Learning how to read Tarot cards is often perceived as a very daunting task. If you search around on the Internet, you will find several books and websites that promise to teach you how to read Tarot cards as well. In my experience, some of these books and websites are often quite good.

So imagine my surprise when I got an e-mail from Brigit of Biddy Tarot asking me to review her eBook – Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence! To say that I was floored would be an understatement. I follow all of Brigit’s blog posts on her site via my RSS news reader, and am constantly amazed by her insights and observations. You too can visit Brigit’s website, and go through her blog and share her deep insights.

Naturally, I spent the past few days reading her eBook and confirming my great opinion of her knowledge and understanding of the Tarot cards. 🙂

So, without much ado, let’s take a quick peek into what the eBook is all about.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence by Brigit Esselmont

If ever you wanted to learn how to read Tarot cards, and you wanted a step-by-step approach which you could spread out over a period of 31 days, then this book is perfect for you!

Mind you, if you are looking for a book that gives you card pictures and meanings, then this eBook is not what you are looking for. Although, you will find the keyword meanings for each card at the end of the book in the Appendix section, this book is more devoted to a self-study approach. In the eBook, Brigit does ask you to go through a list of suggested books that do follow the typical pictures-meanings approach, and purchase one such book for the purpose of this 31 day course.

Also, it bears to mention that Brigit’s eBook is peppered with links to other online resources (blog posts and websites), both hers and others, where you can find additional information or more information about various topics that she is covering in that chapter.

In my opinion, Brigit’s way of teaching you how to read the Tarot cards using an activity-based, self study approach does have a lot of merits, because it helps you form deep and personal connections with your Tarot cards.

So, let’s look at each of the sections of this book, and understand what they are all about.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Welcome

The book begins with a welcome message that immediately puts you at ease with the seemingly daunting task that lies ahead of you when you are planning to set out on a course to learn how to read Tarot cards. Brigit starts off by telling you how you should use the book (and she calls this a ‘Workbook’ – which is perfect, because that is exactly what this book is), and how you should go about pursuing your studies of Tarot. Brigit also tells you about her Tarot Foundations Community, where you can connect with other Tarot enthusiasts who are learning the Tarot just like you. And then, of course, there is a short Bio of Brigit, which tells you all about her journey with the cards.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Timetable and Lessons

After all the introductions and welcomes, you are presented with a timetable which I strongly suggest you follow. Since the lessons are spread out over a period of 31 days, it is here that you get a quick glance at what lessons lie ahead for you.

Although I am jumping a gun a bit, I would like to point out that the best thing I liked about her eBook was the ‘Activities’ section at the end of each chapter. Not only do these help reinforce the the lessons one reads in the chapter, but it also gives you a practical way to experience that lesson and drive the learning points home.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Days 1 to 5: Getting Started

The first five days of this course help you get started with the process of learning to read the Tarot cards.

You begin with learning about what Tarot is all about, and how it can be used. You learn about the deck of Tarot cards, and understand the basic philosophy regarding looking at predictions using these Tarot cards. Since it is the beginning, you are asked to examine your personal motivations regarding the Tarot, and examining what you want to do with your knowledge of the Tarot. Brigit then guides you in the process of selecting the right Tarot deck for your study, and then tells you of the various methods in which you can care for your Tarot card deck.

As I have mentioned before, the eBook doesn’t follow a typical approach where you are presented with the pictures of the cards and their meanings. So it is also during this time that you are guided to buy a good Tarot book which follows the typical pattern. Brigit’s suggestions for the books you can buy for this purpose are also great – these books are perfect companion books for your study.

Next, Brigit guides you through the process of creating a Tarot Journal. It is in this journal that you will be recording all of your thoughts, ideas and keywords, and of course, everything else that you might want to record about your study and understanding of Tarot. This eBook also has some wonderful templates which you can print out and make copies of, and use in your journal to record your observations and thoughts.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Days 6 to 18: Learning the Tarot Card Meanings

The next few days will be focused completely on the process of learning the meanings of your Tarot cards. Brigit begins by talking about the difference between ‘rational’ and ‘intuitive’ learning approaches. Then we get a overview of the Tarot cards in our chosen deck, and familiarize ourselves with the cards. Then Brigit talks you through the process of creating keyword charts, which will be the cornerstone of your knowledge collection process during the time you learn how to read Tarot cards. Of course, a template for such a keyword chart is also given for you in the Appendix section, so you can quickly print it out and make copies for your Tarot Journal.

