Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning — Classic Beginners Tarot Instruction Book

Short description:

Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning — one of the most thorough and well-loved tarot instruction books available, covering all 78 cards individually with keyword meanings, exercises, and guided practice. Bunning’s course-based approach (originally her popular online course) builds genuine understanding rather than rote memorization, making this ideal for serious beginners and self-taught practitioners seeking a solid foundation.

Description:

Quick Specs

• Author: Joan Bunning
• Type: Paperback, structured 19-lesson tarot course
• Deck compatibility: Rider-Waite-Smith (Waite-Smith deck imagery used throughout)
• Best for: Absolute beginners who want a systematic, lesson-by-lesson foundation in tarot reading

A 19-Lesson Course Format That Builds Skill Progressively

Joan Bunning's Learning the Tarot began as a website course on learntarot.com before it was published as a book in 1998, and that origin shapes everything about its structure. Rather than presenting the 78 cards as a reference list to memorize, Bunning organizes the material into 19 lessons that build on each other deliberately, moving from single-card interpretation through two-card pairs and into full Celtic Cross readings. Each lesson includes exercises with sample responses, so the reader practices the skill being taught rather than simply reading about it.

The course format distinguishes this book from both the scholarly tradition of A.E. Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot, which is an annotated reference rather than a teaching tool, and from thematic decks that come with companion booklets organized around the artist's symbolism. Bunning's book is compatible with any Rider-Waite-Smith based deck and uses the Waite-Smith imagery as its visual reference throughout, making it the natural first text for the majority of beginners who start with an RWS-style deck.

The Keyword Method, Celtic Cross Focus, and Card Reference Section

Bunning's methodological contribution is what she calls the keyword approach: assigning each card a small set of core concepts that anchor interpretation without reducing it to rote memorization. The keywords serve as a starting point that the reader then expands through the imagery, the surrounding cards, and the question at hand. This method produces flexible readers who can work with any spread rather than practitioners who have memorized canned meanings that become rigid in practice.

The entire course uses a single spread, the Celtic Cross, rather than introducing multiple layouts. This focused approach lets readers develop fluency with one reliable spread before they encounter the variety of layouts presented in other books. The reference section at the back provides two full pages per card: an image from the Waite-Smith deck, a description, keywords, action phrases, and notes on cards with similar or opposing energies. This section functions as a quick-reference companion once the lessons are complete, making the book useful long after the initial study period ends.

How to Use Learning the Tarot

The Tarot Fellow Standard

When customers ask me which single tarot book they should buy first, Bunning's is the one I consistently point to for beginners who want a structured path rather than a reference to browse. The 19-lesson course format, the keyword method, and the Celtic Cross focus together create a genuine learning system rather than a beautifully illustrated survey. The book has been in print since 1998 and is still the first recommendation in most serious tarot study communities, which is a reliable signal that the method works. For those starting fresh, my books for beginners collection has other foundational titles worth pairing with this one. Once the course is complete and you are ready to explore more decks, my full tarot and divination collection covers the range of RWS-compatible and independent decks available.

Frequently Asked Questions