Tarot: Your Everyday Guide is a practical companion that answers questions in a down to earth and helpful way, offering real-life examples and parallels to assist in illustrating the meaning and advice of the card. Renee provides enough information that readers can understand the advice the cards are offering, regardless of their individual situations including an explanation that nothing bad will happen if the reader doesn’t take the cards advice. She points out that tarot cards are neutral and merely suggest possibilities, not things that will absolutes happen to you. A preliminary section focuses on reading the cards and lengthy explanations about how to structure a question to receive the most focused and therefore helpful answer. Also covered are how to layout the cards; information on court cards, reversed cards and gendered cards; as well as sample readings with detailed scenarios, layouts and potential meanings. Unusually for most tarot books, equal space and attention is given to both major and minor arcana cards (making this a worthwhile addition to one’s library for this alone). Renee avoids keywords and stock phrases; the card explanation usually includes a description of the traditional card symbols and meanings and then moves on to the more specific wisdom of the card in an advice context. The information is broken up to apply to several situations, such as work, love, creativity and general advice. Given the proportion of text given to reversed cards, this book would be more helpful for readers who rarely use their cards reversed. I believe this book is an excellent addition to the tarot reference library. Although it is not broad enough to be the only tarot manual one owns, it is very useful for action- or advice-oriented, everyday questions. (Not everyone is after tarot meditations, astrological and numerological correspondences or deep spiritual insights.) And although it may not be fully suited to absolute beginners due to the sheer amount of advice and options offered in a single reading, it is perfect for the intermediate tarot reader. ~ review by Lisa Mc Sherryby Janina ReneeLlewellyn Publications, 2000pp. 270, $12.95
