Pictures
From the Heart, A Tarot Dictionary
By Sandra
Thomson
Reviewed by Lorrie Kazan for Whole
Life Times
This compendium is a welcome addition to the literary
world of tarot. Ms. Thomson is a well-respected author,
tarot reader and teacher. The depth of her knowledge
is impressive and incorporates psychology, mythology
and history. Moreover, she is able to clarify and categorize
pertinent information so that the reader has immediate
access to a range of ideas.
While her credits were not fully listed in the book,
she is in fact the current President of the American
Tarot Association, a Certified Tarot Grand Master from
both the Tarot Certification Board of America and from
the Canadian Tarot Network, author of Cloud Nine: A
Dreamer’s Dictionary, and co-author of The Lovers’ Tarot,
Spiritual Tarot, and The Heart of Tarot.
The first section provides an overview of the cards,
their uses, history and ways they can be best approached
for self-discovery and mastery. Chapters include: “Flashcards
of the Self,” “The Mysteries,” “Collision
of Myth and Reality,” and “The Symbolic
Quest.” She then proceeds to compare and contrast
25 of the most popular decks, interweaving image, with
history and myth. Whether you’re new to tarot,
or an experienced collector, you’ll derive a
strong sense about which decks you want to acquire.
The second section is the dictionary, which includes,
symbols, colors, numbers, cards, and suits. You can
look up everything from abyss to zodiacal attributions.
Her bibliography and endnotes present one of the most
interesting and comprehensive reading lists I’ve
seen.
Sources include David Allen Hulse’s New Dimensions
for the Cube of Space, to Rachel Pollack’s Shining
Tribe, Japanese mudra theory to Mary Greer, and Carl
Jung. The Internet resource section highlights some
of the best on-line sites, such as www.villarevak.org
and www.Tarotpassages.com, to name only two.
After reading this one may wish to rush out and buy
her other books, especially Cloud Nine: A Dreamer’s
Dictionary. I know I will.
St Martin’s Griffin 2003
|
|
