Tarot Disassembled Guidebook: Deconstructing the Symbols of the Major and Minor Arcana (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781578638642)

This guide uses the traditional symbolism found in the tarot and shares it as bold graphics to allow readers to connect to the cards in a completely intuitive way.

Sometimes we need to take apart a sandwich to appreciate what's in it, and the same is true for the ingredients--the individual symbols--that make up the complex picture of a tarot card. There is potential for deep understanding that comes with the act of disassembling, and the Tarot Disassembled Guidebook deconstructs each of the seventy-eight cards to look at the individual symbols. This fully illustrated guide presents a picture of each card but reduced down to the bare minimum: so the Fool card is a satchel, a dog, the sun, a feather, a flower, a mountain. Even without the actual Fool, these symbols speak for themselves, and the card is still undeniably recognizable. Once you do this with all the cards, the rich symbolism becomes clear--the sun and mountains appear over and over in many other cards, as do feathers, clouds, flowers, and so on. For people looking to find deeper card connections in their readings, this book is for you.

Although this book is based on the symbology of the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot--arguably the most iconic and widely used deck in the world--once you understand the disassembling of tarot symbols, you can begin to apply this deconstructing technique to other decks, finding the inner patterns. This method allows you to connect with any traditional deck in a completely intuitive way, free from any pictorial narrative around gender, skin color, age, size, ability, or any other human constructs.

This unique and innovative guidebook includes keywords, astrological and planetary associations, and elemental associations for each tarot card. It can be used with any deck based on the Rider-Waite system or as a companion to the Tarot Disassembled deck, sold separately.

Author: Jennifer Cooper Steidley
ISBN-10: 157863864X
ISBN-13: 9781578638642
Publisher: Weiser Books
Language: English
Published: 04/07/2025
Pages: 280
Format: Paperback