Resources

In the study guide, you will find questions inspired by each chapter of Life of Kai. The questions allow you to walk through your life’s journey, tracing the stories, noting the high points and the challenges, your support systems and beliefs, your dreams and accomplishments. This is an opportunity to map your own life, allowing you to get to know yourself and your world and perhaps to fall in love with yourself in new ways.

Arrien, Angeles, The Tarot Handbook, Tarcher/Penguin, New York, 1997.
 It does not use the Rider-Waite deck, but it includes a lot of good information with a number of useful ways of working with the cards.

Blum, Ralph, The Book of Runes, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1982. The runes are stones with ancient glyphs used for divination.

Brailsford, Barry, Wisdom of the Four Winds, A Stoneprint Press, New Zealand, 1999. A beautiful, nature-oriented divination.

D’Agostino, Joseph, Tarot – the Royal Path to Wisdom, Samuel Weiser, York Beach Maine, 1976.
A short, clearly written guide to interpretation of the tarot cards with extensive information. Uses the Rider-Waite deck.

Haich, Elisabeth Wisdom of the Tarot, Aurora Press, New York, 1975. Study of the 22 Major Arcana cards with special emphasis on numerology.

Nichols Sallie, Jung and the Tarot, Samuel Weiser, York Beach, Maine, 1980.
An excellent study of the 22 Major Arcana cards using the Jungian theory of archetypes.

Pollack, Rachel, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, Weiser Books, 2007, Another good book to start with emphasis on symbolism of the cards. More in depth than the other basic books.

Sams, Jamie, Medicine Cards, Harper SanFrancisco,1988. A system of divination using animal totems.

Sams, Jamie, Sacred Path Cards, Harper San Francisco, 1990. This unique system distills the essential wisdom of the sacred teachings of many tribal traditions.

Sharmon-Burke, Juliet, The Complete Book of Tarot, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1985. An excellent beginning guide to the Major and Minor cards of the Tarot. Uses the Rider-Waite deck.

Walker, Barbara, The Secrets of the Tarot, Harper & Row, New York, 1984. Provides a fascinating, historical view of the tarot, especially the pagan and feminist roots and subsequent Christian adaptations. She examines the entire deck, however, she uses a deck of her own design.

There are many decks available and I recommend that you choose a deck that resonates with you. I use the Rider-Waite deck because it does not have a theme. The archetypes seem clean and not attached to any agenda. Nevertheless, if you are drawn to a particular theme, then you should follow that. I use the Celtic Cross for divinations. You can find the directions for that in most of these books or online.

Some of the decks that I use, in addition to the Rider-Waite deck include —

Mayan Oracle — Ariel Spilsbury, Bear&Co.

Medicine Cards – Jamie Sams, Bear&Co.

Osho Deck – St. Martin’s Press

Sweat Lodge Deck — Archie Fire Lame Deer, Destiny Books
Sacred Path Deck — Jamie Sams, Harper Collins
Sacred Rebels — Alana Fairchild
Runes — Ralph H. Blum
The Crystal Ally Cards — Naisha Ahsian
The Mystical Shaman — Alberto Villoldo and Colette Baron-Reid
The MotherPeace Deck — Karen Vogel and Vicki Noble
The Voyager Deck — James Wanless
The Wisdom of the Four Winds — Barry Brailsford and Cecilie Okada