Book reviews

I was very impressed with Tarot-Dynamics straightforward explanation of the Subject Cards for two reasons. First of all, since I do have a smattering of Astrology and Mrs. Cooks' explanations merged Astrology and the Tarot in a way that made a lot of sense. It's given me quite a bit to think about concerning new possibilities. Secondly, her explanations for the Subject Cards, brings them together as a group while clarifying each cards' individual function. Not having memorized new keywords was an additional plus, but what made me a believer was seeing Tarot-Dynamics in action for myself when I did my next reading. I highly recommend Tarot-Dynamics no matter how much or how little you know about the Tarot.

Stacey Blair Maimi FL (amazon)

AT LONG LAST, A TRULY NEW TAROT BOOK

For many years I have been consulting the Tarot for personal enlightenment, so it's only natural that I have purchased a great many Tarot books as well as cards. Tarot Dynamics clever title caught my attention, but once I peeked inside I had to have it!

The formatting actually does cater to the novice, intermediate or adept reader. While the Right Pages present an in-depth definition for each card (that is truly worth reading no matter how well-versed you are in the Tarot) the Left Pages contain the illustrations from the Universal Tarot (a RWS clone) as well as quick definitions that enable more adept readers to grab their cards and start at once! Best of all, since each illustration is the size of a standard Tarot card I can place the same Tarot card from the RWS deck of MY choice over the illustration and voila!

Although Tarot Dynamics covers ground similar to one of my old favorites, Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning, Tarot Dynamics definitions are far more practical than simply esoteric. Both books rely on certain keywords, but whereas Learning the Tarot presents the reader with well over one hundred key words to apply Tarot Dynamics requires and consistently reinforces the significance of five BASIC keywords that work with the individual definitions for all seventy-eight cards. Nor does Tarot Dynamics bow to the standard fashion by providing a myriad of possible scenarios that keep the student reliant upon the book. Instead, Tarot Dynamics encourages the reader to use the tarot as a means of enhancing their intuitive faculties, which can lend each of their readings a unique quality.

Just like Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack (another of my old favorites!) Tarot Dynamics also encourages the reader to develop their own way of reading the pictures on a tarot deck. Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom extensively examines and compares the symbolism from several different Tarot decks but only with certain cards from the Major Arcana, and its fundamental definitions deal exclusively with one deck: The Rider-Waite, while Tarot-Dynamics' definitions encompass all present and future RWS decks whether they contain pictures or merely the suit symbols. With Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom the reader also needs time to digest and correlate the various pieces of information and angles of looking at the Tarot itself. Tarot-Dynamics concise and practical definitions give the reader a remarkable amount of insight in a very short time.

Tarot Dynamics has broken the mold of the old standard and has a refreshing approach using the reader's incite to determine the interpretations . A must read for anyone who is interested in, not only the tarot but also for expanding their own abilities!

Doris Phillips Pitsburgh USA (amazon)

Wow! Five keywords that I can build on! Having taken a couple of classes and purchased any number of Tarot books over the years gave me a fundamental understanding of the Tarot but reading Tarot-Dynamics really helped put matters in perspective. Ms. Cooks' five basic "keywords" are actually more like simple categories that give new meaning to some of the keywords I've come to rely on over the years, and helped me devise better keywords of my own for certain cards (like the Five of Swords) that I found hard to relate to. Great Book-Great Buy!

AJ Irvine CA (ex amazon)

Wow! Tarot-Dynamics really helped put matters in perspective. Ms. Cooks' five basic "keywords" are actually more like simple categories that give new meaning to some of the keywords I've come to rely on over the years, and helped me devise better keywords of my own for certain cards (like the Five of Swords) that I found hard to relate to. Great Book Anna!

PPW Atlanta GA (ex amazon)

When I was a teenager, and still living in England, my sister, Silvie and I became interested in learning the Tarot. We both did well, but whereas I was satisfied to master the basics, Silvie went on to acquire such an impressive collection of Tarot cards and books that she has become something of an authority on the Tarot. Knowing that the Tarot is merely an occasional hobby for me, you can imagine my surprise when I received a new copy of Tarot Dynamics last week as my birthday gift from her. On the cover she had inscribed just two words --Read Me! That evening (only as a favor to Silvie) I decided to read a chapter or two -just enough to prove I'd glanced inside the book, when she and I had our next chat. I didn't expect to be amazed or exited - yet I was! Thanks to silvie's gift, (Tarot Dynamics) I'm enjoying reading the Tarot more than ever before! If you like the Tarot, but dislike wading through the repetitive and obscure definitions that comprise so many Tarot books on todays market, do consider Tarot Dynamics, and "prepare to be amazed."

I've taken the liberty of adding her post from the Amazon UK for those of you (like Silvie) who share a more extensive knowledge of the Tarot.

Gianna Sollitt (Cleveland, OH USA)

TD Through The Looking Glass, November 4, 2009

I love the Tarot! Like most people I learned to read Tarot from the Ryder-Waite deck--but it wasn't long before I began working with other RWS decks--such as Morgan-Greer, Connolly and Hansen-Roberts. A couple of years ago I became captivated by some of Lo Scarabeos' beautiful Tarot Decks (where the definitions often range from esoteric to quirky and the suit names sometimes differentiate from Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles) Try as I might, I just couldn't seem to look at the gorgeous fantasy images and deliver a more practical reading even using my more familiar definitions--until my copy of Tarot Dynamics arrived. Now I can enjoy the artwork I love and still find the real answers I need to deal with everyday situations!!

NLMAJT, New York City (amazon)

Great Tarot Book for new and old readers, October 29, 2009

I have many Tarot books and find most hard to get through and understand. Tarot Dynamics is easy to use with wonderful explanations for every card. My friends are going to receive a copy of Tarot Dynamics for Christmas. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in reading the Tarot.

