Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-21 10:53:59
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Rachel Pollack
- ISBN：1578636655
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The bestselling tarot classic in a new edition with a new preface by the author。
When it was first published nearly 40-years-ago， Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom was an instant classic and inspired generations of tarot students。 Often referred to as the "bible of tarot books" it has now helped to launch the "tarot renaissance" we're seeing today。 Drawing on mythology and esoteric traditions and delving deeply into the symbolism and ideas of each card， the book offers a modern psychological interpretation of the tarot archetypes rather than a system of esoteric symbolism。
This book provides:
A concise history of tarot
An introduction to common tarot spreads
A clear and endlessly useful reference for both beginning and advanced tarot students
When it was first published nearly 40-years-ago， Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom was an instant classic and inspired generations of tarot students。 Often referred to as the "bible of tarot books" it has now helped to launch the "tarot renaissance" we're seeing today。 Drawing on mythology and esoteric traditions and delving deeply into the symbolism and ideas of each card， the book offers a modern psychological interpretation of the tarot archetypes rather than a system of esoteric symbolism。
This book provides:
A concise history of tarot
An introduction to common tarot spreads
A clear and endlessly useful reference for both beginning and advanced tarot students
Reviews
Lane Campbell
，
Such an important book for understanding the meaning of the cards and for a look into the world behind the cards。 Rachel Pollack is the shit！！
Emily Judds
，
This book was just okay。 While there is a lot of good stuff in it， you have to really sift through to find those nuggets of wisdom。 The references to Jewish Kabbalah were a little iffy， but Pollack does an excellent job explaining reversals。
Katie
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Best book on tarot i've read。 I reference it every day。 Rachel pollack is a treasure。 Best book on tarot i've read。 I reference it every day。 Rachel pollack is a treasure。 。。。more
Ciyang Wang
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Tarot is a world that amazes me。 Each time reading this book， new insight was gained。
Charlotte Stanton
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My go to reference。 It brings so many different kinds of spirituality and ties them all together in a big esoteric bow
Aline Aleixo
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Esse livro começou ótimo， mas foi degringolando。 Um ponto positivo é que a autora fala sobre todas as 78 cartas， e não apenas dos Arcanos Maiores。 Porém， as explicações sobre os Arcanos Menores deixaram um pouco a desejar。 Enquanto sobre algumas cartas a autora discorre por páginas e páginas， sobre outras， ela escreve apenas um parágrafo。 Senti falta também de uma substância teórica maior。 Filosofia， teoria literária， tudo isso conversa com o Tarot e pela leitura entendi que a autora tem conheci Esse livro começou ótimo， mas foi degringolando。 Um ponto positivo é que a autora fala sobre todas as 78 cartas， e não apenas dos Arcanos Maiores。 Porém， as explicações sobre os Arcanos Menores deixaram um pouco a desejar。 Enquanto sobre algumas cartas a autora discorre por páginas e páginas， sobre outras， ela escreve apenas um parágrafo。 Senti falta também de uma substância teórica maior。 Filosofia， teoria literária， tudo isso conversa com o Tarot e pela leitura entendi que a autora tem conhecimento dessas áreas， mas o que é falado no livro sobre essas relações é um pouco superficial: a bibliografia é curta e pouco explorada。Três estrelas， mas quase dei duas。。。 。。。more
Lin L Barrett
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Hands down， best Tarot book everThis book was a revelation when I first acquired a copy 25 or so years ago。 Two worn-out hard copies later， it's on Kindle！ Hurrah！ It's much easier to use during a reading in this format。 However， the utterly terrific quality of this book is that you do not need to memorize 156 lengthy lists of qualities （upright and reversed for esch of 78 cards）。 Rachel。Pollack teaches you what a suit means， and what a number or Court position means， the difference between the Hands down， best Tarot book everThis book was a revelation when I first acquired a copy 25 or so years ago。 Two worn-out hard copies later， it's on Kindle！ Hurrah！ It's much easier to use during a reading in this format。 However， the utterly terrific quality of this book is that you do not need to memorize 156 lengthy lists of qualities （upright and reversed for esch of 78 cards）。 Rachel。Pollack teaches you what a suit means， and what a number or Court position means， the difference between the Major and Minor arcana， and how all of these interact。If you are a Tarot novice， don't be shy about using this book to interpret during your esrly readings。 I know of no faster way to internalize its teachings。 There will come a time when you realize you need it only occasionally。 That's as it should be， but it's likely you will continue to find it useful for clients with whom you have little in common， or unusual situations。 Often reading her entry on a puzzling card will have you saying things you didn't think you could know。 "Consulting Rachel" （shorthand for "Opening '78 Degrees'"） is zlmost a mystical process。So in short， "78 Degrees" is not just a book but an investment in your own growth process。 It's quite hard to see how "78" might disappoint you， but not every book is for every person。 If it's not for you， return it。 Rachel will understand。 I'll bet， though， that that advice will apply to literally。one person in 10，000。 Buy the book。 You won't be sorry。 。。。more
Nihad Marwan
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Simple， justo al punto de lo que se pregunta， no es algo muy fuera de lugar。 Cumple su fin de forma concreta y sencilla。
Jade Cormack
