How to Give a Positive Reading in Any Situation
by Elliot Adam with Foreword by Theresa Reed
*I received a copy of this book for free on from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This is a great addition to any tarot student’s collection. It’s good for tarot readers of any experience level, but will be of particular use to new tarot readers and tarot readers looking to make the transition to reading professionally.
The book is divided into an introduction to the author Elliot Adam by “Tarot Lady” Theresa Reed, an introduction to the tarot section, then jumps into each of the 78 cards: Major Arcana, Suits of the Minor Arcana, and then a conclusion section including suggested spreads, creating your own spreads, and tips for reading professionally.
Each card is examined from several angles: A hand 1-line summary of the card (great for new tarot readers to use for memorizing), a paragraph that uses keywords and summarizes the basic concept of the card. Next, the author provides helpful questions for use in personal or professional readings, to give a personalized context to the card. The author then tackles the rich symbolism of each card, providing a detailed sense of the nuance of each card that you don’t always get in a tarot book. Once the symbols are examined, the author then synthesizes each element — keywords, questions, symbolism — and provides real-world applications and helpful guidance for reader.
Finally, the author then devotes the same careful attention to each card’s meaning when presented reversed, which is definitely an afterthought in most tarot books, making Fearless Tarot singular in its ability to take something most readers dislike (a reversed card) and provide a positive spin on how to interpret the meaning.
I also truly appreciated the way that this author examined “The Sinister Seven Card” (Tower, Devil, Swords, etc.) and provided additional interpretations of these cards, so that seeing these cards won’t frighten a newbie or a client. On that note, as an advanced semi-professional reader, I was particularly interested and impressed by the way the entire Swords suit is examined in this book. Swords have always been cards that strike fear into my heart — and as promised in the title! — I am no longer fearful to draw these cards because of Elliot Adam’s careful, measured, and compassionate examination of this misunderstood suit.
My only complaint is fairly minor — the book could have done with a second copyedit, because the persistent use of the interrobang (?!) was distracting, and there’s a minor homonym error (elicit/illicit) in the introduction to the Cups suit — but overall, these are very, very small things as compared to the “big picture” this book offers.
Highly recommended! This book should have an honored place on your Tarot shelf, snuggled between Tarot for Troubled Times (Theresa Reed) and Modern Tarot (Michelle Tea). It’s a wonderful addition to any collection, and I would definitely recommend this book to someone who was just getting into tarot, so that they can go boldly into readings with a fearless heart. Thank you for bringing this book into the world, Elliot!