The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot—EVER!!

I'm new to Tarot. Very new. As in, bought my first deck a year or so ago, promptly started researching books to purchase, and bought about 8 or 1. The books seemed to fall into a few categories; #1. Gives you the standard interpretation of each tarot card, with paragraphs of detail, which means you'd have to basically memorize 72 upright and 72 reversed cards, so basically a book. Memorizing a book, did not appeal to me, but one could see how, with diligent practice you could possibly, after years, kind of know how to maybe read tarot. If you could stay awake. I could not. Category #2, equals books that were deeply dense, had all kinds of esoteric information in them and were so thick and full of info I felt like I could never read the book, let alone absorb everything that was inside it --let alone be able to in anyway use the information and read spreads for folks/myself, or even, you know be able to hold the damn thing without my arms giving out and my hands cramping up, from the sheer Websters Dictionary size of the things. Again, disappointing. The third category of Tarot book as I saw it, are quirky, individualistic, how to read Tarot books, and a few seemed questionable that you'd actually get a decent reading out of their style. Each one of these books, are very different from each other, and basically contradict each other and frankly with one exception seemed like they would be difficult to gain any knowledge on how to actually do a reading consistently and were not that helpful at actually teaching you, how to read Tarot. Then I found Dusty's book. It wasn't just a How To, it was a revelation. It was written in a really easy to read manner, describing a philosophy and an approach or technique that instantly resonated with me. THIS made sense. It was also more then just a book telling you what to do, it was a workbook and by using it as described, it became a textbook to understanding my subconscious. Dusty says, the cards are not Magic. They are just paper printed with ink. The magic is in you. He gives you ways to access your intuition in a standardized way that removes the woowoo, but is so effective you find yourself starting to have flashes of intuition all the time, not just when you are reading your cards. It isn't just easy, its fun! I'm practicing or listening to a new audio file, or a video almost everyday now for almost 3 months ( I can't believe it!) and I am not bored at all and I feel like I've just begun to scratch the surface, while at the same time I"m beginning to really start to get the hang of this. I quickly began to see, there was so much more I wanted to learn from Dusty White personally, not just reading the one book. I bought his second book, but I knew I needed more help and I wanted to have other people to talk to, about what I was learning, because it was starting to be eye opening. I went to his website and he is very generous, giving away a ton of free articles, audio lessons, and short video lessons etc. However, if you really want to dive in, if you want to take it to the next level, for a really affordable, nominal amount each month, you can become part of the community, take full in depth lessons that work in conjunction with the book, engage with other students in the forum. They have study groups, (which are awesome by the way, everyone is so nice) and as you progress eventually, you get additional access and can get paired up with one individual so you become study buddies. I bring this up, not because I'm trying to pimp his school, but I saw a review where someone complained that everything wasn't free at the website. Dusty gives away an enormous amount of free audio/video/articles on his website. But for those few of us who are willing to work really hard and pay a little extra (about as much as three latte's a week), you get access to an entire standardized program of education, to the forum, and to other like minded people, who we all share our information with each other. It's an actual Tarot School, not just a website to flog one book. So I for one am grateful for all the content Dusty does give away, but I'm also glad that there is this area that is for those of us who are really serious and helping each other. Also, Dusty is super available to you if you have a question or concern. So, if you are looking for just a book, that can give you the best program I've come across (in my admittedly short period of time in this arena, but a deep dive), Dusty's methods are the best I've seen. Easiest Way to Learn Tarot is just that. It is going to take some time, you aren't going to suddenly become a pro over night, but his methods, if applied consistently and diligently, will give you a easy to follow roadmap for how to get to where you want to be. If you want to continue to learn, and have access to other students, consider joining his school. It is a much more affordable alternative then several of the other options out there I investigated, one of which charges thousands of dollars for 6 months.

