The Magic of Tarot: Your Guide to Intuitive Readings, Rituals, and Spells

Oh, not another book on reading the Tarot, you may yawn disinterestedly. Think again! There are a lot of Tarot interpretation manuals out there and they read pretty much the same except for the author's personal interpretation of the cards. It's pretty much the same routine formula. But every now and then a book will come along to make you sit up and take notice. This is one of those rare books.

Right from the start, you're the one in the driver's seat. Make that reader's seat. The author assures you that "you will enter the cards through your sacred imagination." No more trying to memorize the meanings of the cards as though this is a high school exercise you'll be tested on later. The author implicitly knows that you don't "read" the cards. You FEEL them. That's why the exact same cards and exact same spread will read differently for two different people. What does it matter what they're supposed to mean? What do they mean right now?

Author Sasha Graham not only inspires you, she builds your confidence, she empowers you. She puts your mind at rest up front by assuring you that you're not a card reader (daunting to beginners), you're really just a storyteller. Therein lies the magic. Once you get comfortable with that idea you'll love this one. "Tarot is a seed waiting to sprout, a sweet tooth longing for a lollipop."

And that's what will make you a good reader. You won't be  someone who's trying to impress your client with how good a reader you are, but rather, someone who is confident in her abilities. Someone people can trust because you trust yourself and you won't be floundering around, trying to remember what a certain card means.

The book gives you a solid foundation starting with a 5 minute exercise to expand your senses and raise your intuition. Next you explore Tarot Is followed by Magic Is and brought together in Tarot Magic. You'll read about magical readings and magical spreads. Even how to create your own. To help you further, there are the 7 cornerstones of constant tarot magic. Naturally, there is the  expected listing of the  card meanings, divided into major arcana, minor arcana and the court cards. Separating those out is a nice touch. Especially comparing the court cards to everyday people like mom and dad.

There's even good stuff in the introduction. Don't skip it. The author almost reverses the old saying, a picture is worth 1,000 words. She paints great pictures with her words. The book is a different and unique approach to reading tarot. It's not about predicting what your future holds as it is about helping you craft the future you desire. Your attention is your magic wand. What you focus on is what you ignite with energy There are even surprising suggestions for places to take your cards to do a self-reading. In the attic for instance, to connect with higher self,.

So many books make you feel like the cards hold the power. The author assures you the magic is in you.

~review by Judy Blackstone

Sasha Graham
Llewellyn Publications, 2021
pp. 365, $19.99