Living the Wheel: Seasonal Musings of the Pagan Year

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Quick & Easy Tarot, by Lily Oak

 

     Recently I was given the opportunity to review Lily Oak's newest book, Quick & Easy Tarot, released by Hedge Witchery Books (http://www.hedge-witcherybooks.com), and I am so very grateful for the opportunity. I read tarot every day; I have even been known to carry my deck around in my purse for no other reason then to have it nearby. I am not a beginning reader by any means, but Lily Oak has included pieces of information in her book that were quite new and fascinating to me.

 

            She begins with the history of tarot, from its origins as a 15th

 

century game known as 'trionfi' to its evolution in the 18th century to the

 

divination tool we utilize today.

         Oak gives instructions on how to choose and 'connect' with your tarot

deck (a key piece here, because if you do not have a connection with the

deck you use, you will either not have any results, or your readings will

make no sense whatsoever. I speak from experience.)

         Her example of taking notes on one's personal impression of each card

is stellar; my deck is very complimentary to me, but only insomuch as I

have memorized the meanings given in the guidebook. I have never thought

to examine each image to see what my own impression would be. I will be

rectifying this very soon.

         She provides readers with a brief description of each card of the Major

Arcana. (Those are the 22 cards which are associated with life experiences,

and include such cards as The Fool, The Wheel of Fortune, The Sun, The

Moon, and Death.) Oak also includes the definitions of each card. (Helpful

if your deck didn't come with a guidebook.)

          Moving on to the Minor Arcana, Oak names the four suits: Cups,

Swords, Coins and Wands. These may change from deck to deck. For

instance, the deck I use, Kris Waldherr's Goddess Tarot, is comprised of

Cups, Swords, Pentacles and Staves. (Should you purchase this deck, be

aware that the card images of the Major Arcana are very different from the

ones described in Quick & Easy Tarot, though the cards do have the same

meanings as the ones provided by Oak.) She defines the meaning of each of

the 14 cards in each suit, then continues on to offer you the elemental

meaning of each suit as well, very useful when using your cards in ritual.

          Next, Oak takes readers through steps leading to using cards for a

reading. She gives advice on how to prepare oneself and one's deck, then

offers instructions for laying out the cards. She offers two three-card

spreads, one I've never seen before , so of course I had to give it a try. My

reading of the three card Week/Moon/Season layout had interesting, though,

happily, promising results. I'm going to keep my eyes open for opportunities

both dutiful and fulfilling. Next, a familiar-to-me five card spread, then two

seven card layouts I hadn't seen before.

         The final spread Oak offers as an example is the 13 card Wheel of the

Year spread, an impressive-looking layout that is actually quite easy to read

and comprehend. It's one of my favorites when I'm looking for information

concerning an outcome that will encompass several months of fruition.

         I do not read tarot professionally, or for very many other people. For

those that may be interested in pursuing this, however, Oak includes an

etiquette section of sorts, giving her readers advice on how to communicate

with clients or friends concerning a reading. This I found very informative.

Maybe one day I will begin offering tarot readings with my Reiki

treatments.

       Overall, Lily Oak's Quick & Easy Tarot is an impressive little book: it

has all the information a tarot beginner could need, written simply and

concisely, with regard to the fact that beginners are just that, beginners. I am

not a beginner, but I guarantee I will be utilizing this gem of a book often.

     Quick & Easy Tarot is currently available for the Kindle, and will be

available in paperback next month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I am a writer and poet living in western Massachusetts. I have a degree in English Lit, with a focus on the nineteenth century, and am working toward a degree in Women's Studies as well. My work has previously appeared in The Pagan Activist, The Pagan Review, GrannyMoon's Morning Feast, and The Montague Reporter. I am currently working on a series of children's books, a novel trilogy, and a poetry manuscript (I simply can't do one thing at a time!). I also have several random fantasy-based short story projects that I attack once in a while.   I am a Dianic Pagan and practice Kitchen Wicca, and am also a Reiki Master. For a glimpse into my own little corner of reality, you can stop in and visit me at Ellie.

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