Book Review: Talismans & Tarot by Lori Lytle

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I received a free copy of this deck in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot get over the fact that multiple publishers have reached out asking if I would like to review books pertaining to tarot. Something is really in the air this year, and if you have read Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert, it's as if the Universe itself is sending us a clear message. What's most interesting, however, is that these books are not your simple run-of-the-mill tarot books, but instead focus on deeper, more meaningful topics, especially as they relate to the hardships we are currently facing. Talismans & Tarot: Magical Tools to Amplify, Attract, & Manifest by Lori Lytle is one such book that approaches tarot as a clarifier in spell and ritual work.

Talismans & Tarot is divided into two parts: The Basics and The Process. In both parts, Lytle offers detailed information, practices, journal prompts (called "musings"), stories, and more to guide the reader through the process of using tarot and meditation to create talismans. The tone is light, and the content is easy to read. In fact, I was able to get through the entire book in one day, a testament to Lytle's concise yet effective writing style.

In Part I: The Basics, Lytle spends much of her time discussing tarot and the meaning behind the cards. What's interesting here is that not only does Lytle discuss the major arcana and their use in magic, but also all of the minor arcana. This is unique, as many practitioners ignore the majority of the deck, focusing solely on the major arcana in magical workings. Lytle clearly disagrees with this lack of use, encouraging the reader to delve into the meaning of every card available to you. Not only does she provide the card's overall meanings, but she also provides the card's theme, an affirmation, and "musings" to help guide our understanding and deepen our relationship with both the major and minor arcana. It was a truly eye-opening experience for me, as I have very little practice with the minor arcana. So many of the minor arcana pair well with spiritual activism and liberation work, which has led me to start forming new ideas for spells and rituals for such purposes.

Also within Part I, Lytle explores how to read tarot cards. I know this is not exceptionally new information, but I found Lytle's approach to be refreshing and eye-opening. Lytle doesn't just explain how to read a tarot spread, but instead teaches us how tarot spreads tell a "story." She guides us in understanding how to find the story of the cards while reading them, giving clear, concrete examples and patterns to look out for. For example, what direction are the people in the cards facing? If there are two knights, are they charging toward each other or away? Are the cards looking at each other, at the reader, or away from the reader? Does one suit show up more than others? Are they about equal? Is a certain number or type of card showing up more often, such as three aces? I am someone who doesn't use tarot and tarot spreads in my daily practice. This is largely in part because I don't feel a strong connection with the cards and often struggle to fully understand the message they are sending me. Reading through Lytle's guide and interpretation of real spreads helps put into perspective exactly how this process is done. I had many an "ah ha!" moment while reading through her examples.

While I greatly appreciated Lytle's explanation of the tarot, I felt Part I was too long and focused too much on tarot as a practice and less on tarot as a magical tool in your spells, rituals, and rites. Based on the title, I was hoping there would be a greater focus on talismans and their creation, believing tarot was a helper, not the central focus of the book. That isn't to say I didn't find the information provided lacking or not valuable; it's just that I was expecting something different.

Part II: The Process is where we really get into practicing magic. Honestly, it could have skipped talisman making altogether and focused only on the use of tarot to guide intention and affirmation creation. Really, that is the heart of this book. It feels like talisman creation is an afterthought. The real show stopper is how tarot helps to clarify and drive spell work and mundane actions. Let me explain.

Lytle begins by discussing types of intentions: quantifiable and holistic. I absolutely love this classification and believe clarifying the differences can help readers create better, more concise intentions. During this discussion, Lytle offers a ritual that combines meditation and tarot to help define and clarify your intention. The meditation is beautifully written, and the steps are clearly outlined with several examples to help guide the reader. I am such a sucker for real examples and love reading about others' experiences. This really helps to clarify my understanding as I learn best through observation.

It is not until after clarifying our intention that we begin to get into the heart of creating a talisman. This, again, is followed up with further clarification through the use of tarot, with a continuation of the previous examples. This final tarot spread, however, not only helps to clarify if you are on the right path, but also gives insight into what is to come and what actions you need to take in the mundane world to see your intention come to fruition. While I was really hoping Talismans & Tarot had focused more on talisman creation, I can't complain about the wonderful insights into using tarot as a tool to clarify and refine intentions and spell work instead of just as a divination tool. This is such a wonderfully unique perspective, and I highly encourage everyone to read it for themselves.

You can pick up your copy of Talismans & Tarot: Magical Tools to Amplify, Attract, & Manifest by Lori Lytle wherever books are sold.

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