Book Review: The Tarot Spreads Yearbook by Chelsey Pippen Mizzi
By Rebecca Angel Maxwell
I remember my delight at seeing tarot cards for sale at the co-op. I came to tarot with the same misgivings prevalent with anything popularized by women—stereotypes that the practice would be either childish” or “from the devil”. After doing a little research, I came to appreciate the rich and varied history. There are as many books devoted to tarot as there are tarot decks, thousands. I recently picked up The Tarot Spreads Yearbook, and have found it to be a helpful tool in my personal “know yourself better” kit.
“Tarot is a meaning-making system, and a meaning-making system is a tool for understanding your life—for observing the connections and patterns in your past, present, and future,” Mizzi states in her introduction. I have found the 78 cards in a traditional tarot deck (not to be confused with oracle cards, which can be as varied as the creator wants them to be) to be like notes on the piano. There are no “bad” or “good” notes, but together they form melodies and chords that delight, alarm, inspire, and soothe us. A tarot “spread” is laying a certain number of cards out in a pattern. Just like music, tarot tells a story, but the interpretation is up to the listener or reader.
In The Tarot Spreads Yearbook, there are 52 spreads, one for every week of the year, and Mizzi divides the year into four seasons: growth, shadow, change, and care. I started with Growth as I began in the summer, and feel that is where my life is at the moment. I want to grow my career, my spiritual life, my community connections, my health and wealth. How can this book help enhance well-being in these areas?
Mizzi presents everything for a novice to understand, yet is varied enough for a regular practitioner to enjoy. The colorful illustrations throughout by Cara Hudson are nature and feminine-based. Each season has 13 kinds of spreads, from intention-setting to discovering resources, to “play.” Journaling is encouraged. It can take as little as 10 minutes to acknowledge what I see, or an hour of reflection if I have time and feel called to examine the cards more closely.
For example, today my four-card “Career” spread looked like a growing tree. Each card was about a different aspect to examine, like “A skill I need to nurture so I can move ahead.” I pulled a fascinating mix that called me to examine the functionality of each card in its place for deeper clarity. In the end, I realized I needed to let go of old hurts associated with past collaborative partners to welcome healthy new relationships. No small task, but an important one to realize if I want to grow my career. My therapist could have told me that, but I wouldn’t have known to bring it up!
“These spreads…help you reflect on your past, be more attentive to your present, and clarify your thoughts about the actions you want to take in your life going forward...a resource for getting to know and love yourself better.” I’m excited to establish a weekly habit. It’s a regular check-in for myself that is fun and beautiful.
I’ve still got a few weeks left in the Growth season before moving on to Shadow. One of the areas I’m trying to grow is my intuition. Of the many ways I can tap into my intuition for better communication with my body, mind, and spirit, tarot is a favorite. The Tarot Spreads Yearbook has made my upcoming journey of self-knowledge and care that much more organized and fun!
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