The 40th anniversary edition of the best-selling Tarot classic.
Rachel Pollack’s Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom inspired a whole generation of Tarot students. Often referred to as the “Bible of Tarot books”, it is a landmark book that helped launch today’s Tarot renaissance. Drawing on mythology and esoteric traditions and delving deeply into the symbolism and ideas of each card, the book offers a modern psychological interpretation of the tarot archetypes rather than a system of esoteric symbolism.
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16 reviews for Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness
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Pia Martocchi –
By far the best book about tarot! It gives a very deep look into each card but more important a connection between them AND our daily life. It helps understanding the tarot by comparing it to the psychological development we all go through. Not just a book with 30 key points per card to memorize!
TheLindaC –
This book was recommended to me when I purchased my first Rider Waite tarot deck and knew SO little about tarot. What a difference this book makes in helping you learn and understand the traditional Rider deck!! The rich themes, stories and nuances of the cards do Not come thru in the tiny booklets that come with the decks….this book Really gives great depth of understanding the cards in upright and reversed positions. Absolutely a necessary companion to tarot in my ‘book!’ 😉
12 bags –
Brilliant, insightful and practical, helped me gain confidence in my own intuition. An essential read for anyone wanting to truly understand tarot.
MM in PS –
So many tarot books out there give a 3-page history of the tarot, then dive into what each card means. This book takes the time to look at the way the deck is structured, how the order of the cards makes sense, the symbolism and numerology, and then what each card means. But more than just keywords and vagaries, you learn the Why behind the meanings, and gain highly useful, grounding perspective that helps you remember those meanings. For me, it was the perfect combination of elements that kick-started my tarot learning into higher gear. Looking forward to exploring the author’s other tarot works, which I’m certain are as thoughtful and knowledgeable as this one.
serge gainsbourg –
this work gets four stars for giving a comprehensive thought analysis on why Tarot works, how to interpret the cards in the Major Arcana in relation to each other, how to interpret different spreads, her nod to appreciating all the work that was put into the cards by previous generations, and an excellent analysis on the ways in which modern science can be just as rigid, inflexible, and dogmatic in its explanations of the deep mysteries of life and the universe. that being said, the meanings she gives to the cards are what turned me off to Tarot for so many years. they are just so overwhelmingly negative and filled with a sense of inescapable doom and gloom. i recommend this book for anyone serious about learning Tarot. but there are other ways to interpret these cards. this book is a good start but i have been reading about general symbolic interpretations about colors, numbers, animal imagery, the layout of images on the cards (left or right/top versus bottom), the symbols themselves (conjunctions, circles, spirals, squares, triangles) and combining that with astrological meanings to get a less gloomy view of the cards. i also always factor in the reversed meanings for every card and thus i never have them reversed when laying out a spread. when i do this, i always get lots of upside down cards and it really affects my mood. but i don’t ignore reversals, they have to exist in order for the upright meaning to exist so i consider it all, sideways, crossways, whatever keeps me grounded and focused.
Yesitislisa –
I was searching for a book on symbolism in the Tarot And chose this because of the positive reviews. it was not what I was searching for, a quick easy to use reference guide to quickly gain an understanding of symbolism. What it IS Though, is A well written, easy to read, in-depth Understanding of the deck. I have no desire to use it as a quick reference guide, but to slowly read through card by card. I am only halfway through the major arcana and I am so enjoying learning, again that in depth understanding Of history and symbolism and how different cards tie together to create a story. The writers style Resonates with my learning style. This book is not for those Looking for a Basic understanding to read cards for friends. For those looking to really connect with the history of the cards This is the book. I am savoring every minutes I’m reading it
Pia Martocchi –
The best book on the Tarot cards. It is not necessary to use the cards as oracle. It is possible to use the cards for the purpose of meditation, to gain self-knowledge and wisdom. In as much as the cards represent all aspects of our life it is also possible to draw (say) five cards at random and create a story. Fun.
red wolf –
It is a good read for all who are interested in tarot reading. The explainable by Author gives another insight on the cards. Good buy!
Tessa N. –
This book is so incredibly informative, easy to understand, and now officially my right hand go-to if I ever have trouble with interpretations. Thank you Rachael Pollack!!! The annotations I’ve made on this book are at an insane level. Beginners could benefit a lot from this book. It’s help me gain more insight than just watching YouTube.
