Dusty WhiteThe Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot—EVER!! (Aphrodite's Book of Secrets)

This is a no nonsense tarot guide. I no longer class myself as a total beginner, but this book takes you back to the roots, but in a good way. It is not simply a rehash of the same old format as most "teach yourself tarot" books.There is a very brief introduction to Tarot, what it is, how it works etc. But really the book jumps right into what you need in order to get started: what deck to get, info on having a tarot journal, an explanation that the cards can mean different things to different people - and this is why meanings vary from book to book, a section on different ways in which reversed cards are interpreted and a run down on what your first 30 days of learning will look like.Section two of the book is all about getting to know your cards through a series of exercises. There are no definitive meanings given here, and no mention of learning keywords. This is all about playing with the cards, looking at the pictures, and thinking about what they mean to you.The author presents some fun exercises that you can do on your own but which are also beneficial for using when working with a partner. Such a game/exercise is "this happens to me, this happens to you". The idea is to pull a card and give a scenario of what will happen to you based on the card you drew, and then the second card is what happens to the other person based on the card you drew for them. The idea is to desensitise yourself to giving both yourself and/or someone else difficult news. It is trying to remove the subjective you and introduce a more objective way of delivering the messages in the cards, therefore preparing you to read for others (and yourself). This is one example, there are 12 exercises here in total to enhance your personal connection with the cards. The aim is to work through them sequentially. The author, Dusty White, instructs you to just use the minor arcana the first few times round with these exercises. This is because the minor arcana are a bit easier to work with, they are more straightforward and describe day to day life. The major arcana can confuse the initial learning as they are quite static cards and it is not as easy to intuitively grasp their meaning. After you have mastered the exercises with just the minor arcana, you are then encouraged to go back and add in the major arcana.The book then moves on to spreads. The celtic cross is there, along with the astrological spread. But there are a number of unique spreads too that I think have probably been created by Dusty. Mirroring Dusty's general style these spreads are no nonsense, and practical to use. I have not tried everything out in the book yet but I have certainly read the book along with listening to his podcasts regularly, which brings some of the material in the book to life I might add.The book then turns into a workbook and runs through each card starting with the minor arcana. There is Dusty's explanations/views on one side and then there is questions and spaces to write your thoughts on the right hand page.We then move into the final section - section six, which inevitably begins with the question "what to do next?" The advice is to go back over the book, practice, use all the internet resources available, especially from Dusty himself, then what to do over the next 60 days, then 90 days etc. There is some great advice here and good pointers. We finally move in to the Appendix which has all kinds of great miscellaneous advice such as "troubleshooting", FAQ's (from fellow students), a brief tarot history, a bit on doing parties, some info on mystery schools, some recommended reading and finally a glossary.This book is very well put together, it is a huge well of knowledge - I wish it was one of the first books I had bought because it totally takes all the superstitions, anxieties etc out of learning and dealing with the tarot. This book talks to you on your level, like you are a normal human being; it is not elitist, it does not throw esoteric terms around willy nilly in order to confuse, all the information is accessible and written in such an engaging way.I recommend checking it out, especially if you are a beginner, but still totally relevant even if you think you are past the beginner stage I think as there is some really great info and advice here that you won't find in any other books (or none that I have read). This book strips away the confusion and teaches you in a straight forward manner without mention of kabbalah, numerology, colour theory or any other additional associations that are forced upon tarot cards and ultimately lead to confusion when you are first learning.

