Seventy-Eight Degrees Wisdom

Description

Top tarotist’s secrets to personal growth, one card at a time. The two volumes of Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom have inspired a whole generation of tarot students. It has often been described by readers, booksellers, and teachers as the “Bible of tarot readers.” It is also often cited as one of the landmark books in modern tarot, and it helped to launch the “Tarot Renaissance” of the 1980s. The two texts one for The Major Arcana and one for The Minor Arcana appear together in this volume, which is a reissue of the 1998 edition first published by Thorsons. Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom draws on mythology and esoteric traditions and delves deeply into the symbolism and ideas of each card. It also gives the cards a modern psychological slant based on the pictures rather than a system of occult symbolism. This endlessly useful reference tool provides a concise history of tarot, introduces common spreads, and is a clear and readable book for both the beginning and advanced tarot student.

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom is an essential part of every Tarot library. Some even refer to it as the “Tarot Reader’s Bible.” Using images from the popular Rider Waite deck, Pollack shares the in-depth meaning of each card, examining it from several differing aspects in terms of the symbolism, mythological, astrological, numerological, historical and psychological. This book provides knowledge and understanding of the Tarot for both people who know a great deal about the spiritual and psychological ideas of the Tarot and the beginner who might know nothing at all. It also focuses on readings, not simply as predictions, but rather as a way of discovering ourselves, and beyond that, the spirituals wonder of life.

This Tarot journey to self-awareness is organized into three parts for easy reference.
major arcana, tarot deck, the fool, magick, magician, high priestess, tarot cards,

Part One: The Major Arcana
The purpose of the Major Arcana is twofold. First of all, by isolating the elements of our lives into archetypes it enables us to see them in their pure forms, as aspects of psychological truth. Secondly, it helps us to truly resolve these different elements, to us to unity. In reality, perhaps the innocence symbolized by the Fool never existed. Somehow, we experience as something lost. The Major Arcana tells us how to get it back.

Part Two: The Minor Arcana
The Tarot demonstrates many things, some very unexpected. These things emerge through interpretation of the Tarot’s images, through joining those images in meditation, and through seeing the combinations formed in readings. Taken separately, the cards of the Minor Arcana present us with a grand panorama of human experiences. Together, and in union with the archetypal Major cards, they draw us into ever wider knowledge of the changing wonder of life.

Part Three: Readings
Readings teach us a general lesson as well as a very important one. In a manner no explanation can possibly equal, they demonstrate that no card, no approach to life, is good or bad except in the context of the moment. Giving readings gives each person a chance to renew his or her instinctive feeling for the pictures themselves. All the symbolism, all the archetypes, all the explanations given prepares you to look at each picture and say, “This card tells me…”

Product Detail:

ISBN: 9781578636655
Paperback, 368 pages
Publisher: Weiser Books, Published Date: March 2019 Third Revised Edition
Size: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches, Weight: 1.2Lbs

Author – Rachel Pollack

Rachel Pollack

Rachel Pollack (1945-2023) was the leading light and foremost influence on modern Tarot. Her bestselling book, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, first published in 1980 and never out of print, is widely described as the “Bible of Tarot.” She was also a great influence upon the science fiction, fantasy, and comics communities, as well as being a trailblazer within the transgender community. A master of many genres, Pollack is renowned for her run of issues #64-87 of Doom Patrol (Vertigo Comics), where she created the first transgender superhero. A prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction, her other books include A Walk Through the Forest of Souls, Unquenchable Fire, Godmother Night, and The Fissure King. She was the creator of The Shining Tribe Tarot and wrote the books for numerous other decks, including The Vertigo Tarot and Salvador Dali’s Tarot. Pollack taught at the famed Omega Institute for over thirty years.

