The Mythic Tarot: A New Approach to the New Tarot Cards

by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene

Book Overview

A complete package in a box that contains everything needed for the beginning tarot card user: a Tarot deck, an illustrated hardcover book explaining how to use the cards, and a silky cloth on which... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0773722122
• ISBN13: 9780773722125
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: Stoddart Publishing
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Book only, no cards

Purchase is for book only, does not include tarot cards

Read the fine print

I noticed that a lot of people were complaining about the lack of cloth and cards with this order. It definitely says book when you click on the box to add it to your cart. It is the description when you read it that says it comes with everything else. Then the last sentence of the description say it may be a description of a different product so this is very misleading. They should update the description. I almost fell for it myself. On the other hand it is a decent price for a hard copy of this book. My husband has had this deck for years and it is a lovely deck and easy to use.

Not as described , no deck included

I got the book only, it does not look as advertised in the picture, mine is black. No deck included. It’s really disappointing.

Not As Described

The description clearly states this comes with the tarot cards and the cloth. I would not have paid $38 for just the book. I received a real nice copy of the book. NO cards. NO cloth.

Incomplete order

This order was incomplete. The description clearly state it includes the deck and the black tarot cloth. All that was included in my package is the book. Very misleading.

If you're serious about tarot, it's a must have!

I'd like to address some of the primary complaints I've heard about this deck before I get to why I use this deck all of the time. Personally, the only issues I've had with anything breaking for falling apart was with the front cover of the book - that was my fault; in a fit of rage I'd cut the cover of the book off. I found that it was a very sturdy material myself. Possibly, it's because I handle the cards more gently than the other people do. I've had them for years, and they're still in great shape. As for anyone feeling limited by the spread printed on the cloth, if it's that big of an issue, don't use it. Or, even better, do what I do - flip the cloth over. It's one sided print. The interpretations are sometimes very vague in this book, which would not make it the ideal deck for a beginner. However, I felt the reason the book was lacking in interpretation detail as opposed to the backstory, symbolism, and descriptions was because these things, along with your inutition, is what should be used to find the meaning of the card, rather then relying on the book as a crutch. That's possibly one of my favourite things about this deck. It pushes you from being a beginner to something more advanced, by using your own inuition to truly read these cards. The beautiful images open up a story, revealing what the card means, if you pay attention to the symbolism found in the book. The book itself is not one of those paper booklets inserted into a normal deck, it is a full fledged book in its own right. Definitely not something that one may easily lose, as opposed to other products. I wouldn't call this deck "dark". Some cards (ie: Three of Swords) just don't mean "happy" things, and that's simply the way it is. Ultimately though, even what one may perceive as dark can begin a period of something better. If you're serious about tarot, I'd suggest this deck for you. If you're more into parlor games, perhaps you'd be more interested in another product.

She understands the connections between things

I picked this one up along with the deck randomly at a yard sale, and tried learning the Tarot with it. It was actually a great deck to learn with. I've since read other books explaining the meaning of the Tarot. I think this author has a deep understanding both of human psychology and of Greek mythology, not to mention the Tarot itself. She seems to have been through these various life situations and seems to speak out of them from personal experience -- how true Strength is immunity from the 'Thou shalt', how true love is made manifest only after one has experienced betrayal, etc.. She doesn't simply say, "The ten of Wands means oppression and this and that." She explains HOW the process of pursuing the high adventure results in the final card being oppression. She explains WHAT is common to the 10's in all the suits, etc.. She also does quite a good job of explaining the difference between similar cards that are easy to confuse. The High Priestess and the Moon are both sort of feminine and otherworldy in nature. What's the essential difference? One has the sense she has thought it through and solidified it in her mind. And now when I go out and read other versions, I have a good basis from which to understand what I read.This book is not really about how to read various spreads, though she does offer a couple examples. I understand she has written a workbook for that purpose.

the interconnectedness of things

I picked this one up along with the deck randomly at a yard sale, and tried learning the Tarot with it. It was actually a great deck to learn with. I've since read other books explaining the meaning of the Tarot. I think this author has a deep understanding both of human psychology and of Greek mythology, not to mention the Tarot itself. She seems to have been through these various life situations and seems to speak out of them from personal experience -- how true Strength is immunity from the 'Thou shalt', how true love is made manifest only after one has experienced betrayal, etc.. She doesn't simply say, "The ten of Wands means oppression and this and that." She explains HOW the process of pursuing the high adventure results in the final card being oppression. She explains WHAT is common to the 10's in all the suits, etc.. She also does quite a good job of explaining the difference between similar cards that are easy to confuse. The High Priestess and the Moon are both sort of feminine and otherworldy in nature. What's the essential difference? One has the sense she has thought it through and solidified it in her mind. And now when I go out and read other versions, I have a good basis from which to understand what I read. This book is not really about how to read various spreads, though she does offer a couple examples. I understand she has written a workbook for that purpose.

A good beginners tarot with a psychological twist

The Mythic Tarot was the first deck I gained, and I have been working with it for the past 7 years. The deck is beautifully illustrated in the tradition of Greek Mythology, with each of the suits telling a classic mythical tale (eg Jason and the Argonauts as the suit of wands).The Mythic Tarot book describes interpretations that differ substantially from those of classic decks such as the Rider-Waite, as the focus is not on good-bad/upright-reveresed cards, but rather on the fact that every event or situation has both positive and negative aspects (a very psychological concept). I have found this to be a very good thing, particularly in situations where you are reading for people that are a little scared of what the future may hold for them ("and you can take that death card of of the deck before you do my reading!" is a common comment!). While Death is still seen as a monumental change and a difficult ending, it is also stressed that there will be a new beginning and rebirth. This is one big reason why I like this interpretation for beginners in particular.This deck was excellent to learn with, as the mythical stories portrayed by the suits are easy to remember and well explained in the book, therefore making divination something anybody can learn (even me)!

A Must Have for the Accomplished Tarot Reader or the Newbie.

This book has been an incredible tool for myself in learning the Tarot. It's packed with spreads, worksheets, and study pages for EVERY card in the deck. It starts off with a page on each one of the cards in the Major Arcana in the Mythic Tarot and lets you color them in. This exercise in itself was a great visualization tool and has helped me connect with each one of the cards. If you're new to Tarot or if you are wanting to learn more, I strongly reccomend this workbook.