A while back I subscribed to Scribd. Its an online library where you get three books a month for $8.99. Actually kind of like a library but not. You keep your books and do not have to return them. So over time you can build up quite a collection of beauties. So of course I am downloading books on Tarot, Paganism, Hermetic Magic, Kabbalah, Cabala and Qabalah (!!!) and so much more.
Right now I am literally EATING books.
I am reading about 10 at a time – a fantasy novel, a classic tarot book, a few newly released Tarot books, a Bible atlas (archaeology nerd part of me) and a medical book on plagues (did I mention the nerd part?).
But I feel like a hypocrite for two reasons:
One – I SWORE I would never ever ever read eBooks. I would always stay loyal to my dusty tomes on my bent book shelves. How on earth can an eBook be better than something you can feel, touch and smell. Well ……I broke that promise!
Two – I STRONGLY advise all my students to not read Tarot books to learn tarot, at least for the first year or two so that they can build an intuitive independent relationship with their cards. I read hardly any Tarot cards my first 10 years of reading the cards – they just confused me more. Now I am reading every Tarot book I can get my hands on. I guess that is OK after reading the cards for over 22 years!
Well I am just about to recommend that you go out and buy a Tarot book EVEN if you are a beginner because I think its ESSENTIAL to your Tarot journey as a woman!
Go and buy a hard copy or an eBook called Dirty and Divine: A trans formative journey through Tarot by Alice B Grist.
I will tell you why I think you should read this book…
Apart from the fact that it is totally fantastic…its real life. I read it and I know Alice. I could be sitting having a cup of tea with her. She talks about the cards and relates them to her everyday life. The life we all live with highs and lows, kids, bills, work, relationships and the odd dramas.
Life.
For me Tarot is about life. If I cannot apply the cards to my everyday life, then they are not worth the effort. Sure its interesting to check out my past lives, the next six months to come and my soul mission. Fantastic! However Tarot helps me with the every day nitty gritty details of life. Alice describes them through this lens so well and the book was a breath of fresh air for me.
Alice is also brutally honest with herself, shares her dirty and divine aspects and invites us to do the same. Do you know what happens when you are brutally honest with yourself? You are real! You drop the masks, you allow your vulnerability to be seen and from this place you can make MUCH better life decisions.
When I teach Tarot I want to be real. I want my students to be real. I don’t want to be all white light, lace and candy. Sorry but life is not like that. Life sometimes is total crap! Alice’s book reminds us that in those crappy time, the cards can come to light the way.
So this book is now going to be officially the first book on my Recommended Reading List. The advice to students about not picking up a book…well I will have to scrap that advice. Obviously I am learning with age…
Whether you are a beginner or an ancient pro, go read this book – you will not be disappointed. I also invite you to consider pulling one card a day in its traditional sequence. Start with The Fool and work your way through the Major Arcana till you get to The World. Then do the Minor Arcana. One card a day in sequence. Its challenging to say the least but opens up the Tarot on a whole other level. I have started this Tarot Challenge in my Facebook Group, Tarot for Women and we are coming up with some gems!
Here are some feedback from the women in my private Facebook Group – Tarot for Women:
Madhvi Bhalla, a counselling psychologist from New Delhi in India said: What I like most is her (Alice) message that everyone makes their own meaning, given their intuition; and that the Tarot knows this. Hence one should read from ones intuition as the cards are in sync with us. Thus, there is no one right way to read the cards. There is our way to connect to the cards.
Di Scurr, a bodywork therapist from New Zealand said: Tarot intrigues me, and has felt a bit out of my league for years. This lovely process of daily reflection on every card (original idea by Alice B Grist) with Sinead and the group is forcing me to be brave and have a go. Feedback is great and I love reading others interpretations too. A multi-layered learning experience and my confidence is growing too!
Anita Francorsi Shroff a numerologist and life coach living in Mumbai, India said: I remember looking at a set of Tarot cards at the age of 13 and feeling like I knew what they meant right away. Reading different interpretations here on the group has been just wonderful… Adds a new dimension to knowledge which I believe is never complete. Thank you.
Anupama Goyal (PhD English literature) living in Alwar, India commented: It’s lovely and intuitive. This journey joined me again with tarot cards, and it’s a novice notion indeed. Great to connect the card with our daily activities.
So thank you Alice – you definitely inspired me:)
Alice B. Grist is a professional Tarot reader and author and you can check her out at her website HERE.
Alice’s books have been reviewed in a vast array of magazines, radio, TV and online, including, Psychic TV, Chat It’s Fate, The Scottish Sun, Prediction Magazine, & Spirit and Destiny amongst others. Her second book, The High Heeled Guide to Spiritual Living was recipient of Prediction Magazine Best Book Award. Alice’s written work regularly appears in The Daily Guru, Soul and Spirit, Spirit and Destiny, Kindred Spirit, Haunted Magazine, Huffington Post, Hello Giggles, The Conversation, Natural Health, The Daily Love, and many more.