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Swords is an easy way to understand this, because its progression shows that as the numbers go higher, the darkness of the cards increase. A helpful “tarot FAQ” in the introduction perfect for those on the fence and concerned about some of the myths and misconceptions around tarot. I think that’s because this is more of a creative lifestyle book using tarot as a medium of understanding than a tarot book that’s about creative life. Until recently, I’d never understood that a tarot deck is, more or less, a way to interpret personal stories – a hero’s journey told in cycles and represented through universal archetypes. She says that The Fool is a great card to follow at the beginning of a project, or when you are stuck in the middle and you need to let go and trust your intuition.
Nowadays, Crispin lives in New York when she’s not traveling the globe, and also runs the literary magazine Spoila. I found myself reflecting on the real world stories used as examples even without attempting a reading. The guide helps you find exactly what you need and provides the ancient interpretations and Crispin's new modern take.
Most of the people who have studied Keun’s life don’t take most of what she said about herself seriously. Anyway, I’ve read a lot on these subjects that I wasn’t going to put in the book, it’s more like a side interest of mine. Personally, I would rather have a tarot book that explains choosing the cards, spreads, and using ones intuition from the images on the card than a memorize everything thing. The more you add, the harder it is to carry all of these swords, and the more your mind can spin out of control.
Then my cup was inverted on its saucer, and the shape the grounds made was interpreted to tell me my future. There’s a generalization about spies with the Queen of Wands that says spies don’t actually seek out information, it just happens to find them, and that spies only do the job because it’s exciting (which falls apart if you think about people who spy because they want a fascist regime taken down… it’s all about the thrill babey! The overview is done well, suitable even for novices to the tarot, and her approach will likely appeal to people who are interested but dislike excessive mysticism.This book is kind of weird in the same sense because it very much suits its subtitles: “a modern guide to an inspired life”.
And my guess is that this was her master plan anyway, and her next move is to take us even further inside. While Crispin covers a lot of ground in a very accessible way, this book isn’t designed for a complete tarot beginner looking for a traditional approach.You can imagine Crispin sharing her stories with you personally and get drawn into her unique perspective and personality. I picked this up based on Heidi The Hippie Librarian’s review, as well as on the strength of the title, ‘A Modern Guide to an Inspired Life. And so the mixing of those symbols, adding an element to a number, to a Greek god, to an astrological marker, would create more complex meanings. Like most tarot readers, I can’t read the cards for myself, past very basic one-card draw kinds of things.
Either the author was cherry-picking parts of the people’s lives to fit the card, or vice versa, but it's obvious straws were being grasped. There’s divination by the shapes of clouds, the shapes of the facets of gemstones, the entrails of a sacrificed pigeon or rabbit. It will not only help guide new practitioner but it will also help guide and aide long time tarot users as well. Death prompts us to say goodbye to ways we used to work or live, and the Devil warns against addiction and obsession. Crispin offers spiritual readings of the cards, practical information for the uninspired artist, and a wealth of fascinating anecdotes about famous artists including Virginia Woolf, Rembrandt, and David Bowie, and how they found inspiration.
The spreads weren’t my cup of tea, but they are probably great if you’re looking to use tarot for creative endeavors.
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