My most recent shipment from Amazon has arrived and I can hardly wait to dig on into my new books! I got The Chicken Qabalah by Lon Milo Duquette, and Tarot for Beginners by Barbara Moore.
I’ve been reading a long time now, so I’m not really a Tarot beginner, but I’m always looking for fresh ways to teach the cards. Barbara Moore is a fabulous writer and teacher and I’m excited to see how she lays things out for people just starting.
Within the first few pages, I’m already liking what I see. In her Tarot History section she doesn’t weigh the new reader down with lists of dates and deck developments, but instead focuses on the ‘fluidity’ of what has become Tarot. It’s alive, not an old text to be memorized.
And in her Reading section she gets the student to jump right in, proving from the start that they already have what it takes to read Tarot cards.
Straight forward, information packed and modern. I think I’ll be lending this one out to friends asking to learn about the Tarot. Not to mention, I’m looking forward to finishing it myself.
Then there’s Duquette’s book, the full title of which is The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford. It’s sure to be a treat! I’ve been meaning to get it for some time now. His Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot is my absolute favourite book about that deck. I recommend it to anyone who reads with it.
So it’s with hopes high that I’ll be delving into this one. The back cover promises “Learn the basics of Qabalah in spite of yourself and laugh your way up the Tree of Life!”. Now that’s how I want to learn!
Lon Milo Duquette is a world class occultist with a truly wicked sense of humour. If anyone can keep me entertained while teaching me the ‘hard stuff’, I think it’s him. This is going to be really good.
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Both Barbara Moore and Lon Milo Duquette have been guests on Beyond Worlds. If you haven’t had a chance to hear them speak, take a listen to them in the archives.
Barbara Moore: Publishing Decks or Books
Barbara Moore: Keeping A Beginner’s Mind
Lon Milo Duquette: My Life With Spirits