Carla –
This was a pleasant surprise! I recommend it to anyone interested in tarot
Marty –
This is rated as the best Tarot book ever written. I can believe that. It is very in depth. The layout and structure is very different to most Tarot books, it is actually best to read the entire book beginning to end, not just as a reference to “look up” each card meaning whilst doing a reading.
charlouise –
This book was one of the first books I read when I began studying tarot and to begin with I didn’t have enough knowledge to appreciate the depth and complexity of the book. Now that I have learnt the basics of Tarot I see that this is a must-have item for any reader worth their salt.
Chelsea –
Pollack has a refreshing voice which is at once scholarly and pedestrian. Her writing is easy to follow, well laid out, and comprehensive. She goes into much detail regarding symbolism, history, and interpretation—yet somehow manages to keep every bit of the content completely relevant and useful. (I also really enjoy The Ultimate Guide To Tarot Card Meanings by Brigit Esselmont. However, Esselmont‘s descriptions tend to have this heavy filter of “positivity”, which I find really distorting at times. Her philosophy is a personal one, and that’s fine; but it’s nowhere near as well researched or earnestly delivered as Pollack’s book.)
I was continually confronted with this book since the start of my tarot journey several years ago. My gut didn’t tell me to buy it until a couple months ago, and for great reason (in retrospect). While at first I was upset I hadn’t bought it sooner, I now concede that having a well-established understanding of tarot and the mystery schools made my reading experience much more impactful. However, I do feel a neophyte will get a lot out of it. And honestly, it’s a must-have for anyone who is serious about tarot… make the investment.
The binding is nice on the paperback edition; I can bend the spine to my liking with no damage or bad creasing. My only complaint is to the publisher for such TERRIBLE editing. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors abound. While I tend to be picky about that sort of thing in general, I still feel the next edition needs a serious editor… this is a gem and should be preserved in its best light. However, to the buyer: DO NOT let that keep you from purchasing!
Briana P –
Let me start by saying, this book is dense. If you’re looking for something that just gives quick descriptions of the card’s meanings, this might not be for you. That being said, it is a wonderful book filled with so much useful information. Pollack talks not only about the cards themselves, but also of the historical and contextual societies they were developed during which brings a whole new meaning to the cards. She ties this in seamlessly to modern times and connections with other cards, so that by the time you actually get to the section specifically on divination meaning, you can almost figure it our for yourself. She does provide multiple perspectives for the reversals. I don’t mind that as I see the more knowledge the better, but I can see it being a difficult thing for me to navigate (as I’m a new reader) when trying to decipher which of the contexts is correct. But that’s more about time and practice than anything else. Overall, great book that I wish I had bought years ago.
Mic –
I bought a few recommended books and did multiple choice readings on them, guess what!
1 everyday tarot got Star
2. 78 degree got Sun
3. The easiest way of learning tarot ever got 7 of wands
I shuffled many times, the Sun card dropped off twice when channeling for 78 degree. The 3rd time it came out, I laughed.
Since starting reading the book, I can’t put it down. It added so much with my previous study, I am always intuitive and not good at structured learning, this one just added so much more in depth of enhancing intuition. Now it is with solid understanding of all those “aha” moment!
Recommend to combining the Ultimate guide to Tarot by Liz Dean. They both are talking to each other. Liz book covers factors in an informative fashion as a ultimate reference.
Key of Learning tarot:
1. What is your intention: for me, it is process to connect physical and spiritual world to level up my positivity by accepting we are living in a paradoxically duality and everything is perfect as it means to be to teach us life experiences.
2. Using intuition based on the fundamental principles. However, once you continually develop your psychic power, your guts will let know you do it all right.
Just remember, there is your way, there is my way, there is no right way 🙂
Enjoy your journey!
Whitney Dinger –
This book is so amazing. It’s not just a break down of the cards it’s a story. It’s not just clue words and planet/sign placements it’s the depth at which the author goes into to explain all the details of the cards and how to use the formulas. It’s the whys it’s the pieces coming to lather to form the story. This book was recommended to me by a content creator on TikTok, it has single handedly been one the best purchases I’ve ever made regarding divination. 20/10. Idk how to explain it other than I get now.