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Tarot for Change: Using the Cards for Self-Care, Acceptance, and Growth
“ An instant classic, a must-have for every tarot enthusiast, and a manifesto for insightful living.” —Chani Nicholas, astrologer and author of You Were Born for This
“Generous, practical, and gently radical.” —New York Times
Though tarot is often thought of as a tool for divination and fortune-telling, it also has deep roots in spirituality and psychology. For those who know how to see and listen, the cards hold the potential to help us better navigate the full spectrum of the human experience.
In Tarot for Change , Jessica Dore divulges years of hard-won secrets about how to work with tarot to better understand ourselves and live in alignment with what’s precious. Dore shows readers how to choose a deck, interpret images, and build a relationship with the cards, while also demonstrating how the mythic imagery of tarot supports modern therapeutic concepts like mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion. Her reflections on each of the seventy-eight cards are a vibrant tapestry that weaves together ideas from psychology, behavioral science, spirituality, and old stories, breathing new language into ancient wisdoms about what it means to be human.
This is as much a book for those who are new to tarot as it is for those who have worked with the cards for years. And it's a book for anyone interested in exploring what it means to experience joy, heartbreak, wonder, stagnation, grief, loneliness, love. A book of secrets, symbols, and stories, Tarot for Change is a charm for remembering that our problems are not new, we are never alone, and whether we know it or not, we are always in a process of change.
“Generous, practical, and gently radical.” —New York Times
Though tarot is often thought of as a tool for divination and fortune-telling, it also has deep roots in spirituality and psychology. For those who know how to see and listen, the cards hold the potential to help us better navigate the full spectrum of the human experience.
In Tarot for Change , Jessica Dore divulges years of hard-won secrets about how to work with tarot to better understand ourselves and live in alignment with what’s precious. Dore shows readers how to choose a deck, interpret images, and build a relationship with the cards, while also demonstrating how the mythic imagery of tarot supports modern therapeutic concepts like mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion. Her reflections on each of the seventy-eight cards are a vibrant tapestry that weaves together ideas from psychology, behavioral science, spirituality, and old stories, breathing new language into ancient wisdoms about what it means to be human.
This is as much a book for those who are new to tarot as it is for those who have worked with the cards for years. And it's a book for anyone interested in exploring what it means to experience joy, heartbreak, wonder, stagnation, grief, loneliness, love. A book of secrets, symbols, and stories, Tarot for Change is a charm for remembering that our problems are not new, we are never alone, and whether we know it or not, we are always in a process of change.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 26, 2021
481 people are currently reading
3762 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
March 31, 2022
Author Jessica Dore is a masters level social worker (MSW), and a genuinely intelligent, deep, thoughtful and creative intellectual, who also fucks seriously with the tarot.
She’s not a licensed, working clinician, as she prefers to operate in the interstitial zone between officially sanctioned, contemporary, evidence based, psychotherapy, and practices of spiritual self inquiry such as yoga, meditation and (you guessed it) tarot.
Her assertion is, that there are certain aspects of psychological and spiritual experience, that psychology and psychotherapy doesn’t capture and address as well as the spiritual, mystical and mythopoetic traditions.
She also acknowledges that psychology and psychotherapy accomplish certain things that the afore mentioned spiritual traditions can’t, don’t or won’t.
Rather than adapting one system to the other, she stays rooted in both, borrowing liberally from one to the other and translating in between.
The result is a very cool, psychologically sound, psychotherapeutic way of interpreting and utilizing the Tarot.
Or conversely, a Tarot influenced way of understanding psychotherapy and psychology.
She is heavily influenced by acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and is such, a therpaist with whom I can get really down with. And she has created a way of working with Tarot that (somehow) makes both ACT/DBT and the Tarot more accessible and more powerful.
I have no idea how she pulled this off.
But she did.
And I’m genuinely impressed and inspired.
Ms. Dore, if you’re out there reading this.
Nice fucking job.
As some readers know.
I’m a therapist, and my clincial orientation is ACT/DBT aka Third Wave Behaviorism. I went to art school in the 90’s and worked as a creative professional for before becoming a therapist. I have also spent a life time studying and practicing mindfulness meditation and yoga.