As I write this, I see I am almost the 200th person to agree that this book deserves 5 stars. That should be accolade enough - but Amazon requests at least 20 words fair comment on the book. So why did this book work for me? 1994 and the Reader was using The Ancient Egyptian Tarot Deck. They were so evocative I bought a set - and I started buying Tarot books to learn. I had real trouble getting past the "How can I ever learn the meanings of 78 cards" stage. Perhaps I had the wrong cards? So I kept buying beautiful sets hoping they would trigger that explosion of revealing intuition. I also kept buying books - I now have 31. I tried everything; e.g. I tried a card a day - pick a card in the morning and dwell/meditate on it. Except, if it was "bad" card, I felt awful all day. I only learned to feel daunted and incompetent. The more daunted I felt, the more I got nervous of doing reversed cards and the more superstition got hold of me - perhaps I should have waited until someone gave me a deck? Etc. Etc. Etc. Anyway, away would go the cards until something else would re-trigger my desire to learn. So its been a long haul. 1994 - 2012. The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot - Ever was my last ditch attempt and I am so glad I hung in there. The book has brought back that joy I felt when I first saw my first pack way back in 1994. I am using the Rider-Waite set (RWS) and have a new appreciation for its intricacies - and they are not hard to learn - now, they simply make sense. And that is before one even considers placement of the cards. What a fabulous door has been opened! In 1994 I had jumped right in into what had attracted me - splash! - and, well, swimming is a lot more fun when you have learnt how to do it. Now, I can go from the RWS deck to any deck I choose. Why is this book different? Because Dusty's exercises are games. Fun games that you want to play - by yourself or with another. Games you can play even if you don't know the meaning of a card but that teaches you the meaning while you are playing. Because Dusty's vast knowledge helps him to make clever tweaks to old standard teaching methods that switch that light bulb on! The connection between the Devil card and Ice-cream is hilarous and illuminating. Because Dusty takes the fear out of the cards. That was a big one for me as over the years I had picked up a lot of half-baked, unhelpful, uninformed mis-conceptions about the cards - thank you Dusty for setting me straight. The Book is simple, effective and Easy, and connects all the dots so you can properly use the Tarot. Dusty's teaching style is no mumbo-jumbo, non-denominational, with a fun and down-to-earth manner that helps you to develop good tools to gain insight. And, better still, You are not alone. Dusty is out there. :-) If you have a question, check out Dusty's free mp3's and video's. It's by using the cards, and watching them used, that one picks up the meanings, automatically. I found it really helpful to watch the games being played as that made me want to join in. I do admit that often in books I simply read the Exercise page and just turn the page to the next topic; this time I didn't; I was involved. The mp3's and videos are an added bonus. Dusty really wants you to "get it" and his enthusiasm is infectious. And "By George, I think I've got it!" (Apologies to "My Fair Lady") And if you want a visual - think of me like Snoopy leaping and dancing. This book has given me a quantum leap in working with the Tarot; I agree with the other reviewer that said they wish they had had this book sooner. So I write this book review to pass on the good feeling. This book made me happy. I hope it makes you happy too.

I have owned and do own books on how to read the tarot. I have tried to learn the tarot off and on since I was 14 years old (I am now 35), but I would always get so frustrated with the books on the market. Don't get me wrong, I did eventually learn meanings to the cards, and could do readings for people, but it was never a natural flow. I would, at times, be confused as to the positional meaning of a certain card and its relation to other cards, which really destroyed the reading. Enter: The Easiest Way To Learn the Tarot Ever!! I just got the book yesterday, and have already began plowing through its pages. The exercises that I have done make so much sense. I have skipped ahead and read several of the exercises past what I have done, and I can't wait to get to them. This is the tarot book/workbook I have always wished I had. Most other books are filled with meanings, and give little in the way of how to actually do a reading. I also love the author's humor. I am a teacher and have found through the years that if you can get a student to laugh, s/he will enjoy learning and learn so much more. Dusty does just that. His humor gets you to laugh, loosen up, and realize that learning the tarot is fun rather than draining. Before finding this book, I was using another book to learn the tarot. The author had a great idea, but I got bogged down learning her ideas on the cards, and was not given any different lessons to help strengthen my understanding. If you have tried and been unsuccessful in learning the tarot, but have always wanted to know how, you have to get this book. It is not like the other books which are only filled with the author's card meanings. It is full of fun exercises that make you think and connect the cards to one another. It forces you to look at the card and actually read the picture rather than seeing 8 of cups and giving a predetermined meaning. By the way, Dusty does give card meanings in the book. In fact it is part of the exercises. However, don't let that put you off. You will not sit there having to learn the meanings by rote memorization. Instead, you read the traditional meanings, and then you have to answer several questions about the card and what it says to you. Great book and I certainly don't think this will be another one of those failed attempts at learning the tarot. It does take time and effort, however, he makes it fun and enjoyable. You will want to do the exercises as you can see they make the card's meanings open up.

