MIT Press Live! Presents: Women of Science Tarot

Yesterday morning, I attended yet another wonderful virtual author event hosted by MIT Press from 9:30am to 10:30am. This virtual event was titled MIT Press Live! Presents: Women of Science Tarot.

During this hour long event, the moderator spoke with with Nadja Oertelt and Allan Lasser of Massive Science, the creators of the Women of Science Tarot Deck. I enjoyed listening to Nadja Oertelt and Allan Lasser discuss the creation of the Woman of Science Tarot, answer questions, and perform two tarot readings using the major arcana only.

Below is a summary for Women of Science Tarot from MIT Press:

A tarot deck that features inspirational women of science on the minor arcana cards, plus a guidebook with scientist biographies and other information.

The Women of Science Tarot Deck is a card game that helps us tell stories about our future based on principles of science. Each major arcana card features a fundamental scientific concept like extinction, diversity, or gravity. The 56 minor arcana cards feature inspirational women who have changed the course of STEM. The lively illustrations are by neuroscientist and comic artist Matteo Farinella. For readers new to tarot or those who want to learn more about women in STEM, accompanying the deck is a guidebook with biographies of all the women featured on the cards as well as information about the major arcana cards.

The MIT Press and Massive Science are proud to offer a feminist tarot deck that values diversity and representation.The set includes a tarot deck of 76 cards, measuring approx. 2.75" x 4.75" x 0.95", and a printed paperback gameplay guidebook of approx. 93 pages, approx. 4" x 6" x.45, " packaged in a custom two-piece rigid box.

During the MIT Press Live! Presents: Women of Science Tarot, there was no flip through of the entire Woman of Science Tarot deck. I was very curious as to what the entire tarot deck looked like. I discovered a YouTube video, which is not associated with MIT Press or Massive Science to view what this tarot deck looks like in its entirety. Watch the following video to see what the Women of Science Tarot looks:

I think the Women of Science Tarot deck looks really cool, but it definitely isn't your traditional looking tarot deck. I still think it looks cool though for its uniqueness alone and decided to order a deck for myself as an early Christmas gift.

Last thoughts... I'm kind of surprised that MIT Press would publish a tarot deck!! This doesn't seem like something they would be interested in publishing. But maybe the 'Women of Science' part is what grabbed their attention. The Women of Science Tarot deck is kind of a novel mash up of joining the topics of science/women scientists and tarot together though.

Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot by Staci Mendoza & David Bourne

I've had the hardback edition of Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot by Staci Mendoza & David Bourne in my 'to be read' pile since February 2012. I purchased this remaindered book via Amazon for the wonderfully low price of $2.76... Great buy!

So, what did I think of Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot by Staci Mendoza & David Bourne? I enjoyed reading this book much more than I thought I would. I think it makes a great coffee table book if you are a tarot lover! The dimensions for this book are as follows: 9.56 x 0.55 x 12.06 inches and 96 pages in length. Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot is a great starter book as it covers the basics for beginners... Just enough pertinent information to get one started in understanding and reading tarot cards.

Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot is a beautiful book filled with plenty of colored photographs throughout. Here's what I enjoyed most about this particular tarot book:

* It's well organized! I loved the layout of this book and how it flows from one topic to the next.

* Each card in the major arcana and minor arcana is shown via a photograph along with their meanings in the upright and reversed positions. 

* How to do tarot readings for yourself and others is explained in detail as well as how to use tarot for meditation and self-analysis.

* The reader also learns how to do three different basic tarot layouts/spreads (Celtic Cross, Romany, and Tree of Life) and when to use each of the layouts/spreads for tarot readings. Examples of each tarot layout/spread is explained in detail, a sample tarot reading with the meaning of the cards is provided and how it relates to the person you are reading tarot for.

* Additionally, there are sections that discuss the origins of tarot, how to select a tarot deck, and the astrological sign, planet, or one of the four elements that are associated with each card in the tarot deck. 

Below is the publisher's summary for Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot by Staci Mendoza & David Bourne from Goodreads:

Ideal for the beginner and illuminating for those who are already versed in the Tarot, this book will enhance your understanding of the mysteries of the cards, and help you to take control of your own destiny.

I am giving Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot by Staci Mendoza & David Bourne a rating 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

How To Deal: Tarot For Everyday Life by Sami Main

After recently listening to the unabridged audio version of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern earlier this month, I decided to read a tarot book as The Night Circus features tarot/fortune telling throughout the novel.

As a side note, I should add that I've been curious about tarot cards and tarot readings off and on throughout my adult life. Finding the appropriate first tarot book to read for the beginner has been been one issue to contend with for me personally. There are a plethora of tarot books (and tarot decks too!!) on the market and many of them are packed with what seems to be an overwhelming amount of information for those new to tarot. In fact, I was often put off by many of the tarot books I came across as many of them didn't resonate with me even though they were supposed to be books for tarot newbies (too woo woo, too new age, too hokey, too academic, too boring, too confusing, etc,). 

I simply wanted a starter tarot book that would help me understand the very basics of tarot with out being overwhelmed by a ton of information... From there I could expand my knowledge with other tarot books, YouTube videos, and so on.

I feel like I've discovered a really good tarot book for the beginner. I finished reading How To Deal: Tarot For Everyday Life by Sami Main and illustrated Marisa de la Pena this past Saturday.

What did I like about How To Deal: Tarot For Everyday Life by Sami Main?

* It's a very quick, easy and straight forward book to read!!
* It includes a table of contents and short introduction.
* It contains a positive message contained throughout the entire book.
* I loved the layout of this book and how it is divided up so that each section focuses on each of the four suits in tarot and then followed by a section covering the major arcana.
* I also enjoyed learning about the meaning  of each of the 78 cards in a tarot deck in an easy to digest single paragraph. Each paragraph gave me the overall meaning of each card's meaning distilled down to its essence.
* At the end of each section covered in the book there is a short section of questions to test your knowledge and help you better understand what you've read.
* The last section of the book covers how to do tarot readings, plus explains 8 different types of tarot layouts, and when to do each of the layouts for specific types of readings. 
* The entire books was straight forward and I can't emphasize this point enough.

What were the cons for How To Deal: Tarot For Everyday Life by Sami Main?

* It's not for the experienced tarot enthusiast.
* It isn't for the person who wants an in depth book about tarot.
* It doesn't cover reversals.
* It probably doesn't dig down deep into the entire meaning of each tarot card. But it does seem to distill the basic meaning of each card, which is essentially what I was and still am looking for at this time. I figure that I can always purchase and read another more detailed tarot book in the future once I have mastered the basics of tarot.

Another side note, How To Deal: Tarot For Everyday Life by Sami Main was published in 2018. I didn't realize at the time I purchased this book that it fell into the teen/young adult genre! I had pretty much assumed that all tarot books were written for adults and solely found in the tarot/divination/occult genre category - not the teen/young adult section.

Below is the publisher's summary I found on Amazon's website:

If you want to channel the power of the cosmos through tarot, this accessible and practical guide is for you. Written for novices and seasoned readers alike, How to Deal is packed with artwork and includes prompts, exercises, and layouts to give you the answers you're looking for.

Sometimes you just need the universe to tell you whether your crush likes you or how to handle that awkward family situation or which life path is the best one for you. Sami Main breaks down how the cards relate to one another, explaining spreads for future readings and questions to ask the cards. And she takes you through all the Major and Minor Arcana, with colorful illustrations of the cards and detailed descriptions of what they mean.

As Sami will teach you: The cards are here to guide you through life’s ups and downs—you just have to understand what they’re trying to say.

I am giving How To Deal: Tarot For Everyday Life by Sami Main a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!