When wanting to learn the Tarot, there’s a zillion books on the market, it’s a huge can of worms, well you can stop your search, you’ve found “The One” ..Dusty is an amazing author, says it how it is, right to the knuckle and raw around the edges. The book is simply laid out, explains everything in great detail, it’s fun, it’s not boring, he gets straight in with practice spreads, but it’s really important to learn about your cards. Dusty doesn’t believe you should memorise the meanings off by heart, learn the cards meanings, but relate to your decks, look at the cards and let your intuition tell you the story they are trying to tell.With the book comes membership to his video tutorials, yes they are long winded, but they are funny, informative and memorable, and really help with toor learning process, and they are FREE … follow the books instructions, listen to Dusty, practice like he guides you too, and before you know it, you’ll be reading Tarot for yourself, friends, family, and once your confidence builds, and your readings come true, then you can consider getting clients.I’m just coming to the end of the training now, and I’m super excited to start to share my new found skills in Tarot, with my friends and family. Once I’ve built up my confidence, I’ll be moving into Dusty’s second book, “Advanced Tarot reading” which of its anything like this one, I can’t wait to get started.Dusty has had 4 decades of experience, he’s made the mistakes, listened to the lies, learnt the truth and is passing all this knowledge onto us, so we can spread the love of the Tarot.Please stick at it, even the boring bits (like with all skills there are some boring bits) and piece it altogether and you won’t regret it.Thank you so much Dusty for sharing everything you know so generously, and for starting me off properly onto my Tarot journey.

I can't believe it's taken me so long to write this review.Two and a half years ago I was a sceptic, but became intrigued after receiving a free reading that seemed accurate. I got a deck of cards, fished for a book, and stumbled on this one. I was completely new to the cards and knew very little about them (or anything else esoteric for that matter), but Dusty explained the cards in a very down to earth way that was easy to follow. Each of his exercises helps you build a personal relationship with your cards. His explanations of the spreads are very clear.When I started the exercises, the cards were just images, just a bit more decorated than a 52 card deck. Now they're family and I often think in cards. When I'm asked a question, sometimes I think in spreads. This book, along with it's sequel Advanced Tarot Secrets (and his professional course), changed me from a resigned sceptic into a spiritual psychic and good Tarot reader. Highly recommend.

This book was very helpful in learning the tarot in a fun way. It also inspired me read more books about the cards as well. Thank you Dusty for this book as you did inspire my love of the cards and to learn all I could.

I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn tarot. Each exercise is helping me to develop my intuition and reading skills and it's a book that I can keep referring back to. Author's free online tarot lesson is also great! :)

Dusty teaches tarot in a no BS way. His way of looking at cards really helps you start to think differently about what the cards mean and his free tarot video course also helps you get started quickly. This book is a workbook, it is full of great exercises to help you really learn to use tarot cards in a unique way for yourself and not to just memorizing standard card meanings. You start to think differently and blend card meanings... it's a breath of fresh air.

This is a must have for every tarot reader. The exercises in this book are unique, and they work really well. Each exercises builds upon the previous one, but they have value individually even for adept readers. You do not need to use traditional meanings of the cards and memorize keywords, but knowledge of the cards meanings can add to the depth of the exercises and of your future readings. The techniques learned in this book can also be applied to read oracle cards if they have meaningful illustrations on them.100% recommend to anyone interested to read tarot!

Great book! It’s a very practical book with exercises to learn to read your cards! It comes with down to earth practical advice and exercises, no floaty sayings.

Good book. I recommend it. If you are beginner is ideal. The teaching is good and easy to follow. The examples are amazing and really helpful.

Esse livro é um ponto de partida simples e prático para quem nunca teve contato com tarô antes e ainda não se sente confiante para estudar a fundo todos os significados das cartas, posições, história, relações com numerologia e astrologia, etc. Ao invés de uma abordagem "mística", o livro tem uma abordagem prática, mostrando o tarô como ele realmente é: um baralho de cartas ilustradas. Você começa literalmente brincando com as cartas, imaginando histórias a partir das ilustrações. Aos poucos, vai aprendendo os significados mais esotéricos, até chegar ao ponto de fazer leituras de verdade. Acho uma forma de ensinar o tarô bastante simples e prática, sem sobrecarregar o iniciante. Um bom conhecimento de Inglês é bem necessário.

This is a great book in terms of content, but its not real book! Its a copy printed book.