Dusty has a unique way of teaching abstract concepts into concrete bite sized actionable steps. I absolutely love how Dusty steadily builds your connection with the cards in a fun way (best and easiest way to learn!). I added as my title to this review that The Easiest Way to Learn Tarot-Ever! is also for intuition as the exercises steadily build on that skill (best skill ever!) which in turn enhances and takes your readings to another level!! This book can be read and studied as a stand alone textbook on tarot study however Dusty has a legion of free content on the Web, including YouTube and podcasts. That being said, Dusty also has a follow on book called Advanced Tarot Secrets of which I'll have a separate review on that book. Why do I love this book so much? So many reason!!! I absolutely love the writing style of Dusty's. It is friendly and conversational. When going through the book I felt him talking to me and not at me. I could feel his real desire to get me skilled as a tarot reader and to be able to ne a real help to anyone (including myself) who comes seeking answers and/or advice. In other words, I felt Dusty's passion for tarot as well as his passion to be a help to society. Another reason I loved the book so much is that it was a very practical way of learning. Dusty teaches the tarot as it is, no story of the fool's journey, no kabballa, no reading more into it than what is reasonable. Talking of the fool's journey, it never made sense to me in many ways. I was very glad Dusty did not hark onto that. As well as he doesn't do kabbala symbolism either, which also never made sense to me for it to be in Tarot. Who is this book for? Anyone with a genuine desire to learn Tarot and develop phenomenal skills. However, you need to work at it. It is easy but it is a skill that needs to be honed and massaged and grown, which can only be done through practice. And when I say "work" , it really is fun. :) Who is this book not for? Anyone who wants to learn without practice. How did I come across Dusty's book? I was disheartened with the Information put there on tarot. I really wanted to learn as I felt a big pull towards it but I didn't agree with most of the information out there. I was desperate to find a teacher who would be down to earth, cut out any nonsense and be genuine. I told myself I will look one more time and if there was something there that did not involve the fool's journey , kabbalah etc then I will continue on my tarot road. And I stumbled upon Dusty's book. Happy days. Last note: Dusty also has a website that documents the history of tarot cards which I found fascinating.

The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot - Ever!! There are already plenty of very positive reviews of this book here on Amazon, and all of them are true. This is a wonderful and very unusual Tarot manual. Like many other reviewers, I read in the past a number of books about the Tarot, and none of them had the same amazing approach and METHOD. My old love, deep reverence and zeal for mastering this mysterious tool for self-knowledge, a perfect interlocutor and adviser, an oracle and fun toy was unquenched for years. The books I read left me in a deep frustration and then I didn't have a teacher. Those books required lots of strain from one's brain in attempts to grind and memorize tons of strange traditional meanings and conventionalities, while missing the most important point of it all, which is direct (and sometimes very personal and not traditional at all!) feeling and intuitive understanding of the cards. Mr. White's creation seems to have it all - a lot of love, brilliant humor, originality, free flight of spontaneity and inspiration, awakening one's intuition, tons of encouragement, and endless fun, as well as traditional meanings and commentaries. You will have to do many fun exercises - first with one card, then with two of them, then three and more, till you really get acquainted with them and feel more comfortable about their imagery and combinations. I think that the book could be very valuable and interesting not only for newbies, but also for those ones who have been practicing the Tarot a long time, but used only the traditional approach (full of reverend awe). Dusty White really gives you something else, some amazing sparkle, a magical kick, which makes you think of the Tarot from a completely different angle. Before buying the book, you can go online and listen to Mr. White's free podcasts, another wonderful possibility to develop a deeper connection with the Tarot and to get in touch with Dusty's charismatic personality. :-) There are many conversations and learning sessions with interesting people there, who gladly share their understanding and experience. You can really get a lot of knowledge from Mr. White's free resources. However, I think that this book is a necessary and really helpful training aid, and you will never feel sorry about purchasing it, if you are serious about learning the Tarot.

