Halloween is almost here and activities like tarot, astrology, and palm readings are popular this time of year. Below are books on these topics.
Tarot
Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea
While tarot has gone mainstream with a diverse range of tarot decks widely available, there has been no equally mainstream guide to the tarot-one that can be applied to any deck-until now. Infused with beloved iconoclastic author Michelle Tea’s unique insight, inviting pop sensibility, and wicked humor, Modern Tarot is a fascinating journey through the cards that teaches how to use this tradition to connect with our higher selves.
Tarot: No Questions Asked by Theresa Reed
Tap into your “sixth sense” and become a better, more confident tarot reader. Most all tarot books present card-by-card interpretations as well as an instruction on how to read spreads. This book takes the next logical step inward by presenting the art of reading in a workbook format, and helps you learn to interpret the cards intuitively.
Queering the Tarot by Cassandra Snow
Humanity is diverse–culturally, spiritually, sexually. Tarot has the power to serve a greater population, with the right keys to unlock the tarot’s deeper meanings. In Queering the Tarot, Cassandra Snow deconstructs the meanings of the 78 cards explaining the ways in which each card might be interpreted against the norm. Queering the Tarot explores themes of sexuality, coming out, gender and gender-queering, sources of oppression and empowerment, and many other topics especially familiar to not-straight folks.
The Book of Tarot by Danielle Noelle
More than a guidebook, The Book of Tarot offers a space in which to set goals and intentions with clarity and purpose. It also serves as an accessible introduction to the Tarot’s many uses, from mystical touchstone to practical resource. In this beautifully designed, easy-to-navigate book, Danielle Noel instructs readers in using the Tarot as a tool for self-understanding, meditation, and soulful introspection.
Tarot for Troubled Times by Shaheen Miro and Theresa Reed
Each of us has a shadow that darkens our inner and outer lives. Tarot for Troubled Times shows us how working with the shadow releases power that can free ourselves from negative mental habits and destructive emotions to find healing ourselves and others. The authors provide specialty readings and suggested practices for issues such as grief, addiction, depression, fear, anger, divorce, illness, abuse, and oppression, and provide practical suggestions for stepping up as an ally or leader so that you can shape social policies.
Tarot by Jessica Hundley
The 600-year-old tradition of tarot reflects not only a history of seekers, but our journey of artistic expression and the ways we communicate our collective human story. For many in the West, Tarot exists in the shadow place of our cultural consciousness, a metaphysical tradition assigned to the dusty glass cabinets of the arcane. This book explores the symbolic meaning behind more than 500 cards and works of original art, two thirds of which have never been published outside of the decks themselves. It’s the first ever visual compendium of its kind, spanning from Medieval to modern, and artfully arranged according to the sequencing of the 78 cards of the Major and Minor Arcana.
Astrology
Astrology for Real Life by Theresa Reed
A fun and sassy no-nonsense invitation to the practice of astrology with easy-to-understand tools for self-development and conscious living. Astrology for Real Life goes beyond simple sun-sign interpretation and at the same time cuts through the complications of horoscope analysis to make understanding your chart in depth, simple and easy. The book is presented in workbook format exploring each part of chart interpretation — signs, planets, houses, aspects — with exercises following each chapter and fill-in-the-blank lessons that take the reader through all the just-learned steps. The tone is warm, fun, and personal, and the exercises give the reader experiential hands-on practice.
The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology by Juliana McCarthy (audiobook)
A fresh introduction to astrology that will provide a contemporary perspective on this age-old practice. There is no greater roadmap than the stars for helping us to recognize habitual patterns, discovering our gifts, and figuring out how to move toward greater joy and contentment. With accessible depictions of the astrological signs and symbols, this guide opens up the rich world of astrology as a tool to deepen self-awareness and lead a more fulfilling life.
You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance by Chani Nicholas
From beloved astrologer Chani Nicholas comes an essential guide for radical self-acceptance. Chani shows how your birth chart—a snapshot of the sky at the moment you took your first breath—reveals your unique talents, challenges, and opportunities. Fortified with this knowledge, you can live out the life you were born to. With journal prompts, reflection questions, and affirmations personal to your astrological makeup, this book guides you along the path your chart has laid out for you.
Astro Poets: Your Guides to the Zodiac by Alex Dimitrov and Dorothea Lasky
From the online phenomenons the Astro Poets comes the first great astrology primer of the 21st century. Full of insight, advice and humor for every sign in the zodiac, the Astro Poets’ unique brand of astrological flavor has made them Twitter sensations.
The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need by Joanna Martine Woolfolk
This book is packed with information on Sun signs, Moon signs, Ascending signs, the placement of Planets in your Houses, and the latest astronomical discoveries. This book provides the compatibility between every sign (144 combinations) and dispenses advice about health, money, lifestyle, and romance, while also offering advice on dealing with the negative aspects of each sign.
Palmistry
Talk to the Hand by Vernon Mahabal
Talk to the Hand reveals the tricks of the palm reader’s trade and is organized around the most popular questions and inquiries the author has received over the years. It serves as a fascinating field guide for those who want a quick, accurate way to assess their own and other people’s talents, abilities, psychology, and emotional personality.
-Anna, Head of Youth Services