Blog

Tarot Spreads for Love, Career and More by Ian Eshey
Self published, 2013
Rating: 3 decks

Tarot Spreads for Love, Career and More attempts to demystify spreads and show the reader how to harness the power of a good spread. Eshey uses the introduction to frame the rest of the book. He explains his philosophy and how a reader can get the most out of the book. The rest of the chapters break down various spreads by theme. He starts out with many of the most common spreads readers use, and then delves into spreads used for love, money and other topics.

This book is a great beginner’s guide to spreads. Eshey takes the time to delve into some popular spreads that can often confuse new readers. He shares the layout of what that spread looks like, then he breaks each position down into what it asks and gives you a example from his real life. There is a wide variety of spreads and examples from Eshey’s own life in this book.

What I didn’t like about Tarot Spreads for Love, Career and More is that sometimes the stories Eshey uses doesn’t add up and really seem to answer the question that the querent gave at the beginning of the “session.” Many of the stories, don’t give a specific card and how that card relates back to the position of the spread. I also found that in Chapter 2, his image for the “Card of the Day” spread doesn’t seem to align with the description. This threw me off a bit.

Other than the stories being a bit too fitting and not using actual cards, I liked the book. The introduction was were I got my biggest bang for my buck with how Eshey describes his take on the purpose of spreads and how to get the most out of them. He includes many key tips for getting the most out of a spread and I was impressed how he distilled the purpose of the Major, Minor, and Court cards with ease.

Bottom Line: If you are new to Tarot and want to understand spreads and see how they can work for you, then you’ll like Tarot Spreads for Love, Career and More. Eshey’s philosophy of “people like to play,” so “make an experience interesting, you get more and more immersed in it. It really is as simple as that.” I think that beginners and advanced Tarot enthusiasts alike can find insights from this book.

Today’s draw is Page of Cups. From yesterday’s The Sun surprise visit of my family in town to today’s fun of flights of fantasy with my friends discussing writing projects it’s been a fun trip. The Page of Cups is a curious person. They delight in imaginative things and flairs. Today I spent the day with my family, as I took them through the Bridgeport stores (oooh, the pretty shirts and stuff I found for my trip to BATS. If you’re coming, you get to see the new outfits! Thanks Mom!) looking for fun clothing that fits my fantasy.

Currently, I’m enjoying a hot chocolate while sitting with two of my favorite writing partners. We’re discussing our current workloads and project lists and supporting the ideas we have going on. It’s a lot of Page of Cups and I love it.

Yeah, I know I’m a bit late in posting this but I have good reason. Today’s draw is The Sun and it means happiness. In the image on the Rider Waite Smith card, there is an image of a naked child riding a horse. That image always has had a connection to family and happiness. Well, my surprise was that my parents (who I thought weren’t going to make it into town for my 40th) actually arrived last night. So, see? I did have a Sun sort of day.

Today’s card is The High Priestess. She is the ultimate oracle, the keeper of the unknown, and secrets. The original oracle, the high priestess utilizes her intuitive skills to understand the deeper meanings of life. She reminds me that intuition is important, that knowing is different than KNOWING and that it’s good to exercise one’s intuitive skills daily.

BATS is a great place to hone one’s skills as an intuitive and to expand knowledge. I can’t wait to see what unknown things bubble up to the known during the weekend. I’ve always found magic exists at conventions like these.

As I shuffled the cards for today’s draw, the Queen of Cups popped out. She’s a bold and dramatic woman with a lot of expression and emotion. As my BATS countdown continues, the Queen of Cups reminds me enjoy myself and be as bold and dramatic as I can. Yes, this can be a bit overwhelming to some but as it’s my birth month, it’s time for this Leo to let her mane down and celebrate.

I’m turning 40 this Sunday and on Saturday, Kender has planned a party for me. On this same date, my Mother and Father in law married… making my future with my partner possible. They, along with many of my good friends, will be arriving at my house to enjoy a day of celebration and what other surprises he, and they, have in store for me.