This is not the perfect introductory tarot book. Honestly, I don't think one exists. I am still relatively new to tarot, but I've researched a lot of books (and I mean A LOT) and read a few too, and I have come to the conclusion that you cannot learn to read cards from a book. Not really any way. If you could, someone would have written that book by now and become really rich. And If I am wrong, and that book exists, I am not yet aware of it. Until that book exists, and it likely never will, this book is the next best thing, and I recommend it to anyone looking to get a firm start on their tarot journey. Actually doing a reading with the cards is usually the last part of an introductory tarot book (after asking you to memorize a bunch of standard meanings and demonstrating a few spreads), and it's often so summarily skimmed over that it is neither useful nor meaningful information. This book takes a different approach and starts with exercises asking you to look at the cards and decide for yourself what you think the cards mean based on your own interpretation (or intuition) of the artwork before learning anything else about them. The book is formatted like a workbook and journal in which you take your own notes and collect your own interpretations of the cards and what they mean to you. This is departure from my usual style of learning, but its value is clear. I wish I knew someone else who wanted to learn tarot that I could work through this book with, but alas I do not. I am however taking one of the author's online courses in which we work through the exercises as a class, and this is great for me. The problem with a workbook-style book, is you get no feedback on your own ideas. Am I on the right track? Is what I am writing in this book total garbage? I'm too much of a Virgo, I'm afraid, to bring myself to actually write in this book, but I take copious notes from the book and the online course in several different notebooks. The exercises actually make up a small proportion of the book, if they don't sound like your thing. Over half the book deals with the meanings of the cards. There is also a chapter on spreads, several appendices on various topics, and a glossary. Most importantly, the information is presented in an amusing and playful manner. This book is fun to read, and isn't that always half-the-battle when trying to learn something new? So the book I give four stars, but I give the author five stars. I really enjoy the online courses, and he also has a large amount of free content on his website, on youtube, and on his podcasts. So the value of this book goes far beyond the content of its pages in terms of what else it introduces to you. If there's something you want to know that isn't covered here, ask Dusty; he'll probably cover it in a future podcast if it's not in one available already. The follow-up to this book, 'Advanced Tarot Secrets' has just recently been published and is available here on Amazon. I am really looking forward to reading it!

Where has this been all my life? Why didn't I find it sooner?! Oh thank heavens for Dusty White and his ability to write a practical and encouraging way to truly learn tarot! Thank you thank you thank you! I'm staying up late in bed instead of sleeping, typing away at my phone because I just had to share how happy I am with this book. I have purchased, tried, and failed to truly read book after book where I could never use them for more than learning super simple or Celtic cross spreads and referencing card meanings according to the author. Sometimes there would be more information (sometimes not much more) but it just was not written or laid out in a fashion where I could recall and use it. Waste of money. I could have gotten that for free online! Bummed me out and totally discouraged me. I'm by no means a bad student--I went to college on a full scholarship and maintained a deans list GPA studying chemistry and biology so I'm pretty sure it's not me....Yes, a scientist has visions and loves divinity through tarot--but I digress. My point is, I ENJOY reading this book. I don't want to put it or my cards down! I have not read the entire book, but with what I have already experienced, I cannot wait to get through the rest of this answer to my prayers. I swear on all that is holy if I get to the end of this book and feel differently this review will change. I know that won't happen, though. Some reviewers said the book is way too long and the text too small. I believe it's font size 10. Use amazon's "look inside" option to see the font type, if it's available. I find the font size to be on par with other paperback novels I've read. The physical size of the book is more along the size of a medium sized college textbook--you are a student, after all. The ~$20 price tag is nothing! So worth it! Also worth mentioning--the paper it is printed on is great for jotting down notes and highlighting--no bleed through. Pages are matte not glossy. I use pencil and a highlighter--just don't rub too hard when erasing. Maybe it's just the way Dusty "talks" to you...like a human being, like and equal...not as some holier-than-thou master whom you could never attain the likes of their knowledge. On the contrary, this book is funny, witty, and always reminding the reader that they should always believe in their instincts first and foremost. Another commenter mentioned Dusty repeating things often...well, I don't necessarily pick things up the first time I read them and I appreciate time being taken to make sure I understand something is important to know. If you're content with flipping through pages to get standard meanings and vague answers, then buy those other average dictionary-like books. If you want to start your journey as a tarot master, this is the one. PS If you don't like happy, enthusiastic, uplifting teachers--this book isn't for you. <3