Given that, I feel about as generally educated and experienced in these overlapping domains (creativity, spirituality, and psychology) as anyone.
All of that is a long way of prefacing, that I learned a lot from this book, it WAY exceeded my expectations, and I’m super excited about it.
ACT is all about:
- arriving in the here and now (A)
- clarifying what matters (C)
- and taking action (T)
And ACT attempts to connect people with something worthy and exciting to step to, so they can stop running away from discomfort, and chasing after cheep thrills and fleeting pleasures, and start building a meaningful life.
ACT assumes people are “stuck not broken”.
ACT attempts to get you “out of your head and into your life” and to get you “unstuck and moving in a direction that matters”.
This book is all about how to use the Tarot to shake it up, get fired up, and get unstuck.
DBT is all about:
- synthesizing the dialectic (D)
- behaving effectively (B)
- and taking wise action (T)
DBT synthesis the dialectic between thinking and feeling, and acceptance and change, in order to cultivate and behave from “wise mind”.
DBT assumes people don’t “rise to the occasion” but rather “sink to the level of their training”.
DBT trains people to use mindfulness, to regulate emotions, tolerate distress, interact with others more effectively and “create a life worth living”.
This book is all about how to use Tarot to cultivate wise mind and take wise action.
I was shocked by how effectively Dore described and applied the constructs of ACT/DBT and a BUNCH of other cool psychotherapy models.
And (as mentioned) I learned a lot about them from reading the book and considering these ideas in this new way.
AWESOME for that alone.
But it’s not just about us wing Tarot to understand and apply in psychotherapy.
It’s also about how to use psychologically and psychotherapy to understand and use the Tarot.
According to Dore, Tarot cards are like little windows into the inner world. With each card acting like a lens or filter, focused on a particular quality of being, or dilemma of human existence.
Dore translates the hoses of the Tarot as equivalent to the psychotherapeutically relevant domains of:
- wands = energy (motivation/vitality)
- cups = emotional processes
- swords = thinking processes
- pentacles = behavior
With each of the minor arcana (the number and suit cards) and major arcana (big archetypal these such as death, power, wisdom, learning etc.) translating into a very relatable issues, and generative themes in each case.
According to Dore.
Our basic evolutionary program is to:
* Avoid Pain
* Seek Pleasure
* Conserve Energy (do it the east way)
Any time we’re living by this basic way.
We’re living lives of unconsciousness, automaticity and meaninglessness.
Which isn’t a problem.
Until it’s a problem.
Then it’s a problem.
Dore asserts that real creativity, spiritual growth, and behavioral sovereignty (magic) entails stepping outside that basic program, either when the basic program is leading you astray, or when it is time to create new things or go in new, counterintuitive directions.
The cards can be “mirrors” to novel encounter your psycho-spiritual self in a novel new way.
The cards can also be a cool way to creatively engage the unconscious processes to engender inspiration, innovation and progress on your journey of self actualization and differentiation.
And they can get you out of your ridged, stuck, ineffective “cognitive and emotional” frame, and see things with fresh, wise eyes.
And…
The whole thing is just plain fun.
The book is a great ‘cover to cover’ read. And it can also be a reference guide for each card.
I loved it.
5/5 stars ⭐️
Surprising 😳
Inspirational 🤩
Fun 😁
She’s not a licensed, working clinician, as she prefers to operate in the interstitial zone between officially sanctioned, contemporary, evidence based, psychotherapy, and practices of spiritual self inquiry such as yoga, meditation and (you guessed it) tarot.
Her assertion is, that there are certain aspects of psychological and spiritual experience, that psychology and psychotherapy doesn’t capture and address as well as the spiritual, mystical and mythopoetic traditions.
She also acknowledges that psychology and psychotherapy accomplish certain things that the afore mentioned spiritual traditions can’t, don’t or won’t.
Rather than adapting one system to the other, she stays rooted in both, borrowing liberally from one to the other and translating in between.
The result is a very cool, psychologically sound, psychotherapeutic way of interpreting and utilizing the Tarot.
Or conversely, a Tarot influenced way of understanding psychotherapy and psychology.
