Tarot Fellow
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack — Classic Tarot Guide
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Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack is widely considered the definitive guide to tarot card symbolism and meaning. This landmark text explores the full 78-card deck through a psychological, mythological, and spiritual lens, covering the Major and Minor Arcana in comprehensive detail. Since its original publication, Pollack’s work has shaped the way contemporary readers approach the Rider-Waite-Smith system. An essential shelf addition for beginners growing into intermediate study and for experienced practitioners deepening their understanding.
Description:Quick Specs
- Author: Rachel Pollack
- Type: Tarot study text, paperback
- Coverage: All 78 cards of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, Major and Minor Arcana
- Best for: Intermediate to advanced tarot students, serious Rider-Waite-Smith study
The Canonical Tarot Study Text for Serious Practitioners
When tarot teachers, booksellers, and scholars describe a single book as the "bible of tarot," that book is Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. Rachel Pollack first published it in two volumes in 1980, covering the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana separately, and the combined revised edition has remained in print continuously ever since. That longevity alone distinguishes it: this is not a title that rode a trend and faded, but a work whose depth and rigor has made it a foundational text for multiple generations of serious practitioners.
Pollack (1945-2023) brought an unusually wide frame of reference to tarot. She drew on Jungian depth psychology, Kabbalistic correspondences, astrological symbolism, and the esoteric tradition established by Arthur Edward Waite when he designed the Rider-Waite-Smith deck with Pamela Colman Smith in 1909. Rather than providing simple keyword lists, she traces the symbolic logic of each card, showing why specific images were chosen and how they relate to the card's place in the broader structure of the 78-card system.
What the Book Actually Covers: Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, and Spreads
The Major Arcana section arranges the 22 trump cards in three rows of seven, with the Fool standing apart. Pollack traces the Fool's journey as a narrative of consciousness: the first row covering the outer concerns of life and society, the second the inward search for self-knowledge, and the third the development of spiritual awareness and archetypal energy. Each card receives several pages of analysis covering symbolism, historical context, psychological resonance, and practical reading implications.
The Minor Arcana section covers all four suits in depth, examining the elemental correspondence of each suit, the progression from Ace through Ten, and the court cards as character archetypes rather than mere personality types. The final section on reading spreads, including the Celtic Cross and a more complex 9-card spread, provides strong tutorials grounded in sample readings drawn from actual practice. This is the section that earns the book its place as a working reference rather than a shelf piece.
How to Use Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom
How to get the most from this landmark tarot study text at any stage of your practice.
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Read Alongside Your Deck
Work through the book with a Rider-Waite-Smith deck in hand. Pull each card as you reach its chapter and compare Pollack's analysis to the imagery directly. This builds a solid picture-level understanding.
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Study the Major Arcana Structure First
Study Pollack's three-row framework for the Major Arcana before moving to individual cards. Understanding which cards share a column gives you a relational map rather than 22 separate entries to learn.
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Return to It After Real Readings
Use this book as a post-reading reference. After a spread raises questions about a card, bring those to Pollack's analysis. The book rewards return visits as your practice and experience deepen over time.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I carry this book because every serious Rider-Waite-Smith reader eventually comes to it, and they should come to it informed rather than surprised. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom is not a beginner's keyword guide, and it is not trying to be. It is the book you reach for when you want to understand why the imagery works, not just what it means in a reading. Pollack's death in 2023 made this text part of a completed legacy, one that now stands as the most important single work in Rider-Waite-Smith scholarship. If you are working seriously with tarot, explore my tarot and divination books for the full range of study texts I carry, and pair this with a quality deck from my tarot decks collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
This book suits intermediate and advanced readers best. Beginners can read it, but they will gain more after learning basic meanings and doing real readings. It is a depth study text, not a starter guide or keyword reference.
The book analyzes the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, designed by Arthur Edward Waite with art by Pamela Colman Smith in 1909. Pollack's analysis is closely tied to RWS imagery, so reading it alongside that deck is strongly advised.
The current edition in print combines both original volumes into one book with a new preface by Pollack from the 1997 revised edition. This combined version is the standard carried by most booksellers and tarot curricula.
Rachel Pollack (1945-2023) was a tarot scholar widely regarded as one of the most significant figures in 20th-century tarot study. She wrote over a dozen tarot books and won the Arthur C. Clarke Award.