I actually didn’t expect to love this book, because I had read a bunch of books on the topic and I just couldn’t connect with them all. I actually don’t appreciate the tedious process of learning the cards because I’d rather read what I see instead of trying to recall what the card “actually means”. That has been a hurdle for me when I was beginning to do cartomancy (back in the day there were no books available so I had to stumble in the dark a lot) and I told myself if I’m going to learn Tarot I want something like a laboratory manual: it lists all of the materials needed, lists the instructions in order, then subtly gives hints on the expected results. I want something straightforward, methodical, easy to follow (I have a short attention span) and also has respect for my time. I had zero expectations with this book because I can’t fully read everything in Amazon previews but after getting my hands on this, it’s basically my “Tarot laboratory manual”. I was very, very pleased, and still now. (If I had something like this when I was learning cartomancy, who knows what could have happened, but that’s another story for another time). What I love about this book is that it’s so straight to the point, everything is basically already there. The only other ingredients to complete the equation is a deck (RWS is a recommended deck for a reason) and one’s personal dedication. For some people, maybe they want more of the dramatic flairs and other stuff like history, the metaphysical things, spiritual ideologies, the works, so it’s probably why they didn’t like how “cold and dry” this book was. But not me, I actually like the fact that this book ASSUMES you’re already a spiritual person and you only need to unlock your gifts. That pretty much got me sold. I could just sit there, do the laboratory exercises, then come out feeling like my skills improved, even for a bit. I don’t have to feel guilty about anything. Hey, I even signed up for the free Tarot school, and even just skimming the rest of the book I could safely say that the book does cover substantial grounds. But in my opinion, the real gift of this book lies in the fact that it only teaches ONE, BIG CORE SKILL (not gonna give away spoilers here) which is very important not just in card reading but in living life fully, in general. All of the exercises build upon this skill, and if you’ve been reading cards for quite some time I can totally agree in the significance of this core skill. For me, it allows a degree of flexibility and freedom, which I wasn’t able to get from other Tarot books. I could even use these skills to improve my playing card reading skills, even oracle cards, so I could safely say that the lessons in this book can be adjusted based on your needs (once you’ve gotten the hand on reading the Tarot, or if you’re open-minded enough to mix-and-match or interconnect methods from one type to another). I highly recommend this book for those who want to start reading cards for themselves or for other people, those who wanted to improve their other psychic skills, and better communicate with their intuition, but also wants to get the job done with the least number of steps possible (because 24 hours is not enough to do everything). It’s not that the style written has no heart, but it’s just stated as a matter of fact, and that a great deal of “what do you think” is involved. Your ideas are just as valid (maybe even more valid) that what others say, and that can build character as well as intuition. As a person who has worked for a long time in a laboratory, a leeway on how to do things and get things done is just as important as staying true to the core values or logic of each task, so that consistency can be achieved. Those things are possible with this book. One last thing: If you think intuition is a whole lot of woo-woo, after giving this book a try, even the 30-day challenge, you might start seeing the world differently, hopefully a lot more positive. I wish you well on that.

La version kindle no me gustó para nada. Es difícil de navegar cuando son libros de consulta y de estudio. Tuve que comprar el libro físicamente.

Luv’ this book! I have it and got it for a friend

Esse livro é um ponto de partida simples e prático para quem nunca teve contato com tarô antes e ainda não se sente confiante para estudar a fundo todos os significados das cartas, posições, história, relações com numerologia e astrologia, etc. Ao invés de uma abordagem "mística", o livro tem uma abordagem prática, mostrando o tarô como ele realmente é: um baralho de cartas ilustradas. Você começa literalmente brincando com as cartas, imaginando histórias a partir das ilustrações. Aos poucos, vai aprendendo os significados mais esotéricos, até chegar ao ponto de fazer leituras de verdade. Acho uma forma de ensinar o tarô bastante simples e prática, sem sobrecarregar o iniciante. Um bom conhecimento de Inglês é bem necessário.

This is a great book in terms of content, but its not real book! Its a copy printed book.

It's just what I needed. The book includes the meanings of all the Arcanas, some basic spreads, really usefull exercises and much more (like a brief tarot history, Secret Sociaties, Party games, etc). Really fun. Give it a try