Author: Trish MacGregor and Phyllis Vega
Trade Paperback, 288 pages
Publisher: Fireside Books
Publication date: June 1998
ISBN: 0684841851
Price & More Info: Click Here
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Power Tarot is co-written by a friend and member of The Cauldron, Phyllis Vega.
This makes it a hard book to review fairly. This is especially true as it is one of the
better new books on the Tarot I've seen recently.
As one might expect in a Tarot book designed for mass market appeal, a good portion of
the book is taken up with suggested interpretations of the cards. MacGregor and Vega
simplify things a bit by ignoring reversed meanings. This is a good idea as even without
reversed interpretations about a page and a half is devoted the interpretation of each card.
A general interpretation and interpretations for specific types of readings (relating to
work, romance, finances, health, spirituality, and empowerment) are given for every card.
The court cards, which are often glossed over with interpretations like "a powerful man" in
other books, are given the same full treatment as the other cards in Power Tarot. As
I've always had trouble interpreting the court cards when interpreting them as a person just
doesn't make sense, this alone made Power Tarot a welcome addition to my library.
The most interesting part of the book, however, is the one hundred Tarot spreads. Most
of these spreads are original. They range from one card spreads to twenty-four card spreads.
While a few do look like they were created just to round off the collection to 100, most are
interesting and might be useful to answer specific types of questions. I haven't had time to
try all of them, but several of these new spreads have already become favorites of mine: the
Desire spread, the Ladle spread, and the Treasure Chest spread. The only problem with this
section is that the explanations of various positions in each spread are often a bit
sketchy. While this is not a problem for more experienced readers, it might be a bit of a
problem for less experienced readers.
Overall, Power Tarot is an excellent addition to the bookshelves of anyone
interested in the Tarot. I haven't been this pleased with a new Tarot book since Mary K.
Greer's Tarot For Your Self came out in the mid-eighties. When you see it in your
bookstore, be sure to take a look.
Reviewed by Randall
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