Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness

Brilliant, insightful and practical, helped me gain confidence in my own intuition. An essential read for anyone wanting to truly understand tarot.

As above, perfect. written in 1978, so some years ago, but still perfect. I cannot believe it took me so long to get a copy. the hardback edition is very nice, the print is very clear, the card pictures are black and white but again very clear. The author Rachel Pollack is interesting and inspiring, with a wealth of knowledge and her own view about the progression of the cards, and their meanings. a small minus which didn't overall effect my view. If you use tarot as a kabalah pathworking tool, you will more than probably think Rachel Pollacks tree of life spread is rather silly as i did, and never consider bothering with it. She obviously is not a kabbalist or a magician, but is limited to being in divination. (however is an expert one for sure.) so if you are a kabbalist looking for a tarot book for magickal purposes, look elsewhere. but for all others looking for a tarot book for purposes of divination, and maybe self development, start here, its really the best book i have seen, and i have seen many.

Book for someone that already knows a thing or two about tarot. Its great overall goes into details of the card meanings.

Great holistic view of the tarot and how to read it. All about mindfulness. As a beginner I can only recommend it!

I do enjoy studying tarot as a subject and this book provides insights that had never occurred to me before. In that respect it is worth purchasing. Yet, there are some assertions that, for me, don’t hold up to critical thinking.

As a beginner, I love this book as its great to read alongside a generic beginner type book. Doing this helps me see the deeper meanings coming from Rachel who is a master reader. This deeper meaning helps me "get" the Tarot intuitively and weave in my years of rich life experience, knowledge. skills and wisdom. This helps guide myself and others in my readings.

Very good book!

Firstly the hardback copy of this gift edition is beautiful, and makes you wish ALL books were still printed this way, so highly recommended as a gift for someone or yourself. This is a necessary book for any tarot readers bookshelf, although not a really a total beginners book due to the structure and layout of information which can be quite a handful to get though. It’s a poetic interpretation and almost flowing journal of tarot, which is enriched by the tarot in its entirety throughout all the pages, so using this as a flick book for readings is slightly less productive than it would be to read it from cover to cover and absorb it all in one go. I would highly recommend this as a read for any tarot reader to really get in touch with the tarot as a journey and aid them in being more absorbed in that idea than the meaning of each individual card. This book is based on Rider Waite tarot, and it discusses much of the symbolism and illustrations in these decks specifically, so not as useful for someone using other types of decks or is currently without a rider Waite deck. I also found this book didn’t go into much depth about tarot numbers or numerology, or in exploring the minor card suits (wands, cups, swords, pentacles) specifically- it’s kept very brief. Each card has an in-depth meaning section which is of course useful, but overall I found the first few chapters about the major arcana journey the most useful. Definitely a book to own.

Pollack has a refreshing voice which is at once scholarly and pedestrian. Her writing is easy to follow, well laid out, and comprehensive. She goes into much detail regarding symbolism, history, and interpretation—yet somehow manages to keep every bit of the content completely relevant and useful. (I also really enjoy The Ultimate Guide To Tarot Card Meanings by Brigit Esselmont. However, Esselmont‘s descriptions tend to have this heavy filter of “positivity”, which I find really distorting at times. Her philosophy is a personal one, and that’s fine; but it’s nowhere near as well researched or earnestly delivered as Pollack’s book.) I was continually confronted with this book since the start of my tarot journey several years ago. My gut didn’t tell me to buy it until a couple months ago, and for great reason (in retrospect). While at first I was upset I hadn’t bought it sooner, I now concede that having a well-established understanding of tarot and the mystery schools made my reading experience much more impactful. However, I do feel a neophyte will get a lot out of it. And honestly, it’s a must-have for anyone who is serious about tarot... make the investment. The binding is nice on the paperback edition; I can bend the spine to my liking with no damage or bad creasing. My only complaint is to the publisher for such TERRIBLE editing. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors abound. While I tend to be picky about that sort of thing in general, I still feel the next edition needs a serious editor... this is a gem and should be preserved in its best light. However, to the buyer: DO NOT let that keep you from purchasing!

By far the best book about tarot! It gives a very deep look into each card but more important a connection between them AND our daily life. It helps understanding the tarot by comparing it to the psychological development we all go through. Not just a book with 30 key points per card to memorize!

The best book on the Tarot cards. It is not necessary to use the cards as oracle. It is possible to use the cards for the purpose of meditation, to gain self-knowledge and wisdom. In as much as the cards represent all aspects of our life it is also possible to draw (say) five cards at random and create a story. Fun.

It is a good read for all who are interested in tarot reading. The explainable by Author gives another insight on the cards. Good buy!

This is rated as the best Tarot book ever written. I can believe that. It is very in depth. The layout and structure is very different to most Tarot books, it is actually best to read the entire book beginning to end, not just as a reference to "look up" each card meaning whilst doing a reading.