She is heavily influenced by acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and is such, a therpaist with whom I can get really down with. And she has created a way of working with Tarot that (somehow) makes both ACT/DBT and the Tarot more accessible and more powerful.
I have no idea how she pulled this off.
But she did.
And I’m genuinely impressed and inspired.
Ms. Dore, if you’re out there reading this.
Nice fucking job.
As some readers know.
I’m a therapist, and my clincial orientation is ACT/DBT aka Third Wave Behaviorism. I went to art school in the 90’s and worked as a creative professional for before becoming a therapist. I have also spent a life time studying and practicing mindfulness meditation and yoga.
Given that, I feel about as generally educated and experienced in these overlapping domains (creativity, spirituality, and psychology) as anyone.
All of that is a long way of prefacing, that I learned a lot from this book, it WAY exceeded my expectations, and I’m super excited about it.
ACT is all about:
- arriving in the here and now (A)
- clarifying what matters (C)
- and taking action (T)
And ACT attempts to connect people with something worthy and exciting to step to, so they can stop running away from discomfort, and chasing after cheep thrills and fleeting pleasures, and start building a meaningful life.
ACT assumes people are “stuck not broken”.
ACT attempts to get you “out of your head and into your life” and to get you “unstuck and moving in a direction that matters”.
This book is all about how to use the Tarot to shake it up, get fired up, and get unstuck.
DBT is all about:
- synthesizing the dialectic (D)
- behaving effectively (B)
- and taking wise action (T)
DBT synthesis the dialectic between thinking and feeling, and acceptance and change, in order to cultivate and behave from “wise mind”.
DBT assumes people don’t “rise to the occasion” but rather “sink to the level of their training”.
DBT trains people to use mindfulness, to regulate emotions, tolerate distress, interact with others more effectively and “create a life worth living”.
This book is all about how to use Tarot to cultivate wise mind and take wise action.
I was shocked by how effectively Dore described and applied the constructs of ACT/DBT and a BUNCH of other cool psychotherapy models.
And (as mentioned) I learned a lot about them from reading the book and considering these ideas in this new way.
AWESOME for that alone.
But it’s not just about us wing Tarot to understand and apply in psychotherapy.
It’s also about how to use psychologically and psychotherapy to understand and use the Tarot.
According to Dore, Tarot cards are like little windows into the inner world. With each card acting like a lens or filter, focused on a particular quality of being, or dilemma of human existence.
Dore translates the hoses of the Tarot as equivalent to the psychotherapeutically relevant domains of:
- wands = energy (motivation/vitality)
- cups = emotional processes
- swords = thinking processes
- pentacles = behavior
With each of the minor arcana (the number and suit cards) and major arcana (big archetypal these such as death, power, wisdom, learning etc.) translating into a very relatable issues, and generative themes in each case.
According to Dore.
Our basic evolutionary program is to:
* Avoid Pain
* Seek Pleasure
* Conserve Energy (do it the east way)
Any time we’re living by this basic way.
We’re living lives of unconsciousness, automaticity and meaninglessness.
Which isn’t a problem.
Until it’s a problem.
Then it’s a problem.
Dore asserts that real creativity, spiritual growth, and behavioral sovereignty (magic) entails stepping outside that basic program, either when the basic program is leading you astray, or when it is time to create new things or go in new, counterintuitive directions.
The cards can be “mirrors” to novel encounter your psycho-spiritual self in a novel new way.
The cards can also be a cool way to creatively engage the unconscious processes to engender inspiration, innovation and progress on your journey of self actualization and differentiation.
And they can get you out of your ridged, stuck, ineffective “cognitive and emotional” frame, and see things with fresh, wise eyes.
And…
The whole thing is just plain fun.
The book is a great ‘cover to cover’ read. And it can also be a reference guide for each card.
I loved it.
5/5 stars ⭐️
Surprising 😳
Inspirational 🤩
Fun 😁
October 31, 2021
I've been reading tarot cards for about 25 years, and I wish a book like this were around when I started my own relationship with the cards. Jessica sets herself apart from other tarot experts by incorporating both psychology and cultural archetypes into her practice. Rather than using the cards for divination, Jessica uses them for self-discovery, with each card and its imagery holding special meaning that reveals "secrets" about ourselves. It's a beautifully-written debut, and I can't wait to see more from her.
