Author: Cassandra Eason
Trade Paperback, 304 pages
Publisher: Crossing Press
Publication date: 2004
List: US$14.95
ISBN: 1580911382 Price & More Info: Click Here
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I'm not sure about "Complete" since there are only about ten forms of
divination listed in the Table of Contents. The "Further Reading" list also
seems a bit thin, with only an average of two books per topic.
The author's style of writing (each chapter is self-contained) is one which
makes her books very easy to read. You can pick and choose what you want to
read, and in which order. Especially with a topic like divination, this is
quite important. You can read about a particular form of divination, put
the book down for a week or two to experiment, and then do the same with
another form. This makes for a very comfortable feeling.
The chapter devoted to the Tarot is clearly written and easy to understand.
It contains reminders to trust your own instincts if in doubt. It tends to
be a bit more cut and dried than I might like, but that is a personal bias,
which I freely acknowledge.
The chapter devoted to tea lead reading contains descriptions of 200 images
but, as Ms. Eason clearly states, "Learning symbols by heart is
counterproductive. Trust the magic invoked as you read the leaves." It is
refreshing to see that in print, especially after telling the reader that
there is a list of symbols.
There are pluses and minuses in this book. On the plus side, there are a
number of different divinatory methods included. On the minus side, most of
the information given is quite shallow. While my feeling is that title is a
bit grandiose for this work, it is an easy to read and understand
introduction to the subject of divination. I do wish, however, a bit more
effort had been put into the list of books for further reading. In a field
so vast, and as much written about, as divination, twenty-one titles for ten
topics is way too short a list.
Reviewed by Mike Gleason
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