Member Reviews
The Inner Tarot by Kate Van Horn is both a beautifully written guide and an inspiring tool for self-discovery. As someone learning tarot, I found it to be the perfect companion—clear, insightful, and deeply reflective. This isn’t just a book to read; it’s one to revisit often. Van Horn’s thoughtful explanations and interpretations made the sometimes-intimidating world of tarot feel accessible, and her focus on intuition and personal growth adds a unique depth. It took me time to get through as I was learning, but that only speaks to its richness. I keep coming back to it whenever I pull out my deck—it’s truly a guide for both beginners and seasoned readers alike.
"The Inner Tarot" by Kate Van Horn is an exceptional resource for both novice and experienced tarot readers. This book is more than just a guide; it is a journey into the heart of tarot reading, offering readers a profound understanding of the cards and how to connect with them on a deeper level.
One of the standout features of "The Inner Tarot" is the practical exercises included at the end of each chapter. These exercises are thoughtfully designed to help readers enhance their intuitive skills and become more attuned to their tarot decks. They provide a hands-on approach to learning, allowing readers to apply the concepts discussed in the chapters directly to their practice. This interactive element is incredibly beneficial, as it bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.
Kate Van Horn's writing is both user-friendly and engaging. She explains the intricate symbolism and meanings of the tarot cards in a way that is easy to understand without oversimplifying the rich history and depth behind each card. Her clear and approachable style makes this book an excellent choice for those who are new to tarot, while her insights and tips offer valuable guidance for seasoned readers looking to deepen their practice.
"The Inner Tarot" is structured in a way that encourages continual growth and learning. The progression of the chapters builds a solid foundation for understanding the tarot, gradually moving into more complex interpretations and advanced techniques. This thoughtful organization ensures that readers are not overwhelmed and can steadily build their confidence and skills.
"The Inner Tarot: A Modern Approach to Self-Compassion and Empowered Healing Using the Tarot" by Kate Van Horn is a refreshing and insightful take on using tarot cards for personal growth and healing. In this book, Van Horn presents a contemporary perspective on the ancient practice of tarot reading, focusing on self-compassion and empowerment.
One of the book's highlights is Van Horn's emphasis on using the tarot as a tool for self-reflection and introspection. She guides readers through the process of connecting with the cards on a deeper level, encouraging them to explore their innermost thoughts, feelings, and desires with compassion and curiosity.
Moreover, "The Inner Tarot" offers practical exercises, meditations, and journaling prompts to help readers integrate tarot into their daily lives. Van Horn's approach is accessible and inclusive, making it suitable for both seasoned practitioners and newcomers to the world of tarot.
Through her compassionate guidance and empowering insights, Van Horn demonstrates how the tarot can serve as a powerful catalyst for personal transformation and healing. Whether you're seeking clarity, guidance, or simply a deeper connection with yourself, "The Inner Tarot" offers a roadmap for navigating life's challenges with grace and resilience.
An intriguing look at using tarot for psychological healing and reflection. Can see this as being helpful alongside journaling.
"This tarot book is perfect for beginners, offering a friendly and accessible approach to the practice. With a focus on healing, upliftment, and self-discovery, it provides a gentle introduction to tarot without delving too deeply into complex meanings and symbolism. It's easy to read and navigate, making it convenient to pick up and reference at any time. Whether you're new to tarot or looking for a fresh perspective, this book is sure to guide you on your journey of personal growth and exploration."
I received an ARC from Netgalley
Kate Van Horn's debut book, The Inner Tarot, showcases her talent as a skilled storyteller as she delves into the ancient 78-card system with poetic prose and personal narratives. Readers are encouraged to explore their own stories through various healing modalities beyond Tarot, making this book a must-read for those in tune with their intuition.
Definitely a handy little book for any one starting out in tarot reading
This was such a great book on Tarot. I always enjoy a good Tarot book, and this one had some great perspectives on the topics. I already know that The Inner Tarot will be a book that I come back to again in the future to reference and reread. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book.
This is a thoughtful, interesting breakdown of reading tarot that will be a good resource for beginning card readers and offers food for thought for those who already have a relationship with tarot.
The intro felt overly long and something about the vibe bothered me, but once you get to the actual content it gets better. I appreciate the perspective of and focus on weaving an interconnected story with all of the cards instead of focusing on the static meanings individual to each one. I think that’s a really impactful way for new readers to begin their relationship to tarot and the strongest aspect of this book.
The Inner Tarot by Kate Van Horn may be one of the best books about learning the tarot that I have ever read. When I read through this book, I tried to tune into a younger version of myself. Having read the tarot off and on since 2007, I looked at this book for how it may have helped me better understand the practice of tarot if I had been able to access it from the very beginning. Kate did an excellent job creating multiple different inroads for new readers and old to build better relationships with their cards from journal prompts to meditations to quality explanations and examples. I most especially liked her section on reversals. I myself have always had a somewhat iffy relationship with reversals in the tarot and found her many different paths to understanding reversed energy enlightening.
This book is for you if you want to have a deep and personal connection to the craft of tarot reading, whether you’re still deciding what deck you want or have been reading for half your lifetime or more. The only real qualm I have with this work is that I don’t feel like the first exercise is complete. A new reader may go through the first exercise and pull the cards, but the work offers no further guidance on what to really do afterwards. The obvious answer is probably to look at those cards in the meanings section in the back of the book, but since this book is supposed to be for beginners, a little guidance there wouldn’t go amiss, I think. Either way, this is definitely the book I plan to recommend to absolute beginners in the tarot going forward. The writing is accessible, the exercises are helpful and powerful, and it models a strong practice in an era where you can pretty much do anything you wish.
