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The Living Tarot: Connecting the Cards to Everyday Life for Better Readings
Discover How Tarot Reflects Life and Life Reflects Tarot This beginner-friendly book reveals how to find personal, everyday meanings in all seventy-eight tarot cards. No more memorizing pre-determined definitions! Now you'll learn to see, breathe, and feel the tarot wherever you turn. T. Susan Chang demonstrates how to associate each card with your personal experiences, rather than consulting a list of abstract concepts. With her guidance, you can teach yourself to read tarot and develop your own correspondences, keywords, and more. Chang takes the popular Card of the Day draw to a new level of mastery and usefulness, encouraging you to fully engage with tarot until you know the shape and personality of every card. She also presents tarot magic, ethics, rituals, multi-card spreads, and new techniques for asking questions. You'll always know what each card means because you won't just draw it, you'll also live it.
272 pages, Paperback
Published May 8, 2023
65 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 19, 2023
This was a great, instructive and approachable work. I was very happy to find a BIPOC-authored work on tarot. My only criticism is that I could've done without the Harry Potter references. But otherwise the tone was friendly and modern, referencing twitter and viral memes and really giving up to date advice.
This book even dove into how to start a business reading, something I hadn't come across yet.
Defo a tarot favorite, instantly. I'd like to get a physical copy to refer to, although this audio was super well done.
This book even dove into how to start a business reading, something I hadn't come across yet.
Defo a tarot favorite, instantly. I'd like to get a physical copy to refer to, although this audio was super well done.
March 26, 2025
Initial thoughts. This is a great blend of practical exercises and modern tarot opinions. Much of her perspective on how tarot works is very much of our current times, such as how she observes that the questions we ask tarot are much more focused on insights and understanding the why rather than predictive and telling the future.
What I love about the tarot exercises is the variety. They are not just journaling prompts or spreads, although they are there, but also ascribing proverbs or quotes to Major and Minor Arcana that was very exciting and lit up my brain. I did find some of the tarot exercises somewhat complicated like reading instructions for a board game can be.
A tarot exercise book you can work with on and off.
PS Just saw a GR review on here that said this book was too “witch-y.” IMO tarot is a spiritual practice, and this book does not really delve into the esoteric knowledge that T. Susan Chang has, so to me this is an accessible read for everyone.
What I love about the tarot exercises is the variety. They are not just journaling prompts or spreads, although they are there, but also ascribing proverbs or quotes to Major and Minor Arcana that was very exciting and lit up my brain. I did find some of the tarot exercises somewhat complicated like reading instructions for a board game can be.
A tarot exercise book you can work with on and off.
PS Just saw a GR review on here that said this book was too “witch-y.” IMO tarot is a spiritual practice, and this book does not really delve into the esoteric knowledge that T. Susan Chang has, so to me this is an accessible read for everyone.
June 7, 2023
I really liked the section on spreads and how to better interpret the cards, but I felt like this book was a bit too witchy for my personal tarot practice.
September 28, 2024
T. Susan Chang’s The Living Tarot is hands down one of the best books I’ve ever come across for building a real, living relationship with the cards. This book does exactly what its title promises—it brings the Tarot to life by showing how these seventy-eight images can be a direct reflection of our everyday experiences. For years, I found myself stuck in a loop of memorizing card meanings without ever fully feeling them. But Chang’s approach flipped that on its head and gave me the tools to truly connect with the cards in a way that’s personal, intuitive, and deeply meaningful.
What makes The Living Tarot stand out is Chang’s insistence that you stop memorizing and start experiencing the cards for yourself. From the very beginning, she encourages readers to step away from rote definitions and see the cards through the lens of their own daily lives. Instead of relying on someone else’s keywords, she teaches you how to look at the cards and ask, “What does this mean to me right now?” It’s such a simple shift, but it made all the difference. Suddenly, cards I’d struggled with for years, like the Five of Pentacles or the Knight of Wands, started showing up in my daily routine in unexpected ways, and I began understanding them on a much deeper level.
I especially loved her twist on the “Card of the Day” exercise. Chang doesn’t just suggest drawing a card and trying to match it to your day—she goes further, showing you how to really live each card’s energy. One morning I pulled the Queen of Cups and decided to approach my day with her compassionate, nurturing spirit in mind. It changed how I interacted with everyone, from family to strangers, and by the end of the day, I had a completely new perspective on the Queen’s gentle power. This isn’t just about making Tarot more relatable—it’s about making it an active part of your life.