December 20, 2021
A real dissenting voice on the reviews for this book. I was so excited for it. Pre-ordered and ready. I gave it three goes and it just wasn't for me at all. It's such an odd mixture of "I do real research" and feel your feelings. I believe, like the author, that you can do both. But I switched off so very many times despite loving tarot and the premise. Wouldn't recommend. I would give 2** but I think I am being unreasonable because I was so disappointed.
April 18, 2022
As others have said, there are a number of really great insights in this book and I should add that to begin with. But fundamentally my challenge with the book is that it is really muddy about its intended audience. As someone who's been using tarot as a tool for years and reading/listening to a number of different readers on their methods, I would truly not recommend this book to someone who is new to tarot as the card interpretations are extremely specific and opinionated and unlike anything else a beginner might reach for if they were interested in starting to do their own pulls. However, the book in many parts seems directed towards people who are new to tarot.
Perhaps it is hopeful (in its stated purpose of being an intermediary between tarot and therapy methods) of drawing practitioners into a particular way of orienting to and with the tarot. But for the average person, this approach is very specific and advanced and I think you'd be better off coming to this after you'd been reading for a while so you had a strong sense of what was useful to you and you could incorporate into your own practice, and what you didn't agree with.
The author also waits to the end to state that she doesn't read inversions, which kind of explained why I thought at so many points in the book like her descriptions sounded more like the shadow side of cards than the "upright" interpretation. But that should have been stated upfront.
Structurally, I feel the author skipped over stating her orientation to numbers and face cards in of themselves, instead only addressing them in terms of each particular suit. I did find her interpretations of suits really interesting and useful, but without a general interpretation of numbers and face cards, each read felt less grounded as an intersection of the two. Also, little attention was paid to the interrelationships between the major and minor arcana -- once we were done talking about the major arcana, I think they they never came up again, which is really a shame as there is a great deal of power and usefulness to those interrelationships and it doesn't require a ton of writing to acknowledge that.
Other reviews also better covered this already, but there is a lack of critique of psychology/therapy here that I think undermines the project of the book. Anyone hoping for any flavor of liberatory, disability justice, or anti-sanist thinking will find something lacking. Also, there are references to evolutionary psychology that just come off as poorly argued and not needed for the point that could have been left unsaid, which I found disappointing.
I can see using this as reference material for if I get a card in a spread that hits me in a particular way with regard to psychological challenges, but it was mostly just an interesting different perspective that won't really change a lot of how I read tarot.
Perhaps it is hopeful (in its stated purpose of being an intermediary between tarot and therapy methods) of drawing practitioners into a particular way of orienting to and with the tarot. But for the average person, this approach is very specific and advanced and I think you'd be better off coming to this after you'd been reading for a while so you had a strong sense of what was useful to you and you could incorporate into your own practice, and what you didn't agree with.
The author also waits to the end to state that she doesn't read inversions, which kind of explained why I thought at so many points in the book like her descriptions sounded more like the shadow side of cards than the "upright" interpretation. But that should have been stated upfront.
Structurally, I feel the author skipped over stating her orientation to numbers and face cards in of themselves, instead only addressing them in terms of each particular suit. I did find her interpretations of suits really interesting and useful, but without a general interpretation of numbers and face cards, each read felt less grounded as an intersection of the two. Also, little attention was paid to the interrelationships between the major and minor arcana -- once we were done talking about the major arcana, I think they they never came up again, which is really a shame as there is a great deal of power and usefulness to those interrelationships and it doesn't require a ton of writing to acknowledge that.
Other reviews also better covered this already, but there is a lack of critique of psychology/therapy here that I think undermines the project of the book. Anyone hoping for any flavor of liberatory, disability justice, or anti-sanist thinking will find something lacking. Also, there are references to evolutionary psychology that just come off as poorly argued and not needed for the point that could have been left unsaid, which I found disappointing.
I can see using this as reference material for if I get a card in a spread that hits me in a particular way with regard to psychological challenges, but it was mostly just an interesting different perspective that won't really change a lot of how I read tarot.
