in the book. As previously said in another review, her concept for reversed card readings is for me personally far more applicable and sensible than any other I’ve come across. This is a huge high point for me and quite probably what took this to a full five stars. Also previously mentioned, it is true a great deal of the info in the book is provided on her website. However, after a quick review it is very obvious the website information is a less refined and/or older version, and is lacking in the fluidity that the book delivers. I actually didn’t realize there was a website until I read about it here. I’m grateful for the discovery because now I utilize the website for on-the-go referencing and the book when I want to find information more easily.

[Kelley Frank]

This is a really helpful tarot book that addresses reversals in a way that made more sense than other books I’ve consulted before. I docked it a little though because I left feeling more comfortable on some matters and more confused on others.

[Rachel]

Genuinely loved the way the author changed my perspective on reversed cards. This is a great reference book to keep on hand and also an enjoyable read.

[Fannie Poirier]

This a great resource for any tarot practitioner, beginners and experimented readers alike. Each card is described with keywords and bullet points, with detailed and varied interpretations for reversals. This has quickly become one of my favorite resources, and I keep it around each time I draw cards. Go get this book! You will cherish it for a very long time on your tarot journey!

[Janet Berkman]

Fascinating look at tarot, the history, the cards, and how to do a reading. Am considering purchasing this book.

[Mitchell]

This is an excellent primer on the tarot and how to read it.

[H.B]

I loved reading this to learn about the meanings of all the tarot cards and spreads! It was helpful having the Rider-Waite version of cards before every breakdown of the meaning of each card so you can see where the meanings are pulled from when it references the art itself.

I found it really interesting that reversals are interpreted as an early or late phase of the card's essence. Personally, I prefer this definition of a reversed card as it honours the original definition and makes more sense to me than simply the opposite of the card.

This book also includes quick descriptions and a few simplified straight to the point tables of the key words of each card which was helpful for a quick reference when you don't want to read a bulky few paragraphs to interpret a card. It also provided easy to follow instructions of how to do a few spreads, the meanings of spread shapes (in case you want to create your own!) and some example readings.

And last but certainly not least, there's a website connected to this book (https://www.learntarot.com/). This is great if you want a peek at what the book covers but also a great handy reference for when you don't have the book on hand as it is quite large that makes it impractical to carry around. I used the site to practice interpreting readings and cards and referring back to it to see if I'm on the right track.

I cannot recommend this book enough if you're learning about tarot for the first time like I was. It's a great read and it provides so many helpful resources. I doubt there's many tarot books of a similar calibre.

[Jen]

Joan Bunning is very good at taking the panic out of learning tarot. Her explanations are orderly, plainspoken, and structured in a way that gives a beginner somewhere to begin without feeling buried under esoteric terminology. I liked the emphasis on personal reflection and the practical direction around interpreting cards in a spread. The book feels reliable, which is not a small thing when you are new and every other tarot resource seems to be telling you opposite things. My issue is that it also feels a little too safe. The meanings are clear but often fairly standard, the presentation has more of a reference-manual quality than a distinctive point of view, and I did not find much here that would surprise a reader who has already worked through a solid introductory book. Some of the material also feels like it belongs to an earlier era of tarot publishing, before writers became better at acknowledging different decks, traditions, identities, and ways people actually use the cards. Still, it is a useful, patient guide and I can see why it has helped alot of people get started. It just did not give me much reason to keep reaching for it once the basics were in place.

[K.S. Trenten]

This book is full of information about Tarot; delivered in simple, easily understood concepts. From imagery upon the cards, their meaning, and how to interpret their meaning in a reading to the various spreads you can do yourself; all of this was offered up, along with intriguing exercises to sharpen your intuition and stretch out your creativity. These exercises can be applied to other expressions of art than Tarot. I learned a lot from this book, which clarified certain matters and images which had been hazy for me. If you’re curious about Tarot and are unsure where to start, this is a good beginning.

[Vampyranha]

ARCANE XXI

This is the second book on tarot I’ve read this year, and the more I learn, the more intrigued and hungry for knowledge I become. I usually say, “There are too many coincidences to be coincidences when it comes to tarot readings” lol.

But back to this book… I’m glad I chose it as a followup to "guided tarot for seamless readings". This is more of a pre intermediate tarot book for learners, and oh my God, what a book!!

I finally finished it after almost three months. (Working, studying, and trying to have a normal life isn’t easy) I’m definitely going to use it as a reference book from now on. I’ll always come back to it for sure!!!

[Mic]

Mixed feeling. I used this to begin my Tarot journey, it was great introduction. However, not very easy to understand the early / late phrase for reversal at all. It lacks of examples for beginners to understand the meaning with real practical situation.
Until I went to 78 degree of wisdom and in focus tarot: a personal guide. I started to rely on my intuition with basic understanding of card meanings. Everything started to flow. Now I went back to this book, some of meanings started to make sense. However, it is informative but not in an easy helpful way for newbie.

[RobertoF]

4,5 stelle su 5.
Il libro parte dalle basi dell'interpretazione ma diversamente da molti libri non si ferma lì, riempiendo pagine di stese spesso inutili per il lettore.
Invece questo libro approfondisce diversi aspetti in modo molto chiaro, con tanto di esercizi a fine capitolo. Utile sia a livello teorico, se si è curiosi della teoria che sta dietro la lettura dei tarocchi, sia a livello pratico.
Probabilmente ci sono altre interpretazioni/tradizioni su questo tema, e non essendo una scienza sono probabilmente valide anch'esse come diverse chiavi di lettura.

[Rose Grabowski]

What a great resource for a total beginner or seasoned reader. Each card is described with keywords and bullet points, and a great explanation for reversals. This is a must have for your tarot library.

[Halsey Hulse]

pretty good for like self reflection and goes further in depth about the energy waves of the cards and how that impacts reversals. good for getting more personal understandings of the cards and gives me more freedom to trust my intuition

[Jennie DeArmond]

It's excellent, but most of the book is available for free on the author's website. Had I known that I wouldn't have purchased.

[Cie Patterson]

Okay - Found other books with better info.

[Priscilla Montoya]

Decent to learn tarot basics.

[Quetzalzotz]

Pretty good! Loved the energy cycles theory, I think that'll help my readings.

[Aakanksha Joshi]

I did not know The fool actually is the same guy who travels through all the major archanas.
So, that was the best part for me.

[fiona japko]

good for beginners to understand reverse cards etc

[Faith]

she’s thick but very digestible and the best compilation of all card descriptions + spreads i’ve encountered. will probably have this book forever it’s like an encyclopedia

[Brittany Potter]

Actually was a really helpful book and I will continue to use it as a reference!