I’ve written three full-length books about Tarot, specifically connected to three of my decks. I won’t say that “I’ll never write about Tarot again,” but for the most part I do not feel any pressing urge to “explain” my decks anymore.
Many of my decks do not come with little white booklets or printed matter of any kind. In part, this is because Tarot is a specific language, and there are already many, MANY books out there that will advise you on how to interpret that language. For me, Mary Greer’s TAROT FOR YOUR SELF was the one text that I needed the most when I began studying Tarot in earnest. It will give you all the tools you need.
But whether you choose Mary’s book, or one of mine, or any one of the hundreds of others, find one that speaks to you. Read it, embrace it, use it to inform your practice. Any tarot book that you like and that works for you is your guidebook to every deck in existence! If it works for you with ONE deck, it will work for you with all.
My decks are designed for readers who prefer intuitive interpretation. Let the image speak to you first—intuition is part of the experience. Then compare it with the traditional meaning in any tarot reference you like. The decks reward curiosity. They’re meant for readers who enjoy exploring symbolism rather than being guided step-by-step—readers with curiosity, independence, and a willingness to engage deeply with the images. This is a feature, not a bug.
I’m not offering a comfort blanket. I’m offering a tool. Tools require skill. Blankets do not.
Here’s the main thing to keep in mind whether you’re just beginning your Tarot Journey or well along the path: Do not be afraid of misinterpreting the cards. Most of my decks stretch the vocabulary and explore the atmosphere. There are no wrong answers—only answers that deepen with practice and reflection. Don’t be frightened by the unfamiliar. See a word you don’t recognize? Look it up! Sometimes a dictionary is better than a guidebook. A dictionary doesn’t tell you how to think: it gives you the tools you need to Think For Yourself.
I’m not producing mass-market wallpaper spirituality. I’m producing eccentric, hopefully atmospheric, literate, symbolic work that demands the reader meet the deck halfway.
The modern world wants you to forget how to meet anything halfway. I’m asking you to remember. If you’re looking for something that does the thinking for you, my decks may not be the right fit. But you Thinkers out there, you collectors, you fellow weirdos, you intuitives, you lovers of the obscure and obfuscated?
Come on in. This is for you.
—Thorn.
Leave a comment