I’m thankful to NetGalley and Sounds True Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this book to review.
This is good and beginner-friendly tarot book. It is very much focused on the healing/uplifiting/self-discovery aspects of tarot, not so deep on the meaning/symbolism aspects.
eARC provided by NetGalley and Sounds True Publishing.
My new favorite tarot book.
Sometimes you know early on that you vibe with the author's writing style and are going to really enjoy a book. I'm generally a little wary of anyone proclaiming to have 'a gift' but something the author said in the introduction immediately resonated with me as she recalled a moment of realization about self sabotage and living in fear of one's own power. Taking this candid admission and armed with a new favorite phrase "back-alley magic", I knew this was going to be a genuine and down to earth crash course in reading tarot. This is not my first beginners book but it's the one I had the greatest takeaway from. The author took the assignment to heart and and gives THE BEST introduction to tarot. Plus this is her first book! I adored her explanations and went through page by page with my own cards. If you do this, at the end your deck will be reordered to 'rest', ready to recharge (which I'm now adopting into my practice) and it's a full moon so might as well put everything I learned about cleansing to work. :)
This book is very good. Even if you're not new to the subject or the title may seem focused on an aspect that's not specifically what you're after, -- this one is worth reaching for.
Thank you to the author & publisher for allowing me to read this book early in return for my honest thoughts and review.
I've always been interested in Tarot, but so very intimidated by all of the cards and their meanings. This book has been unlike any other Tarot book I have read and made it feel easy.
Not only do you learn how each card has a positive (non scary) interpretation to it, but also a healing component. There are so many journaling prompts to guide you along your journey while learning the deck - which I found to be so helpful when trying to remember the cards and their meanings.
I preordered a physical copy of this book before I had even finished it. I can't wait to highlight and take notes.
The inner tarot begins like most tarot guide books which helps you understand the tarot card meanings and learn the different tarot spreads. The exercises help you in tune with your tarot deck which is very helpful for a beginner like myself. Great read ill have to buy the book when I can so I can thoroughly work through it.
It's been years that I've been reading tarot. Once you find Spirit, it's impossible to ever let go.
I always find it hard when I see readers hopeful, and waiting for me to tell them that their love is corresponded or that they will get the promotion, only to see that the cards see differently. This takes me to what I enjoyed about this book, the positive prompts. Although unfortunately, people will still be affected by the read, I'll be happy to suggest them.
For a reader like me, who wakes up early to talk to Spirit on a daily basis, this reminds me that healing takes time, that I can turn stubbornness into resilience, and that it's more than okay to ask for signs.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
I loved this book! Part 1 is very informative and not too different to the usual 'history of tarot' guidebooks out there. However, Part 2 is where it really changes your perspective. I can really see myself using this as a tool to deepen my readings. I really liked the prompts at the end of each chapter which helped put what I'd read into practice. Referring the Major Arcana to present world events, the minors by their elements and bringing new life to reversals (something I don't typically read) I am looking forward to many readings using this guidebook.
I liked the exercises at the end of each chapter to help you as a card reader get better in tune with your tarot deck. The book is user friendly and helpful in learning the Tarot.
The Inner Tarot: A Modern Approach to Self-Compassion and Empowered Healing Using the Tarot
by Kate Van Horn
I received an eBook ARC of this book to review honestly. All opinions are my own. My biggest problem with this book was not the author's fault, as far as I know, but a problem with the NetGalley app. I am NOT dinging the author for the problem of the font being SO tiny as I am only able to open the NG app on my Samsung phone, and not on my Kindle Fire where I usually read books.
I've been using tarot, oracle, and angel cards, along with Runes since I was about 25. I truly wanted to like this book, thought it might actually help in understanding more of myself, but this book just didn't do it for me. I'm not sure why.
One part agree with was creating space. For me, that included soft music, a notebook to write down the cards drawn and my thoughts regarding the reading .It appears I intuitively was cleansing/recharging my deck without actually realizing it.
I feel like I didn't get as much enjoyment out of this book as I could have due to being so difficult to read. Even going to my laptop and using the browser app was difficult as it would only scroll less than a line at a time. Sigh.
I wasn't even halfway through the digital ARC when I preordered this book in paperback. It's that good.
After a thorough subject introduction, a series of spreads is offered to guide the reader through the various stages of healing and empowerment. Both these words are used all the time in the tarot community, but I never heard them explained as well as in this book.
The Inner Tarot is different from any tarot workbook I've read before, both welcoming and surprising in its approach. For example, I never read reversals, but the several interpretations presented in this book are fresh and inviting, offering a few new perspectives on reading reversed cards that I'm willing to try.
The minors are explained by their element, which is how I already read them, and although a lot of the meanings sound familiar, many new takes do come to light. Most importantly: how to keep it real, in the present, right here, right now.
The majors are described as modern events while sticking to their traditional meaning.
I journalled throughout, taking full advantage of this wealth of information on healing and empowerment, trying out the suggested prompts in each chapter, meanwhile enjoying every moment I got to play and experience my cards in a new way.
The Inner Tarot is a breath of fresh air, written in easy accessible language, with useful spreads to boot. A wonderful book every tarot reader needs in their collection.
Thank you Netgalley and Sounds True Publishing for the ARC.
The Inner Tarot : A Modern Approach to Self-Compassion and Empowered Healing Using the Tarot. This book offers a new and personal way of using the Tarot for self development and healing. It does cover the basics of card reading in the first section and a good introduction on Tarot. However it the aim is to make them a more personal tool for your own development and personal journey. It is a very interesting read with lots of great ideas and new ways to use the deck.