Carolyn Wilhelm reviews The True Nature of Tarot — 10th Anniversary Edition

The True Nature of Tarot caught my eye not because I wanted to learn how to read the cards. I do not plan on being a reader or seeker for the Tarot. However, you may have heard of Tarot cards in movies, books, and conversations like me. What is it? How does it work? I just wanted to understand the process at a basic level. When the death card is pulled in a film, there is a closeup, scary music plays, and – cut scene. But is that card what the movie or book implies?

For instance, I read the book Wheel of Fortune by Theodore Jerome Cohen. I had no idea when I began reading it that a Tarot card played prominently in the plot.  According to Wing, the Wheel of Fortune card implies something good is coming, but you cannot simply wait. Or, it might indicate someone who wants to have it all. Of course, she provides more detailed information.

In the Poldark series, Agatha read Tarot cards. They are mentioned in many thriller mysteries and James Bond movies. I began feeling like I should learn more about these cards. It is probably past time.

Here are the discussion questions for this book if you read with a book club or reading friends.

  1. How many cards are in a deck? There are all sorts of decks on Amazon, for instance, that have different amounts of cards. Is there a correct number?
  2. Do Tarot cards predict the future? Do they tell people’s fortunes? Why or why not?
  3. Can you cast a spell using Tarot cards or cause good or bad things to happen to other people? Are the messages in the cards always positive? Why might negative messages hold valuable lessons?
  4. Should people make decisions based on a Tarot card reading? Is there an easy way to make a life decision using Tarot? Does the reader have the power to determine a person’s fate?
  5. What is a psychic? Did you realize all people and things have energy fields? How does a psychic pick up information about the seeker?
  6. Do the psychic and seeker have to be in the same room for a reading?
  7. Why should a seeker not take a friend or relative to a reading, even if privacy is not an issue? What can happen?
  8. How do colors, fabrics, and surroundings affect a reading? Why might a reader wear black?
  9. What is the three-step grounding method? Did you try to dump, ground, and protect yourself? If so, how did it feel?
  10. Does one Tarot deck fit all?
  11. Why is psychic development expected to take a lifetime?
  12. Why does Wing wave her right hand over a deck of cards? What can she feel? Why does she have several different decks?
  13. Are cards read left to right, like reading a book? How are they spread and read?
  14. What rules does a responsible Tarot reader adhere to, such as confidentiality and sharing sensitive information about the seeker?
  15. What should a seeker do if a reader claims to have a curse or dark cloud above them and wants money to remove it?
  16. Are readings held if the reading often confirms what the subject already knows or feels to be accurate?
  17. Why does Wing say Tarot can show the seeker deeper aspects of themselves that would otherwise take years to reveal?
  18. What are the top four highly misunderstood cards in the major arcana?
  19. Should the reader and seeker hope for a particular outcome?
  20. Wing says the light symbolizes inner wisdom and, in this state, ego is no longer needed. What does this mean?

I learned enough to realize Tarot is a complicated subject and that there is much to learn. I just wanted to know more about the topic. Other people might read The True Nature of Tarot to learn to be readers. This book provides an entire course.

Reviewer,
Carolyn Wilhelm B.S., M.A., and M.S.

Off the Hook [PB}

SKU 978-1-61599-748-0
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Off-Beat Reporter's Tales from Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.)
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Product Details
UPC: 978-1-61599-748-0
Brand: Modern History Press
Binding: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Author: Nancy Besonen
Pages: 180
Publication Date: 10/01/2023

Back in 1981, publisher Ed Danner took a chance, hiring Nancy Besonen, a rookie reporter from Chicago's South Side, for his weekly newspaper, the L'Anse Sentinel. Her humor column, "Off the Hook," was ostensibly all about fishing, but she quickly cut loose, writing about anything relevant to life, especially in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, as long as it made her readers smile.

There's something for everyone with a strong sense of the ridiculous: "Ask Miss Demeanor," "Life's a Breach" and "Baldness: A Growing Concern." Also, "We Make Hay," "Men Are from Mud" and a particularly sensitive piece, "I'm Poopeye the Sailor Mom." From Michigan's tiniest predator, the no-see-um, to life's biggest challenges, like trying to fly into or out of the U.P., Besonen's on the beat.

"Nancy Besonen's weekly columns in the L'Anse Sentinel always made me smile, or chuckle and, quite often, even snort with mirth. Besonen connects so well with our quirky Yooper culture and its priorities. Her perspective of our everyday lives is hilarious and reminiscent of the late Erma Bombeck." -- Terri Martin, author and U.P. Notable Book Award recipient

"A veteran journalist, Nancy Besonen has a wonderful gift for sweet and tangy, humorous writing and storytelling. She uses visual, nuanced language to paint portraits of Michigan's Upper Peninsula's people, places and events, infusing culture, history and geography. Her colorful tales, filled with wit, action, twists and turns, are a must-read for those in Michigan (and beyond), as she inspires us all to think about our own life journeys." -- Martha Bloomfield, award-winning author, oral historian, artist and poet

"Besonen, a gifted journalist who moved north from Chicago for the fishing and brought with her a deep sensibility for the U.P, both teaches and inspires. This is true nonfiction at its best, both wit and investigative journalism. I am glad she collects it here." -- Mack Hassler, former professor of English, Kent State University

"Her 167-page book is full of funny essays on a wide variety of topics - you don't have to be a Yooper to appreciate them. Divided into 18 sub-sections, Besonen's collection covers fishing in 'Hook, Line and Sink Her', getting older in 'Aging Gracelessly' and unusual aspects of nature in 'Call of the Wild'. In 'Reading Marches On', she notes the enjoyment of reading to children: 'The payoff is great, right down to the tiniest grandchild who literally devours books. We just pull the pieces out of her mouth and read to her from what's left.' Besonen's Off the Hook includes two maps for those unfamiliar with Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It's best not to read her book all at once but to savor her writings over a longer timespan." -- Ray Walsh, Lansing State Journal

From Modern History Press

www.ModernHistoryPress.com

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