Book Review: The Living Tarot by T. Susan Chang
Book Review: The Living Tarot by T. Susan Chang
by Lauren F. Saunders
T. Susan Chang is a prolific and talented writer, as well as a tarot expert. Accessible and fun, this workbook will get you started on your tarot journey, or like it did for me, continue your tarot practice down a new path. Chang leads tarot online courses, teaches as a professor at Smith College, and has written her whole life, as well as having studied classics at Harvard, all of which informs her witty and profound prose. One of the many qualities Chang brings to her writing and speaking is her warm humor and engaging humility. You have a book written by your best tarot friend, so pick it up and have fun!
The Living Tarot workbook is also substantive enough to be used as a self-paced course on tarot, with guidance on how to proceed if that is your interest. I use it for reference and inspiration, and I especially like her body-centric tarot approach. She encourages the reader to connect somatically and relax when drawing cards to get the best reading.
Reviewing The Living Tarot had me thinking about my current non-fiction binges, which are “all tarot, all the time”. Most tarot reading for me these days is stacked up beside my daily draw of two cards, inspired by Chang’s discussion of Card of the Day practices. She often chooses two cards of the day, and tries an approach of reflecting on them as “something to look for/ something to try” (164). In this book, Chang wrote an entire chapter just on “Card of the Day,” perhaps one of the most common rituals of tarot readers.
She has a refreshingly intuitive and relatable tarot practice, which comes through in her writing style, especially in The Living Tarot. Whether it is the “priming the pump” exercise or her famous tarot charts, any reader will find this work valuable. Unafraid of contradiction, Susan writes, “...no, you can’t teach anyone tarot” (2). But as she shows in this workbook, you can have wonderful teachers that guide you, as you self-instruct. At Líf Books, The Living Tarot compliments other tarot-related offerings. Come in for cup of tea and contemplate our tarot selections.
By Lauren Saunders, M.Ed.
Lauren is a freelance writer who also runs and assists with programs and activities at Líf Books.
Let us know, how do you use your tarot cards and guide books? Would you like to learn more about tarot? Would you attend a tarot reading /have your cards read? If you already like and practice tarot, what is your favorite deck?
The Living Tarot
by T. Susan Chang
Tarot card decks available at Líf Books
Goddess Tarot Deck - a great option
The Wild Unknown tarot deck- very creative art on each card
The classic Rider tarot deck