Review by Bonnie Cehovet
Tarot is a
wonderful world of archetypes and symbols, all gathered
together into story form. One of the most difficult tasks
facing any beginning Tarot student is how to apply the
basic energy/meanings for the individual cards into a
coherent story that answers the question(s) of the Seeker
and provides guidance as to the next step(s) for them
to take on their path in any given
issue/situation.
From the preface:
"It would be impossible to
demonstrate every combination of cards that could exist, as
there are endless combinations. The point of working
with these combinations is to show you a variety of
common, easy-to-read combinations so you can get
acquainted with interpreting and linking cards. The tarot
cards tell their own story, and this book will help you
learn how to discover the story.
Many students of the
tarot lose interest and self confidence when trying to
read the cards. They don't have enough information to
combine and link the cards where necessary or appropriate,
and they miss the story that the cards are trying to
portray. Some believe that some sort of psychic ability is
needed to interpret the cards, and that without this gift
they won't be able to read the cards accurately. The
gift for reading cards has been given to all of us, so
we shouldn't be afraid to use our gifts of
perception. If used correctly, the cards are incredibly
accurate as they foretell events and give answers to
questions that may be troubling. The cards can guide us in
our journey through life."
Dorothy Kelly has done a
wonderful job of presenting a "Just the facts, Ma'am"
template for storying the Tarot. She begins by introducing
us to the Tarot - the Major Arcana, and the Minor
Arcana (pips and court cards). O may quibble over a few
things - such as the fact that she sees the court cards
primarily as people in the Seeker's life, and she gives a
numerical age range for each card (King, Queen, Knight and
Page). For those that feel comfortable with this
scenario, that is fine, but I personally do not. (Please
note - Kelly does also say that the court cards can be
a part of the Seeker's psyche, but this is very much
down played.)
Kelly works with twelve keywords for
each card - six upright, and six reversed. She also
suggests that if the reader has other keywords that work
better for them, that they should use them. What she does
not do is work with any of the esoteric nature of the
cards - including the symbols on the deck. (Please note:
The book makes heavy use of black and white scans of
the Universal Waite deck.)
The presentation of the
cards and how they are read together is quite nicely
done. Kelly advises starting with one card, then going
on, in order, with two, three, four etc cards. She
presents the cards, in their upright positions, on the left
hand side of the page. On the right hand side, we see
two or more cards in varying positions -
upright/upright, upright/reversed, reversed/upright,
reversed/reversed and the cards in reverse order. She takes one
definition from the upright keywords and one definition from
the reversed keywords for both cards. As they say -
seeing is believing. In this manner we can see how the
"plot" of the storyline emerges.
She defines the energy
of the suits as follows (from page
81):
Wands=Action, Occupation, Work;
Cups=Sense, Feelings, Affection;
Swords=Difficulties, Hardship, Crisis;
Pentacles=Finance, Wealth, Income.
Aces represent the seasons: the Ace of Wands represents
Spring, The Ace of Cups represents summer, the Ace of
Swords represents Autumn and the Ace of Pentacles
represents Winter.
Using this concept, Kelly does something
that I have never seen before to pinpoint timing. The
Fool represents immediate events - things that will
happen within one week of the reading. The remaining
Major Arcana cards represent days, while the pips
represent weeks. In her method, the deck is shuffled and the
cards dealt face up until an Ace, or "season" card
appears. Shuffle again, and deal the cards face up until a
pip of the same suit as the season card appears.
Shuffle the cards a third time, and deal them face up
until a major arcana card comes up.
From the book (page 14):
"Ace of Wands = Spring
VII of Wands = the 7th week
The Hermit (IX) = within 9 days of the 7th week of spring."
At the end of the book Ms Kelly has presented six
spreads, along with sample readings for each. They are:
* Celtic Cross
* Six Month Reading
* The Rainbow Spread
* The Open Spread
* The 28 Card Spread
* The Yearly Clock Spread
As readers, we all reach points in our
work where we are stagnant, where the readings that we
are doing no longer claim out interest or have any
"pizzazz". I recommend Tarot Card Combinations to all readers
at any stage in their Tarot journey. This gentle book
has something for everyone - it opens doors that we
may not even have realized were closed.
I will allow
Dorothy Kelly to have the final word. From the dedication
to Tarot Card Combinations:
"The path of life is not
always clear. Sometimes at the crossroads you need
directions, and when the way is in darkness, a light ahead
will show you the way."
Bonnie Cehovet is Certified Tarot Grand Master, a professional Tarot reader with over ten years experience, a Reiki Master/Teacher and a writer. Bonnie has served in various capacities with the American Tarot Association, is co-founder of the World Tarot Network, and Vice President (as well as Director of Certification) for the American Board For Tarot Certification. She has had articles appear in the 2004 and 2005 Llewellyn Tarot Reader.
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