From Day 9, you begin your actual learning process, by starting with the Minor Arcana. Personally, I found this very interesting and refreshing. Most of the books generally start the learning process with the Major Arcana, which can be daunting for beginners. The Minors are very easy to understand, and the images are also quite relatable for most of us. And that is why, I really liked her choice of beginning the learning process with the Minor Arcana.

After an interesting overview of the Minors, we begin by delving into the Suit of Cups, Suit of Pentacles, Suit of Swords and the Suit of Wands, one by one. For each Suit, Brigit starts off with an explanation of the suit’s energies, and then in the ‘Activities’ section, we delve right into the process of understanding the meanings of the cards themselves. A Suit Summary Template has also been provided in the Appendix section, so you can quickly use it to fill it up with your observations and thoughts and keywords.

Once you are done with the Suits, on Day 14, you will tackle the Court Cards. Many people find the Court Cards quite confusing, and Brigit easily guides you through the intricate layers of meaning hidden in the images of these cards. If you sincerely do all the ‘Activities’ for this section, you will be truly at ease with these cards, and find yourself making friends with the Court Cards! 🙂

On Day 15, you will finally tackle the Major Arcana cards, again, using the Keyword Template provided in the Appendix section. Since you’ve used this method before for the Suit and Court cards, you will find that you can easily use this method for the Major Arcana as well.

The following days are spent looking at the other aspects of the Tarot cards such as Numbers (basic Numerology) and Symbols. What I loved about these chapters is how each of the numbers and symbols were nicely explained! The list of commonly found symbols is presented in an alphabetical order, and Brigit walks you through their meanings and helps you understand these symbols better. Of course, this includes a quick look at the Colors and their meanings as well. Assigning a personal meaning to these symbols is also very well explained, and the following ‘Activity’ helps you do the same for yourself!

Finally, on Day 18, you start with deepening your knowledge of the cards by looking at the stories (or making up your own stories!) for the images in the cards – which, according to me is the best thing you can do to really deepen and strengthen your knowledge of the cards.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Days 19 to 23: Deepening Your Tarot Knowledge

What begins on Day 18, continues through this section as well, as you learn how to deepen your knowledge of the Tarot cards.

It is here that Brigit walks you through the processes of creating a Tarot card profile using her Card Profile Template.

Then you learn about the benefits of drawing a card every day and recording your observations in your Tarot Journal, and how it can truly add to your already growing knowledge base.

On Day 22, you learn how to connect the cards and form a story. For this purpose, you look at the 10 cards of each suit, and finally the 21 cards of the Major Arcana, and see how the dots connect. You learn how you can form a story that not only resonates with the meanings of these cards, but also helps you understand the journey of the energy within each of these suits.

On Day 23, you will learn how to create combinations of Tarot cards. I have to be very honest and tell you that I totally delved into the process for myself over here! 🙂 And, I have truly found a great way to form connections between two cards! As such, this process lays the foundations for becoming a good reader, and I found it really inspiring!

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Days 24 to 29: Learning to Read Tarot

And finally comes the section where you apply all the learning you have done so far! It is in this section that you learn how to do a basic Tarot reading, and learn how to use a basic 3-card Tarot spread.

Brigit walks you through the steps you can take to prepare for, and use, before, during and after a Tarot reading. This includes framing a question, selecting a spread, and even how to shuffle the deck!