Reviews:

“What is your favorite tarot book? The answer is always 78 Degrees of Wisdom. It was the third tarot book I read but the first to speak my language so I could understand those ideas that previously were right outside of my grasp. The tarot was a tool, and it fit in my hand. This book taught me how to use it and I am forever grateful to Rachel Pollack for making this accessible, brilliant guide to my future.” —Melissa Cynova, author of Kitchen Table Tarot — Melissa Cynova

“An inspiration to Tarot readers for 40 years, this is still the all-time best book for exploring both the deeper symbolism and practical meanings of the Major and Minor Arcana. I encourage you to turn to 78 Degrees of Wisdom to learn to read with and interpret the images of the Rider-Waite Tarot or, indeed, any deck.” —Mary K. Greer, author of Tarot for Your Self — Mary K. Greer

“Rachel Pollack’s writings were the beacon that led me towards a deeper, more nuanced relationship with my tarot cards. As a new learner, this book in particular demystified a deck of cards I knew I loved, but had no idea how to really ‘reach’. Later as I grew as a tarot reader, Rachel’s ideas provided a sturdy springboard for my own personal approach to tarot and I still regularly turn to my tattered copy for inspiration and insight. I lovingly recommend this book to everyone who is serious about learning tarot.”—Beth Maiden, Little Red Tarot — Beth Maiden

“Whenever I have a question about tarot, I reach for 78 Degrees of Wisdom. It is the most in-depth exploration of tarot and my most trusted resource. I’m delighted and grateful for this new edition because my old one has completely fallen apart from so much use. No doubt this one will soon become dog-eared as well. If you want to learn tarot, you’ll want 78 Degrees on your bookshelf too. It’s the gold standard in tarot.” —Theresa Reed, author of The Tarot Coloring Book and co-author of Tarot For Troubled Times — Theresa Reed

“78 Degrees of Wisdom holds a very special place in my heart and was very influential in shaping my relationship with tarot. The wisdom from Rachel’s words still weaves through my work with the cards, even after three decades. Anyone interested in learning tarot can’t go wrong including this book in their reading list. Her words will stick with you and help create a strong foundation, no matter where your tarot journey takes you.” —Barbara Moore, creator of Steampunk Tarot — Barbara Moore

“Rachel Pollack Is a world authority of the contemporary Tarot – and a role model for the deliberate, open-minded, encouraging, and essentially life-discovering and self-helping use of the cards. I love her books in which she discloses, too, how her ‘tarot wisdom’ developed, changed and amended over more than 40 years now. The basic things for me is her personal integrity. She is dedicated to human growth and – wow — she walks the talk. My best congrats and my warm thanks, Rachel!” —Johannes Fiebig, Germany, publisher AGM / Koenigsfurt-Urania, co-author of The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot — Johannes Fiebig

“First published in two volumes, in 1980 and 1983, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom is one of those rare groundbreaking works that changed the way that people look at the Tarot.  Pollack helped to redefine the Tarot, transforming it from simply a tool for fortune-telling to one that outlines a path for spiritual development.” —Robert M. Place, author of The Tarot, History, Symbolism, and Divination, and creator of The Alchemical Tarot and The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery
— Robert M. Place

“If there is such a thing as tarot royalty, then Rachel Pollack is its queen and 78 Degrees of Wisdom is the trailblazing text that ordained her as such. Essential reading for the beginner and a classic that tarot masters will return to time and time again, this is the book to have in your library. I make it a point to sit down and reread 78 Degrees cover to cover at least once every five years, and that makes a cardinal difference in my personal development. All my reverence and admiration to the inimitable Rachel Pollack.” —Benebell Wen, author of Holistic Tarot — Benebell Wen

“Rachel Pollack possesses one of the finest minds in Tarot wedded to the sensibility of a sagacious – and frequently wry – storyteller. 78 Degrees of Wisdom stands the test of time as an important cornerstone of Tarot learning and remains one of the best resources for those new to Tarot as well as seasoned veterans.”—Thalassa Therese, Producer of the San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium (SF BATS) and blogger at The Diviner’s Folly and Travels With Thalassa — Thalassa Therese

Your purchase on this site helps Theosophy Foundation, Inc., sustain and promote, worldwide, the first principle: “We are all One.” If interested in Theosophy and what it’s all about, please visit our parent website: www.blavatsky.net.
Thank you.