The book is packed with practical tips for incorporating the cards into everything from daily journaling to rituals and magic, but what I appreciated most was Chang’s emphasis on the personal. She’s a firm believer that every reader has their own unique relationship with the Tarot, and she guides you through the process of discovering that for yourself. There’s no rigid “this card means X” here—instead, you’re given the freedom to explore and create your own understanding. It’s a freeing, empowering experience that left me feeling much more confident in my readings.
Her writing style is also engaging and down-to-earth, which makes the material accessible whether you’re a beginner or have been reading for years. Chang doesn’t talk down to her readers; instead, she invites you to walk alongside her as you explore what each card can mean in real, everyday terms. It’s a refreshing break from overly formal Tarot books that treat the cards like something mysterious and untouchable. Instead, she makes them feel like companions—guides who are always around, waiting to be noticed.
If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your deck or struggled to find your own voice as a reader, The Living Tarot is a game-changer. It’s not just a book—it’s an experience that redefines what it means to “know” the Tarot. By the time I finished, I didn’t just understand the cards better—I felt like I’d lived them, breathed them, and woven them into the fabric of my everyday world. It’s a must-have for anyone looking to build a truly personal and intuitive practice, and I know I’ll be returning to it again and again for years to come.
What makes The Living Tarot stand out is Chang’s insistence that you stop memorizing and start experiencing the cards for yourself. From the very beginning, she encourages readers to step away from rote definitions and see the cards through the lens of their own daily lives. Instead of relying on someone else’s keywords, she teaches you how to look at the cards and ask, “What does this mean to me right now?” It’s such a simple shift, but it made all the difference. Suddenly, cards I’d struggled with for years, like the Five of Pentacles or the Knight of Wands, started showing up in my daily routine in unexpected ways, and I began understanding them on a much deeper level.
I especially loved her twist on the “Card of the Day” exercise. Chang doesn’t just suggest drawing a card and trying to match it to your day—she goes further, showing you how to really live each card’s energy. One morning I pulled the Queen of Cups and decided to approach my day with her compassionate, nurturing spirit in mind. It changed how I interacted with everyone, from family to strangers, and by the end of the day, I had a completely new perspective on the Queen’s gentle power. This isn’t just about making Tarot more relatable—it’s about making it an active part of your life.
The book is packed with practical tips for incorporating the cards into everything from daily journaling to rituals and magic, but what I appreciated most was Chang’s emphasis on the personal. She’s a firm believer that every reader has their own unique relationship with the Tarot, and she guides you through the process of discovering that for yourself. There’s no rigid “this card means X” here—instead, you’re given the freedom to explore and create your own understanding. It’s a freeing, empowering experience that left me feeling much more confident in my readings.
Her writing style is also engaging and down-to-earth, which makes the material accessible whether you’re a beginner or have been reading for years. Chang doesn’t talk down to her readers; instead, she invites you to walk alongside her as you explore what each card can mean in real, everyday terms. It’s a refreshing break from overly formal Tarot books that treat the cards like something mysterious and untouchable. Instead, she makes them feel like companions—guides who are always around, waiting to be noticed.
If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your deck or struggled to find your own voice as a reader, The Living Tarot is a game-changer. It’s not just a book—it’s an experience that redefines what it means to “know” the Tarot. By the time I finished, I didn’t just understand the cards better—I felt like I’d lived them, breathed them, and woven them into the fabric of my everyday world. It’s a must-have for anyone looking to build a truly personal and intuitive practice, and I know I’ll be returning to it again and again for years to come.
December 18, 2024
This was a comprehensive and helpful book on a complicated subject. It not only taught the craft, but it explained how to start a business for those interested. I enjoyed the audio book but will be getting a hard copy for reference. Highly recommended.
July 24, 2023
While I have only had the chance to go over the book the exercises within look interesting and I am eager to try them!
December 1, 2025
This was a nice informative read.
There were insights I never thought about with the individual cards.
I can see myself going back through this for notes.
There were insights I never thought about with the individual cards.
I can see myself going back through this for notes.
October 3, 2025
I enjoyed this book. Thank you, T Susan, for being.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews