[Book Review by Dana Wright.] Tarot for Grownups is an often bawdy and brutally honest tour through the intricate landscape of tarot card reading. Filled with witty thoughts and blunt appraisals, author Amythyst Raine shares her very personal relationship with the cards. Not one to stay on any traditional path, Raine is in the trenches, teaching you to really see the cards as an experience on the whole, not as a grueling memorization project you will get frustrated with and drop at the next opportunity. No, instead, Raine explains how she learned to view the cards and wastes no time doing it. Her descriptions of the cards and their relationships to one another and the querent are spicy and full of intelligence. This is definitely a book for adults; make no mistake, but an excellent way to gain a different perspective on tarot and the puzzle pieces that make up this art. One of the things I liked about this book was the layout. Raine groups subjects together with cards, so you can immediately gravitate to whatever draws you the most. In these trying economic times, there are sections for employment, money issues and domestic abuse. Looking at different decks other than the usual Rider/Waite, you will be able to learn to see the same patterns in each card for The Goddess Tarot (my personal favorite) and The Herbal Tarot. Raine takes the time to explain symbolism and energy for each deck. One of my favorite areas is her explanation of queens. The section is called “Queens: The Bitch in Us All.” How perfect is that? Raine also brings us the classic meanings of the cards for those who are interested in a more traditional bit of information. There is one thing to keep in mind: there is nothing traditional about these cards. They have a personality all their own that sometimes does not agree with what you think it should. Her short explanation for The Major Arcana is a blast. “Life in a Shot Glass.” Awesome. You have to read this. It about sums things up perfectly. Working through the meanings of each card, Raine continues the journey with numerical relationships, astrological signs, herbs, seasons, stones, elements, flowers, Goddesses and Deities, Hebrew letters, Sepher Yetzirah and planets with key word associations for each one. The section on tarot spreads is also very well done. In essence, a tarot spread is the pattern in which the cards appear and the relationship with them and the querent. They can also be used to assist in police investigations, as Raine explains with some examples. Past life readings are also popular. With them, you can learn about you and who you were in a previous life and what it was that you took from that life into this one. Celebrity and ghost readings are also explained. The section on having a tarot journal is crucial to your journey with the cards. The author strongly suggests it and I have found it shows your progress toward understanding the cards and having your own relationship with them. Raine also goes into the use of tarot in magical practices. What I liked: The book has a feeling of spontaneity and being in the same room with the author, perhaps having tea and talking about a subject she clearly loves dearly and is very knowledgeable about. The descriptions are funny and lively. They encourage you to form your own impressions on your cards and be able to read them yourself. What I Didn’t: Not a thing. Overall: This book is for adults, with content and language being on an adult level of understanding. The tone the author uses to get information across is humorous and full of spice. The book has a lot of information about learning tarot posed in a non-threatening way that actually had me going back to my deck to look at some of the points the author brought up. It is well written and interesting. This book had me bursting out in laughter on multiple occasions when I normally would be concentrating so hard to learn it I might burn a hole in the book for focusing so hard. 5/5 ~ Amythyst Raine, Dana Wright

Tarot for Grownups is an often bawdy and brutally honest tour through the intricate landscape of tarot card reading. Filled with witty thoughts and blunt appraisals, author Amythyst Raine shares her very personal relationship with the cards. Not one to stay on any traditional path, Raine is in the trenches, teaching you to really see the cards as an experience on the whole, not as a grueling memorization project you will get frustrated with and drop at the next opportunity. No, instead, Raine explains how she learned to view the cards and wastes no time doing it. Her descriptions of the cards and their relationships to one another and the querent are spicy and full of intelligence. This is definitely a book for adults; make no mistake, but an excellent way to gain a different perspective on tarot and the puzzle pieces that make up this art. ~ Dana Wright