January 7, 2022
Not a beginner's book by any means, and more for people who have a good working knowledge of tarot already and want to deepen their understanding of each card from a more human and purely psychological standpoint. Even though Dore comes at the tarot from a slightly more clinical angle, her writing is sparkling with the same mystery and wonder that attracts everyone to the cards in the first place. Adore this book, and know i'll be using it for years to come.
January 16, 2022
I’ve been slowwwwwwly reading this which is the pace that I would recommend, it’s a therapeutic companion and a practice in itself to read one or two cards a day and think on their lessons. this can definitely get repetitive, because so many of the lessons both large and small that we need to learn are interrelated (another reason to not binge read this) but i loved the cyclical nature of bringing back concepts in new contexts and building out the world of the deck and of our own intellectual/spiritual/emotional/behavioral worlds
cannot recommend highly enough, what a joy
cannot recommend highly enough, what a joy
June 28, 2022
Ultimately, Jessica is a very talented writer. I enjoy her voice however, I struggled with the structure of the book. I read this book to get a better understanding of the tarot cards, but without an already thorough understanding of each card it became a bit like a reference textbook that was hard to comb through. Not to mention every tarot deck and it’s cards have slightly different meanings so drawing 1:1 comparisons weren’t always helpful.
On the other hand, reading this through the lens of someone more interested in the psychology concepts I think the book moves through the ideas a little too quickly. While each sentiment is important, two pages dedicated to a deck of over 70 cards and each with their own thesis of sorts made it hard for me to walk away with any real grasp of practical ways to use tarot in new ways or new revelations about CBT.
I’d read something else from Jessica for sure but I think I was looking for a different kind of book when I initially picked this up.
On the other hand, reading this through the lens of someone more interested in the psychology concepts I think the book moves through the ideas a little too quickly. While each sentiment is important, two pages dedicated to a deck of over 70 cards and each with their own thesis of sorts made it hard for me to walk away with any real grasp of practical ways to use tarot in new ways or new revelations about CBT.
I’d read something else from Jessica for sure but I think I was looking for a different kind of book when I initially picked this up.
December 30, 2021
Cannot recommend this book highly enough. Every time I sat down I felt my life, my struggles, my joys, reflected in several of the cards I read about. Jessica Dore is someone I really am thankful to have come across online. This book's MO is self-compassion, and everyone should read this book, even if they know nothing of tarot. Cards aside, it is 78 bite-sized charms for mental wellbeing and emotional peace.
January 31, 2022
can't wait to re-read this every day for the rest of my life
February 26, 2023
I've read this book twice now. And while I highly praised in my first review, I'm more critical the second time round. I've had to separate my massive admiration for Jessica Dore from this book because truthfully, I think the book is lacking in so many areas.
So here's all the things I didn't like about Tarot for Change:
1. The book seems marketed as tips for self-care, but the writing itself is more contemplative and less practical. It's like a collection of short essays rather than actionable strategies.
2. I'm not sure who the target audience was. On one hand, it was widely marketed as a book that introduced tarot readers to psychological approaches. But, again, the writing doesn't actually do this. The author mentions psychological theories but fails to give an adequate introduction or breakdown. I'm studying psychology, so these are already theories I've encountered. But if I had no background in it, her brief descriptions would be too shallow to really equip me with the tools needed to incorporate these approaches into my practice.
Again, in what seems to be a consistent theme, the marketing doesn't align with the book. Because based on how I've interpreted the author's writing, it seems more suited towards showing psychologists how to conceptualize tarot archetypes, rather than helping tarot readers adopt psychological perspectives.
3. The approaches are very narrow. For example, her entire interpretation of the 7 of Wands is around anger, when there's so much more to explore around this card. For some cards she's more broad, but she tended to pick one viewpoint and drill it down. It's a wonderful book for learning how someone else - someone extremely academic and intelligent - views the cards. But because of its rigidity, it is not a good beginner book, IMO, nor is it a must-have resource.
4. The write-ups feel incomplete. It's like being fed a small bite, when you know that the person has a whole buffet behind them. Jessica Dore has so much insight around the tarot; I felt that she only dug at the surface of what she had to share. I left the book feeling that it was rushed and should have been written slower, with a more aligned approach between how it was marketed and what she intended it to be.
