- Tarot in Love – Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart
- Author – Elliot Adam
- Publisher – Llewellyn
- Recommended retail price – $22.99USD approximately £15 GBP
- ISBN – 978-0-7387-6873-1
- Review by Emma
I frequently recoil at giving relationship readings as I feel considerable anxiety when presented with such questions. I was delighted to find Elliot Adam’s new book from Llewelyn, Tarot in Love – Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart. It is pleasing to find a generously sized volume of 392 pages dedicated to reading tarot in the context of relationships. The text features illustrations from the classic Rider Waite Smith deck, specifically the ‘Tarot original 1909 Deck’ from Lo Scarabeo. The text is an expected layout, providing an introduction and then working through each of the 78-card tarot deck. There then follows a section containing six spreads for relationship readings, a visualisation with the Empress card, and finally a conclusion and a quick reference appendix at the back detailing ‘How does this person feel?’, again providing an interpretation of a few sentences for both upright and reversed cards.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found the writing style to be light and informative at the same time. Some may find the introduction patronising but I found it quite the opposite and spent a lot of time nodding and exclaiming “Oh yes!” For me, this was affirming why I don’t like doing relationship readings. The information provided is small yet at the same time provides a great springboard to jump off to develop your meanings and interpretations further. The card explanations were informative, and it was helpful to see a contextual relationship-type breakdown. Each card is provided with a general or archetypal introduction and then drills into this a little more in the following contexts: new relationship, long-term partnership, intimacy, seeking romance, and desires. Information is provided for both upright and reversed cards. And finally, the text provides some detail regarding what the card may be teaching you as a querent. This is the same format for the Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, and court cards.
The spread section was of interest to me. I generally use only a couple of spreads in my arsenal and have had some interesting conversations with my own deck trying out these spreads. Whether I will add any of these spreads to my own practice or not I’m not yet decided. What they have done is provided me with a springboard to incorporate into my current reading practice which is great, and I envisage that they will help me give these types of readings in the future. The Empress’ visualisation has also provided further ideas for me to incorporate into my personal practice.
The book has thus far been very useful to me in developing my skills in this area. Typically, most of my readings lately for others haven’t been on this topic! I look forward to using my learning from the text. I think that the book is suitable for beginners to more advanced readers; there isn’t an overload of information and if needed the text provides a firm foundation on which to grow a reader’s understanding. It is a relatable text with some small self-disclosure and encourages self-reflection on relationships and reading tarot in this context.
Elliot Adam is from Chicago, IL, and owns his own tarot shop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He can be found online at www.ElliotOracle.com. Adam reads tarot for an international clientele, including Hollywood scriptwriters, high-profile journalists, actors, and doctors. To my delight, I have also learned that he holds a doctorate in playing the classical oboe. Adam’s other published work is the popular book Fearless Tarot.
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