Brigit also gives a very useful list of the various types of 3 card spreads you can use for your readings (and of course, there are some great examples too!), after which she walks you through the process of interpreting the reading. Of course, you’ve been doing a little bit of this ‘interpretation’ process right from the start, but here is where you truly begin to flex your ‘Tarot’ muscles for real! 🙂

She lays out the interpretation process in an easy to understand manner, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning. All the various aspects of the cards (like colors, symbols, numbers etc) are tackled and considered for this purpose, helping you understand and apply the interpretation process for your spread and readings. Using examples and a step-by-step approach, you are guided through the process of interpretation, which helps you become a good Tarot card reader and fruitfully apply all your Tarot knowledge.

Brigit then goes on to talk about Intuition, and explains how you can learn how to trust and develop your intuitive processes, which help you in your Tarot reading.

On Day 28, Brigit tackles the topic of ‘timing’ which addresses the ‘when’ questions most Tarot card readers face when they start reading the cards for people.

On Day 29, you can learn about the six mistakes you can avoid when you want to read the Tarot cards for yourself. This was yet another section in this eBook which resonated very well with me.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Days 30 to 31: Establishing Your Networks

Once you are done with learning the meanings of the cards and learning how to use that knowledge to do a variety of 3 card spreads, the next step involves practicing your Tarot reading skills, and of course, connecting with other Tarot readers out there. The last 2 days of your 31 days are spent understanding these topics.

Brigit links to some very awesome Tarot communities on the Internet where you can connect with other Tarot readers and students from around the world, and make your connections with others like you. It is always great to meet other Tarot enthusiasts – because I have found that with the Tarot, every reader brings in her own perspective of the cards and you always learn so much more than what you already know!

Finally, you learn about the various ways and different places where you can use your knowledge of Tarot.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Where To From Here?

Of course, the story doesn’t quite end with the 31^st day. Brigit has some very good words of wisdom that will help you navigate the next part of your journey with the Tarot cards – which I suggest that each of you read through carefully. I loved how she gently leaves you feeling empowered with all the knowledge you have gained in the past 31 days with her and her book. 🙂

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Appendix

Since I’ve mentioned the Appendix several times, I am just going to give you a quick list of the tools and templates that have been provided in this eBook.

• Tarot Suit Summary
• Keywords Charts for each of the Suits (for you to fill out)
• Keyword Chart for the Major Arcana (for you to fill out)
• Getting to Know Yourself with the Major Arcana (questions for your Tarot Journal)
• Tarot Card Profile
• A Card a Day
• Three-Card Tarot Spread (for recording your readings in your Tarot Journal)
• Suits Keyword Charts for each of the Suits (with keywords)
• Major Arcana Keyword Chart (with keywords)

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — What I Liked

What I really liked about this eBook is the way Brigit literally ‘talks’ to you! When I was reading the eBook, I didn’t feel like I was reading a book. Rather I felt as if she was sitting by me and telling me all those things. The book reads so well that I felt so naturally drawn into it.

I liked the way she has divided up the activities and topics of the Tarot learning process into easily understandable chunks over a period of 31 days, making the learning process easy for Tarot students.

I liked how the ‘Activities’ at the end of each lesson helped, or rather made up the process of learning! Truly, this is a great learning-by-doing approach for learning how to read the Tarot cards!

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Where Can You Get This eBook?

You can click here, and order your copy of the e-book. Typically, you get a PDF which you can easily read on your computer. But if you prefer reading your eBooks on your tablet devices, you can easily opt for the ePub version of the eBook too!

In fact, I read my eBook on my iPad, having requested Brigit to send me the ePub version, and it reads like a dream in iBooks. 🙂 *Technology Rocks* 😉

I have also had a chance to go through the PDF version of the eBook and that too is great to read on your computer, and also on your tablet device!

My Thoughts

If you were looking to learn how to read the Tarot cards, and wanted a step-by-step, well planned, self-study and activity-based approach towards the process, then the Tarot Foundations eBook is simply perfect for you!

Brigit is a great Tarot-ist, and her knowledge and open heart truly shines through the entire eBook, making it easy for you to connect with her and her words, and get into the flow of the learning process that she underlines.

If you are already a Tarot card reader, and want to deepen your knowledge of the cards, then too, this is a great eBook for you. With its activity-based approach, you can easily find various ways of connecting with your Tarot cards and deepening your understanding of their images.