So here's all the things I didn't like about Tarot for Change:
1. The book seems marketed as tips for self-care, but the writing itself is more contemplative and less practical. It's like a collection of short essays rather than actionable strategies.
2. I'm not sure who the target audience was. On one hand, it was widely marketed as a book that introduced tarot readers to psychological approaches. But, again, the writing doesn't actually do this. The author mentions psychological theories but fails to give an adequate introduction or breakdown. I'm studying psychology, so these are already theories I've encountered. But if I had no background in it, her brief descriptions would be too shallow to really equip me with the tools needed to incorporate these approaches into my practice.
Again, in what seems to be a consistent theme, the marketing doesn't align with the book. Because based on how I've interpreted the author's writing, it seems more suited towards showing psychologists how to conceptualize tarot archetypes, rather than helping tarot readers adopt psychological perspectives.
3. The approaches are very narrow. For example, her entire interpretation of the 7 of Wands is around anger, when there's so much more to explore around this card. For some cards she's more broad, but she tended to pick one viewpoint and drill it down. It's a wonderful book for learning how someone else - someone extremely academic and intelligent - views the cards. But because of its rigidity, it is not a good beginner book, IMO, nor is it a must-have resource.
4. The write-ups feel incomplete. It's like being fed a small bite, when you know that the person has a whole buffet behind them. Jessica Dore has so much insight around the tarot; I felt that she only dug at the surface of what she had to share. I left the book feeling that it was rushed and should have been written slower, with a more aligned approach between how it was marketed and what she intended it to be.
March 16, 2022
i had high hopes for this one, but unfortunately, this often felt like reading a brochure in a psychotherapist's office.
February 2, 2022
This perspective is really special, I’m excited to use this book more and share what I learned from it
March 20, 2022
Albeit a bit repetitive, this is a beautiful approach to the tarot. As well an accessible introduction if unfamiliar with the subject. 🌝
April 20, 2023
really love how dore thinks abt pentacles & how much this book fits in how i understand sobriety. i’d spent a lot of time in queer feminist tarotland prior to reading this & it got increasingly…. cringe? in its treatment of gender & this was a breath of fresh air! thanks fiona for recommending this book so wholeheartedly
November 21, 2021
This is the best tarot book I have ever read. The author has a unique perspective as someone with a degree in social work and experience with journals and technical publications in psychology. With that background, she makes it clear what tarot can and cannot do which is so important, especially because some people use tarot as an alternative to traditional mental health care. She has connected so many dots for me in bridging my introspective tarot practice with my knowledge of psychology. Every single card has a short essay on what the card means to her. You can read the book cover to cover, as I did and it will take you through the fool’s journey and the minor arcana journey, or you can simply reference the book as it comes up in your readings, or turn to a page at random.
January 5, 2022
Took this out from the library but realized I had to own it! Wise and amazing.
September 30, 2024
Did not read cover to cover, but enjoyed it a lot. Probably one of my favourite tarot guides next to 78 Degrees of Wisdom (of course), which Dore also cites.
I was moved reading Dore's Substack for October 2024.
I was moved reading Dore's Substack for October 2024.
January 16, 2022
mmm i may have finished this but i really haven’t!! this will forever be in my tarot reference collection, and i will continue to use, love, and annotate it for years to come. thank you for this perfect work and incredible perspective, jessica dore 🥲
March 26, 2022
(3.5/5)
There are definitely some things I'm going to take with me from this book. There were some card descriptions that were a necessary gut punch, a reminder, and a wake up call. I checked this out from the library and might invest in a paperback copy to work with in my own tarot reading practice.
I think one of the things that struck me as off was how little Dore complicated her presentation of conventional psychological theories qua mad studies, mad movements, disability justice, and liberation psychology. I'm not sure how you write an entire book about tarot that claims to take into account axes of oppression, but glean little insights from mad movements, mad studies, disability justice, and lib psych about the sheer individualism and colonial nature of western psychology. She writes about ACT, DBT, and CBT without complicating how disability justice movement makers have called attention to the inadequacy of these psychological modalities with respect to structural oppression. It's almost as if she takes her education and experience at New Harbinger at face value, which is a problem because a self-help book publisher isn't going to complicate its assumptions precisely because they're trying to sell you something. A degree program will allude to issues of oppression, while not doing anything to upend their model as well. I think if she had been able to step away from that model of pop workbook psychology, her insights about the intersections of tarot and psychology would have been more thought-provoking.
