Living the tarot Book Review

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Living the Tarot by Amber Jayanti Review by Michele Jackson

Written by a tarot teacher, Living the Tarot discusses each of the Major Arcana in

terms of symbolism, the Qabala and daily life experiences. Each chapter starts with a

section called General Information and Symbolism. This section discusses astrological,

color and Qabalistic correspondences, numerology, symbolism and the cards meaning.

This section is followed by a section discussing how the card relates to the Gateway of Life

it is assigned to. Eight cards are assigned to childhood, 7 to adolescence, 6 to adulthood

and 4 to wisdom. Obviously some of the cards are assigned to more than one section. A

section with divinatory questions follows. This section has questions to ask yourself when

this card comes up in a reading. The author then provides a section of personal

experiences describing how this card has manifested in her life. This is followed by a

section on student experiences with the card, which describes how various students

have experienced the card in their lives. Finally there is a section titled Suggestions for

Application and Integration which provides ways to experience the card in your own life,

including affirmations or meditations, wearing the color associated with the card, using the

scent associated with it, studying the Qabalistic correspondence, studying the symbolism

and asking yourself various questions.

I enjoyed the experiences sections in most cases, but found some of the Application and

Integration got rather monotonous after a few cards. The author is a student of B.O.T.A.

and uses their teachings. There are also full page line drawings of the B.O.T.A. Major

Arcana with instructions for coloring. The book is a good introduction to Qabalistic

correspondences, though it would be helpful if you already knew about the Tree of Life. It

never gets beyond the simplest basics in this area however. On the plus side, it is an easy

read and provides food for thought and further study. It is a good bridge for those who

understand the basic exoteric interpretations and want to move forward into esoteric

study, but have been put off by the complexity of most of the esoteric texts. While it won’t

prepare you to take on Gareth Knight’s Qabalistic Symbolism, it will give you a small taste

of esoteric Tarot.

Living the Tarot

Author: Amber Jayanti

ISBN#: 1840225130

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here.

Excerpt

Each chapter of this book contains a section called "Gateway of Life". This is where the Major Arcana (each of the 22 cards portrayed in this book) are discussed in light of four segments, or Gateways, of life: Childhood, Adolescence, Adulthood, and Wisdom (old age). This approach is designed to bring the traditional archetypes and their teachings down to earth in order to establish a more personal identification with them, as well as add to each card's meaning.

This approach or model is somewhat aligned with the Four Steps of Tarot Mastery; Childhood, which is a process of becoming acquainted with the Rules and Tools of the Game of Life - the universal and natural laws and principles; Adolescence, integrating and applying the Rules and Tools to everyday living; Adulthood, an assimilation of the Rules and Tools until they become second nature; and Wisdom, the complete incorporation and master of the teachings.

(Living the Tarot page 7)