Toni Fraser (Vacaville, CA) (amazon)

Great Book, October 15, 2009

I loved this book. The author did a great job. I can now read my own card. I can not wait until the next book.I've bought just about every new Tarot Book that's come out in the last five years. Since they all said pretty much the same thing but I still couldn't put a good reading together I just figured I wasn't meant to read the Tarot. One of my co-workers mentioned that her daughter (who has just started learning the Tarot from a book she bought on-line) gave her a really good reading last weekend. My co-worker was far more impressed than she expected to be by the accuracy. It turned out her daughter is using Tarot Dynamics. So I ordered a copy out of curiosity and WOW! I've never seen or heard of definitions like these! Best of all they DO work and now I'm FINALLY starting to put good readings together to!

COURT CARDS MAKE MORE SENSE TO ME NOW!

Thanks to Tarot-Dynamics the Tarot is finally making sense to me! I've always enjoyed receiving an occasional Tarot reading. A few years ago I became interested in learning to read the Tarot myself, but after signing up for a beginners class near me, my busy schedule made it impossible to go every week. I then tried several on-line Tarot courses, only to lose interest or become confused, after which I decided to teach myself by purchasing numerous Tarot decks and Tarot books by various authors. The Court Cards always gave me a problem, which Tarot-Dynamics finally solved by explaining that aside from the possibility of meeting someone new or receiving a phone call from a friend or relative the appearance of a particular King or Queen ALWAYS accelerates my own problem solving abilities while Knights always trigger a change in my approach or behavior and the Page Cards always announce a small but fresh opportunity or dilemma that be examined more carefully. What a simple (and so far accurate) concept! Great Book! Three cheers for Tarot Dynamics!

By Renee Jefferson (amazon)

THANK YOU MS. COOK FOR TAROT DYNAMICS, October 15, 2009

After taking 2 beginners classes (one in a classroom and one on-line) from two different Tarot teachers, I figured that maybe I'd learn more on my own IF I could find the right book, and I just did! Tarot Dynamics is helping me see the Tarot in a whole new light. Tarot Dynamics definitions are written for REAL people about REAL situations, in a way that everyone can relate to and understand. The whole book is as astoundingly simply as it is accurate--I'm impressed!!

Michael Anderson, New York,(amazon)

Finally a Tarot Book I UNDERSTAND !!!!!!!!, October 15, 2009

I found Ms. Cooks' definitions to be a breath of fresh air that somehow makes the Tarot seem more real to me. Before, when I saw a Court Card like a King in my reading I just assumed that it means I'm getting a new boyfriend, but that never happens like that. Now, I realize that those Court Cards can tell me how I'm most likely to react to a situation that is explained by other cards in the spread. For me, Tarot Dynamics is like that old saying "When you change the way you look at things--the things you look at change."

Ron -Illinois (amazon)

I DID IT, October 15, 2009

This book is cool. I bought a copy and read for my friends that night at my house. Now we are waiting to see what happens, but some things already happened AND I SAW THEM IN THE READINGS!!!!! All I did was lay the cards right where the book shows you to. Now everyone in my family wants me to read them too! Been lots of fun! Worth the money!

Minnie R-New Jersey (amazon)

Helpful Gift for Real Answers to Real Problems, October 1, 2009

I'm impressed. Tarot Dynamics simply explains a complex subject without being simplistic.

I have been reading the Tarot for 25 years. The only Tarot book I ever bought before Ms. Cook's was "Mastering the Tarot" by Eden Gray. Every time I would flip through another book on the shelf, I saw that they all contained basically the same definitions. Although I use a Hanson-Roberts deck from Salem, Massachusetts, I am always on the lookout for a new deck. This little gem of a book by Ms. Cook impresses me with it's simplicity, accuracy, and ability to allow ANYONE to read the Tarot - no matter what deck they own, their personal style of reading, or if they even know how to read the Tarot at all!

Not many people today are impressed with esoteric explanations. They want real answers to real problems they have TODAY. This book does an excellent job conveying exactly that. I just love the completely fresh definitions in this text! It is simple, concise, written in plain English, and wonderfully illustrates the fact that every Tarot card is "good" and "bad" - it all depends on the circumstances and the person being read. So many times in my readings did a "bad" card come up, and I had to explain, "It doesn't mean something bad for you right now." It is the same with a "good" card. Depending on the person and the situations surrounding the reading, a "good' card can be "not so good!" I am a reader who does not read "reversed" cards, and this book accounts for if you do, or if you do not.

The space to place your card right on the page is a nice touch, also. This is especially so for beginners who are just learning exactly what specific cards are in their Tarot deck. The fact that their pictures are not exactly the same as illustrated in the book does not matter! It is the idea of the card - the feelings that it evokes.

As anyone who reads Tarot knows, we like to read for ourselves, too! Tarot Readers are not immune to the troubles in life. I have always been able to read my own cards (regardless of the unwritten "rule" that you should not). However, it IS difficult to separate yourself and stay unbiased at times of great stress. This little book is a great help at those times.

Of all the Tarot books I have seen over the years, Tarot Dynamics is the cutest, simplest, most useful one I have ever come across. This is the perfect gift for all of your friends who are constantly wanting a reading! This is one book that I am confident can help them read for themselves whenever they need advice on their love life, finances, career, children, etc. This book and any 78-card deck would make such a nice, helpful gift!

Ms Cook is spot on!, September 25, 2009

GypsyEye (NE OH)

I have been interested in tarot readings for some time now. I find the whole concept fascinating. This book give me a new and clear cut understanding of the power of the tarot. It also removes all of the negative myths associated with it. GREAT JOB!

By Domino (Los Angeles, Calif USA) (amazon)