There are definitely some things I'm going to take with me from this book. There were some card descriptions that were a necessary gut punch, a reminder, and a wake up call. I checked this out from the library and might invest in a paperback copy to work with in my own tarot reading practice.
I think one of the things that struck me as off was how little Dore complicated her presentation of conventional psychological theories qua mad studies, mad movements, disability justice, and liberation psychology. I'm not sure how you write an entire book about tarot that claims to take into account axes of oppression, but glean little insights from mad movements, mad studies, disability justice, and lib psych about the sheer individualism and colonial nature of western psychology. She writes about ACT, DBT, and CBT without complicating how disability justice movement makers have called attention to the inadequacy of these psychological modalities with respect to structural oppression. It's almost as if she takes her education and experience at New Harbinger at face value, which is a problem because a self-help book publisher isn't going to complicate its assumptions precisely because they're trying to sell you something. A degree program will allude to issues of oppression, while not doing anything to upend their model as well. I think if she had been able to step away from that model of pop workbook psychology, her insights about the intersections of tarot and psychology would have been more thought-provoking.
November 2, 2021
Wow, this was probably the most enjoyable, pleasant read/listen of a tarot book I've had yet. Balancing use of the tarot with an approach to maintaining mental health was a brilliant idea, something I've seen Jessica accomplish for years on twitter with her daily card draws and interpretations. Very glad to see her get her day in a book here.
She's not a licensed therapist I believe, as is disclaimered early on, but Jessica has a sort of holistic yet scholarly approach to mental health, partnering with experts all along the way. I found the advice herein relatable and given in a down-to-earth manner.
Many passages of this spoke to me - if I let myself start, I'd quote the entire book. At one point Jessica mentioned the state of the world and how social media practically guarantees we are inundated with the Bad Happenings 24/7, and how we need to counteract that with time devoted to the good and the worthwhile, and what we can affect on our level. There were just a lot of wise observations and sound advice as she led us through interpretations of every card.
Jessica's pleasant narration was another big plus, although I definitely want a print copy to read my decks along to.
She's not a licensed therapist I believe, as is disclaimered early on, but Jessica has a sort of holistic yet scholarly approach to mental health, partnering with experts all along the way. I found the advice herein relatable and given in a down-to-earth manner.
Many passages of this spoke to me - if I let myself start, I'd quote the entire book. At one point Jessica mentioned the state of the world and how social media practically guarantees we are inundated with the Bad Happenings 24/7, and how we need to counteract that with time devoted to the good and the worthwhile, and what we can affect on our level. There were just a lot of wise observations and sound advice as she led us through interpretations of every card.
Jessica's pleasant narration was another big plus, although I definitely want a print copy to read my decks along to.
July 9, 2024
This book is not just a dive into the cards meanings, It is a mixture of religion, mythology, history, stories, and therapy. It is much more than what I was expecting.
I had to look up some things and some of it made me go down different rabbit holes of research. I also feel like I have to reread this book and have a highlighter and take notes. It has a lot of valuable information to take in and good references to other books to check out.
Overall, I enjoyed it; and this is coming from a person who has resisted therapy all my life, but has recently come to see the value in it. Many of these words hit home and spoke to me deeply; such as the section on the queen of swords. It is definitely worth a read. 😉
I had to look up some things and some of it made me go down different rabbit holes of research. I also feel like I have to reread this book and have a highlighter and take notes. It has a lot of valuable information to take in and good references to other books to check out.
Overall, I enjoyed it; and this is coming from a person who has resisted therapy all my life, but has recently come to see the value in it. Many of these words hit home and spoke to me deeply; such as the section on the queen of swords. It is definitely worth a read. 😉
January 11, 2023
I'm pausing this one. The concept is one I love. But it feels like neither tarot nor science are given enough space. Various therapy methods are mentioned and at most briefly explained but never gone into depth. The short chapters are to blame even though they kept me able to read what I did. I should mention that I've had difficulty reading for the past 3 years so some of my problems with the book are *my* problems.
