By Dusty White - The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot - EVER!! (House of White Library-Aphrodite's Book of Secrets) Paperback – 5 Mar 2009

I would like to start off by saying this is the first time I have written a book review on Amazon, as I have been rarely moved by a book to take this time to write my views for everyone to see.Dusty White's book "The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot-Ever!!" Is without any doubt the best book for the beginner and advanced tarot reader alike. It explores revolutionary ways to learn what the cards mean along with the so often thrown about term of "card blending" that is portrayed in so many book and from many teachers on the tarot but sadly they misunderstand how it works. For these two points alone this book is worth it, but there is more!The exercises are designed to build up your skills so you will be confident and able to interrupt and blend the cards in a variety of ways that will make the even larger tarot spreads open up for you and offer far more information than just the traditional card parameters do.What is also discussed and taught is how to gain more information from the commonly used Celtic Cross spread and Mr. Whites own Roundabout Spread, which uses the tarot to give an overall view and find answers to lead you to your goal.This book does not cover the ceremonial magic use of the tarot, (Cabalistic correspondences etc) and being honest as an initiate, this knowledge does very little to help you read the cards in the real world. In divination we are seeking facts not maybes and possibles.I was taught the tarot at an early age and I have read so many books on the tarot in order too gain a greater understanding of the cards, but none have had such positive an effect as this book in such a short a time.

I've gotten farther learning the Tarot with this book than I have in the last 15 years with other books... Now I can actually retain the information on the cards with the exercises he teaches, AND he makes it fun! There are no rigid rules and that helps you to relax your mindset while learning.Also, I like how there is a companion website forum to discuss the book, a great 'free tarot lessons' email subscription, as well as free videos to see Dusty in action doing the exercises... I almost feel I've wasted so much energy trying other 'Teach Yourself' books, lol... He really does go above and beyond with the resources he makes available.My birthday is in 2 weeks and will definitely be getting the second book, Advanced Tarot Secrets... W00T!! :D

This is the best book on tarot ever. Do not bother with any other book. Seriously. I had been dabbling with tarot for years and years with some success but it was all very inconsistent and I always had to go to the book because I could never remember the damn meanings! After a couple of months with this book I've tapped into my intuition and am reading for randoms with a crazy amount of accuracy!! I'm doing free readings at my website, am I allowed to put my website on here? I'm New Age Hipster on Wordpress if you want to find me using the amazing skills I learned from Dusty. Seriously this book has actually literally changed my life. Big call, but true!! I feel like I can make a living out of this at some stage and that's pretty freaking amazing!! x

I have read so many Tarot books over the years and been completely flummoxed by most of them. This one is just as it says on the cover. Easy to follow and incredibly interesting and fun to use. Just wish I had found it years ago. I highly recommend it to anyone who is having trouble understanding Tarot, or just wants to hone their skills and have fun with their cards and get accurate readings.

This is a no nonsense tarot guide. I no longer class myself as a total beginner, but this book takes you back to the roots, but in a good way. It is not simply a rehash of the same old format as most "teach yourself tarot" books.There is a very brief introduction to Tarot, what it is, how it works etc. But really the book jumps right into what you need in order to get started: what deck to get, info on having a tarot journal, an explanation that the cards can mean different things to different people - and this is why meanings vary from book to book, a section on different ways in which reversed cards are interpreted and a run down on what your first 30 days of learning will look like.Section two of the book is all about getting to know your cards through a series of exercises. There are no definitive meanings given here, and no mention of learning keywords. This is all about playing with the cards, looking at the pictures, and thinking about what they mean to you.The author presents some fun exercises that you can do on your own but which are also beneficial for using when working with a partner. Such a game/exercise is "this happens to me, this happens to you". The idea is to pull a card and give a scenario of what will happen to you based on the card you drew, and then the second card is what happens to the other person based on the card you drew for them. The idea is to desensitise yourself to giving both yourself and/or someone else difficult news. It is trying to remove the subjective you and introduce a more objective way of delivering the messages in the cards, therefore preparing you to read for others (and yourself). This is one example, there are 12 exercises here in total to enhance your personal connection with the cards. The aim is to work through them sequentially. The author, Dusty White, instructs you to just use the minor arcana the first few times round with these exercises. This is because the minor arcana are a bit easier to work with, they are more straightforward and describe day to day life. The major arcana can confuse the initial learning as they are quite static cards and it is not as easy to intuitively grasp their meaning. After you have mastered the exercises with just the minor arcana, you are then encouraged to go back and add in the major arcana.The book then moves on to spreads. The celtic cross is there, along with the astrological spread. But there are a number of unique spreads too that I think have probably been created by Dusty. Mirroring Dusty's general style these spreads are no nonsense, and practical to use. I have not tried everything out in the book yet but I have certainly read the book along with listening to his podcasts regularly, which brings some of the material in the book to life I might add.The book then turns into a workbook and runs through each card starting with the minor arcana. There is Dusty's explanations/views on one side and then there is questions and spaces to write your thoughts on the right hand page.We then move into the final section - section six, which inevitably begins with the question "what to do next?" The advice is to go back over the book, practice, use all the internet resources available, especially from Dusty himself, then what to do over the next 60 days, then 90 days etc. There is some great advice here and good pointers. We finally move in to the Appendix which has all kinds of great miscellaneous advice such as "troubleshooting", FAQ's (from fellow students), a brief tarot history, a bit on doing parties, some info on mystery schools, some recommended reading and finally a glossary.This book is very well put together, it is a huge well of knowledge - I wish it was one of the first books I had bought because it totally takes all the superstitions, anxieties etc out of learning and dealing with the tarot. This book talks to you on your level, like you are a normal human being; it is not elitist, it does not throw esoteric terms around willy nilly in order to confuse, all the information is accessible and written in such an engaging way.I recommend checking it out, especially if you are a beginner, but still totally relevant even if you think you are past the beginner stage I think as there is some really great info and advice here that you won't find in any other books (or none that I have read). This book strips away the confusion and teaches you in a straight forward manner without mention of kabbalah, numerology, colour theory or any other additional associations that are forced upon tarot cards and ultimately lead to confusion when you are first learning.