This guide shows the traditional symbolism of the tarot in bold graphics, allowing readers to connect intuitively to the deeper aspects of the cards.

The Tarot Disassembled Guidebook provides fresh insight into interpreting the traditional symbolism found in the tarot. In this companion book to the Tarot Disassembled card deck, author and creator Jennifer Cooper Steidley has deconstructed the symbolism, presenting it in bold graphics, allowing the user to connect with the tarot in a completely intuitive way—free from any pictorial narrative around gender, skin color, age, size, ability, or any other human constructs.

Sometimes we need to take something apart in order to appreciate what’s in it. The same is true for the ingredients of the tarot: the individual symbols that make up the complex picture of a tarot card. There is potential for deep understanding that comes with the act of disassembling, and this guidebook deconstructs each of the seventy-eight cards. The Fool card is shown as a satchel, a dog, the sun, a feather, a flower, a mountain. Each card remains undeniably recognizable. The deconstructed simplicity allows tarot’s rich symbolism to become clear, and readers can see how the symbols wind their way through each card in the deck.

Tarot Disassembled is based on the symbology of the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot—arguably the most iconic and widely used deck in the world. Once the disassembling of tarot symbols is fully understood, you can begin to apply this deconstructing technique to other decks to find the inner patterns. This unique and innovative guidebook includes keywords, astrological and planetary associations, and elemental associations for each tarot card. It can be used with any deck based on the Rider-Waite system or as a companion to the Tarot Disassembled card deck, sold separately.