There's not a list of resources cited despite many, many, many sourced quotes being in the text.
There's not a list of resources cited despite many, many, many sourced quotes being in the text.
January 30, 2024
I have thumbed through a ton of tarot guides in the past few weeks and this one is the bestest. My goals with tarot align perfectly with this book: self reflection, personal growth, plumbing intuition. And while many tarot guides bring up myths and archetypes, I can’t say I have seen any that tie in researched psychology and therapy tools.
How fitting that my first draw with this book was the Wheel of Fortune! For the Tarot of Change lol. To give you an example, in the section on the Wheel of Fortune, Dore explains the Cycle of Change model by Prochaska and DiClemente, and how that model can help encourage you to stick with something by realizing that difficulty and otherwise unpleasantness are part of the process of change: “it brings together two seemingly conflicted realities: this stage is both awful and necessary….not everything that feels bad is wrong.”
I am so delighted in the potential here!
How fitting that my first draw with this book was the Wheel of Fortune! For the Tarot of Change lol. To give you an example, in the section on the Wheel of Fortune, Dore explains the Cycle of Change model by Prochaska and DiClemente, and how that model can help encourage you to stick with something by realizing that difficulty and otherwise unpleasantness are part of the process of change: “it brings together two seemingly conflicted realities: this stage is both awful and necessary….not everything that feels bad is wrong.”
I am so delighted in the potential here!
July 3, 2022
Easily my favorite book I've read on tarot. Dore's interpretations are beautifully lucid, succinct, and often quite original (as far as I know) while still respecting traditional card meanings. I love how much wisdom she pulls in from unexpected sources—behavioral therapy models, theologians, psychologists, mythologists, folk tales. Finding notes of harmony among these different fields of meaning is absolutely my jam, so perhaps I'm biased. In any case, there's something incredibly humble and transparent about Dore's approach that is bound to resonate with a wide audience. Oh, and it's just great advice for life and living. Will be returning to this one a lot.
September 12, 2022
This is the read that assured me of my practices with tarot - of how I see cards, symbols, interactions differently that cheat sheets or anything traditional and conventional in the past. I am moving through stuckness in this whole year, unable to offer services and space - but it doesn't mean I'm not practicing anymore. It's reframing and integrating your whole being and change and transformation and practices, and if you're a tarot reader looking for a direction, here's the book that can offer you multiple pathways but still lead to the same purpose.
April 9, 2025
Listening about each card in the tarot deck can be quite lengthy. However, hearing each cards meaning from a behavioral analyst perspective was very thought-provoking and inspiring. It’s in the moments when we don’t get immediate answers, that forces us to obtain an alternative perspective, and we begin to strengthen our relationships with ourselves.
Change is always going to be all around us and having an alternative viewpoint of your own change will always help guide you forward. The direction is ultimately up to you.
Change is always going to be all around us and having an alternative viewpoint of your own change will always help guide you forward. The direction is ultimately up to you.
October 18, 2022
This was interesting and well-written. I am interested in tarot for self-reflection and exploration, and I enjoyed how Jessica Dore uses psychology to reflect on all the cards. She introduces many psychology concepts which I found interesting and thought provoking. My only regret is rushing and buying the e-book... This is a book meant to be browsed and referred back to, paper would have just been a better choice.
January 5, 2023
I adore Jessica's work though sometimes I felt this was diving a little too deeply into one approach to a card from enthusiasm over some connection to a concept that, while worth exploring, can feel a little deterministic for a reading (since cards can speak in different modes). I love the Simple Spells tarot card guide for being more of a list of possible ways to go.
November 12, 2021
Kakfa wrote that "a book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us". In this case, he was right
June 6, 2022
I really, really enjoyed this. I took it slow (for me) because there’s so much to process in each entry. Dore really knows her stuff and expertly ties the mysteries of the tarot - I love how she called them secrets, not meanings or messages - to both ancient and modern philosophy and psychology practices, proving once again that time is a flat circle and everything we think we know has been thought before. I’m really excited to take these lessons into my tarot practice.
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