How to Read Tarot Book Review

By: Jessica Wiggan
Publisher: Callisto Publishing
Book Size: 8 x 8 in (approx.)
Book pages: 199
Release Date: August 2019
Purchased or gifted?: Publicity copy gifted from Callisto Publishing

Favorite Details: Abundance of spreads and interpretations

First Impressions: What immediately caught my eye are the interpretations for each of the 78 cards of tarot. I love to see interpretations broken down into things like love, money, career, and spirituality as they are in this book. A card can take on a variety of additional layers depending on what kind of reading you’re doing. So I find breaking up interpretations like this is really helpful for beginner tarot readers.

And that is who I think this book is for - beginners. If you’re never read tarot before or have only dabbled, then you will find a very useful, well-rounded resource in this book. The beginning has everything you could need to get started reading for both yourself and others. I especially love the note on page 17 about shuffling. Jessica states she gets asked how to shuffle the cards more than any other question. I experience the same except I also get how do you know when to pull a card.

It may seem simple to a lot of people but many are finding tarot, spirituality, witchcraft, and the like for the first time and do not have the support or resources to help them learn. As authors, we have to remind ourselves that there are going to be all levels of experience reading our books and we can’t assume any one person knows the answer to things we’ve been doing for years.

Jessica doesn’t make that assumption at all. In fact, the book has a great deal of information that can really help someone who is using tarot for the very first time. Another section I really appreciated is on page 11 titled, “What is my role as a reader?" This is something I feel strongly about and have made sure to include in my own tarot courses. She talks about the need to remove your personal judgment from a reading. At the end of the day, it isn’t about you, it’s about your customer and Jessica makes sure to point that out.

I also really like page 23 title “Don’t lie.” Jessica states “When you decide that you want to read for others, you are agreeing to take on the good and the bad of what can come from that.” Actually, you and the reader both are agreeing to face the good or the bad of your reading. but sadly, many people come to a reading to get the answer they want, not the one they need. It’s your job to give them the true answer, regardless of their expectation. Holding something back isn’t helping them and I’m glad to see how many times Jessica has included sections for maintaining the integrity of a reading. I think that is a sign that she is a skilled and experienced reader who genuinely wishes to provide the most accurate information possible.

There are a couple of things I didn’t like. The first is on page 10 in the section, “Can cards predict the future?” Jessica says they can but then goes on to say the future is always changing. I think it’s misleading to say cards can predict the future. It isn’t that they can’t necessarily, but that the future is a big wide open field of an incalculable amount of choices. The cards can show you what’s likely to happen but even knowing that could set you on a totally different course.

There are always far too many variables to account for, making the prediction of the future far too fluid, in my opinion. Even if something seems inevitable, you still have to consider the impact a third or fourth or fifth party’s choices might have on your situation. Even the reading itself can change the outcome. That is what it’s for after all— to give you the best advice so that you can avoid something devastating. That’s why I personally never say cards can predict the future. I think it creates a false expectation. I do, however, believe the cards can help you as a tool for self-development, to make an informed decision based on what is in your best interest.

She isn’t the first or only tarot reader to say cards can predict the future and there are a lot of people who would disagree with what I’ve just said. This is just my personal opinion and it’s totally fine if you don’t agree with me. But from my own moral compass, this is something that I have found important to note.

Another thing I didn’t like is her note on needing a spread to have a good structure. I don’t think that’s true. Spreads can be very helpful, especially if you are a beginner. And I definitely make and use spreads all the time. But, at least for me, I found spreads to be limiting at times, even confining as I began to develop my reading style. You can only get the answer to the question you’ve asked. If you ask the wrong question, or fail to ask for guidance on a critical topic, you’re missing out on information that could be immensely helpful. I think it’s far better to ask something like “What do I need to know most at this time about xyz?” Or to customize spreads to better fit your needs.

My point is that using spreads are not the only way to read cards nor do you have to have them to offer a strong, structured reading. If you do like spreads— which again, sometimes they are very helpful— you will find a really nice selection to choose from in the back.

Having said all of that, I still think this is an excellent book and certainly one that will be incredibly useful to people in the early days of building a tarot practice. I’ve had it on my desk since I got it and have consulted it many times. Even as a seasoned professional reader, it’s important to get different perspectives and to stay openminded to other readers style. Definitely worth a read, this book.

Any books you’d like a review on? Have any questions about decks at all? Leave me a comment and stay tuned for more reviews.