Book Review: The Power of Tarot by Liz Worth
Author Liz Worth. Photo by L!N Duperron.
I’m always on the hunt for clear, accessible, and insightful resources for people learning tarot
I teach tarot to all levels of students regularly. It’s a pleasure being able to offer face-to-face support in a field that’s overflowing with resources, both written and digital. Because of this, people often come to me confused and eager for clarity; In my role as a teacher I hear so many questions about tarot that often go unanswered in traditional books full of card meanings and spread configurations:
How does intuition work?
Do I have to know astrology to learn tarot?
What does tarot have to do with fate or free will?
What kind of questions can I ask the cards?
All of these are important questions that deserve full attention, especially considering that their answers are often complex. Liz Worth’s new tarot book, The Power of Tarot, deftly addresses these questions and so much more. In its pages, Worth seeks to thoroughly explore what tarot is, where it comes from, and how readers can use it themselves.
An experienced tarot reader, journalist, astrologer, and writer, Worth brings refreshing clarity and rigor to the often spiritually poetic topic of tarot. If you’re looking for a concise and well-thought-out look into how and why we read the cards, this book is for you. I personally didn’t realize how much I had been missing this type of perspective until I started reading. There were many times when I found myself exclaiming “Amen!” aloud in my local coffee shop, much to the surprise of the person next to me. Take this gem of a sentence, for example:
I don’t “pick up” messages from anyone’s energy. I don’t read their thoughts. I don’t see spirits standing at their shoulders. Tarot reading is card reading—I literally read the cards.
Liz Worth, The Power of Tarot, 32.
You might say Liz Worth is a pragmatist, but in the deliciously open sense where there’s plenty of room for magic and mystery. And I find it immensely satisfying to find a book that just sticks to tarot without bringing in a whole bevy of other modalities and confusing an already complex and intricate topic.
Worth does an excellent job demystifying tarot, clearing up the fog around issues like its history, intuition, and timing, among many others. If you’ve been looking for a comprehensive and refreshing guide to what the cards can do and how you can use them, I highly recommend this book.
It’s not just for beginners, either. Worth touches on important topics like ethics, romance, work, and boundaries that readers of all levels can benefit from. Regardless of your level, you’ll find yourself with many new insights and ideas to expand and challenge your practice.
What I love most about this book is that Worth uses her experience and expertise to give readers’ information. From there, she empowers them to make choices that resonate with their path and worldview. This is a book that respects and prioritizes the sanctity of each person’s journey and autonomy. In a world full of prescriptive spiritual rules, it’s both powerful and refreshing.
The anecdotes Worth offers from her life and professional practice give a nice intimacy to the book. I’ve found that personal stories are the most impactful: We get to see how a reader shapes their own relationship to the cards. From there, we can better envision and decide what we’d like ours to look like.
A huge strength of this book is its organization. You can tell that it was meticulously planned out, if only because its sections flow so organically into each other. These are touches that I especially appreciate - a great deal of hard work and consideration went into this book, giving it a wonderful flow, logic, and voice. In other words, you can sit down and read this book with the impression that you’re getting a one-on-one masterclass in the beliefs, mechanics, and philosophy of tarot from Worth herself.
This book isn’t for you if…
You’re looking for card meanings or tarot spreads
You want to explore astrological and other correspondences
This Book is for you If…
You’re curious about what tarot is, how it works, and what you can do with it.
You want in-depth answers that go beyond the basics in tricky topics like intuition, fate, ethics, and boundaries
You want to see how a tarot professional has used these questions to shape their practice
You want to develop your own relationship to tarot
Full Disclosure:
Liz Worth reached to me with a proof copy of this book for review.