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The best book you can read on tarot IMO - detailed， inspiring & totally engrossing。 So much history and insight packed in this book。 Loved it。
Farrah Lisa
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An absolute must read & valuable reference for any tarot reader。
Mary
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This is a great tarot book。 I found it easy to follow and unexpectedly profound。 My negatives are outdated/incorrect Qabalah information and sometimes a little too dry。 Would recommend to anyone looking to straighten their tarot practice。
Van Vandergriff
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It’s no secret Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom is a bit of a classic amongst tarot readers and enthusiasts。 Many witches and tarot practitioners recommend it。 Some even treat it as a sort of definitive source on the tarot （though I have to wonder if such a thing is possible）。 Let’s look at why that is， and also delve into some criticisms of the work。 The book is structured into three basic sections following an introduction: analyses of the 22 Major Arcana cards and the 56 Minor Arcana cards， an It’s no secret Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom is a bit of a classic amongst tarot readers and enthusiasts。 Many witches and tarot practitioners recommend it。 Some even treat it as a sort of definitive source on the tarot （though I have to wonder if such a thing is possible）。 Let’s look at why that is， and also delve into some criticisms of the work。 The book is structured into three basic sections following an introduction: analyses of the 22 Major Arcana cards and the 56 Minor Arcana cards， and then a section she calls “Readings，” which describe spreads and ways to use them。 Pollack spends time truly contemplating each card in its entirety—the rich symbolism in each is carefully considered in terms of its psychological， archetypal， mythological， religious， numerological， and otherwise spiritual qualities。 This is especially true for the major arcana—the minor still receives reasonably thorough treatment， but each major card’s section takes up several pages。 This is the strong point of the book: Pollack is exceptionally thorough， and cross-references a myriad of sources in order to drive home the point of different cards and the lessons they teach。 The first caveat is this: Pollack uses （almost） exclusively the Rider Waite deck。 For those unfamiliar with tarot， the Rider Waite deck is considered a sort of principle deck， a classic。 Many tarot decks are modeled after its system and imagery。 One difficult part of using this text for me was that Pollack studies the imagery of each card intensely—but as a person who doesn’t prefer the Rider Waite， I couldn’t always directly apply what she was saying to my own decks。 Some of my decks even differ slightly in system from the Waite deck。 However， I’d argue that by teaching her audience how to read the imagery in a card， she gives the reader the tools they need to learn how to interpret the imagery in their own decks。 Thus， the book was incredibly valuable to me in terms of learning how to read， even if I can’t always cross reference it during a reading for precise meanings。 The second issue I found is that sometimes the lengthy explanations of the symbolism in the card almost distracted from the practical applications。 Yes， symbolic interpretation is important—but sometimes I was left wondering how we were supposed to apply the knowledge that she had given us。 After several pages of… to put it sort of crudely， waxing poetic about the symbols in any given card， she dedicated only one or two slim paragraphs to their potential meanings in a reading。 I do understand that the book’s subtitle is “A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness” and not something like “A Practical Tarot Guide，” so I can forgive her on this point。 A last criticism I have is of the “Readings” section。 Pollack offers 3 spreads for the reader to try out: the classic Celtic Cross， a spread of her own invention， and then an insane spread modeled after the Kabbalistic Tree of Life that utilizes all 78 cards in the deck。 I found these to be a bit intimidating。 For those who are first approaching tarot， sometimes a 3 or 5 card pull （or even one card！） can be enough to start learning interpretation。 I think the intimidation factor of the Readings section might leave some readers behind。 I will say that I deeply appreciated the fact that Pollack provided sample readings。 These gave good examples of how a reader might work through a reading and begin to relate the cards to one another。 On the whole， the book was an enjoyable ride。 It is a classic for a reason。 Though it may be long-winded at times， and it’s somewhat limited in its scope （any Tarot book will be， as it’s impossible to uncover the secrets of every card in every deck）， I still feel that it provided me with help developing a lot of the critical thinking skills I’ll need to read tarot moving forward。 。。。more
kasey
，
great for beginner Tarot readers， however， mentions of closed practices caused a lower rating。
Peri Kinder
，
If you're interested in learning about tarot and the meaning of the cards， this is the best book。 Very detailed exploration of the history of tarot and the evolution of the cards。 I refer to this book all the time。You can expect kings， magicians， queens， lovers and fools。 If you're interested in learning about tarot and the meaning of the cards， this is the best book。 Very detailed exploration of the history of tarot and the evolution of the cards。 I refer to this book all the time。You can expect kings， magicians， queens， lovers and fools。 。。。more
Mary Jane Richardson
，
This book is a must have on my shelf forever， I will never be finished reading it。
Jules
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One of THE classic tarot books。 This is one of the first books I read when I began working with tarot。 Its filled with so much information that I know I did sort of struggle through it。 However， its a standard for good reasons。 Ms。 Pollack knows her stuff。 She's a wonderful academian， meaning her research is flawless， and she also knows how to tell a good story， so the book is very readable。 For anyone interested in tarot this is a book you'll go back to time and again。 One of THE classic tarot books。 This is one of the first books I read when I began working with tarot。 Its filled with so much information that I know I did sort of struggle through it。 However， its a standard for good reasons。 Ms。 Pollack knows her stuff。 She's a wonderful academian， meaning her research is flawless， and she also knows how to tell a good story， so the book is very readable。 For anyone interested in tarot this is a book you'll go back to time and again。 。。。more
Luna
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An excellent book。 In my opinion， this is a must-have for beginner tarot readers。 It gives in-depth meanings of each card （upright as well as in reverse）， and also is very detailed on the history of tarot， its uses， and how to make connections between cards in readings。 There is also quite a detailed section giving great advice on how to give readings。
DaCane
，
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book it was a major page turner on this content。I found that many people have most likely not read the content in its entirety， I specifically enjoyed part one and part three。 For this to be one of the older so-called tarot bibles I am surprised so many readers have not actually read it but own the work。。。So， if you only and have not read it I would recommend parts one imports three very much so simplifying what you read about it but 100% if you own this work an I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book it was a major page turner on this content。I found that many people have most likely not read the content in its entirety， I specifically enjoyed part one and part three。 For this to be one of the older so-called tarot bibles I am surprised so many readers have not actually read it but own the work。。。So， if you only and have not read it I would recommend parts one imports three very much so simplifying what you read about it but 100% if you own this work and have not read it you should read it。 It will definitely add an air to your readings… 。。。more
Honeybakedambs
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I can understand why so many people say this is their favorite tarot book。 It’s one I’ll be keeping on my shelf and referencing for a long time！
Amanda Marr
，
Bery good。 She integrates a lot of major tarot authors and schools of thought without overwhelming you OR dembing it down。
Stefanie
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A game changer， truly。
Luna
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One of the best if not thee best tarot book I have read。 It explains the symbolism within the cards as well as relates the meanings of the cards to stories and tales。 I think this is a great book for someone starting or someone who have read for a while and wants a very detailed and well done review of the cards meanings and history。
Morgan M。 Page
，
I first read Rachel Pollack's tarot classic Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: a Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness sometime in the late 2000s， and reread it this past week in celebration of her 75th birthday。 It remains a foundational text for modern interpretation of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck， and of the tarot broadly。 That Rachel is a veteran of the Stonewall Rebellion， a founding member of Gay Liberation Front UK's trans group in 1971， a contributor to TransSisters: the Journal of Transsexual Fe I first read Rachel Pollack's tarot classic Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: a Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness sometime in the late 2000s， and reread it this past week in celebration of her 75th birthday。 It remains a foundational text for modern interpretation of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck， and of the tarot broadly。 That Rachel is a veteran of the Stonewall Rebellion， a founding member of Gay Liberation Front UK's trans group in 1971， a contributor to TransSisters: the Journal of Transsexual Feminism in the early 1990s， creator of the first trans superhero Coagula in DC's Doom Patrol， and continues to be an absolute delight of a person， makes me appreciate her tarot wisdom all the more！ 。。。more
Logan
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Reading my roommate’s books while I wait on ridiculous delays with my holds from the New York Public Library。 This has some worthwhile thoughts on symbolism and philosophy， even coming from a perspective of not taking the woowoo particularly seriously。
Krystian Urbanski
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This book contain of description of Major and Minor Arcana based on Rider & Waite Tarot Deck。 Great basic information although there are better books which help with interpretation。 Especially for people who use Tarot for self-development based on Jungian Archetypes。
Damaris Huerta
，
I like how it tells tarot like a story that all connects。 I am just a little disappointed that their isn't alot of explanation for the minor arcana like there is for the major arcana。 I like how it tells tarot like a story that all connects。 I am just a little disappointed that their isn't alot of explanation for the minor arcana like there is for the major arcana。 。。。more
Carol
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Don’t agree with all her interpretations， but enjoy thinking about tarot through her eyes。
Grace Kao
，
Pretty good at taking a deeper dive into the historical origins and archetypal symbolism of the Rider-Waite-Smith （or my preferred way of saying it， Smith-Waite） tarot deck。 I'd read a solid history about tarot decks， if anyone has any recommendations。 Pretty good at taking a deeper dive into the historical origins and archetypal symbolism of the Rider-Waite-Smith （or my preferred way of saying it， Smith-Waite） tarot deck。 I'd read a solid history about tarot decks， if anyone has any recommendations。 。。。more
Brady Sullivan
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Major Arcana section slapped， Minor Arcana section felt lacking in descriptions for quite a few cards。7/10
Melissa Pawless
，